The aim of this study is to evaluate the results of the Full-Field Stimulus test (FST) in patients with Stargardt disease (STGD), and to compare these results with findings obtained from other ophthalmologicalassesments. Twenty-six eyes with STGD and 26 eyes from healthy controls were included in the study. Following a routine ophthalmologic examination, all participants underwent optical coherence tomography, full-field and multifocal electroretinography, and full-field stimulus testing. The mean age was 29.3 years in the STGD group and 27.1 years in the control group. All participants successfully completed the FST procedure. Visual acuity and central macular thickness were significantly lower in the STGD group compared to the control group (p < 0,01). Multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) analysis revealed significantly decreased mean P1-wave amplitudes and prolonged mean P1-wave implicittimes across all rings in the STGD group. Additionally, FST threshols for white, blue and red stimuli were significantly lower in the STGD group than in the control group (p < 0,01). Correlation analysis revealed a positive relationship between FST results and visual acuity, mfERG amplitudes and central macular thickness. FST is a simple, reliable and rapid test that can be applied in patients with low visual acuity. It effectively measures retinal sensitivity in patients with STGD. Given its practicality FST can be safely used to monitor the disease progression and treatment response in inherited retinal diseases.

BACKGROUND:The objective of this study was to assess the long-term effectiveness and safety of implanting mesenchymal stem cells derived from umbilical cord tissue (UC-MSC) in patients diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). METHODS:In this single-center study with a retrospective design, 669 eyes received suprachoroidal implantation of 5 million UC-MSCs. Postoperative assessments were conducted on the first day, third month, and every 6 months thereafter. At each visit, evaluations included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), anterior segment and fundus examinations, fundus photography, optical coherence tomography, and visual field (VF) tests. Multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) and full-field stimulus threshold (FST) testing were performed at baseline and every 6 months post-therapy. Procedure-related ocular and systemic complications were methodically documented. RESULTS:A total of 669 eyes from 429 patients underwent surgical intervention. Bilateral procedures were performed in 240 patients, while 189 patients received surgery in only 1 eye. All 669 eyes completed the 12-month follow-up, while 265 eyes completed 2 years, 128 eyes completed 3 years, and 19 eyes completed 4 years of follow-up. No notable ocular or systemic complications were reported during the study duration. Statistically significant improvements in BCVA, VF, and mfERG central rings amplitude measurements were observed over time. FST testing revealed significant improvements in visual sensitivity in 27 patients. CONCLUSIONS:This investigation confirms the long-term benefits and safety profile of suprachoroidal UC-MSC therapy in cases of RP, demonstrating significant improvements in BCVA, VF, mfERG, and FST test outcomes. The data support the feasibility and potential of cell-based therapies as a promising and effective strategy for managing degenerative retinal diseases.

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence and severity of depression in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Materials and Methods: The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was administered to 74 patients with RP and 60 healthy controls. Biomicroscopic anterior segment and fundus examination, visual field, optical coherence tomography, and full-field electroretinography tests were performed in all cases. Variables were evaluated with bivariate, multiple linear, and ordinal logistic regression analyses. Results: The RP group included 40 (54%) male and 34 (46%) female patients, while the control group included 23 (38%) male and 37 (62%) female subjects. The patient group had a mean age of 39.20±12.4 years, median best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 0.10 decimal (1.0 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]; range, 1.3-0.7 logMAR), and median visual field mean deviation (MD) score of -28.00 decibels (dB) (range, -1.00 to -34.00 dB). The median BDI score was statistically significantly higher in the patient group (19 points) than in the control group (12 points) (p<0.001). Moderate to severe depression (BDI ≥20) was detected in 61% of patients, while this rate was 25% in healthy controls. BCVA and visual field MD values were identified as predictors of depression score and severity level. The patients’ age and gender did not affect total depression score or severity. Conclusion: The prevalence and severity of depression were found to be higher in RP patients than in healthy controls. There was a significant relationship between the patient’s functional vision tests and the frequency and severity of depression. Depression reduces the reliability of visual function tests and impairs patients’ quality of life. Therefore, assessing mental health as well as functional tests is important in patients with RP.

