EW Weekly, June 19, 2020

- First patient dosed in optogenetic Phase 1/2 trial for retinitis pigmentosa
- Zimura sees positive Phase 3 results
- Positive results for Phase 2a treatment for Demodex blepharitis
- ASCRS changes date of 2021 Annual Meeting
- ASCRS and IJCAHPO Technicians & Nurses Program virtual broadcast
- Research highlights
- Product news
- A cross-sectional study from a hospital database in the U.S. found that nearly 2,000 ocular injuries annually are related to fireworks. The database looked at injuries occurring between 1999–2017, finding ocular burns to be the most common type of firework-related injury. The research also identified firecrackers and bottle rockets as the most common types of firework materials that cause injuries, with bottle rockets being associated with the most severe injuries. In the 19-year study period, there were more than 34,500 firework-related injuries, 65.9% of which were in patients 18 years or younger; 71.9% of cases were male. While sustained ocular burn was the most common injury (62.9%), ruptured globe (2.8%), foreign bodies (11.7%), conjunctival irritation (9.6%), and other severe ocular trauma (4.6%) also occurred. These findings and more were published in JAMA Ophthalmology.
- Evidence from the previous SARS and MERS outbreaks along with preliminary clinical experiences and other small studies of SARS-CoV-2 suggests that immunosuppressive drugs for ophthalmology patients are safe to continue amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The research published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology by Thng et al. states that it appears safe to continue immunosuppressive drugs, except for high-dose corticosteroids or perhaps for patients who are at higher risk for COVID-19 disease.
- Research has led to a mouse model for the zonular instability seen in Marfan patients. The research published in Disease Models & Mechanisms describes how a disruption induced in fibrillin-1 led to significantly decreased zonular strength and eventual development of ectopia lentis as the mouse aged. Other Marfan-like ocular symptoms were observed in the mice as well. The investigators disrupted fibrillin-1 gene expression at the end of the zonules where they attach to the lens or where they attach to non-pigmented ciliary epithelium. According to the research, the disruption at the lens end did not have an effect, while the disruption at the non-pigmented ciliary epithelium did. This technique, according to the researchers, could provide a mouse model for testing therapies.
- Doctors described a novel aerosol prevention box to be used to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission during administration of regional anesthesia. The doctors wrote that while regional anesthesia has been recommended during the pandemic because it doesn’t require intubation or extubation, they described how regional anesthesia can result in sneezing that could thus transmit the virus. They showcased a novel aerosol prevention box to be placed around the patient’s head to protect against such transmission during anesthesia administration for ocular surgeries. The concept is described in the journal Eye.
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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