Geriatrics

For conditions like diabetic retinopathy, the earlier the condition diagnosis can be made, the better the odds are of reducing the damage done.

Telemedicine is an expanding field across many areas of the medical community. Finding the best ways to use it and expand its growth are also becoming focal points as the idea gains popularity in helping treat patients.

As part of their overall health management, patients with diabetes are encouraged to undergo annual eye exams. While not all patients follow this direction, research is being done to better improve their eye health by working with their general practitioners.

In many, if not most cases, there can be a break in the chain between researchers and the doctors they are developing treatments for. When that divide does not exist it can mean more direct access for doctors and patients to the latest treatments even in the development stages.

Much in the way GPS systems help drivers navigate the roads easier, image guided surgery can help doctors provide better care to their patients in many cases.

The treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration has come a long way in a short period of time. While it may take some explaining that injections in the eye are the best way to treat the condition now there is work being done to find better ways for the future.

If patients with the wet form of wet age-related macular degeneration are caught early enough there are treatments available to help treat the condition.

Space flight has changed dramatically from the days of the Mercury and Apollo programs. With an eye towards Mars research is being done to see what impact long-term flights will have on a person's body.

The mortality rate of AMD patients who received a bevacizumab injection 3 or 6 months after stroke was, in the study’s words, “worrying” compared to the rate of those who did not.

A large observational study of results in routine clinical practice showed that visual acuity outcomes 12 months after Aflibercept or Ranibizumab treatment did not differ, and neither did the number of injections required for each agent.

The only factor that predicted visual outcomes one year after nAMD diagnosis was baseline visual acuity, which maintained its predictive ability five years after diagnosis. Visual acuity increased more frequently in women.

In an 84-year-old woman with AMD and acute deterioration in vision, the oral antioxidant supplement Resvega led to regression of subretinal fluid and eliminated the need for intravitreal injection of an anti-VEGF agent over the course of 9 months.

An optical coherence tomography study found that, after three monthly treatments,aAflibercept was 7 times more effective than ranibizumab in resolving serous pigment epithelium detachment, though neither treatment improved visual acuity in these patients to a statistically significant degree.

Vitrectomy plus subretinal injection of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) reduced scar area moreso than pneumatic displacement plus intravitreal injection of tPA. Visual acuity improved noticeably after both of these treatments, but not after treatment with pneumatic displacement alone.

After 12 months of follow-up, a Japanese team found a trend toward greater BCVA improvement in the Eylea group than in the Lucentis group but no statistically significant differences between groups in BCVA or central foveal thickness.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."