This research aims to compile recent clinical and genetic data from Turkish patients with inherited retinal disorders and evaluate the effectiveness of targeted Next-generation sequencing panels. The study included Turkish individuals with hereditary retinal diseases who visited the Medical Genetic Department of Erciyes University between 2019 and 2022. One proband per family was selected based on eligibility. We used Hereditary Disorder Solution (HDS) by Sophia Genetics and performed next-generation sequencing (NGS) with Illumina NextSeq-500. Bioinformatics analysis using Sophia DDM® SaaS algorithms and ACMG guidelines classified genomic changes. The study involved 354 probands. Disease-causing variants were found in 58.1% of patients, with ABCA4 , USH2A , RDH12 , and EYS being the most frequently implicated genes. Forty-eight novel variants were detected. This study enhances the knowledge of clinical diagnoses, symptom onset, inheritance patterns, and genetic details for Turkish individuals with hereditary retinal disease. It contributes to broader health strategies by enabling comparisons with other studies.

Objective: This preliminary research presents clinical findings from patients with advanced Glaucomatous Optic Neuropathy (GON) who underwent transplantation of Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (UCMSCs) into the suprachoroidal space. Methods: This prospective, single-center study included 17 eyes of 17 patients diagnosed with GON, who received suprachoroidal UCMSC implantation. Patients were registered if their visual acuity and/or Visual Field (VF) deteriorated despite maintaining good intraocular pressure control with anti-glaucomatous treatments. Evaluations were conducted at baseline, on the first postoperative day and at 1 month, 6 months and 1 year after surgery. Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA), anterior segment and fundus examination, color photography, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (RNFL) analysis, VF testing and Pattern Visual Evoked Potential (PVEP) assessments were performed at baseline and during follow-up visits. Results: All 17 participants completed the 12-month follow-up period. No systemic or serious ocular complications were recorded. The study showed significant improvements in BCVA, VF results, RNFL measurements and PVEP amplitudes at the end of the follow-up period. Conclusion: Although the sample size is limited, suprachoroidal UCMSC therapy appears to be safe, with encouraging improvements. Further studies with larger patient groups and longer follow-up periods are required to assess the impact of stem cell delivery on visual acuity and quality of life in glaucoma patients.

Aims: This study aimed to analyse clinical and laboratory findings, prognosis, and survival of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, differentiating according to gender, pubertal status, and renal involvement. Methods: Ninety-six pediatric SLE patients, diagnosed using ACR criteria, were retrospectively analyzed. Inclusion criteria comprised age under 18, meeting at least four ACR criteria, and six months of monitoring. Data encompassed demographics, symptoms, diagnosis, organ involvement, autoantibodies, treatment, prognosis, and survival. Categorization was based on gender and pubertal status. Renal biopsies followed WHO-ISN classification, with asymptomatic findings termed “silent lupus nephritis.” Biopsied patients were divided into proliferative and non-proliferative lupus nephritis categories, excluding irreversible damage cases. Outcomes studied included remission, relapse, end-stage renal failure, and mortality. Results: Among 96 participants, females constituted 82.3%, males 17.7%, resulting in a female-to-male ratio of 4.6:1. Mean age at diagnosis was 11.9 years, with 37 prepubertal (38.5%) and 59 pubertal (61.5%) cases. Oral-nasal ulcers (p=0.01) were more prevalent in males related to system involvement. Nephrotic syndrome prevalence increased from 21.6% in prepubertal to 44.1% in pubertal cases (p=0.025). Positive Anticardiolipin IgM antibodies decreased from 56.2% in prepubertal to 25.9% in pubertal cases (p=0.047). Type IV lupus nephritis was predominant, followed by Type II, in prepubertal and pubertal groups and both genders. Proliferative lupus nephritis showed higher rates of renal involvement (95.7% vs. 65.6%), nephrotic syndrome (46.8% vs. 21.9%), proteinuria (89.4% vs. 62.5%), hematuria (57.4% vs. 28.1%), elevated creatinine (43.5% vs. 9.7%), and low albumin (67.4% vs. 23.3%). Cases with proliferative lupus nephritis had higher neuropsychiatric involvement (36.2% vs. 12.5%), seizures (25.5% vs. 3.1%, p=0.008), and increased hemolytic anemia rates (78.7% vs. 56.2%, p=0.033). Thirteen had silent lupus nephritis, revealing various types through biopsy. All reported deaths occurred within the first five years, resulting in stable 91% survival rates at 5, 10, and 15 years. Conclusion: This study provides insights into the clinical, prognostic, and survival characteristics of pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), revealing notable patterns related to gender, pubertal development, and renal involvement. There is an association between proliferative lupus nephritis and renal involvement, nephrotic syndrome, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Significantly, silent lupus nephritis highlights the complex renal implications, necessitating diligent surveillance for prompt intervention.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the ABCA4 variants in patients diagnosed with Stargardt disease. Methods: This is a retrospective study designed to investigate variants in the ABCA4 in Stargardt disease and the clinical findings of the cases. Sex, age, age of onset of symptoms, best-corrected visual acuity, color fundus photography, optical coherence tomography, and visual field test of the patients were recorded. Genetic analyses were screened, and patients with at least two variants in the ABCA4 were included in this study. Results: Twenty-seven patients diagnosed with Stargardt disease with the ABCA4 variants were included in this study. Twelve of them (44.4%) were female and fifteen (55.5%) were male. The mean age of the cases was 27.44 years (ranging from 8 to 56 years). Thirty different variants were detected in 54 ABCA4 alleles of 27 patients. The two most common pathogenic variants were c.5882 G>A p.(Gly1961Glu) and c.52C>T p.(Arg18Trp) in this cohort. Two novel variants were identified (c.3855_3856dup, c.1554 + 3_1554 + 4del) and the patient with the c.1554 + 3_1554 + 4del variant additionally had a different ABCA4 variant in trans. The other novel variant was homozygous. Conclusions: In this study, two novel variants were described in a Turkish cohort with Stargardt disease. The variant c.52C>T p.(Arg18Trp) was the most common disease-causing variant besides the c.5882 G>A p.(Gly1961Glu) which was identified frequently in the previous studies. A larger sample size is necessary for describing different pathogenic variants and understanding the phenotype-genotype correlations.

