Robert Szuba is a Faculty of Physics in Adam Mickiewicz University. He did his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Physics. Now he is a PhD student of biophysics.

The aim of the study was to reconstruct the optical conditions inside the diabetic crystalline lens. Optical parameters of the crystalline lens were affected by homeostasis disorders associated with diabetes. The changes of optical parameters in subjects with diabetes are usually described with statistical methods and the results of these statistical analyses rarely provide clear and unequivocal results. In the case of parameters that require high sensitivity measurements, the results often turn out to be located at the borderline of statistical significance. Thus, in such cases it is necessary to use more stable and predictable equivalents of these structures. For numerical simulations, a model of crystalline lens was constructed. The model was based on geometric parameters, physiological data with gradient index (GRIN) of optical medium of the lens. The GRIN was modified according to our knowledge about changes of crystalline lens in diabetic patient. We examined refractive power and spherical aberration and their changes for possible disturbances. The present study has shown that the changes of gradient profile have the influence on the optical power of the lens and the value of spherical aberration as well. Furthermore, the study has proved the possible reduction of changes of optical parameters of the lens due to swelling by GRIN. When the lens swells, the focal length becomes shortened and spherical aberration is bigger. The results from simulation are clear because the mathematical model proves the relationship between the geometry of the lens and GRIN, and image reproduction.

Sanaa Yassin has completed her ophthalmology fellowship at the age of 29 years from King Faisal University and got her FRCS degree in ophthalmology from Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh and Subspecialty in Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery from King Fahd Hospital of the University in 1993. She is the Director of Residency Training Program of Ophthalmology in the Eastern Province for the last 5 years. She has published several papers in reputed journals and a Member of scientific and professional societies and organizations: Saudi Ophthalmological Society, American Academy of Ophthalmology, and European Vitreoretinal Society.

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of increased macular or retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) in amblyopic eyes, find if the increased macular or RNFLT is related to the lack of response in amblyopic eyes, and to explore whether the increased central macular thickness (CMT) in amblyopic eyes is purely related to the hyperopia. This is a prospective descriptive study. CMT and peripapillary RNFLT were measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography to evaluate 60 patients with unilateral-treated amblyopia (median age 11.00 year). Patients were divided into two groups: 33 patients in recovered amblyopia group and 27 patients in persistent amblyopia group. The mean CMT in the recovered group was 247.31 (±23.4) versus 246.8 (±32.7) lm (p = 0.95) for the persistent group. The mean peripapillary RNFLT was 99.13 (±12.1) versus 99.9 (±14.9) lm (p = 0.85) for the persistent group. In anisometropic amblyopia, there was no significant difference in CMT and RNFLT in either group. Also there was no relation between the type of refractive error and CMT or RNFLT. There was no significant difference in CMT and RNFLT in amblyopic eyes for both the recovered amblyopia group and the persistent amblyopia group to explain the lack of response in persistent amblyopic eyes. Additionally there was no relation between the type of refractive error and CMT or peripapillary RNFLT.

Shirel Weiss is a 3rd year PhD student at the Krieger Eye Research Laboratory, The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Tel Aviv University. During her studeies she is trained for basic science vision research. Thus far, her studies have focused on genetics of degenerative retinal disease and bioinformatics analysis. In the laboratory she is also involved in ocular and brain tumors studies, pathophysiology of ocular diseases, neuroprotection, and stem cell therapy. She participated in national and international conferences including ARVO, and her publications include 4 papers in peer review journals in which she was co-author.

Purpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is pathophysiologically linked to abnormal DNA repair and increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The BRCA1/2 gene is involved in maintaining genome stability and the increase in VEGF in tumors with a BCRA1/2 mutation. Therefore, we hypothesized that BRCA1/2 mutations may be associated with the development of exudative (wet) AMD and neovascularization, together with age-related DNA damage.
Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes of 52 Ashkenazi Jewish patients with wet AMD and tested for mutations in BRCA1 (c.5382insC and 185delAGand) and BRCA2 (c.6174delT) using high-resolution melt analysis and direct sequencing.
Results: No BRCA1 mutations were found, and only one patient (1.92%) carried the BRCA2 mutation.
Conclusions: The findings suggested that a disruption in the BRCA1/2 mechanism plays no role in age-related neovascularization of the wet macula in this ethnic group.

