CDC reports cases of ocular monkeypox

According to the CDC, as of October 11, more than 26,500 cases of monkeypox have been reported in the U.S. While not a common complication or manifestation of the virus, the CDC reported that there have been five patients who developed “ocular monkeypox.” The virus in the eye can cause conjunctivitis, blepharitis, keratitis, and vision loss. The CDC stated that patients with signs and symptoms that could be related to ocular monkeypox should be referred for urgent ophthalmology evaluation and monkeypox treatment. Patients with monkeypox should be advised to use proper hand hygiene and avoid touching their eyes, the report stated.

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Recall of intravitreal implant

About a year after the FDA approved Susvimo (Genentech), an intravitreal ocular implant for sustained release of ranibizumab for the treatment of wet AMD, the company has decided to voluntarily recall it from the market, according to several reports. Fierce Pharma reported that the recall is due to “manufacturing problems with the device.” More specifically Fierce Pharma noted that on the parent company’s (Roche) investor call, the CEO said that the problem is due to the seal on the device that controls the drug’s sustained delivery, which could fail with repeated injected refills of the drug.

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NDA filed for nanoemulsion for postop inflammation and pain

Salvat Laboratories submitted an NDA to the FDA for SVT-15473, a clobetasol corticosteroid nanoemulsion for management of inflammation and pain after ocular surgery. The company, according to its press release, has completed two Phase 3 clinical trials in the U.S. with clobetasol with more than 400 patients. These trials demonstrated safety and efficacy of SVT-15473, the company reported. Salvat explained that what sets SVT-15473 apart is its nanoemulsion drug delivery technology that allowed “this ‘superpotent’ corticosteroid” to be used in eye drops for the first time.

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Companies partner to enhance visual assessment technology

Olleyes, which is developing the VisuALL Virtual Reality Platform for visual function assessments, partnered with Tobii to incorporate advanced eye tracking features within the VisuALL ETS model. According to the company’s press release, this partnership will enhance the ability of VisuALL ETS to accurately deliver these tests in a portable, patient-friendly manner.

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Companies enter into business combination agreement

Oculis and European Biotech Acquisition Corp have entered into a definitive business combination agreement. According to the company’s press release, once the transaction is complete, the company will be called Oculis Holding SA and will focus on developing the company’s ophthalmology pipeline.

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ASCRS news and events

• 2023 ASCRS Annual Meeting: Hotel blocks in San Diego, California, for the Annual Meeting are open now. Early bird registration opens November 21. Learn more.
• EyeWorld magazine: Find the latest quarterly issue of EyeWorld with a focus on “Back to basics” online now. Also take a look at recent EyeWorld Online Exclusives.

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Research highlights

• The accuracy of newer IOL power calculation formulas in long and short eyes were measured using sum-of-segments biometry in a single-center, retrospective observational study. The study published in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery included 595 patients whose eyes were measured with the biometry and expected residual refractions were calculated with a variety of formulas. The Barrett Universal II, Barrett True Axial Length, Emmetropia Verifying Optical, Hill-RBF, Hoffer QST, Holladay 2, Holladay 2-NLR, K6, Kane, Olsen, PEARL-GGS, T2, and VRF were the newer formulas, and Haigis, Hoffer Q, Holladay 1, and SRK/T were the traditional formulas for comparison. There were 102 long eyes, and all of the newer formulas had a mean absolute error equal to or lower than the traditional formulas (between 0.29–0.32 D), the authors reported. In the 78 short eyes, the Barrett True Axial Length, Emmetropia Verifying Optical, Hoffer QST, K6, Olsen, and PEARL-DGS had the lowest mean absolute error (between 0.33–0.36 D); the traditional formulas’ mean absolute errors in short eyes were more than 0.36 D, according to the study. With this, the authors concluded that the newer formulas performed equal to or better than the traditional formulas with sum-of-segments biometry. The authors specifically said the Barrett True Axial Length, Emmetropia Verifying Optical, Hoffer QST, K6, Olsen, and PEARL-DGS performed the best in short, long, very short, and very long eyes, but the Barrett Universal II and Kane were close as well.
• The frequency of immediately sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS) and incidents of postop endophthalmitis at Tampere University Hospital in Tampere, Finland, were tracked for 13 years. From January 2009 to December 2020, there were 56,700 cataract surgeries, 39% of which were ISBCS (13,445). The percentage of ISBCS increased over time from 4.2% of cataract cases in 2008 to 46% in 2020. There were no cases of postop endophthalmitis during this 13-year period. The research is published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

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Product news

• The Lenstec multifocal SBL-3 IOL has been rebranded to the ClearView 3 IOL. This IOL received FDA approval in July 2022.

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