New drop for temporary presbyopia relief approved

Tenpoint Therapeutics received FDA approval for its carbachol and brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution, 2.75%/0.1%, called YUVEZZI. This drop for the temporary treatment of presbyopia symptoms, in Phase 3 studies, according to the company, was able to show that the combination drop was more effective than either of the active ingredients alone, and it met its primary endpoints with statistical significance when compared to vehicle (three lines or greater improvement in binocular uncorrected near visual acuity over 8 hours without loss of a line or more in binocular uncorrected distance visual acuity). Importantly, the company noted that YUVEZZI was well-tolerated with no treatment-related serious adverse events; side effects that did occur were headache, impaired vision, temporary eye pain/irritation, and redness. The company expects the drop to be commercially available in the second quarter of 2026.

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First-in-human results for accommodating IOL

Ocumetics Technology announced 3-month postop data from its first patients implanted with its accommodating IOL, the Ocumetics Lens. According to the company’s press release, “Group 1 data met or exceeded all predefined internal benchmarks for safety, lens delivery, and foundational distance visual acuity performance,” which the company noted will allow it to progress in its clinical program. Patients in group 1 had “severe visual impairment” with some at 20/250 UDVA.

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Enrollment complete in Phase 2/3 trial for Stargardt therapy

Belite Bio announced that it completed enrollment of 60 participants in its Phase 2/3 clinical trial evaluating tinlarebant in adolescent patients with Stargardt disease type 1.The trial will take place over 24 months; it is randomized, double masked, and placebo controlled to evaluate safety, efficacy, tolerability of tinlarebant. According to the company’s press release, tinlarebant is a “novel oral therapy that is intended to reduce the accumulation of vitamin A-based toxins (known as bisretinoids) that cause retinal disease and STGD1 and also contribute to disease progression in geographic atrophy.” The drug reduces and maintains levels of serum retinol binding protein 4, allowing for regulation of retinol entering the eye and reducing formation of bisretinoids. Tinlarebant has a Breakthrough Therapy designation, Fast Track designation, Rare Pediatric Disease designation, and Orphan Drug designation in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.

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Type C meeting completed with FDA to advance urcosimod for neuropathic corneal pain

OKYO Pharma had a Type C meeting with the FDA for its Phase 2b/3 clinical trial evaluating urcosimod for treatment of neuropathic corneal pain. This meeting included FDA confirmation of OKYO’s proposed primary endpoint (visual analogue scale [VAS] pain reduction at week 12, that a 2 or more point improvement on the VAS scale would equate to a meaningful treatment effect). The FDA also endorsed the proposed study design and other areas of key alignment. The study is expected to enroll about 120 patients beginning this year. Urcosimod currently has a Fast Track designation from the FDA.

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Company news

• Arctic Vision will acquire MDCO Technology, bringing MDCO’s IOLs, implantable contact lens, and refractive device platforms into Arctic Vision’s framework.

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ASCRS news and events

• 2026 ASCRS Annual Meeting: Register now for the 2026 ASCRS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., April 10–13. View the Preview Program for more information.
• SightLine at ASCRS: Connect, collaborate, and confront the challenges shaping the commercial landscape of ophthalmology at this meeting taking place Thursday, April 9 ahead of the ASCRS Annual Meeting. This meeting is for all commercial stakeholders in ophthalmology to learn about care delivery ideas that will forge a more sustainable financial future. Learn more.
• Business of Interventional Glaucoma: Surgeons and practice administrators alike are invited to the ASOA ASCRS Business of Interventional Glaucoma program, taking place Thursday, April 9 ahead of the ASCRS Annual Meeting and ASOA Annual Meeting. Learn more.

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Research highlights

• A retrospective case series and an ex vivo laboratory study published in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgeryevaluated whether primary graft failure rate and endothelial cell loss differed between DSAEK grafts prepared by the surgeon or by an eye bank and preloaded for the surgeon. This was a single-center review that included 69 eyes between 2020–2023 divided into 3 groups: 1) grafts were prepared by the eye bank and preloaded into the EndoSerter (CorneaGen), 2) grafts were prepared by the eye bank and preloaded in a glass tube, and 3) grafts were surgeon-trephined and loaded into the EndoSerter. Persistent corneal edema of more than 3 months despite medical therapy was higher in the eye bank-preloaded EndoSerter group (40%) and the eye bank-preloaded glass tube group (57%) compared to those in the group with the surgeon-trephined and loaded grafts (2%). Those who experienced persistent corneal edema beyond 3 months who had a surgeon-loaded graft who required a regraft did not experience subsequent persistent corneal edema, and grafts that required rebubbling were more likely to experience persistent corneal edema. According to the authors, there were not significant differences between the groups in terms of cystoid macular edema rates, rebubbling rates, corrected distance visual acuity, or spherical equivalent. In the ex vivo laboratory study, percentage of endothelial cell loss was higher in both of the groups that were preloaded by the eye bank, compared to those that were surgeon loaded (though this was not statistically significant).
• A study with 144 patients with glaucoma measured IOP among those who slept with a “high-pillow position” of 20–35° vs. those who slept in a supine position. The changes in “jugular venous lumen in response to postural variation” was also evaluated in 20 healthy volunteers. According to the authors, those who slept with a higher pillow position experienced “significantly elevated IOP, increased 24-hour IOP fluctuation, and reduced ocular perfusion pressure.” A greater change in IOP was observed if patients were younger and if they had primary open-angle glaucoma. A thicker central corneal thickness and POAG were predictors of a greater change in IOP. Among the healthy volunteers, ultrasonography identified constriction of internal and external jugular venous lumen in the high-pillow position. There was also an increase in maximum blood flow velocity in the internal jugular vein. With these results, the authors concluded that patients with glaucoma should potentially avoid sleeping positions, such as a higher pillow position, that can induce jugular venous compression. They noted that further studies are needed to validate what are preliminary associations. This study was published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

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Product news

• Rayner launched an AI-powered patient education platform, eyejourney, to help patients better understand their ophthalmic procedures and streamline clinic workflow.

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