Ophthalmology

There has been a sea change in how retina specialists treat retinal diseases, with a progressive shift toward more utilization of anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), said Paul Hahn, MD, vitreoretinal surgeon at NJRetina.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) will hold its conference in person in Chicago and online from September 30 to October 3, 2022.

A study conducted in Dalian, China, found that children aged 6 to 18 years in urban areas had a higher likelihood of myopia and anisometropia compared with students in rural areas.

Teleophthalmology not only improves access to care and lowers the cost of care, but it can reduce rates of vision loss for patients with type 2 diabetes, said Parisa Emami-Naeni, MD, MPH, assistant professor of ophthalmology at University of California, Davis, and vitreoretinal surgeon and uveitis specialist at UC Davis Eye Center.

Adolescents who identified as Black, Mexican-American, or low-income and/or were not US citizens were more likely to report worse subjective visual function.

A study found that patients who had no need of rescue therapy had a reduced risk of corticosteroid-related intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation when using SCS triamcinolone acetonide.

A prospective, multicenter, longitudinal observational study found that diabetic retinopathy worsening could be associated with fluorescein angiography predominantly peripheral lesions over 4 years.

Different populations respond differently to drugs and treatments, but without adequate representation in clinical trials, it will be hard to judge the effectiveness of a new treatment, explained Vivienne Hau, MD, clinical assistant professor with the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine.

A cohort study found that there was an inverse association between COVID-19 infection and wearing glasses in an unadjusted analysis, although this association was not identified when adjusting for confounders.

Adequate training will help physicians and researchers better address the needs of the communities they’re targeting, explained Vivienne Hau, MD, clinical assistant professor with the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine.

After examining national survey data, researchers found a bidirectional association in patients with cataracts and with asthma.

Insurance reimbursement for teleophthalmology services is not consistent among populations and only recently received a boost due to flexibilities allowed during the pandemic, said Parisa Emami-Naeini, MD, MPH, assistant professor of ophthalmology at University of California, Davis, and vitreoretinal surgeon and uveitis specialist at UC Davis Eye Center.

A systematic review found that children who engaged in remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic had induced or exacerbated visual disturbances.

Getting a more diverse patient population in clinical trials may be as simple as including paperwork in more languages, but good training among investigators and study coordinators can help identify unconscious biases that may also have an impact, explained Vivienne Hau, MD, clinical assistant professor with the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine.

Research presented at the American Society of Retina Specialists conference found that vitreoretinal surgery had cost and health implications in both Europe and the United States.

In retina surgery, obtaining prior authorization is an extra burden, and a delay in treatment for some of these patients could mean loss of vision, said Sabin Dang, MD, ophthalmologist with The Retina Institute.

A recent study examined whether an artificial intelligence (AI) trained risk model could screen for retinopathy of prematurity, a leading cause of preventable blindness in infants in low- and middle-income countries, via telehealth.

Faster and sectoral central location of ganglion cell complex thinning could be used to determine the risk of vision-related quality of life in patients with glaucoma.

A recent review found a likely association between diabetic retinopathy and increased risk of stroke with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

A population-based, observational, retrospective cohort study found that there was an association between migraines and ocular motor cranial nerve palsy.

Aetna announced it they would no longer be requiring prior approval for cataract surgeries starting in July.

A noninterventional study found that chart-based assessments of visual function had adequate repeatability but were limited in discriminating between no age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and intermediate AMD.

A recent study found that the ranibizumab port delivery system (PDS) has cost-saving potential compared with regular ranibizumab or aflibercept injections for age-related macular degeneration if used in the long term.

A retrospective study found that 26% of eyes with acute primary angle closure (APAC) were resolved after initial medical treatment.

A rare genetic variation of 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase (HMGCR) is significantly association with an increased risk of cataracts.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers found a new form of macular dystrophy, which is a cause of central vision loss.

A prospective observational study found that retinal nerve fiber layer thinning in the papillomacular bundle was associated with poorer 9-month visual acuity in preterm infants.

A cross-sectional study of women found that race, economic hardship, and education were associated with visual impairment that could be improved with optical correction.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was found to be associated with relative telomere length in women specifically when investigating older patients.

A systematic review found that vision impairment was associated with greater symptoms of depression and anxiety in children.