EW Weekly, May 31, 2019

- iStent inject combined with cataract surgery has better results than cataract surgery alone
- Glaucoma eye drop side effects affect adherence in patient-reported study
- Study: Vision impairment and depression/anxiety bidirectionally linked
- DEXTENZA has new reimbursement code from CMS
- In a study focusing on the accuracy of IOL power calculation formulas in Chinese eyes with axial lengths longer than 26 mm, incidence of a hyperopic outcome with the Wang-Koch AL adjustment formula was significantly smaller than with other formulas, reported Jiewei Liu, MD, and fellow researchers. The study included 136 eyes and evaluated the Barrett Universal II and Hill-RBF 2.0 formulas as well as three vergence formulas (Haigis, Holladay 1, and SRK/T) and the original and modified Wang-Koch AL adjustment formulas with Holladay 1 and SRK/T. The refractive prediction error was calculated by subtracting the predicted refraction from the actual refraction after surgery. The Barrett and Hill-RBF formulas had mean numerical errors close to zero, while the Haigis, Holladay 1, and SRK/T produced hyperopic mean numerical errors. The original and modified Wang-Koch AL formulas induced myopic mean numerical errors. There were no significant differences in mean absolute errors among the Barrett, Hill-RBF, Haigis, and original and modified Wang-Koch adjustment with the Holladay 1. The study is published in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
- A therapeutic potential was found with recombinant deoxyribonuclease eye drops 0.1% for severe tear deficient dry eye disease in a Phase 1/2 placebo-controlled, randomized pilot clinical trial, according to Christine Mun and coresearchers. The drops were given four times a day for 8 weeks. Changes in safety outcome measures such as drug tolerability and proportion of adverse events and efficacy outcome measures (Ocular Surface Disease Index [OSDI] score and cornea and conjunctival staining) were measured. There was similar tolerability and adverse event occurrence between the treatment and placebo groups. Corneal staining showed a significant and clinically meaningful reduction at 8 weeks compared with baseline in the treatment group, and the OSDI score had a significant median reduction of 27.3. The median reduction in corneal staining and mucoid debris/strands was significantly greater in the deoxyribonuclease group compared with placebo. The study is published in Translational Vision Science & Technology.
- The use of autologous serum eye drops resulted in significant clinical improvement in dry eye disease management in a retrospective observational study of 50 patients (87 eyes), reported N. Levy and coresearchers. The patients in the study had dry eye disease refractory to conventional treatment and had an OSDI score of 20 or higher. Each treated eye had eight or more daily drops of 20% autologous serum. Researchers performed extensive biological characterization of undiluted serum, and symptoms were recorded before use of the drops and closer to the sixth month of treatment. Among patients, 68% were responders. Researchers described responders as presenting an improvement from baseline of 14 points or more on the OSDI and a 1 or greater grade of improvement in corneal fluorescence staining. The OSDI and Oxford scale significantly reduced from 68.7 to 54.8 and 3.2 to 2.1, respectively. Nonresponding patients had significantly higher epidermal growth factor concentrations in the serum compared to responders (P=0.017). The study is published in The Ocular Surface/
Product news
- The LacryStim IPL system for dry eye (Quantel Medical) has received a CE mark. Based on intense pulsed light, it is used to treat dry eye diseases such as meibomian gland dysfunction, according to the company.
This issue of EyeWorld Weekly was edited by Stacy Jablonski and Vanessa Caceres.
EyeWorld Weekly (ISSN 1089-0319), a digital publication of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), is published every Friday, distributed by email, and posted live on Friday.
Medical Editors: Eric Donnenfeld, MD, Chief Medical Editor; Rosa Braga-Mele, MD, Cataract Editor; Clara Chan, MD, Cornea Editor; Nathan Radcliffe, MD, Glaucoma Editor; and Vance Thompson, MD, Refractive Editor
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