Retina

The cumulative experience of more than 20 years of treating retinal diseases with a variety of lasers has taught clinicians and researchers one very important lesson: less is more.

A protein, called Robo4, has been identified which appears to play an important role in the development of stable, working blood vessels.

The incidence of endophthalmitis following injections of anti-VEGF drugs is lower when the injections are given in an office setting than the rates reported from clinical trials, which require a more extensive pre-injection regimen.

According to a presentation at the All India Ophthalmological Society meeting, when used appropriately, bevacizumab can produce remarkable results in children with severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

The size and binding characteristics of proteins are likely to influence their ability to penetrate the eye from the periocular space, but in general, proteins as large as 50-75 kDa penetrate well into the choroid but not into the retina.

Reichert has received 510k clearance from the FDA to market the Reichert-Optopol Spectral Optical Coherence Tomographer (SOCT) in the US.

Sirion Therapeutics has entered into an exclusive agreement with Bridge Pharma for the worldwide rights to develop and market topical ophthalmic formulations containing Bridge's proprietary anti-inflammatory agent norketotifen.

It is recommended that all babies with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) be screened at 12 months to identify amblyogenic factors such as squint and refractive error.

Age, independent of the duration of uveitis, is a major risk factor for the presence of cystoid macular oedema (CME) in uveitis.

Preliminary results of a study using the NSAID Xibrom (bromfenac ophthalmic solution 0.09%; ISTA Pharmaceuticals) therapy in combination with Lucentis (ranibizumab; Novartis) in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), suggests that it may result in fewer injections being required.

Twenty-three gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy is an effective surgical technique for the management of vitreoretinal diseases.

A blind person's sight has been restored by surgeons at the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) for the first time in Europe using American technology.

MacuSight has announced positive preliminary data from the Phase I study of its lead product candidate for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), sirolimus.

Systematic screening for diabetic retinopathy (DR) has been identified as a cost-effective use of health service resources,1-4 with national screening programmes based on digital photography being implemented across Europe. In Scotland, images are captured at local screening centres and sent electronically to one of nine regional grading centres, where they are manually graded using a three-level system (Figure 1).

New developments in diagnostic technology should enable better screening and follow-up of refractive surgery patients, said Dan Z. Reinstein, MD, delivering a keynote address during the refractive surgery subspecialty day preceding the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in November 2007.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), particularly in the more advanced stages, is associated with an increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence.

The side effects and complications associated with intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) are minimal and can be prevented, in most cases, by careful injection and good patient selection.

The da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical) provides adequate dexterity for performing delicate intraocular manipulation, however, the kinematics of the robotic arms is insufficient for standard intraocular surgery.

A study published online ahead of print by Diabetes Care has found that plasma total homocysteine concentration may be a useful biomarker and/or a novel risk factor for increased risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in people with type 2 diabetes.

The rate of endophthalmitis after 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) is significantly higher than that after 20-gauge PPV.

Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) for the treatment of steroid-responsive disorders of the posterior segment is associated with a low incidence of serious vision-threatening adverse events.

Progress in the diagnosis and treatment of retinoblastoma has been minimal over the past couple of decades, although improvements have been made, and new therapies are being studied, according to an ocular oncology expert.

A Danish study published in the January issue of Pediatrics has found that the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) treatment in Denmark has more than doubled during the past five years.

Intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin; Genentech) appears to be a safe and effective treatment in the management of refractory inflammatory cystoid macular oedema.

Vitreous has a greater buffering capacity than sodium chloride (0.9% NaCl), suggesting that it is able to remain more stable when acidic or alkaline pharmaceuticals are injected in microlitre amounts.

A single intravitreal injection of the fusion protein KH902 can effectively inhibit leakage and growth of choroidal neovascularization in rhesus monkeys.

The persistence of intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation following treatment with intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) means that it should only be used after careful consideration.

Polarisation-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is a promising new tool for diagnosis, disease follow-up and the evaluation of new treatment strategies in disease affecting the retinal pigment epithelium .

Genentech has resolved its dispute with American ophthalmologists over the off-label use of its anti-VEGF drug Avastin, and will now allow physicians to purchase the drug directly from authorized wholesale distributors.

The Simplified Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Severity Scale has been shown to be predictive of vision loss.