scholarly journals Virtual reality training improves accommodative facility and accommodative range

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongyu Guo ◽  
Yangyang Zhan ◽  
Xiawei Wang ◽  
Jianhua Xia ◽  
Yangshun Gu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Spherical Equivalent ◽  
Visual Fatigue ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Vr Training ◽  
Accommodative Facility

Abstract Background To evaluate the effects of virtual reality (VR) training on different parameters of vision. Methods Individuals with healthy eyes admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University or Shulan Hospital from November 2018 to June 2019 were randomly divided into short-term (n = 40) and long-term (n = 20) treatment groups. They were given a specially designed VR training device only once for 15 minutes or 3–4 times a day for 15 minutes each time for one month. The visual acuity, spherical equivalent, accommodative range, accommodative facility, pupil size, and visual fatigue were evaluated before (control) and after VR training. Results The visual acuity, accommodative range, and accommodative facility increased in subjects of the short-term treatment group, whereas the pupil size contracted significantly. No significant changes in spherical equivalent and visual fatigue were observed. The changes in distant vision and corrected visual acuity were positively correlated with those in pupil size, but not with spherical equivalent. The accommodative range and accommodative facility improved significantly in subjects of the long-term treatment group. No significant changes in visual acuity, spherical equivalent, pupil size, and visual fatigue were noted. Conclusions VR training can improve the accommodative range and accommodative facility of human eyes. Although short-term VR training can transiently improve vision, which was probably due to bright light adaptation, there is no evidence that it can improve myopia. Trial registration: Retrospective registration ChiCTR2000029793. Date of Registration: 2020-02-14.

Evaluation of a calculation model to estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on visual acuity in neovascular AMD

2021 ◽  
pp. 112067212110523
Author(s):  
Martin Stattin ◽  
Anna-Maria Haas ◽  
Daniel Ahmed ◽  
Alexandra Graf ◽  
Katharina Krepler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Treatment Interruption ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Calculation Model ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Short Term Treatment ◽  
The Real ◽  
The Impact

Purpose A model was calculated during the first Austrian coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown to estimate the effect of a short-term treatment interruption due to healthcare restrictions on visual acuity (VA) in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). The model was compared to the real-life outcomes before treatment re-started. Methods Retrospective data-collection of 142 eyes in 142 patients receiving repeated intravitreal injections with anti-VEGF at a retina unit in Vienna in a personalized pro-re-nata regimen prior to the COVID-19 associated lockdown, when treatment was deferred between March 16 and May 4, 2020. During the lockdown, the preliminary data was integrated into pre-existing formulae based on the natural course of the disease in untreated eyes in the long term. Patients were re-scheduled and treated after gradually opening operating rooms. The calculation model was compared to the effective VA change. Results The model calculated an overall VA loss of 3.5 ± 0.8 letters early treatment diabetes retinopathy study (ETDRS) ( p < 0.001 [95% CI:3.3;3.6]) on average compared to 2.5 ± 6 letters ETDRS ( p < 0.001 [95% CI:1.5;3.5]) as measured with a mean treatment delay of 61 ± 14 days after previously scheduled appointments. The total difference between the model exercise and the real-life outcomes accounted for 1 ± 5.9 letters ETDRS ( p = 0.051 [95% CI: 0.1;1.9]). Conclusion The herein presented calculation model might not be suitable to estimate the effective VA loss correctly over time, although untreated eyes and eyes under therapy show similarities after short-term treatment interruption. However, this study demonstrated the potentially negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on patients compromised by nAMD.

Fluvoxamine in the Treatment of Trichotillomania: An 8-Week, Open-Label Study

CNS Spectrums ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
pp. 64-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary A. Christenson ◽  
Scott J. Crow ◽  
James E. Mitchell ◽  
Thomas B. Mackenzie ◽  
Ross D. Crosby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Response ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Hair Pulling ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Open Label ◽  
Short Term Treatment ◽  
Open Label Study ◽  
Label Study ◽  
Long Term Treatment

AbstractThis short-term, open-label study investigates short- and long-term effects of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluvoxamine for the treatment of trichotillomania (TTM). Additionally, this study aimed to test the hypothesis that the presence of hair pulling compulsiveness is predictive of SSRI response. Nineteen subjects meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition Revised, (DSM-III-R) criteria for TTM were treated with fluvoxamine at doses up to 300 mg/day. Random regression analysis of change across time for patients who completed the study (n=14) and those who dropped out (n=5) revealed statistically significant improvements in Physician Rating Scale, hair-pulling episodes, Trichotillomania Impairment Scale, and Trichotillomania Symptom Severity Scale, but not in estimated amount of hair pulled. In addition, the percentage of patients' focused or compulsive hair-pulling symptoms was predictive of treatment response. Unfortunately, all three subjects who entered long-term treatment displayed substantial movement back toward baseline by the end of 6 months. We concluded that fluvoxamine produces moderate reductions in symptoms during the short-term treatment of TTM and that the presence of focused or compulsive hair pulling may be predictive of treatment response. However, responses may be short lived when treatment is extended.