Lina Huang is a chief physician and doctoral supervisor, also an outstanding ophthalmologist. She is the pre-president of Shenzhen Eye Hospital, director of Shenzhen Eye Disease Prevention and Control Institute. She is an expert with special allowance from the state council, a visiting professor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the member of the glaucoma group of Chinese Medical Association, and the director of the committee in Ophthalmology Medical Association of Shenzhen. Lina Huang has completed her MD degree from Guangdong medical college and Ph.D. from ZhongShan Eye Center of ZhongShan University. She engage in advanced studies in the Chinese University of Hong Kong's in Eye Center of Prince of Wales Hospital. Then she had been gone to New England Eye Center of Tufts University in Boston, USA for further study. She has been engaging in ophthalmologic clinical works for more than 30 years with rich experience, teaching more than 30 graduate students. As the first author she published more than 100 papers in reputed journals. She also attended the writing in ophthalmic books with seven works published. She won many prices such as Science and Technology Progress prize of the State Education Commission, price of Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation. She is the advanced individual of returned overseas chinese and female physicians with outstanding contributions of Guangdong province in China. She was awarded as one of the famous doctors in top 100 Chinese physicians.

Objective: To study whether the intravitreal injection of different concentration of Rg1 ginsenosides have toxic side effects to select the correct dose of Rg1 ginsenosides in intravitreal injection. Methods: 12 healthy New Zealand white rabbits are randomly divided into 4 groups with each group 3 rabbits (6 eyes). Grouping is as follows: Group 1 (control group)-0.1 ml intravitreal injection of 0.9% saline injection; Group 2-intravitreal injection of low dose (0.05 mg/kg) Rg1 ginsenosides, Group 3-intravitreal injection of middle dose (0.5 mg/kg) Rg1 ginsenosides, Group 4-intravitreal injection of high dose (2.5 mg/kg) Rg1 ginsenosides. Use slit lamp, ophthalmoscope and B ultrasound to observe the anterior segment and fundus in rabbit eyes. After 4 weeks, micro structure of retina is observed under light microscopy and transmission microscopy. Results The intravitreal injection of Rg1 ginsenosides in rabbit eyes in dose of 0.05 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg and 2.5 mg/kg have no obvious side effects. Conclusion Intravitreal injection of different concentration (0.05 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg and 2.5 mg/kg) of Rg1 ginsenosides into rabbit’s eye is both safe and do no harm to the fundus.

Zhao Jun has completed his Ph.D. in ophthalmology at the age of 35 years from Jinan University, China. With 23 years of experience as an ophthalmologist, he is the Vice-president of Shenzhen Eye Hospital as well as Vice-chief Committee Member of Ophthalmology Committee, Shenzhen Medical Association. He has published more than 20 papers in reputed journals.

Objective: To study the correlation of HLA-DPAl and-DPBl polymorphisms with Posner Schlossman syndrome (PSS) in Guangdong Han population.
Methods: 82 patients with PSS were at random selected as study group, and 106 healthy donors were randomly selected as control group from Guangdong Han population. All the blood samples were subjected to sequencing-based typing(PCR-SBT) at exon 2 of HLA-DPA1 and-DPB1 genes in both directions. The allelic frequencies of HLA-DPA1 and-DPB1 loci and the haplotype frequencies of HLA-DPAl-DPBl were respectively compared between the two groups by X2 test.
Results: 6 HLA-DPAl alleles were identified in the study group, and 4 HLA-DPAl alleles in the control group. The allele frequency of HLA-DPAl *02:01 was 4.4% in the study group and 12.1% in the control group (P=0.013＜0.05,OR=0.334). The allele frequency of HLA-DPBl *14:01 was 0.7% in the study group and 4.7% in the control group(P=0.038＜0.05,0R=0.151). 21 HLA-DPAl-DPBl haplotypes were identified in the study group and 24 HLA-DPAl-DPBl haplotypes in the control group. The haplotype frequency of HLA-DPAl *02:01～DPBl *14:01 was 0.7% in the study group and 4.3% in the control group(P=0.051,OR=0.165).
Conclusion: HLA-DPAl *02:01 and -DPBl *14:01 loci could provide considerable protection for PSS, and the haplotype of HLA-DPAl *02:01-DPBl *14:01 might decrease the risk for PSS.

Rola Hamam is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the American University of Beirut. She is the director of the residency training program and the medical retina fellowship training program. She received her BS degree in biology from the American University of Beirut in 1998 and her MD in 2002. She completed her residency in Ophthalmology at the same institution then had fellowship training at Harvard University in Boston at the Beetham Eye Institute, the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and the Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution with Doctor C Stephen Foster until 2008. She returned to her home country and joined her Alma matter in 2009 to start the first uveitis specialty referral clinic in the country at the American University of Beirut. Doctor Hamam is a member of several national and international societies. She has organized and lectured on ocular immunology and uveitis in many national and international conferences and scientific meetings. She is involved in multiple research projects on ocular inflammatory and infectious disease and she continues to contribute scientific publications in the field.

