Accurate and objective tools for myopia screening in children and adolescents are crucial to retard progression and avert vision-endangering complications.

Contact lenses offer effective refractive, cosmetic, and therapeutic options; however, their safe and successful use requires addressing barriers at the practitioner, patient, and healthcare system levels. Identifying and understanding these challenges are essential to improving clinical outcomes, enhancing patient satisfaction, and supporting broader global adoption.

Non-invasive break-up time (NIBUT) has become the measurement of choice to evaluate stability of the tear film. Tear film stability is essential in the diagnosis and follow-up of dry eye disease.

The relationship between vitamin D status and eyehealth is important, as vitamin D is known to play a role in maintaining theintegrity of the tear film, which is important for overall eye function.

Microbial keratitis is a major cause of monocular blindness worldwide. Trauma and contact lens wear are major risk factors. Bacteria are a major cause, but fungi, viruses, and can also cause the disease. Therapeutic options are dwindling with the rise of antimicrobial resistance in all of these microbes, but especially bacteria. Infection with resistant strains results in worse clinical outcomes. New antimicrobial therapies are being developed but most have yet to be either used to treat ocular infections or become commercially available. For bacterial keratitis, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a potential new option, as are bacteriophages and even bacteria that eat other bacteria or maggot secretions. For fungal keratitis, ocular natamycin, with oral ketoconazole or voriconazole treatments, offer improved outcomes for severe cases. For viral keratitis, AMPs again offer hope as new therapeutics, as do RNA interference and CRISPR-Cas systems. The recent release of a commercially available polyhexamethylene biguanide eye drop is a step forward, but new therapies that can kill both trophozoites and cysts are still needed. Beyond antibiotics, photoactivated chromophores for keratitis-corneal collagen cross-linking and photodynamic therapy have been successfully used. Therapies for large ulcers or scarring include corneal gluing, tissue scaffolds such as amniotic membrane or conjunctival flaps, and tissue replacement through penetrating or lamellar keratoplasty.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can affect macular and choroidal vasculature. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and enhanced depth imaging OCT (EDI-OCT) are essential for early detection and monitoring of these microvascular changes, helping to prevent potential visual impairment.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vasoproliferative blinding disorder of the retina, unique to premature infants and a leading cause of preventable childhood blindness globally. Screening of premature babies aims to identify disease reaching a threshold for treatment needed in 6-10% of babies screened. Current screening criteria are based on birth weight (BW) and gestational age (GA) with an additional third criteria for babies deemed at risk by the neonatologist due to an unstable postnatal course or prolonged use of oxygen. These lack specificity and could potentially miss babies at risk. With increased survival rates of premature and extreme premature babies, ROP screening numbers are rising with associated clinical and economic burden. Several alternative algorithms have been proposed based on postnatal weight gain and in this review, the application and pitfalls of these will be discussed as well as the potential role of artificial intelligence in improving accuracy, efficiency, and equity in Australasia and low-middle-income countries.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common condition that causes vision impairment in the elderly, significantly impacting their physical and psychosocial well-being. Historically, treatment options to slow or prevent atrophic AMD progression have been limited but are recently increasing in number. This scoping review aims to provide an overview of the research (both preclinical and clinical) on non-neovascular AMD (including early, intermediate, and geographic atrophy) treatments published in the past decade. Our study protocol was prospectively registered on the Open Science Framework.Searches were conducted on MEDLINE, Embase, ProQuest, and CINAHL for studies investigating treatments for atrophic AMD (including early, intermediate, and geographic atrophy stages) published between 1 January 2014 and 14 July 2024, the search date. Data screening, full-text review, and extraction were independently performed by two researchers. Study characteristics and outcomes were summarised, and the results were synthesised narratively. The search identified 1,211 studies, of which 132 were included in this review. Studies were most often conducted in the United States ( = 92, 68.7%) or Europe ( = 25, 18.5%) and most frequently investigated antioxidant or anti-inflammatory treatments ( = 30, 22.7%) or complement pathway inhibitors ( = 25, 18.9%) as potential therapies. Over three quarters ( = 101, 76.5%) of the included studies reported positive outcomes. Across the decade, the number of studies published increased at an annual rate of 24.0%.This review highlights the growing body of research on atrophic AMD treatments over the past decade, with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory treatments emerging as prominent, promising avenues. However, more phase III human clinical trials are needed to ensure that future therapies effectively serve the global AMD population.

