BACKGROUND Diabetic retinopathy is the main cause of preventable blindness in the economically active population in western countries. Diabetic retinopathy screening is effective in preventing blindness and can be performed through various diagnostic methods. Our objective is to compare binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy (BIO) to telemedicine protocols of digital retinography for diabetic retino...

Two out of a group of 23 mares exposed to tef hay contaminated with Datura ferox (and possibly D. stramonium) developed colic. The 1st animal was unresponsive to conservative treatment, underwent surgery for severe intestinal atony and had to be euthanased. The 2nd was less seriously affected, responded well to analgesics and made an uneventful recovery. This horse exhibited marked mydriasis on...

Early detection of a refractive error and its correction are extremely important for the prevention of amblyopia (poor vision). The golden standard in the detection of refractive errors is retinoscopy--a method where the pupils are dilated in order to exclude accomodation. This results in a more accurate measurement of a refractive error. Automatic computer refractometer is also in use. The stu...

Objective. The aim of this study was to describe the indications and results of exploratory burr hole performed at the Departmental Teaching Hospital of Borgou (Benin). Methods. It was a retrospective study performed from January 2008 to February 2011. It concerned patients with a closed traumatic brain injury (TBI) in which an exploratory burr hole was performed. The selection criteria were un...

BACKGROUND Tropicamide is an antimuscarinic drug usually prescribed as an ophthalmic solution to induce short-term mydriasis and cycloplegia. Over the last 2 years, tropicamide has been reported in both Russia and Italy to be self-administered intravenously (IV) for recreational purposes. METHODS The literature on tropicamide was searched in PsycInfo and Pubmed databases. Considering the abse...

OBJECTIVE To study the epidemiology, causes, and clinical course of Chinese herbal medicine-induced anticholinergic poisoning in Hong Kong. DESIGN Case series. SETTING Hong Kong. PATIENTS All case histories of Chinese herbal medicine-induced anticholinergic poisoning (with laboratory confirmation) recorded by the Hong Kong Poison Information Centre over a 93-month period were accessed for...

An age-related 'positivity' effect has been identified, in which older adults show an information-processing bias towards positive emotional items in attention and memory. In the present study, we examined this positivity bias by using a novel paradigm in which emotional and neutral distractors were presented along with emotionally valenced targets. Thirty-five older and 37 younger adults were ...

Three cases of pupillary dilatation associated with the development of acute glaucoma, precipitated by the use of nebulized bronchodilators are described. We suggest measures to reduce the risk of this complication.

Two case reports of Datura stramonium intoxications are presented. The first one was a self poisoning, with a moderate anticholinergic syndrome and a spontaneous improvement. The second one was a recreational use of Datura stramonium for its hallucinogenic properties. The anticholinergic syndrome was marked and the improvement required orotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, intraveinou...

PURPOSE To determine the effect of latrunculin (LAT)-A, which binds to G-actin and disassembles actin filaments, on the pupil, accommodation, and isolated ciliary muscle (CM) contraction in monkeys. METHODS Pupil diameter (vernier calipers) and refraction (coincidence refractometry) were measured every 15 minutes from 0.75 to 3.5 hours after topical LAT-A 42 microg (approximately 10 microM in...