Objectives:The full-field stimulus threshold (FST) test was developed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of treatments of hereditary retinal diseases. In this study we performed the FST test in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and compared the results with findings from other ophthalmological tests.Materials and Methods:The study included 51 intermediate and advanced RP patients and 21 normal subjects. All patients and controls underwent routine examination and ophthalmological tests including visual field, optical coherence tomography, full-field and multifocal electroretinography (mfERG), and FST tests. During FST testing, the perception thresholds of retina to the white, blue, and red FST were determined in decibels.Results:The mean age of the patients and the controls were 35.2 and 33.5 years, respectively. For all RP patients, no response was obtained on full-field ERG. All subjects were able to perform reliable FST tests. The mean values of visual acuity and central macular thickness were significantly lower and visual field mean deviation values were significantly higher in the RP group than the controls. When we evaluated the mfERG findings, the mean P1 wave amplitudes in all rings were significantly lower and the mean peak times were significantly longer in RP patients than controls. In comparisons of FST test results, the mean values for white, blue, red and the difference between blue-red thresholds were significantly lower in the RP group than the control group.Conclusion:The FST test is a fast and a reliable exam which can be done in subjects with poor visual acuity and reduced visual field. The results of this study confirm that the FST test can measure retinal sensitivity in severely affected RP subjects with flat flash ERG.

Aim: To establish a useful and objective classification for retinitis pigmentosa (RP) to evaluate the disease severity.Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. Visual acuity (VA), visual field width, ellipsoid zone width on optic cohorence tomography and multifocal electroretinography values were obtained from medical records of patients with RP. A scoring criterion was developed wherein each variable was assigned a score from 0 to 5 depending on its distribution. The cumulative score (from 0 to 20) was used to classify disease severity from grade 0 to 5. The scores were correlated with each other and the final grade.Results: Data of 152 eyes of 92 patients who had the results of all tests were reviewed. The mean age was 41.2 years. The mean VA of the patients was 0.13±0.16 Snellen lines. The majority of patients had a VA less than 20/40 (88.6%), a visual field smaller than 20° (78%), and an ellipsoid zone width smaller than 7° (84.4%). The majority of the patients (85.4%) were in advanced stage of the disease (Grade 4 and 5). Conclusions: We present a simple, objective and easy to use disease severity classification for RP which can be used to categorise patients and to evaluate and compare treatment results.