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to outline the most common presentations, etiologies, complications and visual outcomes of uveitis among children according to age.
Methods: The medical records of patients 16 years of age or less diagnosed with uveitis presenting to AUBMC between 2009 and 2012 were reviewed.
Results: Children were found to represent 15% of our uveitis cohort at AUBMC. 79 eyes of 50 children were identified. The most common presentations were chronic (61%), bilateral (61%), anterior uveitis (40%). Younger children had significantly more anterior uveitis while older children had more panuveitis. The most common etiologies associated with the uveitis were idiopathic (48%), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (12%) and Toxoplasmosis (10%). On presentation, 45% of the eyes had visual acuity of 20/50 or worse and 20% had visual acuity of 20/200 or worse. While on last follow up, 35% of the eyes had visual impairment with visual acuity of 20/50 or worse and 15% had severe visual impairment with visual acuity of 20/200 or worse. The most common causes of reduced vision were cataract (39%), cystoid macular edema (10%) and glaucoma (5.5%). While amblyopia was the most common complication among children younger than 8 years of age and it occurred in 23% of children in that age group.
Conclusion: One third of our pediatric patients with uveitis had visual impairment while amblyopia was the most common complication in the visually immature. Increased awareness about these outcomes might help improve the care especially in the visually immature by assessing and treating amblyopia when present.
Results & Conclusion: Children were found to represent 15% of our uveitis cohort at AUBMC. 79 eyes of 50 children were identified for the purposes of this study. The most common presentation was chronic uveitis in 61% of the cases. The inflammation was most commonly bilateral (61%). Anterior uveitis was the most common presenting location of the uveitis in 40% of the eyes. The most common etiologies associated with the uveitis were idiopathic which represented 48% of the cases, juvenile idiopathic arthritis in 12% and Toxoplasmosis in 10%. On presentation, 45% of the eyes had visual acuity of 20/50 or worse and 20% had visual acuity of 20/200 or worse. While on last follow up, 35% of the eyes had visual impairment with visual acuity of 20/50 or worse and 15% had severe visual impairment with visual acuity of 20/200 or worse. The most common causes of reduced vision on last follow up were cataract (which was present in 39% of the eyes, cystoid macular edema present in 10% and glaucoma in 5.5%. On the other hand, amblyopia occurred in 23% of children younger than 8 years of age and was the most common complication in the visually immature. In conclusion, one third of our pediatric patients with uveitis had visual impairment on last follow up. Increased awareness about these outcomes might help improve the care especially in the visually immature when amblyopia might still be reversible if promptly diagnosed and treated.

Foroogh Kheiri starded Medical School in Tehran Azad University, at the age of 19. After 4 years and having passed 112 theorical and practical credits, she will have to pass 178 More credit in 4 years, to be ready to defend her thesis. At the age of 20 she participated in a program on spinal cord injury, held at center for physiological Studies of Iran University and she got educated through performing surgeries on mice. She has also participated in a learning program held at laboratory of the university about Genetic Engineering and identification of genes. Her field of interest concerns ophthalmology, immunology and surgery, which she intend to carry on throughout her career.

Behcet's Disease (BD) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by oral aphthous ulcers, genital ulcers, and skin lesions. It is an immune mediated vasculitis with unknown origin and systemic manifestation especially ocular involvement including post and anterior uveitis. BD affects both genders in the third or forth decade of life. Recurrent oral / genital lesion and ocular manifestation are the cardinal signs of BD. In 20%of cases, ocular manifestation follow by the oral and genital ulcer can be the first presentations of the disease, seen in about 70 % of patient. Retinal disease is the most serious complication of BD in which, several vasculitis may lead to thrombosis of vessels and secondary ischemic retinal damage. Pathogenesis of BD involves genetic, infections and immunological factor. Between 50 to 80% of BD patients are HLA-B51 positive while the frequency of HLA-B51 in the general US population is 7%. This review, summarizes and crosslinks the recent progress on findings, challenges and novel treatment approaches in BD.

