News

Treat-and-extend approach for neovascular AMD leads to beneficial results in 2-year clinical trial.

In a placebo-controlled, dose-finding, proof-of-concept study conducted in patients with geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration, an anti-amyloid β monoclonal antibody (GSK933776, GlaxoSmithKline) was safe and well-tolerated, but did not meet primary or secondary efficacy endpoints.

Treating diabetic macular edema (DME) has evolved from the ETDRS-style focal/grid laser being the standard of care since 1985 to the modern era of pharmacotherapy-with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections now taking center stage as primary treatment for most patients.

Volume-rendered optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging allows new insight into retinal vascular flow and morphological changes in eyes with macular edema (ME), and the information obtained is the basis for new ideas about the pathogenesis of ME and therapeutic intervention, according to Richard F. Spaide, MD, Vitreous Retina Macula Consultants of New York.

AIVITA Biomedical has successfully engineered a three-dimensional transplantable retina construct and demonstrated connectivity and conductivity in an animal model of retinal degeneration.

The use of 27-gauge instrumentation provides several surgical advantages compared with larger tools in retinal surgery, particularly in difficult cases.

Results of a 2-year phase IIIb study include findings consistent with earlier information about treatment success with ocriplasmin injection for symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion and new information about efficacy and safety over the longer term.

Results from the phase II TANZANITE clinical trial support further investigation of adding suprachoroidal triamcinolone acetonide to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy for treatment-naïve retinal vein occlusion.

The recent FDA clearance of a swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA) platform (PLEX Elite 9000, Carl Zeiss Meditec) for posterior ocular structures enables fast, dense, wide, and deep imaging of the retina, choroid, and their associated microvasculature, said Philip J. Rosenfeld, MD, PhD.

Ophthalmology may be one step closer to the hope of providing artificial vision for individuals affected by virtually all forms of blindness.

Ophthalmology Times is pleased to introduce a new clinical and educational platform for retina specialists called Modern Retina.

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is well-known as a heterogeneous disease with variable natural history and variable treatment response, said Carl D. Regillo, MD, FACS. Many patients do well without monthly treatment as noted in HARBOR PRN arms.

Treating neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) patients with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) on a monthly regimen has produced “great results” in clinical trials, said Prof. Mark C. Gillies, MBBS, PhD. “But what happens after that and what happens in real world practice?”

Computers may make more reliable diagnoses of plus disease in retinopathy of prematurity than individual clinicians, a researcher reports.

Peeling of the internal limiting membrane has increasingly become a dogma of surgical retina, while maintenance of the face-down positioning may become anachronistic in many cases.

Researchers have identified a new biomarker they believe can be used as a predictor of vision change in patients with diabetic macular edema, either during the natural history of the disease or after undergoing anti-VEGF therapy. The biomarker is disorganization of the retinal inner layers, or DRIL.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 29.1 million people, or 9.3% of the U.S. population, have diabetes. Over 8 million (27.8%) have the disease and are not diagnosed. The number of diagnosed cases are projected to increase 165% from the year 2000 to 2050, according to the American Diabetes Association. By 2050, there will be 29 million diagnosed cases of diabetes in the United States.

Retinal vascular changes do not show non-pathological age-related cognitive decline, researchers say. The study does not rule out the use of retinal information in diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Cystoid macular edema (CME) might become less problematic in patients with non-ischemic central retinal vein occlusions (CRVOs).

A new class of ophthalmic drug continues to show promise for treating patients with diabetic macular edema (DME).

Patients treated with ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) for diabetic macular oedema (DMO) in the National Health Service of the United Kingdom can fare about as well as patients in clinical trials, a review of patient records suggests.

Patients may respond differently to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatments for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) depending on their genotypes, researchers say.

When it comes to finding new treatments for diabetic macular edema (DME), there is no shortage of promising targets, said Peter A. Campochiaro, MD. He presented an overview of future compounds with various mechanisms of action that may change how clinicians treat DME.

Looking back at 2016, incremental improvements in devices are changing how retina surgeons approach and treat surgeries, said a group of experts. For Charles Wykoff, MD, PhD, two novel improvements may not radically alter surgical approaches today, but will have a long-lasting impact down the road.

This has been the year of optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography, numerous retina specialists said. Commercially available systems are available from Carl Zeiss Meditec, Heidelberg Engineering, and Optovue provide a noninvasive way to image retinal vasculature and confirm clinicians’ diagnoses of abnormalities.

The advent of three-dimensional optical coherence tomography to live surgery may bring greater clarity to how ophthalmologists visualize structures and how they operate.

Pharmacologic activity in the retina realm continues to hold much excitement for new therapies to treat retinal disorders.

Analyzing data from the European Eye Study, Gareth J. McKay, PhD, of Queen’s University in Belfast, United Kingdom, and colleagues in 7 countries in Europe found no meaningful association between serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) and AMD. They published the finding in Ophthalmology.

In this Q&A with members of the Ophthalmology Times Europe Editorial Advisory Board, participants take a look at some of the top challenges and opportunities facing ophthalmologists in Europe today.

Aflibercept, an anti-VEGF agent, can enable treatment interval extensions and provide rapid and sustained vision gain in retinal vascular diseases as well as significantly reducing the severity of diabetic retinopathy.