EW Weekly, February 19, 2021

- Investigating adjuvant therapy to DSO for Fuchs
- FDA approves loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic gel
- Pilot study: Photobiomodulation improves BCVA in patients with dry AMD
- Positive interim data in trial for gene therapy for GA
- Four Phase 3 studies of faricimab show up to 4-month treatment intervals for DME and wet AMD
- Research highlight
- Product news
- A study published in Radiology described ocular abnormalities seen in a few cases of patients who experienced severe COVID-19 symptoms. The retrospective, multicenter, observational study involved nine patients who showed globe abnormalities on MRI (out of 129 patients with severe COVID-19 from March 4–May 1, 2020, who were evaluated with MRI). The nine patients who had globe abnormalities all showed nodules in the macular region; eight out of the nine patients had bilateral nodules and two had nodules outside the macular region, the paper reported. A press release about the paper suggested screening patients with severe COVID-19 with high-resolution MRI to detect such nodules, which could otherwise go unnoticed. The mechanism for development of these nodules is not yet known, but researchers hypothesized that it could be related to inflammation or inadequate drainage from ocular veins in patients who might be in a prone position or intubated (seven of the nine patients with the nodules in this study were in a prone position for a length of time), according to the press release. Further research will include MRI on patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms to see if similar nodules are present.
- A single-center retrospective study of 140 eyes from 70 patients sought to evaluate whether there were predictive factors for photic phenomena (glare and halo) in those who were bilaterally implanted with trifocal IOLs (PanOptix, Alcon). The lenses were implanted between 2017–2019, and patients were followed for 6 months with information on refraction, corneal topography, and aberrometry pre- and postop being collected. A patient satisfaction survey that included questions about photic phenomena was also performed. Multivariate regression analyses found only one predictor of photic phenomena: baseline visual acuity. The investigators wrote that patients with better baseline visual acuity might have higher expectations for their postop visual outcomes. The research is published in Clinical Ophthalmology.
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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