Is “Visual Acuity” the Best Measure of Visual Function?
Is visual acuity the most appropriate visual function to measure in determining the difficulties that patients have with their vision? For patients with macular disease, Hazel et al. (p. 1309) find that low-contrast tests explain most of the variance in self-reported problems with reading, and that text-reading speed correlates highly with overall concern about vision. High-contrast distance visual acuity is not the most relevant outcome measure for assessment of macular degeneration patients. Therefore, the assumption that visual acuity is the most relevant measure of visual function in other disease groups is questionable. [Abstract] [Full Text] Abnormal Telomerase Activity in Pterygia Telomerase is an enzyme that extends the life span of cells by elongating telomeres at the chromosome ends. Telomerase activity is often detected in neoplastic cells, but is very rare in somatic cells in adults. By using a technique called the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP), Shimmura et
