Is the spectacle lens jack‐in‐the‐box phenomenon really due to the lenses?

The calculation of the extent of the ring scotoma around positive lenses, as conventionally taught to students of clinical optics, indicates that the scotoma is of a significant size. Using knife-edge lenses this study shows that the calculations are invalid due to the finite size of the eye's entrance pupil and in many instances the scotoma is shown not to exist. The effect noticed in clinical practice is probably largely due to the frame and the edging techniques used which add to the refractive scotoma which is present with high powered lenses, large apertures and/or small pupil sizes.     

La dimension de contact et les troubles esthéticophysiognomiques

Dimension of contact is the very moment when meeting with someone. The limits can be precisely defined as an aesthetic moment, i.e. the very moment when someone appears. That is an experience of one's expressivity. One can usually go through this ephemeral moment to reach simple self-continuity. Pathologies of contact may be described at different levels: neurosis, pathological personalities and psychosis.     

Grading static versus dynamic images of contact lens complications

Background: This study was conducted to investigate grading performance when estimating the severity of static versus dynamic images of contact lens‐related ocular pathology. Methods: Thirty‐eight subjects used the Efron Grading Scales for Contact Lens Complications to grade the severity of ocular pathological changes depicted in static and dynamic (movie clip) computer‐displayed images of each of the following contact lens complications: bulbar conjunctival redness, limbal redness, papillary conjunctivitis, corneal staining, corneal infiltrates and meibomian gland dysfunction. The viewing of static and dynamic images was separated by seven weeks. Results: Grades assigned to dynamic images were 0.6 and 0.7 grading scale units higher than those assigned to static images for limbal redness and papillary conjunctivitis, respectively (p < 0.0001 for both). No difference was observed for the other four complications. There was an apparent trend for grading variability to be reduced (that is, observers grading in closer agreement) when grading dynamic versus static images. Conclusions: Absolute grades based on an assessment of signs of pathology represented in static images may, in some instances, underestimate the true severity of the condition.     

角膜接触镜对泪膜流动和破裂时间的影响

观察５０例长期配戴亲水性角膜接触镜者戴镜前后ＳｃｈｉｒｍｅｒＩ试验和泪膜破裂时间（ＢＵＴ）的变化。结果表明，戴接触镜后ＢＵＴ缩短，ＳｃｈｉｒｍｅｒＩ下降，双眼ＢＵＴ与ＳｃｈｉｒｍｅｒＩ之间无相关性。讨论了引起泪膜流动和ＢＵＴ改变的机制。     

The spherical aberration of aphakic eyes corrected with intra-ocular lenses

The spherical aberration of eyes corrected with intra-ocular lenses is investigated using a model eye with realistic levels of corneal asphericity. The results indicate that the aberration is intermediate between that of paraxial schematic eyes and real eyes. By using standard optical aberration theory, it is shown that for a plano-convex lens with the curved surface facing the cornea, the aberration is similar to that of normal phakic eyes and therefore probably too low to be of any clinical significance. However, for other lens orientations or designs, the level of aberration is usually higher and may lead to a refractive error varying with pupil size and a loss of acuity with large pupil diameters.     

Corneal conjunctivalisation in long‐standing contact lens wearers

Background: There are many contact lens‐related ocular surface disorders. Some can damage the limbal region where stem cells are thought to be located in its basal cell layer. This damage can result in destruction and a deficiency of corneal stem cells. One important sign of this complication is corneal conjunctivalisation. The purpose of this study is to describe clinical characteristics of a series of long‐standing contact lens (CL) wearers with corneal conjunctivalisation (CC). Methods: In a one‐year (March 2004 to March 2005) retrospective unmasked study, 591 CL clinical histories (195 new patients and 396 review patients) were analysed. Results: There were 24 eyes of 14 myopic patients (93 per cent women) with CC without a specific disease entity known to cause limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). Conjunctivalisation occurred in the inferior limbus of three eyes (12 per cent). Only four patients (28.6 per cent) reported previous ocular symptoms. All were myopic with a mean spherical equivalent of ‐8.80 ± 5.00 (SD) dioptres (range from ‐1.75 to ‐21.50 D) and mean visual acuity 0.9 ± 0.2 (range from 0.4 to 1.2). The mean years of CL wear was 17.6 ± 8.5 (CI 95% 13.2 to 22; range six to 30). All were daily‐wear patients with a mean daily‐wear time of 12.5 ± 1.8 hours per day (CI 95% 11.6 to 13.4). Conclusion: Corneal conjunctivalisation is a contact lens‐related complication in asymptomatic patients. Optometrists can play an important role in early diagnosis, education and management of these patients.     

Measurement of contact impedance of electrodes used for deep brain stimulation

High frequency electrical stimulation by means of electrodes implanted into the brain has become an accepted technique for treatment of Parkinson's disease. The electrical field distribution normally inserted into the sub thalamic nucleus minimise abnormal brain activity. Square wave pulses of 1–3.6 V with duration of 60–90 μs at a frequency range of 130–185 pps are generally used. Every electrode unit consists of four cylindrical electrodes positioned in a row and can be switched on independently. This paper determines the contact impedance of the electrodes for different frequencies and proposes improvement to reduce the contact impedance between the electrodes and the brain. Measurements were performed by placing the electrodes in a tank filled with saline. Different frequencies were applied on two electrodes via a resistor. The current was measured through the resistor and the voltage was registered between one of the electrodes and a third non current carrying electrode. The obtained values were used to calculate the contact impedance. The result shows large contact impedance for the used frequency compared to the impedance of the treated tissue, which means that variation in contact impedance can result in variation in the electrical field applied to the tissue.     

The use of restricted spectral range red lenses for the diagnosis and relief of dazzlement of a rod monochromat

An infant rod monochromat was diagnosed and was then treated with the Younger PLS 550 lens. The comparison in use of PLS 550 and a neutral density lens confirmed the presence of cone dysfunction. The use of this lens takes advantage of the spectral shift in luminosity between rods and cones. Younger PLS 550 and PLS 530 tints are used for the relief of photophobia according to prevailing brightness. This paper discusses patient management with the use of these lenses and some characteristics of the vision of a rod monochromat.     

Carcinoma of the alimentary canal — A statistical study based on autopsy data from 1928 to 1972

Summary An analysis of autopsy data shows that during the period 1928–1972 the relative frequency of carcinoma of the stomach has remained practically unchanged. A similar trend is apparant from the mortality statistics for Vienna from 1955 to 1972. Whereas for the lower and middle age groups there is a real decrease during the period 1928–1952, an opposite trend is visible for the highest age group. The stomach and the lower parts of the large intestine are the most frequent sites of carcinoma of the alimentary canal. The frequency distribution is explained on the basis of the contact hypothesis.