Ocular genetics research has seen tremendous growth in the last two decades. Understanding the genetic basis of eye diseases helps researchers comprehend their heritability, uncover disease mechanisms, and develop targeted gene therapies. This evolving knowledge is changing the clinical management of many eye conditions, from diagnostics and gene-based therapies for patients with previously untreatable monogenic eye diseases, to risk stratification and personalised management of complex conditions. Despite the limited role of genetics in primary eyecare today, the integration of genetics into optometry practice holds promise for enhancing patient outcomes. Optometrists, as primary eyecare practitioners, play a key role in detecting and managing eye conditions. Therefore, increased engagement from optometrists can assist in identifying patients with genetic eye conditions within the community, supporting shared care and multidisciplinary teams, enhancing participation in research and clinical trials, and providing ongoing monitoring and patient education. Integrating genetics into eyecare requires clinicians to have a clear understanding of the role of genetics in rare and common eye diseases, genomic literacy education for primary care practitioners, and multidisciplinary networks for improved communication and coordinated care. This review aims to provide an evidence-based update on recent advances in genetic technologies for eye diseases. It discusses current evidence on the role of genetics in monogenic and polygenic eye diseases, and examines the applications of genetics in eyecare, including diagnosis, risk stratification, and emerging treatments. Additionally, it highlights the role of primary eyecare professionals within a multidisciplinary approach.

Exposure to unregulated online content may impact health beliefs. Optometrists should be aware of these digital influences and incorporate targeted education strategies to promote eyecare practices.

Over 100 years ago, Professor Foucher of Université Laval in Montreal (Canada) suggested that myopia was the result of an interaction between genetics and the visual environment, implying a Darwinian response to our changing world. His words are still relevant today. Over 30,000 articles have been published since he spoke then. Have his questions been answered? What has been learned from this body of research, particularly in the last 25 years? The purpose of this paper is to review the scientific evidence on myopia and to give clinical significance to the results and conclusions presented. It is therefore not a conventional review. More specifically, this work covers the major trends that have characterised myopia research, allowing us to refine our understanding of the mechanisms leading to the onset and development of myopia and to assess the effectiveness of optical and pharmacological methods for its treatment. This is a clinically oriented text that helps to understand why the strategies used to treat myopia produce certain results but also highlights their limitations. It opens up new perspectives. Science has indeed answered many questions about myopia. But it has also raised many more that need to be addressed in future research notably to facilitate the most accurate prediction of the evolution of a particular individual and his or her response to a given strategy.

Early diagnosis, close monitoring, and timely intervention in patients with unilateral primary angle closure disease is necessary to prevent visual loss due to glaucoma.

In response to the growing incidence of digital eye strain, a variety of spectacle and contact lens interventions have been introduced and are frequently prescribed in clinical and retail settings. However, the evidence supporting their effectiveness remains limited and inconclusive. This narrative review explores the real-world implementation of lens-based interventions for digital eye strain, focusing on how contextual factors influence prescribing practices. Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, the review examines the characteristics of these interventions, the outer setting in which they are prescribed, individuals involved in their adoption, and the processes that support or hinder their integration into routine care. Findings reveal that prescribing is often driven more by societal demand, commercial pressures, and clinician perceptions than by robust clinical evidence. Blue light filtering and anti-reflective coated spectacle lenses are commonly recommended, while contact lens interventions are less frequently studied but increasingly marketed. The review highlights a disconnect between evidence and practice and underscores the need for more rigorous research and context-specific clinical guidance to support evidence-based prescribing for digital eye strain.

Integrating axial and anterior-segment measures, along with quadratic prediction and odds-based models, can support diagnosis, risk stratification, and management.