Bu çalışmada sınıf öğretmenliği anabilim dalı öğrencilerinin ve özel ve/veya kamuda görevli olan sınıf öğretmenlerinin çevre kirliliğine ilişkin görüş ve metaforlarını belirlemek amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmada nitel araştırma yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Konuyla ilgili veriler 56 tane sınıf öğretmenliği anabilim dalında öğrenim gören öğrencilerle 40 tane sınıf öğretmeninden yapılandırılmamış görüşme yoluyla elde edilmiştir. Görüşme kapsamında katılımcılara “Çevre kirliliği hakkında görüşleriniz nelerdir?”, “Çevre kirliliğine yönelik çözüm önerileriniz nelerdir?”, “Çevre kirliliği………………………..gibidir; Çünkü…………………” şeklindeki sorular yöneltilmiştir. Araştırmada verileri, içerik analizi yöntemiyle çözümlenmiştir. Öğretmenlerin ve adayların geliştirdiği metaforlardan bazı örnekler şu şekildedir: 1. Çevre kirliliği yaşama düşmanlık gibidir; Çünkü çevre kirliliği bugünümüzü, yarınımızı hatta geçmişimizi (tarihi eser-mekanlarımızı) yok etmek demektir. 2. Çevre kirliliği vücudumuzdaki hastalıklar gibidir. Çünkü çevre bizim için yaşam kaynağıdır ve bozulması demek sağlığımızın da riske girmesi demektir. Çevre kirliliği hakkında görüşleriniz nelerdir? Sorusuna öğretmenlerden ve adaylardan gelen cevaplardan bazıları şu şekildedir: 1. İnsanların bu konuya yeterince önem vermediğini düşünüyorum. Dünyamız için ileride hala bu koşullarda yaşayabilmemiz için en çok önem vermemiz gereken konudur. 2. Çevremiz kendi yaşamımızı ve geleceğimizi daha iyi şekilde geçirmemiz için önemlidir. Bu sebeple çevremizi büyük bir ciddiyetle korumamız gerekmektedir. Çevreyi kirleten veya kirletmeye teşebbüs edenlere karşı çevremizi koruyarak örnek olmalı, kirletenleri gerekli yerlere şikayet etmeliyiz. Kendi vücudumuzun sağlığına nasıl dikkate ediyorsak çevremizin de sağlığına dikkat etmeliyiz.

Objectives: Hereditary retinal dystrophies are a rare group of diseases which are heterogeneous in genotype and phenotype and result in total blindness. One of the genetic defects that cause hereditary retinal dystrophy is mutation of the RPE65 gene. Genetic therapy studies in hereditary retinal dystrophies have increased in number recently, and important developments have been reported in these studies. Voretigene neparvovec-rzyl (Luxturna, Spark Therapeutics), a gene therapy drug for retinal dystrophy associated with RPE65 mutation, received Food and Drug Administration approval in 2017. This study aimed to investigate the frequency and clinical findings of patients with RPE65 gene defects, which may be amenable to genetic treatment. Materials and Methods: The data of patients diagnosed with hereditary retinal dystrophy who were followed up between 2017 and 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Of these, 460 patients with genetic analysis results were included in the study. The clinical findings of patients with homozygous (biallelic) RPE65 mutation were screened. Results: RPE65 homozygous gene mutation was detected in only 11 of 460 cases (2.39%). Genetic results of the cases were presented in detail. The inheritance patterns of the cases were autosomal recessive. The demographic data and clinical findings were defined. Conclusion: RPE65 gene mutation is a very rare disorder. Genetic screening has gained importance with the emergence of gene therapy alternatives. New treatment methods are promising in cases for which there was no chance of a cure to date.

Purpose The aim of this paper was to evaluate the ring amplitudes in diabetic patients and to evaluate the effect of the risk factors for diabetic retinopathy on the ring amplitudes. We also aimed to investigate the success of ring amplitudes in classifying diabetic retinopathy. Methods The study included 32 eyes of 32 diabetic patients without retinopathy (DM), 34 eyes of 34 patients with mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) without macular edema, and 62 eyes of 62 age- and sex-matched controls (CG). All subjects were evaluated using mfERG. The relationship between age, diabetes duration, HbA1c and ring amplitudes and the effect of diabetes and hypertension on ring amplitudes were evaluated. Three-way ROC analysis was performed to evaluate the discrimination power of the ring amplitudes. Results In the comparison of the ring amplitudes, the amplitudes of the DM and NPDR groups were statistically significantly decreased compared to the CG (p < .05). A moderate to strong correlation was found between the duration of diabetes, HbA1c and ring amplitudes (p < .05). The effect of diabetes decreased towards the peripheral rings and hypertension did not affect ring amplitudes. Volume under the ROC surface of R1 = 0.65 had p < .05 and 95% CI [0.50-0.72], and the best cut-off point pair to differentiate the three classes was found to be c(1) = 217.3, c(2) = 151.2 in three-way ROC analysis. Conclusion In conclusion, the effects of diabetes are unevenly distributed on the retina topographically. Diabetes affects the central rings more than peripheral rings in multifocal ERG. Both ring densities and ring ratios are effective ways to identify early changes in retinal function.

