Biomedical subjects

Min-Hsiu Shih

Publications and source records attributed to Min-Hsiu Shih.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Tear function changes during interferon and ribavirin treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

PURPOSE: To evaluate symptoms and changes in tear function and the ocular surface with interferon and ribavirin therapy for chronic hepatitis C. METHODS: Nineteen patients with chronic hepatitis C undergoing a course of interferon alfa-2b/ribavirin therapy and 19 age- and sex-matched controls participated in this prospective study. Patients were evaluated for dry eye subjectively (15-symptom assessment questionnaire) and objectively, including ophthalmologic examination, Schirmer test, tear clearance rate (TCR), tear function index (TFI), and nucleus/cytoplasm (N/C) ratio of conjunctival epithelial cell by impression cytology. All tests were performed before antiviral therapy (baseline); at 1, 3, and 6 months after initiation of therapy; and at 3 and 6 months after completing the 6-month course of treatment. All the tear functional tests and impression cytology results in controls were compared with pretreatment baseline of study group, using the Student t test. A paired t test was used to compare mean patient follow-up values with mean patient baseline values. RESULTS: Patients' mean score on the dry eye symptom assessment questionnaire was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than baseline after 1 and 3 months of therapy, peaked after 6 months of therapy, remained significantly elevated at 3 months after completion of therapy, but had decreased to almost baseline by 6 months after cessation of therapy. Compared with baseline, mean Schirmer test values showed a significant change only at 1 month after the start of treatment. In contrast, mean TCR, mean TFI, and mean N/C ratio were significantly different from baseline at every examination, including 6 months after discontinuation of therapy. After 6 months of therapy, 4 patients (21%) had advanced squamous metaplasia (stage 3 or 4), but 2 patients still had mild squamous metaplasia (stage 2) even 6 months after the completion of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Impairment of tear dynamics and squamous metaplastic changes in the ocular surface occurred in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin. Symptoms of dry eye were mild and reversible; however, abnormalities in tear dynamics and the ocular surface persisted even 6 months after discontinuation of treatment.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Ophthalmologic abnormalities in high school students with mental retardation in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Visual and ocular disorders are common in mental retardation (MR), and can influence sensory-motor development and learning. This study investigated visual and ocular abnormalities in a population of high school students with MR. METHODS: All students with MR in their first year at a special education high school who underwent ophthalmic examinations in December 2001 were included. Data were collected by retrospective review of hospital records and student health records. RESULTS: A total of 68 students with MR, including 45 males and 23 females, completed ophthalmologic examinations. Abnormal ophthalmologic findings in these 68 students (15-23 years old) included astigmatism (74.4%), myopia (53.7%), amblyopia (29.3%), exodeviation (23.5%), anisometropia (22.0%), blepharoconjunctivitis (20.6%), hyperopia (18.2%), cataract (13.2%) and suspected glaucoma (11.8%). Amblyopia was mainly attributed by refractive errors and strabismus. Myopia was less prevalent than in the general population of the same age in Taiwan, but astigmatism and anisometropia were more prevalent. More than one-third of the exodeviations were large-angle exotropia. The presence and type of cataract were highly associated with Down's syndrome. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of visual and ocular disorders in teenage and young-adult students with MR is high. Because these disorders can be detrimental to learning, early and regular ophthalmic examinations of children with MR are mandatory, with particular attention to screening for refractive error, amblyopia, strabismus and cataract and treatment of these conditions when identified.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Effect of artificial tears on corneal surface regularity, contrast sensitivity, and glare disability in dry eyes.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of artificial tears on corneal surface regularity and visual function in dry eyes. DESIGN: Nonrandomized, comparative trial. PARTICIPANTS: Forty patients (40 eyes) with dry eyes with (group 1, n = 15 eyes) or without (group 2, n = 25 eyes) punctate epithelial keratopathy and a normal control group of 20 individuals (20 eyes) with no ocular abnormalities (group 3). METHODS: In both dry and normal eyes, the surface regularity index (SRI), surface asymmetry index (SAI), and potential visual acuity (PVA) were measured by computer-assisted videokeratography (TMS-1; Computed Anatomy, New York, NY). Spatial-contrast sensitivity and glare disability were also measured before and 1 minute after instillation of artificial tears. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Differences in SRI, SAI, PVA, spatial-contrast sensitivity, and glare disability between groups, before instillation of tears, and within groups, after instillation of tears. RESULTS: Compared with group 3, eyes in group 1 had significantly worse SRI, SAI, PVA, and contrast sensitivity (incomplete glare disability data precluded analysis) before instillation of artificial tears. Differences in corneal surface regularity and visual function between groups 2 and 3 were not significant except for a significantly increased glare disability at low spatial frequency (1.5 cycles per degree [cpd]) in group 2. Significant improvement in SRI, SAI, PVA, and contrast sensitivity were observed after instillation of artificial tears in group 1. In groups 2 and 3, the only significant changes were improvement in glare disability at 1.5 cpd and worsening of the SRI, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Tear film changes in dry eye patients may lead to irregularities on the corneal surfaces, causing glare disability. However, these changes may be too subtle in the early stages of dry eyes to be detected by corneal topography or contrast sensitivity measurements. Significant improvement in SRI, SAI, PVA, and contrast sensitivity were found after instillation of artificial tears in dry eyes with punctate epithelial keratopathy.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Scleritis.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Eye Infections, Bacterial↗