EW Weekly, October 11, 2019

- Topline results announced from Phase 2 trial with NCX 470 for glaucoma
- First patient dosed in trial for OCS-01 for pain after cataract surgery
- FDA approves BEOVU for wet AMD
- Phase 2b trial begins for GB-102 for wet AMD
- ASCRS and AAO launch a series of ‘next-generation’ business innovation conferences
- Submit your nomination for the inaugural ASCRS Educator Award
Nominations are due by November 29. Find more information at ascrs.org/educatoraward.
- In a randomized clinical study, brinzolamide lowered the short-term IOP increase after cataract surgery more effectively than travoprost or timolol in eyes with glaucoma, according to Ken Hayashi, MD, and coresearchers. The study included 165 eyes of 165 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or pseudoexfoliation glaucoma scheduled for phacoemulsification. Patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups to receive travoprost, timolol maleate, or brinzolamide immediately postop. IOP was measured at 1 hour preop, right after surgery, and at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 24 hours postop. The mean IOP did not differ significantly among groups at 1 hour before surgery or immediately at the end of surgery. The mean IOP increased significantly between 4 and 8 hours postop and then lowered at 24 hours postop in all groups (P<.0001). The mean IOP was significantly lower in the brinzolamide group than the travoprost and timolol groups at 4, 6, and 8 hours after surgery. There were no significant differences among groups at 2 and 24 hours postop. There was a significantly lower chance of an IOP spike in the brinzolamide group than in the travoprost and timolol groups (P = .0029). The research is published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology.
- In treated normal tension glaucoma (NTG) patients, working on a smartphone under a low-light condition can cause an IOP elevation, with smaller elevations noted in patients with previous trabeculectomy, reported Ahnul Ha, MD, and coresearchers. This study focused on the effect of reading or writing on a smartphone and IOP change in eyes with NTG. It also assessed whether glaucoma filtering surgery could affect IOP fluctuation during such work. Forty eyes of 40 NTG patients with medically well-controlled IOP and 38 eyes of 38 NTG patients with previous trabeculectomy were included. Participants read a sample text and then typed on a smartphone under low-light (100 lux) conditions. IOP measurements were obtained at baseline, at 5, 15, and 25 minutes during smartphone work, and at 5 and 15 minutes post-work. After 5 minutes of working on a smartphone, IOP for the medication group was significantly elevated (15.5 mm Hg compared with 13.9 mm Hg at baseline) and showed further increases over 25 minutes (17.5 mm Hg). Five minutes after stopping work, the IOP dropped below baseline to a mean of 13.1 mm Hg. The IOP also was elevated after 5 minutes in the surgical group (14.9 mm Hg compared with 13.6 mm Hg at baseline); however, there was no further increase over 25 minutes of work. The research appears in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
- In a retrospective study of two different datasets, second-eye refinement via formula-specific predicted postop refraction adjustment or patient-specific IOL constant adjustment increased the percentage of patients who achieved the refractive target with their second eye, according to Andrew Turnbull, MD, and Graham Barrett, MD. Their study included 139 patients who had delayed sequential bilateral cataract surgery in Australia. Prediction error was determined by comparing the postop subjective refraction with the predicted postop refraction calculated by the Barrett Universal II, Hoffer Q, Holladay I, and SRK/T formulas. Separately, patient-specific optimized IOL constants were determined from first-eye phaco and applied to second-eye calculation. The adjustments were applied to a dataset of 605 patients in the U.K. to test validity. The Australian-derived adjustment coefficients based on prediction error ranged from 0.30–0.56, depending on the formula. Within the U.K. dataset, the percentage of patients within 0.50 D of predicted postop refraction adjustment with their second eye improved from 70.74%, 65.29%, 69.09%, and 67.77% with the Barrett Universal II, Hoffer Q, Holladay I, and SRK/T, respectively, to 72.73%, 68.76%, 71.57%, and 72.56%, respectively. Patient-specific optimized IOL constants from the first eye had similar efficacy to formula-specific adjustment. The research is published in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
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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