0000000000564279
AUTHOR
Andreas Hartwig
The use of shallow dripwater as an isotopic marker of seepage in karst areas: A comparison between Western Sicily (Italy) and the Harz Mountains (Germany)
Abstract The isotopic signature of slow-flowing dripwater collected in caves located in Western Sicily (Italy) was determined for evaluating its possible use as an isotopic tracer of the local groundwater recharge. These spot measures were compared with a longer series of local rain and spring compositions and with other samples taken, under different hydrogeological conditions, in caves of the Harz Mountains (Northern Germany). The slow flowing dripwater from Sicily showed δ 18 O/δD ratios similar to those of local rain and groundwater, demonstrating that these three are all parent waters. A parallel similarity was found in the vertical isotopic gradient (Δδ 18 O) of the three groups of wa…
Early clinical outcomes after small incision lenticule extraction surgery (SMILE)
Abstract Purpose Dry eye is known to impact on clinical outcomes after laser vision correction and the use of a newer ‘all femtosecond laser’ surgical approach may be associated with less impact on the ocular surface post-operatively. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the early clinical outcomes and tear instability after the first small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) cases undertaken by three surgeons at a single site in the UK. Methods Retrospective audit. Seventy-one eyes of 37 patients underwent SMILE surgery using the Zeiss VisuMax laser system (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Germany). Uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity, spherical equivalent refraction, fluorescein en…
Short-Term Impact of FS-LASIK and SMILE on Dry Eye Metrics and Corneal Nerve Morphology
PURPOSE To analyze the short-term (up to 1 month) clinical outcomes in patients undergoing corneal laser refractive surgery and the impact on dry eye disease (DED) metrics and corneal nerves using in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). METHODS The unaided distance visual acuity, corrected distance visual acuity, and spherical equivalent refraction (SEQ) were determined in 16 and 13 patients undergoing FS-LASIK and SMILE, respectively. DED metrics assessed were Ocular Surface Disease Index, Dry Eye Questionnaire 5-items (DEQ-5), tear film osmolarity, tear meniscus height, noninvasive keratograph breakup time (NIKBUT), ocular staining, and meibomian gland atrophy. An automated analysis of cornea…