Norihiro Shimizu graduated from Chiba University School of Medecine at the age of 26 years old. He is a medical doctor of Ophthalmology and working as a senior resident at Chiba University Hospital.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) on the central macular thickness (CMT) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME. Methods: The medical records of 49 eyes of 36 patients who were diagnosed with DME and had received IVR treatment in the Chiba University Hospital from March to December in 2014 were reviewed. The IVR had been injected pro re nata. The CMT and BCVA were measured at 1, 3, and 6 months after the IVR. Thirty-seven eyes were previously treated with a sub-Tenon's injection of triamcinolone acetonide (STTA), 26 eyes had photocoagulation for microaneurysms, 16 eyes had panretinal photocoagulation, and 2 eyes had pars plana vitrectomy. Results:The mean age of the patients was 62.6±1.0 years, the mean HbA1c was 7.9%, the mean injection times of IVR were 2.6±1.0 times for 6 months and the mean duration of the DM was 12.3±11.9 years. The CMT was 535.9 μm before treatment, 408.6 μm at 1 month, 418.0 μm at 3 months, and 462.5 μm at 6 months after the IVR. The CMT was still significantly thinner at 6 months after the IVR (P<0.05). The mean BCVA in logMAR units was 0.48 before IVR, 0.41 at 1 month, 0.39 at 3 months, and 0.42 at 6 months after the IVR. The BCVA was significantly improved only at 3 months after the IVR (P<0.05). The CMT of eyes with serous retinal detachment (SRD) was still significantly thinner at 6 months, and the BCVA was significantly improved only at 3 months after the IVR. In eyes without SRD, the CMT and BCVA were significantly improved only at 3 months after the IVR. In eyes with the previous STTA treatment, the CMT was significantly thinner during the observation period but the BCVA was not significantly improved at any time after the IVR. Conclusions: The results indicate that the duration of the effectiveness of IVR is different for the CMT and BCVA; 6 months for the CMT and 3 months for the BCVA. The effectiveness of IVR was not dependent on the presence of a SRD. Our findings suggest that IVR may be effective in reducing the CMT in DM eyes refractory to STTA.

Amila Sampath Chandrasekara ,24 years old ,completed ophthalmic assistance certificate in 2011 form Vision Care Optical Services Academy and recently following a diploma in Optometry at same Institute. Presented oral and poster presentations in Academic Level and Poster presentation in Indian EIVOC Conference. Currently Working at Vision Care Optical Services PVT LTD head office at Sri Lanka.

Introduction: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an ocular condition results in loss of central vision. Two types of AMD are there -“Dry” and “Wet”. Dry form- cellular debris (drusen) accumulates between the retina and choroid; Wet form -fragile blood vessels develops and bleeds beneath the retina, both causes’ damages in retina. Purpose: To understand the relationship between AMD and, Long-Term hypertension, Type-1 (juvenile) diabetes, Obesity, High low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and family history of AMD and to compare the percentages of developing AMD in healthy population and patients with above factors. Methods: Based on 3000 patients, 2012 January - 2014 March (6- months), Age range - 50-70 years. Analysis of -retinal photographs and MPOD values on Visucam 500, thickness of drusens with Optical Coherence Tomography-cirrus, History of blood pressure, fasting blood sugar parameters, body mass index were carried out for each patient. Patients were categorized into six groups & each contains 500 subjects. Hypertension >5years, diabetes >5years, high BMI >26.1 kg/m2 >5years, high LDL cholesterol >190 mg/dL >5years, family history of reported AMD & healthy AMD was graded by, number of drusens >63 μm & MPOD levels as a mean of both eyes. 1st Stage - less than 5 macular drusens & Mpod level >0.13 2nd stage - 5-15 drusens & Mpod level >0.12 3rd stage - more than 15 drusens & Mpod level >0.10 Results: Study group present with 23.76% (1188pt’s) of AMD subjects. AMD presentation in each groups shows; high BP -1ststage-19%, 2nd stage-33.4%, 3rdstage-18.6%, diabetes -1st stage-18%, 2nd stage-26.8%, 3rdstage-14.2%, high BMI - 1st stage-16%, 2nd stage-25.4%, 3rd stage-13.2%, high LDL cholesterol - 1st stage-18.2%, 2nd stage-17.8%, 3rd stage-17%, Family history of AMD - 1st stage-9.4%, 2nd stage-11.6%, 3rd stage-8.6%, Healthy- 1st stage-1.8%, 2nd stage-2.6%, 3rdstage-2.2%. Conclusion: Population 50-70 yrs with above diseases is at a considerable risk of developing AMD compare to normal. Long team hypertension is shown as the highest risk group. 2nd stage contains more patients compare to others. A healthy lifestyle prevents the earlier manifestations of AMD.