Ophthalmology

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.

Because of the potentially devastating neurologic consequences of syphilis, this sexually transmitted disease should be considered in all patients who initially appear with uveitis.

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.

In a post hoc statistical analysis of data from 61 consecutive patients diagnosed with intermediate uveitis, the central foveal thickness cut-off value for starting systemic corticosteroid treatment was determined to be 215.5 μm. This value was found to have a sensitivity of 62.5% and a specificity of 96.4%.

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.

“MANF supplementation to photoreceptors transplanted into congenitally blind mice increased integration efficiency and accelerated and improved visual function recovery,” according to the study.

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.

A newer, smaller inserter has been shown to be even more effective for the delivery of Medidur than a previous slightly larger-gauge inserter, and none of 11 eyes implanted in Phase 2 showed signs of uveitis recurrence two years after the injection.

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.

Researchers from three institutions in Illinois collaborated to examine real world visual outcomes for people with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) on anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs.

In a poster presentation at the 34th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS 2016) in San Francisco, California, researchers looked at how patients responded to telemedicine in ophthalmology.

In a 30-year retrospective study of a cohort of patients with uveitis associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), risk factors for the development of hypotony during follow-up were associated with more severe uveitis. Because JIA-associated uveitis is often asymptomatic, hypotony may be a key indicator of uveitis in JIA patients.

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.

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.