News

Despite treatment, chloroquine retinopathy may continue to progress long after drug cessation, according to a study published on-line by the British Journal of Ophthalmology. Further, disease progression may be accompanied by cystoid macular oedema, epiretinal membrane formation and peripheral involvement.

Small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) caused less keratocyte apoptosis, proliferation and inflammation compared with femtosecond laser LASIK, according to data from a recent animal model study.

The Home Monitoring of the Eye (HOME) study, conducted in AREDS2 clinical centres, has demonstrated that patients at high-risk of developing choroidal neovascularization (CNV) - the neovascular or wet phase of AMD - benefit from using the ForeseeHome monitoring device (Notal Vision).

According to recently published data, anti-VEGF therapy is superior to laser photocoagulation for the treatment of moderate-to-severe visual impairment caused by diabetic macular oedema (DME).

Roche has announced additional encouraging results of a phase II study with lampalizumab to treat patients with geographic atrophy (GA). The MAHALO study data was presented during the Retina subspeciality day at AAO 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

2013 has been an important year in retina therapy, with increased information released on nutritional supplements for AMD patients, widened indications for anti-VEGFs and the approval of treatment for symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion.

Replacing monovision

The availability of newer presbyopia solutions such as corneal inlays has changed the landscape of presbyopia treatment and is now allowing us to offer our patients a better quality of vision.

In this article, the authors review the various corticosteroid options and attempt to determine their place in the therapeutic regimen.

Meeting Review

Ophthalmologists from 76 countries discussed the latest findings in diagnostics and therapy, and also issues of promoting the next generation of young ophthalmologists.

Advancements in cataract surgery have always been surrounded by passionate debate with arguments for and against new technologies and techniques. In this article, the authors discuss their recent study in which they examined the evolution of cataract surgery and controversy surrounding it.

Major geographical differences exist worldwide in cases of cataracts and macular degeneration, according to the largest-ever analysis of worldwide vision impairment and blindness, which was recently published in The Lancet Global Health journal.

Progranulin, a protein found in fat-derived stem cells, may reverse and perhaps prevent age-related, light-induced retinal damage, according to results from a study done in a mouse model by researchers from Gifu Pharmaceutical University and Gifu University, Japan.

Nicox has launched Sjö, an advanced diagnostic panel for the early detection of Sjögren's syndrome, and has formed a partnership with the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation to raise aware of this disease among eye care professionals.

ML7 has the potential to bring an effective, targeted therapeutic response in patients who suffer from dry eye syndromes. Preclinical trials of the eye-drop formulation of Neuroptis Biotech's ML7 product have yielded positive results, and have recently been published.

Heidelberg edge perimetry (HEP) may have role in the early detection and assessment of functional damage cause by glaucoma, according to the authors of a case report presented online at PubMed via Case Reports in Ophthalmology. Further, HEP testing may potentially have advantages over standard automated perimetry (SAP), currently the gold standard for visual function testing.

One in three young Danish patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus progressed to proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and two in three had 2-step progression despite their young age, according to study results recently published in the November 2013 issue of Acta Diabetologica. In addition, these researchers from Denmark found that after 30-years? duration of diabetes, the presence of diabetic retinopathy was almost universal.

The most common indications for IOL exchange are IOL dislocation and incorrect IOL power, according to study results in press for the American Journal of Ophthalmology. Patient requests for IOL exchange due to dissatisfaction have also increased, and this is especially true for patients who achieve undesired visual acuity even without photic symptoms.

Oral pazopanib - in a dose of 15 mg/d - is well tolerated and may improve mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal lesion thickness and central retinal thickness in as little as 1 month of treatment in some patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to recent study results.

Traditionally, corneal astigmatism in cataract patients has been addressed through corneal correction by means of corneal incisional relaxing techniques, excimer laser keratectomy and, most recently, by means of femtosecond laser astigmatic keratotomy.