Background: Cell replacement therapies have been evaluated in recent years as an alternative for various retinal pathologies to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of cell therapy, it is important to measure the severity of the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of umbilical cord derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell (UC-MSC) implantation on severity of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). Methods: This single-center, clinical study included data of 138 eyes of 92 patients who had a confirmed diagnosis of RP and received stem cell implantation to the suprachoroidal area with a surgical procedure. Patients were evaluated before and 1 year after the surgery regarding to the outcome measures of Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA), Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Visual Field (VF) tests. BCVA, VF width and ellipsoid zone (EZ) width on OCT were recorded for each patient and a scoring criterion was established for each variable varying from 0 to 5 depending on its distribution. The cumulative score (from 0 to 15) was used to classify disease severity from grade 0 to 5. Results: All of the patients completed 12-month follow-up period. The median age of the patients was 40.8 years, 46% were female, 77% had been diagnosed within 10 years and 41% had a family history. 79% of the patients with family history had autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. There were statistically significant improvements in the mean BCVA and VF scores during the study (p < 0.05). The mean score and the mean grade of the disease also improved after the treatment (p < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between BCVA improvement and scoring and grading of the disease. Conclusions: This study demonstrated beneficial effect of suprachoroidally applied UC-MSCs on BCVA, VF and the severity score and grade of the disease during 12-month follow-up period. Cell mediated therapy based on the secretion of Growth Factors (GFs) seems to be an effective and safe option for the treatment of degenerative retinal diseases. This classification is simple, produces objective measure of disease severity and gives opportunity to compare the results of different treatment modalities.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate vision related quality of life (VRQoL) in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) after suprachoroidal umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) treatment. Methods: The patients were evaluated regarding to the VRQoL before the treatment and at the end of the first year. The study was performed in an affiliated hospital of a university between 2018 and 2020. The patients were operated by a single surgeon and evaluated at baseline and at first, sixth and twelfth month after stem cell implantation. To assess patients’ subjective visual situation, we used Impact of Vision Impairment (IVI) Profile 28-item questionnaire. It basically evaluated vision-related activities in three subscales: “reading and accessing information”, “mobility and independence” and “emotional well-being”. This test is established to assess VRQoL in low vision patients. Results: A total of 123 people, ranging in age from 18 to 48 years, participated in the study and 43.9% (n = 54) were women. The study patients were followed up for one year and the questionnaire was filled by patients at baseline and one year after surgery. In all groups, no difficulty was observed in understanding the questionnaire. The results showed significant improvements in VRQoL after stem cell treatment (p < 0.05). The analysis of each subscale score including “reading and accessing information”, “mobility and independence” and “emotional well-being” before and after treatment showed significant improvements in all subscale scores (p < 0.05). Conclusions: IVI 28 item questionnaire seems to be an effective test for the assessment of VRQoL in low vision patients. The suprachoroidal implantation of UC-MSC for the treatment of RP can improve the quality of life of these patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:This study shows the clinical data of 1-year follow-up of 8 patients with degenerative macular diseases who received suprachoroidal adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADMSC) implantation.METHODS AND RESULTS:This prospective, single-center, phase 1/2 study enrolled 8 eyes of 8 patients with degenerative macular diseases of various reasons who underwent suprachoroidal implantation of ADMSCs. All patients had severe visual field defects and severe visual loss. All patients had defective multifocal electroretinography (mf ERG). The worse eye of the patient was selected for the operation. Patients were evaluated on the first day, first month, sixth month and at 1 year postoperatively. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), anterior segment and fundus examination, color photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual field (VF) examination were carried out at each visit. Fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and mfERG recordings were performed at the end of the sixth months. All 8 patients completed the 1 year follow-up. None of them had any systemic or ocular complications. Seven of the patients experienced visual acuity improvement, visual field improvement and improvement in the mfERG recordings. We found choroidal thickening in OCT of the four treated eyes.CONCLUSIONS:Even though the sample size is small, stem cell treatment with suprachoroidal implantation of ADMSCs seems to be safe and the improvements were encouraging. To optimize the cell delivery technique and to evaluate the effects of this therapy on visual acuity and the quality of life of these patients, future studies with larger number of cases will be necessary.

