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New imaging technologies, such as ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography angiography, are providing more details about retinal diseases than previous imaging technologies, leading to better understanding of disease processes.

Knowledge of pathologic patterns is necessary in medical retina, especially patterns that are unusual or rare. Pattern recognition skills are essential in medical retina. Lawrence Yannuzzi, MD, highlights four patterns that he believes are relevant in clinical practice and should be recognized–and not missed–by retinal specialists.

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.

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.

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.

Transplantable 3-D retinas

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

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.

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.