Astigmatism terminology and source references.

Astigmatism terminology and source references The article by Trivizki et al. used vector analysis in the understanding of correction of postkeratoplasty astigmatism. The article was effective in examining a complex subject of interest; however, there are problems of terminology and attribution of the source references used for the vectorial analysis. The term correction ratio in the title and other terms used throughout the article are identical to the correction index and others I described in the method I developed and published in 1993 and subsequently, which were not referenced or acknowledged. An editorial in the December 2006 issue of the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery (JCRS) acknowledged that “Alpins’ [my] work was not acknowledged as fully as was warranted” in the paper by Eydelman et al, which likewise adopted several elements of my approach and was described as the non-peer-reviewed work of a subcommittee of the American National Standards Institute. A subsequent JCRS editorial by Dupps, as well as the JCRS information for authors, noted the importance of citing source references accurately to avoid “distorting the field by remapping key contributions inaccurately,” warning that “such errors are prone to propagation.” I believe this has occurred in the case of the article by Trivizki et al. In response tomy letter to the editor on this subject, the editors’ note stated, “We agree: It is important to recognize and reference Alpins’ pioneering work in this area and particularly the analytical system that he developed, a modified version of which was described by Eydelman et al. For purposes of clarity and consistency with the majority of papers that use this type of analysis, we recommend that authors use Alpins’ original terms and equations.” It appears that at least 1 editor and 2 reviewers are not acquainted with the JCRS’ own guidelines. This practice of using nonconventional terminology can only result in confusion in the literature. This issue was also addressed by the Journal of Refractive Surgery (JRS) in an editorial published in October 2014 that instructed authors to use the seminal method that I published in JCRS in 1993 and 1997. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), in its journal Ophthalmology, has also followed the lead of JRS and published the following: “For clarity and uniformity, manuscripts about astigmatism should adhere to terminology and graphical representations originally described by Alpins. An editorial by Reinstein et al. outlines the argument for standardization.”