scholarly journals Nonmedical Interventions for Schizophrenia: A Review of Diet, Exercise and Social Roles

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel S. Helman
Keyword(s):  
Term Treatment ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Dietary Interventions ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Alternative Interventions ◽  
Social Interventions ◽  
General Utility ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
Abnormal Lipid Metabolism

Schizophrenia is a major mental illness with a disease course that is influenced by lifestyle. The risk-benefit ratio for alternative interventions is more favorable than for antipsychotics in long-term treatment. Dietary interventions may target autoimmune features, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, abnormal lipid metabolism, gluten sensitivity or others. Examples of interventions involving diet, physical activity or physical processes, or social interventions including talk therapy exist in the literature. Notwithstanding, the general utility of these types of interventions remains inconclusive, awaiting long-term randomized trials. A perspective that separates the cause of the disease from its symptoms may be helpful in treatment planning and is warranted to distinguish between short-term and long-term recovery goals.

Immersive Virtual Reality as a Non-Pharmacological Analgesic for Pain Management

2018 ◽  
pp. 1176-1199
Author(s):  
Diane Gromala ◽  
Xin Tong ◽  
Chris Shaw ◽  
Weina Jin
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Acute Pain ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Immersive Virtual Reality ◽  
Effective Form ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
Difficult Challenge

In the 1990s, when immersive Virtual Reality (VR) was first popular, researchers found it to be an effective intervention in reducing acute pain. Since that time, VR technologies have been used for treating acute pain. Although the exact mechanism is unclear, VR is thought to be an especially effective form of pain distraction. While pain-related virtual environments have built upon pain distraction, a handful of researchers have focused on a more difficult challenge: VR for long-term chronic pain. Because the nature of chronic pain is complex, pharmacological analgesics are often insufficient or unsustainable as an ideal long-term treatment. In this chapter, the authors explore how VR can be used as a non-pharmacological adjuvant for chronic pain. Two paradigms for virtual environments built for addressing chronic pain have emerged – Pain Distraction and what we term Pain Self-modulation. We discuss VR's validation for mitigating pain in patients who have acute pain, for those with chronic pain, and for addressing “breakthrough” periods of higher pain in patients with chronic pain.

scholarly journals Mitochondrial and Oxidative Impacts of Short and Long-term Administration of HAART on HIV Patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-124
Author(s):  
Joy E. Ikekpeazu ◽  
Oliver C. Orji ◽  
Ikenna K. Uchendu ◽  
Lawrence U.S. Ezeanyika
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Group ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Short Term Treatment ◽  
Hiv Patients ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
Term Administration ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
One Year

Background and Objective: There may be a possible link between the use of HAART and oxidative stress-related mitochondrial dysfunction in HIV patients. We evaluated the mitochondrial and oxidative impacts of short and long-term administration of HAART on HIV patients attending the Enugu State University Teaching (ESUT) Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria following short and long-term therapy. Methods: 96 patients categorized into four groups of 24 individuals were recruited for the study. Group 1 comprised of age-matched, apparently healthy, sero-negative individuals (the No HIV group); group 2 consisted of HIV sero-positive individuals who had not started any form of treatment (the Treatment naïve group). Individuals in group 3 were known HIV patients on HAART for less than one year (Short-term treatment group), while group 4 comprised of HIV patients on HAART for more than one year (Long-term treatment group). All patients were aged between 18 to 60 years and attended the HIV clinic at the time of the study. Determination of total antioxidant status (TAS in nmol/l), malondialdehyde (MDA in mmol/l), CD4+ count in cells/μl, and genomic studies were all done using standard operative procedures. Results: We found that the long-term treatment group had significantly raised the levels of MDA, as well as significantly diminished TAS compared to the Short-term treatment and No HIV groups (P<0.05). In addition, there was significantly elevated variation in the copy number of mitochondrial genes (mtDNA: D-loop, ATPase 8, TRNALEU uur) in the long-term treatment group. Interpretation and Conclusion: Long-term treatment with HAART increases oxidative stress and causes mitochondrial alterations in HIV patients.

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