Diabetic Macular Edema

A graft consisting of a monolayer sheet of RPE or a complex graft of RPE and Bruch’s membrane were found equally effective in restoring visual function and central fixation stability.

One year after beginning Lucentis treatment for diabetic macular edema, the group who had a decrease in visual acuity also had the greatest decrease in HbA1c level.

The treatment of various eye conditions can vary widely depending on where a patient lives. While some countries may have the best technology readily available others are lacking in not only equipment but training.

A long-acting fluocinolone acetonide implant improved visual acuity and controlled intraocular inflammation for 2 years in 11 eyes of 11 patients with noninfectious intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, or panuveitis.

It has been many years since Howard Schatz was a practicing physician and while he said the retina specialty has changed he has also seen the field of photography change as digital passes the age of film.

It was supposed to be just a one year sabbatical for Howard Schatz to take a break from his work as a retina specialist and enjoy what had become a growing hobby of photography. More than two decades later Schatz said he misses some parts of practice but is greatly enjoying what has become a second career.

The discussion of intravitreal injections may not be an easy one for doctors to have with their patients, but when the full treatment picture is explained it can show how the benefits outweigh other potential issues.

Patients diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusions may not like having intravitreal injections but research is being done to see if the frequency of the injections can be reduced over time.

There are many areas of medicine where treatments are being combined in hopes of finding better outcomes for patients. Early studies are being done to see if a new combination can help patients with certain eye conditions.

A recent study showed that OCT angiography can help predict whether patients will respond to treatment for diabetic macular edema. While the technology is not available everywhere and can be expensive the results can save patients and doctors time and money in the long run.

While Anti-VEGF medications can be an effective treatment for patients with diabetic macular edema many will not respond to it making steroids the preferred method for care.

With medical equipment being universal in operating rooms everywhere having the tools personalized for surgeons could be somewhat of an uphill battle depending on how popular the idea becomes.

While surgeons across the globe have become used to performing procedures with the same equipment as their colleagues there could be some benefit to having tools specifically designed for their individual preferences.

In an age where personalization is a key selling point for many items research is being done as to whether this could apply to equipment eye surgeons use in the operating room.

For patients with retinitis pigmentosa the loss of vision can be a difficult consequence of the condition. An implanted device may not give them back the sight they once had but it can provide a chance to see the world around them in a new way.

Doctors treating patients with age-related macular degeneration face a wide range of complications including the potential dosage for anti-VEGF medications. One question is what role these drugs play in macular atrophy.

As technology improves across the medical spectrum new devices, including implants, are providing help for patients who just a few years ago may not have had any treatment options available.

Researchers set out to see how prevalent sleep problems are in people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at the 34th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS 2016) in San Francisco, California.

A team from Philadelphia set out to uncover visual outcomes associated with switching to aflibercept from bevacizumab or ranibizumab.

Despite established criteria for patients at risk for vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy from the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), referral rates don’t reflect the number of people who should visit optometrists, ophthalmologists, and retina specialists.

It’s been unclear whether statins affect the development of diabetic microvascular complications, therefore, Alam Park, MD, from the Ajou University School of Medicine in Korea, and colleagues set out to uncover just that.

Suleyman Kaynak, MD, and colleagues from the Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey, evaluated an alternative therapy for patients who do not respond well to intravitreal ranibizumab.

As new treatments and procedures are developed in the field of retinal medicine the American Society of Retina Specialists is launching its own journal to help its members and others in the field advance patient care.

For those doctors who go through the extended training to be certified retina specialists there is a wealth of knowledge to learn in order to provide the best care for patients.

To prevent processes that cause macular degeneration, the researchers employed a one-two punch treatment."CD59 prevents the final step of attack that forms the pore. Once a pore forms, the cell can move a lysosome to close it."

An analysis presented at the 34th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS 2016) in San Francisco, California looked at “real world” outcomes with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs to treat wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Baruch Kuppermann, MD, PhD, and colleagues looked at gene expression modifications in retinal Müller cells treated with anti-VEGFs at the 34th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS 2016) in San Francisco, California.

David Eichenbaum, MD, an ophthalmologist from Florida, presented data from the HARBOR study at the 34th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS 2016) in San Francisco, California.

A Danish electronic records review found that the need for Eylea or Lucentis injections for wet age-related macular degeneration did not change after cataract surgery. Also, vision improved more when the time from last injection to cataract surgery was shorter than when it was longer.

Lucentis can improve DME that has proven resistant to laser therapy, Trivaris, and Avastin, according to a retrospective review of chart data from the Indianapolis University School of Medicine.