James P. Ganley

Uveitis, perivenous sheathing and multiple sclerosis.

Pars planitis (peripheral uveitis) and perivenous sheathing are two ocular phenomena associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). A total of 163 ocular examinations were performed on 127 MS patients at the university of Arizona Health Sciences Center. The prevalence of pars planitis in our study is lower (2.4 percent) than found by others, but significantly higher than its occurrence in the general population. We attribute our lower prevalence to the method of ocular examination (scleral depression and indirect ophthalmoscopy), as well as to firmly defined criteria necessary to make the diagnosis of pars planitis. The incidence of perivenous sheathing (11 percent) reported by us is consistent with the experience of others; however, this finding was noted more frequently in patients with the progressive form of MS. No perivenous sheathing was found to develop within the first few weeks following 31 exacerbations, and no association was identified between its presence and the severity of neurologic disability.

Projected color slides as a method for mass screening of red-green color deficient individuals

University students (111, both male and female) were screened for red-green color deficiency using projected 35 mm slides reproduced from Ishihara and H-R-R color plates. Ishihara and H-R-R color plates were tested in the same individuals at a second setting and the responses compared: 6.3% of the students were identified as color deficient by the Ishihara and 80.2% by the H-R-R projected slides while 5.4% were designated color blind by the Ishihara plates and 4.5% by the H-R-R plates. The sensitivity of both screening systems was 100%; the specificity of the Ishihara slides was 98.1% compared to only 20.8% for the H-R-R. The 9.8% prevalence of red-green deficiency detected by the Ishihara plates and 8.2% by the H-R-R plates for males is similar to the 6 to 9% frequency found for Caucasian males in other population studies. Within rigid guidelines, projected color slides have potential usefulness as a screening method for detecting individuals with red-green color deficiencies.