News

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.

The bottom line about pharmaceutical management of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is that many different drugs have been tried, but so far nothing has been proven effective for treating PVR or reducing its risk, said Demetrios G. Vavvas, MD, PhD, at the inaugural Retina World Congress.

Findings from a retrospective review provide insights about the outcomes of surgery for recurrent macular holes in the era of small-gauge vitrectomy and possible strategies for reducing their occurrence, said Tarek S. Hassan, MD, at the inaugural Retina World Congress.

Combination therapy may be a reasonable approach to manage eyes that are not responding to intravitreal monotherapy with an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agent or corticosteroid, said Lihteh Wu, 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.

Treating diabetic macular edema (DME) has evolved from the ETDRS-style focal/grid laser being the standard of care since 1985 to the modern era of pharmacotherapy-with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections now taking center stage as primary treatment for most patients.

Volume-rendered optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging allows new insight into retinal vascular flow and morphological changes in eyes with macular edema (ME), and the information obtained is the basis for new ideas about the pathogenesis of ME and therapeutic intervention, according to Richard F. Spaide, MD, Vitreous Retina Macula Consultants of New York.

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

The use of 27-gauge instrumentation provides several surgical advantages compared with larger tools in retinal surgery, particularly in difficult cases.

Results of a 2-year phase IIIb study include findings consistent with earlier information about treatment success with ocriplasmin injection for symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion and new information about efficacy and safety over the longer term.

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 may be one step closer to the hope of providing artificial vision for individuals affected by virtually all forms of blindness.

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

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is well-known as a heterogeneous disease with variable natural history and variable treatment response, said Carl D. Regillo, MD, FACS. Many patients do well without monthly treatment as noted in HARBOR PRN arms.

Treating neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) patients with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) on a monthly regimen has produced “great results” in clinical trials, said Prof. Mark C. Gillies, MBBS, PhD. “But what happens after that and what happens in real world practice?”

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.