EW Weekly, May 15, 2020

- Data shows ophthalmology volume is the hardest hit in pandemic-related shutdown
- Phase 3 results for dry eye disease nasal spray
- jCyte enters licensing agreement with Santen
- Company acquisitions
- Verana Health, AAO expand partnership on IRIS Registry
- ASCRS Virtual Annual Meeting and COVID-19: News You Can Use
- ASOA webinar series
- Research highlights
- Product news
- More research about the susceptibility of the eyes as an entry point for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, was published on the preprint server bioRxiv. The research by Zhou et al. set out to determine whether ocular surface cells have factors that could make them susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Zhou et al. analyzed post-mortem eyes and surgical specimens, looking for expression of ACE2, the receptor for SARS-CoV-2, and TMPRSS, a protease that can facilitate entry after a virus binds to the ACE2 protein, according to the paper. They found expression of ACE2 in all eye specimens, suggesting that ocular surface cells are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 and could serve as an entry point for infection.
- A physician survey published as a supplement to the journal Endocrine Practice revealed that ophthalmologists and endocrinologists think thyroid eye disease is a significant burden on patients’ quality of life. More than 180 physicians shared information on more than 700 anonymized patients with the disease about their quality of life. The survey revealed more than double the rate of anxiety and depression in this population, compared to the general U.S. population. Some factors such as strabismus, diplopia, and ocular pain more significantly impacted quality of life. The survey was sponsored by Horizon Therapeutics.
- New research built and validated an artificial intelligence (AI) model to screen for AMD and predict its progress. The AREDS dataset was used to train and validate the model by Bhuiyan et al., and according to the research, external validation was performed on the Nutritional AMD Treatment 2 study. The AI model was able to identify early (or no) AMD vs. intermediate to late AMD (which was defined as the referral level) with 99.2% accuracy. It was also able to predict a 2-year incidence of late AMD with 86.36% accuracy, with 66.88% accuracy for late dry AMD, and with 67.15% accuracy for late wet AMD. Bhuiyan et al. concluded, based on these findings, that “validated color fundus photo-based models for AMD screening and risk prediction for late AMD are now ready for clinical testing and potential telemedicine deployment.” The research is published in the journal Translational Vision Science & Technology.
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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