Ophthalmology

Non-invasive photobiomodulation may help dry age-related macular degeneration by causing regression of drusen and improving retinal function with benefits in visual acuity and contrast sensitivity.

J. Michael Jumper, MD, a retina specialist, described how retina treatments relate to glaucoma–not only injections, but also vitrectomy and laser treatments can trigger glaucoma.

A new analysis of an old study suggests that early response to agents that block vascular endothelial growth factor can predict longer-term improvement in visual acuity in patients with DME.

The first clinical trial of lentiviral gene therapy in ophthalmology met its primary objective, demonstrating safety and tolerability of subretinal administration of a lentiviral vector expressing anti-angiogenic proteins in patients with advanced exudative age-related macular degeneration.

Evidence suggests more ophthalmologists should perform aqueous sampling and viral testing in hypertensive anterior uveitis cases.

The first randomized, controlled phase III gene therapy trial that is investigating treatment with adeno-associated viral vector delivery of human RPE65 in patients with RPE65 mutation-associated inherited retinal dystrophies is discussed.

Sonepcizumab alone or in combination with anti-VEGF does not provide any short-term benefit to the visual acuity in patients with wet AMD, who were considered to be subresponders to anti-VEGF therapy. However, a combination of therapies may have different results.

Clinicians should recognize the symptoms of West Nile virus, Dengue fever, and Chikungunya that are spread by mosquitos and can have ocular manifestations.

Single-spot lasers used in photocoagulation usually deliver about 100 milliseconds of laser energy in a single burn. Although effective, they can cause peripheral visual field loss affecting the patient’s ability to drive.

In DME patients with worse baseline visual acuity, aflibercept and ranibizumab provided more of a quality-of-life improvement-yet aflibercept had an associated higher cost.

The debate over pharmacologic therapy versus laser treatment for diabetic eye disease is back. The players are different–anti-VEGF agents and panretinal laser photocoagulation instead of anti-VEGF agents and macular laser photocoagulation.

Investigators in Israel have discovered a retinitis pigmentosa-causing mutation for which unaffected individuals can be mosaic, followed by autosomal dominant inheritance in successive generations.

Results from TIME-2, a phase IIA study, support further development of combination treatment with subcutaneous injection of the Tie2 activator, AKB-9778 (Aerpio Therapeutics), plus intravitreous (IVT) anti-VEGF injection for diabetic macular edema.

Intravitreous injection with ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) is well-tolerated, safe, and improves the functional and anatomic status in patients with visual impairment due to choroidal neovascularization (CNV) associated with rare diseases, according to findings from 6 months of follow-up in the phase III MINERVA study.

Real-world evidence confirms the benefits of intravitreous ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) for treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD)-regardless of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) status.

Results from a phase I study of KVD001 (KalVista Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of central involved diabetic macular edema (CIDME) show that this plasma kallikrein inhibitor was well-tolerated, not associated with any ophthalmic or systemic safety signals, and led to fairly long-lasting improvements in visual acuity (VA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) after a single intravitreous injection.

International thought-leaders in retina education will have a new forum with the inaugural Retina World Congress (RWC), Feb. 23 to 26, 2017, in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Modern combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has transformed the AIDS epidemic and the management of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis.

A retinal exam system improves access for patients with diabetes to detect eye disease early and refers them to an eye-care specialist for further evaluation and treatment.

Though much has been learned about non-arteritic ischemic neuropathy since the earliest studies, no effective treatment is currently available. An update on research progress is highlighted.

Macular degeneration and diabetes appear to be playing smaller roles in sight impairment in England and Wales, according to the National Institutes for Health Research (NIHR).

Experience with en face OCT shows its value for following disease progression in wet and dry age-related macular degeneration and in diseases that disrupt the inner segment/outer segment/ellipsoid zone.

Take-home: Evidence is accumulating documenting that intraoperative OCT improves surgeon decision-making and outcomes of patients undergoing vitreoretinal procedures.

Ultra-widefield retinal imaging is a user- and patient-friendly technique that is showing promise for improving clinical care.

New findings about a genetic mutation could lead to better clinical management and genetic counselling of families susceptible to retinitis pigmentosa, researchers said.

Diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema are both increasing in Spain, especially among relatively young people, researchers said.

Diabetes mellitus is a common health problem in developed countries, with diabetic macular oedema (DMO) being a major cause of visual loss. A variety of treatment modalities for DMO are available including laser, steroid and intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents.

Kimberly Drenser, MD, PhD, explains that there is hope for treating these patients with the advent of viral-mediated, gene replacement therapy and new synthetic replacement molecules for inherited retinal degenerations.

Surgeons are urged to take a more cautious approach to cataract surgery when a new, pre-existing rupture of the posterior capsule surfaces.

Ensuring correct alignment between the syringe and the cap during silicone oil injection can prevent complications during vitrectomy, said Jay M. Stewart, MD, (San Francisco) presenting during the Retina Subspecialty Day of the 2015 American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.