Ophthalmology

Many investigational drugs under development for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nvAMD) have advanced into the clinical trial stage, including several that are being evaluated in pivotal trials, said Peter K. Kaiser, MD.

Patients with a history of frequent anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) may not be the best potential candidates for encapsulated cell technology (ECT).

Abicipar pegol (Allergan/Molecular Partners) met its primary and key secondary endpoints and demonstrated an acceptable overall safety profile in a phase II trial investigating use of the novel anti-VEGF-A agent for treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME).

Sustained intraocular delivery of fluocinolone acetonide (FAc) using the FAc 0.19 mg intravitreal implant (Iluvien, Alimera Sciences) improves and slows progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR), according to findings of post-hoc analyses of data from the pivotal Fluocinolone Acetonide for Diabetic Macular Edema (FAME) trials.

The portfolio of retinal instruments continues to expand with a growing line of tools offering surgeons improved work efficiency while promoting better surgical outcomes with 27-gauge instruments.

Although clinical trial results have advanced anti-VEGF injections to the forefront of treatment for diabetic eye disease, laser photocoagulation continues to be an important modality for the management of diabetic macular edema (DME) and diabetic retinopathy (DR), said Elias Reichel, MD, at the inaugural Retina World Congress.

Flanged IOL fixation is a simple, minimally invasive, and effective technique for transconjunctival intrascleral fixation of a three-piece IOL, said Shin Yamane, MD, PhD, at the inaugural Retina World Congress.

Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is the diagnosis that usually comes to mind when retinal specialists see an eye with choroidal thickening. New insights on choroidal pathology obtained using advanced imaging techniques, however, have led to the description of a broader group of pachychoroid diseases, said K. Bailey Freund, MD, at the inaugural Retina World Congress.

Implantation of a retinal prosthesis system (Argus II, Second Sight Medical Systems) in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is safe and is providing some encouraging results when considered from the recipient’s perspective. Careful patient selection, however, is important and should consider the need for compliance with an intensive postoperative rehabilitation process, said Stanislao Rizzo, MD, at the inaugural Retina World Congress.

Treat-and-extend approach for neovascular AMD leads to beneficial results in 2-year clinical trial.

In a placebo-controlled, dose-finding, proof-of-concept study conducted in patients with geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration, an anti-amyloid β monoclonal antibody (GSK933776, GlaxoSmithKline) was safe and well-tolerated, but did not meet primary or secondary efficacy endpoints.

AIVITA Biomedical has successfully engineered a three-dimensional transplantable retina construct and demonstrated connectivity and conductivity in an animal model of retinal degeneration.

Results from the phase II TANZANITE clinical trial support further investigation of adding suprachoroidal triamcinolone acetonide to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy for treatment-naïve retinal vein occlusion.

The recent FDA clearance of a swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA) platform (PLEX Elite 9000, Carl Zeiss Meditec) for posterior ocular structures enables fast, dense, wide, and deep imaging of the retina, choroid, and their associated microvasculature, said Philip J. Rosenfeld, MD, PhD.

Ophthalmology Times is pleased to introduce a new clinical and educational platform for retina specialists called Modern Retina.

Computers may make more reliable diagnoses of plus disease in retinopathy of prematurity than individual clinicians, a researcher reports.

Peeling of the internal limiting membrane has increasingly become a dogma of surgical retina, while maintenance of the face-down positioning may become anachronistic in many cases.

Researchers have identified a new biomarker they believe can be used as a predictor of vision change in patients with diabetic macular edema, either during the natural history of the disease or after undergoing anti-VEGF therapy. The biomarker is disorganization of the retinal inner layers, or DRIL.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 29.1 million people, or 9.3% of the U.S. population, have diabetes. Over 8 million (27.8%) have the disease and are not diagnosed. The number of diagnosed cases are projected to increase 165% from the year 2000 to 2050, according to the American Diabetes Association. By 2050, there will be 29 million diagnosed cases of diabetes in the United States.

Retinal vascular changes do not show non-pathological age-related cognitive decline, researchers say. The study does not rule out the use of retinal information in diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Cystoid macular edema (CME) might become less problematic in patients with non-ischemic central retinal vein occlusions (CRVOs).

A new class of ophthalmic drug continues to show promise for treating patients with diabetic macular edema (DME).

Patients treated with ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) for diabetic macular oedema (DMO) in the National Health Service of the United Kingdom can fare about as well as patients in clinical trials, a review of patient records suggests.

Patients may respond differently to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatments for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) depending on their genotypes, researchers say.

When it comes to finding new treatments for diabetic macular edema (DME), there is no shortage of promising targets, said Peter A. Campochiaro, MD. He presented an overview of future compounds with various mechanisms of action that may change how clinicians treat DME.

Looking back at 2016, incremental improvements in devices are changing how retina surgeons approach and treat surgeries, said a group of experts. For Charles Wykoff, MD, PhD, two novel improvements may not radically alter surgical approaches today, but will have a long-lasting impact down the road.

This has been the year of optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography, numerous retina specialists said. Commercially available systems are available from Carl Zeiss Meditec, Heidelberg Engineering, and Optovue provide a noninvasive way to image retinal vasculature and confirm clinicians’ diagnoses of abnormalities.

The advent of three-dimensional optical coherence tomography to live surgery may bring greater clarity to how ophthalmologists visualize structures and how they operate.

Pharmacologic activity in the retina realm continues to hold much excitement for new therapies to treat retinal disorders.

In this Q&A with members of the Ophthalmology Times Europe Editorial Advisory Board, participants take a look at some of the top challenges and opportunities facing ophthalmologists in Europe today.