Preservative-free fixed-dose combination therapy for glaucoma in development

Qlaris Bio announced that it is developing a preservative-free, fixed-dose combination therapy of its leading drug candidate QLS-111 and latanoprost. This drug is intended for patients with POAG, ocular hypertension, and normal glaucoma when “optimal intraocular pressure (IOP) control may remain unachievable due to the need to lower episcleral venous pressure (EVP).” The company noted in its press release that EVP, the target of QLS-111, is the “only component of IOP that is not addressed by currently approved treatments.” QLS-111 is a first-in-class ATP-sensitive potassium channel modulator that selectively reduces EVP, while latanoprost increases uveoscleral outflow. A Phase 2 study that included patients with POAG and ocular hypertension found that QLS-111 with latanoprost monotherapy achieved a more than 3 mm Hg IOP reduction in IOP compared to latanoprost alone, and no clinically meaningful adverse events were noted.

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Rare Pediatric Disease designation granted to investigational Stargardt gene therapy

The FDA granted a Rare Pediatric Disease designation to VG801, a gene therapy targeting Stargardt disease that is currently in a Phase 1/2 in-human trial. VeonGen Therapeutics, previously known as ViGeneron, stated in a press release that patient dosing in this trial has begun, with VG801 aiming to treat patients with ABCA4 mutations linked to Stargardt and other retinal dystrophies. It is, according to the company, the most common inherited retinal disease. The company’s gene therapy programs are designed to address AAV-based gene delivery challenges, using an “mRNA transsplicing” technique and an engineered capsid platform (vgAAV) to deliver large genes that would otherwise exceed the size limit for delivery with AAV techniques.

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First patient dosed in genome editing program for corneal dystrophy

GenEditBio announced that the first patient was dosed in its investigator-initiated trial evaluating GEB-101 for treatment of TGFBI corneal dystrophy. According to the company, GEB-101 was well tolerated as an intrastromal injection in non-human primates during preclinical assessment and was “virtually undetectable” in off-target areas. This in-human study will be open-label, dose-escalating to investigate tolerability when combined with phototherapeutic keratectomy in adults with corneal dystrophy. The company also stated the trial is the world’s first study of in vivo CRISPR-Cas ribonucleoprotein-based genome editing for TGFBI corneal dystrophy.

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ASCRS news and events

• Business of Refractive Cataract Surgery Summit: This course, taking place October 3–5, in Chicago, Illinois, along with its extensive, take-home resource library, will help practices gain the navigational tools needed to increase premium IOL adoption and lead patients effectively on their refractive surgery journey. Learn more.
• ASCRS Live!: This educational dinner series is heading to several cities across the U.S. in 2025. Registration is open for the next event in Seattle, Washington, on July 24.
• ASCRS Grand Rounds: A new episode of ASCRS Grand Rounds, featuring cases involving a challenging intraoperative cataract surgery complication and a referral for a corneal mass, is online now. Watch the episode, which is eligible for CME, here.
• 2026 ASCRS Annual Meeting: Hotel room blocks are now open for the 2026 ASCRS Annual Meeting, taking place in Washington, D.C., April 10–13, 2026.

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Research highlights

• A single-site retrospective cohort study reported the rates of change and identified risk factors associated with late change in refractive outcomes after toric IOL implantation. The study, published in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, included uncomplicated surgeries that received an Alcon SN6ATT TIOL between 2010 and 2017 and that also received a refraction at 1 month and 5 years postop. Eyes with sulcus IOL placement, subsequent intraocular or refractive surgery in the study eye, and a 5-year visual acuity of 20/60 or worse were excluded. In the study, 320 eyes met inclusion criteria, and of these, spherical equivalent was stable in 241 (75%) eyes, astigmatism was stable in 266 (83%), and 205 (64%) met refractive stability criteria. A shorter axial length and larger keratometry measurements preop were significant predictors for change in refractive astigmatism, and pseudoexfoliation syndrome was a predictor of hyperopic shift. The authors concluded that only a minority of eyes had late refractive changes after toric IOL implantation.
• Ray-tracing guided LASIK was compared to wavefront-optimized LASIK in a prospective, interventional, randomized, double-blinded, contralateral eye study published in the journal Ophthalmology. Thirty patients (60 eyes) with myopia and myopic astigmatism were included with one eye receiving ray-tracing guided LASIK (WaveLight Plus, Alcon) and wavefront-optimized LASIK in the other eye. After 3 months postop, MRSE was within ±0.50 D of target in 100% of eyes that received the WaveLight Plus treatment and 90% with wavefront guided treatment; 83.3% of WaveLight Plus eyes and 76.7% of wavefront-optimized eyes were within ±0.25 D of target. The mean MRSE was –0.05±0.21 D after WaveLight Plus and –0.16±0.23 D after wavefront-optimized. Refractive cylinder and absolute MRSE were similar between the treatments, according to the authors. Mean monocular UDVA was –0.11±0.07 logMAR and –0.09±0.09 logMAR, for WaveLight Plus and wavefront optimized, respectively; mean monocular CDVA was –0.14± 0.05 logMAR and –0.13±0.06 logMAR for WaveLight Plus and wavefront-optimized, respectively. UDVA was ≥20/20 in 100% of WaveLight Plus eyes and 93.3% in wavefront-optimized eyes. Other results were also reported. The authors concluded that the ray-tracing WaveLight Plus treatment had a high safety and efficacy profile with comparable visual acuity to the eyes that received wavefront-optimized LASIK. They noted that “without the need of manifest refraction, WaveLight Plus achieved non-inferior refractive outcomes and a slightly higher accuracy in MRSE.”

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Product news

• Harrow acquired the exclusive U.S. commercial rights for BYQLOVI (clobetasol propionate ophthalmic suspension 0.05%). BYQLOVI is approved for treatment of postoperative inflammation and pain after ocular surgery. It should be available in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of this year.
• The Lenstar 900 (Haag-Streit) now includes a cornea map feature. According to the company, this feature “adds valuable insight into the regularity and symmetry of astigmatism, supporting more confident toric IOL selection—without the need for additional measurements or devices.”
• Bausch + Lomb launched Blink NutriTears, an over-the-counter supplement for dry eye, in the U.S.

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