EW Weekly, August 14, 2020

- First patient enrolled in trial for stand-alone glaucoma surgery
- Fourth Orphan Drug Designation for OCU400
- Bausch + Lomb to separate from Bausch Health
- 20/Happy in 2020: ASCRS launches master class
- Research highlights
- Product news
- Patients with primary open angle glaucoma with higher pressures are more likely to see a 20% or higher reduction in IOP with selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) than those with lower baseline pressures, according to research published in Scientific Reports. The retrospective review of 252 eyes of 198 patients who had SLT between July 2016 and February 2018 with at least 6 months of follow-up specifically found that those with a baseline IOP of more than 18 mm Hg were significantly more likely to have an average 23.7% reduction of IOP, compared to those with a lower baseline IOP who actually saw an average 4.9% increase in IOP at 6 months. Age, type, severity of glaucoma, pigmentation of the trabecular meshwork, and total energy delivered in the SLT treatment had no association with greater success of the procedure or with IOP spikes, the study authors reported.
- A retrospective case report evaluated the 5-year clinical outcomes of Descemet’s stripping only (DSO) in a 55-year-old female patient with bilateral Fuchs endothelial cell dystrophy. The patient had 4-mm DSO procedures 6 months apart, with subjective vision, visual acuity, and corneal edema measured at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 3 years, and 5 years. At 3 months postop, BCVA of 0.0 logMAR and corneal clearance was recorded. This condition remained out to 5 years. The case is published in the journal Cornea.
- A retrospective study described biomechanical changes in the cornea upon LASIK flap creation that resulted in inaccurate ablations and thus patients who were unhappy with their refractive outcomes. The study detailed six patients who were treated with the Contoura topography-guided LASIK system (Alcon) with flaps created by the Alcon WaveLight FS200 femtosecond laser or Moria M2 microkeratome. According to the research, patients who experienced this biomechanical change upon flap creation, resulting in inaccurate LASIK treatments, showed an elliptical, irregular ablation on postop topography that “lateralized the thinnest point of the cornea relative to the corneal apex on Pentacam [Oculus] pachymetry maps, and irregular corneal epithelial thickening at the periphery of the elliptical ablation.” The study noted that Cynthia Roberts, MD, theorized this corneal alteration upon flap creation, now dubbed the “Roberts Effect.” Analysis of 266 eyes that received Contoura LASIK with the LYRA Protocol revealed 10% of eyes experienced the “Roberts Effect.” The author wrote that the “lateralized thin point relative to the apex combined with a thicker than average cornea is the major pre-disposing factor.” Discussions with the patient about this risk factor should be had, the author continued, with options including separating the flap creation and laser treatment, allowing for new Contoura scans, performing PRK, or using transepithelial ablation (the latter of which is not yet available in the U.S.). The research is published in the journal Clinical Ophthalmology.
- FDA accepted Clearside Biomedical’s IND application for CLS-AX (axitinib injectable suspension). The company will begin a Phase 1/2a clinical trial of the suprachoroidal injection in patients with wet AMD by the end of 2020.
- VSY Biotechnology launched the Enova IOL, which the company describes as the first glistening-free hydrophobic acrylic IOL that doesn’t require prehydration or saline storage.
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
For sponsorship opportunities or membership information, contact: ASCRS • 4000 Legato Rd. • Suite 700 • Fairfax, VA 22033 • Phone: 703-591-2220 • Fax: 703-591-0614 • Email: ASCRS Opinions expressed in EyeWorld Weekly do not necessarily reflect those of ASCRS. Mention of products or services does not constitute an endorsement by ASCRS.
Click here to view our Legal Notice.
Copyright 2021, EyeWorld News Service, a division of ASCRSMedia. All rights reserved.