Background: Optic nerve cells can be irreversibly damaged by common various causes. Unfortunately optic nerve and retinal ganglion cells have no regenerative capacity and undergo apoptosis in case of damage. In this study, our aim is to investigate the safety and efficacy of suprachoroidal umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) implantation in patients with optic atrophy. Methods: This study enrolled 29 eyes of 23 patients with optic atrophy who were followed in the ophthalmology department of our hospital. BCVA, anterior segment, fundus examination, color photography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were carried out at each visit. Fundus fluorescein angiography and visual field examination were performed at the end of the first, third, sixth months, and 1 year follow-up. Results: After suprachoroidal UC-MSCs implantation there were statistically significant improvements in BCVA and VF results during 12 months follow-up (p < 0.05). When we evaluate the results of VF tests, the mean deviation (MD) value at baseline was −26.11 ± 8.36 (range −14.18 to −34.41). At the end of the first year it improved to −25.01 ± 8.73 (range −12.56 to −34.41) which was statistically significant (p < 0.05). When we evaluate the mean RNFL thickness measurements at baseline and at 12 month follow-up the results were 81.8 ± 24.9 μm and 76.6 ± 22.6 μm, respectively. There was not a significant difference between the mean values (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Stem cell treatment with suprachoroidal implantation of UCMSCs seems to be safe and effective in the treatment for optic nerve diseases that currently have no curative treatment options

Background: Diabetic retinopathy is characterized by microvascular, neural and glial cell damage. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) can detect subclinical microvasculopathy while multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) can detect subclinical local retinal dysfunction before onset of clinically observable retinopathy. Here, we investigated the relationship between retinal dysfunction in multifocal electroretinography and vascular changes in optical coherence tomography angiography. Methods: The study included 63 eyes of 63 diabetic patients without retinopathy (DM+DR-) and 68 eyes of 68 patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). In addition, 64 eyes of 64 age and sex-matched subjects were included as the control group (CG). All subjects were evaluated using OCTA and mfERG. Results: The vascular density in the superficial and deep capillary plexus was significantly decreased in the DM+DR-group and the NPDR group compared with the CG group (except for the superficial foveal area, NPDR group vs. CG group) (p < 0.05). The vascular density of the superficial and deep parafoveal region was significantly decreased in the NPDR group compared to the DM+DR-group (p < 0.05). In circles of 2-, 5- and 10 degrees, the amplitudes of the N1 and P1 waves were statistically significantly decreased in both the DM+DR-group and the NPDR group compared with the CG (p < 0.05). When the NPDR group was compared with the DM+DR-group, there was a statistically significant decrease in the amplitude of the N1 and P1 waves in the circles of 2-and 5 degrees (p < 0.05). According to the correlation analysis, the amplitude and implicit times of the N1 and P1 waves showed weak-to-moderate correlation with vascular density (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The decreased peaks of mfERG wave provides evidence regarding neurodegenerative effect of DM associated hyperglycaemia. The decreased vascular density caused by hyperglycaemia was topographically associated with the retinal dysfunction and neurodegeneration.

The aim of this review is to reveal Turkey's current status of medical practice in inherited eye diseases and the necessary steps to improve healthcare services and research activities in this area. Since consanguinity rate is high, disease burden is estimated to be high in Turkey. Universal health insurance system, easily accessible medical specialists, increasing genetic test, and counseling opportunities are the key advantages of Turkey's healthcare system. However, specialized clinics for inherited eye diseases, low-vision rehabilitation services, training of ophthalmologists about the recent developments in ocular genetics, and multidisciplinary translational research are the main headlines needed to be focused for better health services and successful research in Turkey.

Purpose: In this study, the aim was to evaluate the safety of transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES) treatment in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients and to investigate the effect of TES to the visual acuity (VA), visual field (VF), and multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) findings. Methods: Two hundred two eyes of 101 RP patients with different stages were studied. TES was applied for 30 min once a week for 8 consecutive weeks. Two hundred eyes of 100 RP patients were enrolled as control. After the 2-month TES therapy sessions, patients were followed for 4 months without treatment. Examinations were done at the baseline before TES treatment and 1 and 6 months after the treatment. Best-corrected VA (BCVA), color fundus photography, VF test, optical coherence tomography, and mfERG tests were done at each visit. Results: The mean BCVA and VF tests improved 1 month after the beginning of TES treatment and the improvements were statistically significant (P < 0.05). There was an improvement in p1 wave amplitude in rings 1, 2, and 3 at the first month. The latency of the p1 wave showed a statistically significant shortening in rings 1 and 2. These improvements partially disappeared at 6-month follow-up. There were no serious ocular side effects related to the therapy. Mild dry eye symptoms were observed, which were revealed by artificial tears. Conclusions: TES is a safe therapy without any serious advers effects. Although it can improve VA and VF of RP patients, the beneficial effects could be transient and repeated sessions can be necessary for maintaining the efficiency.