EW Weekly, July 17, 2020

- Synthetic cornea to begin in-human clinical trials
- FDA approves first OTC, once-daily allergy itch relief drop
- Survey: Glaucoma patients concerned over care during COVID-19 pandemic
- TearLab acquired by Accelmed Partners II
- AAO announces virtual Annual Meeting
- Register for the Winning Pitch Challenge
- Research highlights
- Product news
- A prospective, randomized, contralateral eye study from a single practice compared a combined therapy (prednisolone acetate 1%, gatifloxacin 0.5%, and bromfenac sodium 0.075%, LessDrops, Imprimis) to a conventional regimen of single drops being used. The research by Kerry Solomon, MD, and coinvestigators included 33 patients who used LessDrops in one eye and single drops in the other after cataract surgery. The researchers reported similar changes in central macular thickness, no differences in visual acuity, corneal edema, and cells or flare. They also noted eight mild adverse events in total but stated that the difference between the groups on this front was not statistically significant. From a subjective standpoint, Solomon et al. wrote that patients preferred the combination drop. “A combination drop showed similar efficacy to multiple drops and was overwhelmingly preferred by subjects,” Solomon et al. concluded in the research published in Clinical Ophthalmology.
- A retrospective case series described continued evolution of maculopathy associated with pentosan polysulfate sodium (PPS) even after the drug has been stopped, out to 10 years. The research published in JAMA Ophthalmology found that long-term use of this drug, FDA approved since 1996 for interstitial cystitis, was previously linked with maculopathy. This case series of 11 patients included baseline measurements taken 0–4 months after stopping the drug with observation for a median of 8–26 months. According to Rachel Shah, MD, and coauthors, no eyes in the case series saw a significant improvement in macular disease after stopping the drug. In fact, nine of the patients (92%) had worse visual symptoms at their final study visit. “There was evolution in the pattern of fundus autofluorescence changes and/or optical coherence tomography findings in all eyes,” the authors wrote, noting an expansion of tissue involved in 77% of eyes and retinal pigment epithelium atrophy at baseline, followed by continued atrophy, in 32% of eyes. “These retrospective data among 11 patients suggest PPS-associated maculopathy continues to evolve after drug cessation for at least 10 years. In some cases, progressive retinal pigment epithelium atrophy encroaches on the foveal center and thus may pose a long-term threat to central vision,” Shah et al. concluded.
- Twenty-two astronauts in a cohort study had pre- and post-space flight MRIs to evaluate changes in their optic nerve length. The research by Anders Wahlin, PhD, and coinvestigators used MRI to generate centerline representations of the optic nerve, which showed an increase in optic nerve length by 0.80±0.74 mm. The researchers observed forward optic nerve head displacement, which they wrote was “positively related to mission duration, pre-flight body weight, and clinical manifestations of [spaceflight–associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS)].” They also reported upward displacement of the optic chiasm, which they wrote is indicative of brain movement, but it was not linked to SANS. “The spaceflight-induced optic nerve lengthening and anterior movement of the optic nerve head supports that SANS is caused by an altered pressure difference between the brain and the eye leading to a forward push on the posterior of the eye. Body weight is a potential contributing risk factor. To verify the implicated mechanism behind the ocular findings in SANS requires direct assessment of intracranial pressure in space,” Wahlin et al. concluded. The research is published in Ophthalmology.
- SimulEYE launched BIO Shield, a clear, plastic shield that attaches via magnets to several indirect ophthalmoscope models, adding to its line of other PPE products.
- The SCHWIND ATOS femtosecond laser (SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions), which performs refractive surgery via lenticular extraction, received the CE mark.
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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