News

At this time there is no therapy that can restore vision after retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death in patients with glaucoma. However, stem cell-based treatments do have the potential to restore function in individuals with various neurodegenerative diseases, reported Keith R. Martin, MD, of Cambridge University, Cambridge, England, at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

A subgroup analysis from the Transpupillary Thermotherapy of Occult Subfoveal Choroidal Neovascular Membranes in patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration (TTT4CNV) study shows an increasingly beneficial effect of TTT over time in eyes with BCVA of 20/100 or worse, said Elias Reichel, MD.

There is a low rate of recurrent choroidal neovascularization (CNV) over 2 years in eyes that undergo macular translocation surgery with 360-degree peripheral retinectomy (MT-360) for exudative age-related macular degeneration, said Claxton A Baer, MD.

Systemic bevacizumab (Avastin) therapy in patients with subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration has been associated with functional and anatomic improvements, according to early results from an open-label, uncontrolled clinical study undertaken at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami, FL.

Pegaptanib sodium (Macugen, Eyetech) is well tolerated in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). No systemic side effects developed and any adverse events were mild, according to Anthony Capone, MD, of Royal Oak, MI. He reported the safety results of the Macugen AMD Study Group at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Research in retinoblastoma and uveal melanoma, two rare ocular cancers, extends beyond ocular oncology to all areas of oncology. Discoveries concerning the mechanisms in those two cancers are shedding light on how other tumors function and may aid in the development of therapies and means of predicting metastasis, according to J. William Harbour, MD, who delivered the Cogan Lecture at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Ronald Klein, MD, MPH, and his wife Barbara E. K. Klein, MD, MPH, received the Friedenwald Award at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting for their contributions in the area of ophthalmic epidemiological research in studies of diabetes, glaucoma, age-related eye diseases and eye diseases in systemic disorders.

Young school children living in Sydney, Australia, were found to have a low prevalence of visual impairment, according to the results of a population-based, cross-sectional study, reported by Dana Robaei, MD.

Although trabeculectomy and deep sclerectomy provide long-term IOP reduction in patients with open-angle glaucoma, trabeculectomy is more effective than deep sclerectomy in achieving IOP less than or equal to 16 mm Hg with or without goniopuncture, reported Stefano A. Gandolfi, MD.

High-speed, ultra-high resolution (UHR) optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides improved coverage and resolution of the retinal nerve fiber layer, optic disk tomography, and macular thickness, according to V. Srinivasan of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.

WDR36 is a novel causative gene for adult-onset primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) that is located at the GLC1G locus. According to the lead author, Sharareh Monemi, MD, of the University of Connecticut, mutations in this gene are involved in the etiology of high- and low-pressure POAG. Dr. Monemi described the study at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology on Monday.

Results from the FDA Investigational Device Exemption trial of the Model 1 epiretinal prosthesis show that implanted patients are able to interpret patterned electrical stimulation, localize high contrast objects, and recognize motion, reported Mark S. Humayun, MD, of the Doheny Eye Institute at the University of Southern California.

Follow-up in the first 10 patients implanted with the Artificial Silicon Retina (ASR) microchip now ranges between 2 and 4.5 years. During that time, the device continues to be well-tolerated, and at the last available visit, nine of 10 patients describe improved visual function compared with preoperatively, reported Alan Y. Chow, MD, of Rush University, Chicago.

Patients with advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in one eye and a baseline visual acuity of 20/100 or better might benefit from antioxidant supplements, according to an analysis of a subset of patients from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), reported Thomas R. Friberg, MD, at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting on Monday.

Calling mucus membrane pemphigoid a systematic autoimmune disease that requires systematic immunological therapy, C. Stephen Foster, MD, is hopeful he will finish the work started 18 years ago that will permanently "quiet" this blinding and progressive ocular disease.

The use of animal models is key to the development of treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Numerous factors have been studied to determine an association with the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to Barbara Klein, MD, of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

The phenotype of age-related macular disease provides information about the genes that confer risk and the environmental factors that are involved in risk in a particular individual.

Proteins appear to unfold in the crystalline lens and result in the accumulation of old protein in the nucleus and in the inner cortex, creating damage and leading to a cataract, explained John J. Harding, MD, who spoke during the "Ocular Pathology&#8212Beyond the Eye" symposium at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Patients with moderate signs of hypertensive retinopathy should probably be evaluated for systemic microvascular diseases, noted Tien Y. Wong, MD, at the "Ocular Pathology&#8212Beyond the Eye" symposium at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Diabetic patients with severe retinopathy should be carefully followed and treated for renal and cardiovascular disease, according to Ronald Klein, MD, MPH, who spoke during the "Ocular Pathology&#8212Beyond the Eye" symposium at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Certain biomarkers of cardiovascular disease may be risk factors for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to Andrew K. Vine, MD, FRCSC, who presented the results of a case-control study during the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Irvine, CA—Allergan Inc. has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Japan's Sanwa Kagaku Kenkyusho Co. Ltd. to develop and commercialize Posurdex for the ophthalmic marketplace in that country.

The AcrySof ReSTOR apodized diffractive IOL (Alcon Laboratories Inc.) recently received FDA approval for cataract patients with and without presbyopia. In clinical trials, 80% of patients reported never wearing reading glasses or bifocals following cataract surgery and implantation of the new lens.

Novagali Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company based in Evry, France, which develops innovative drug delivery systems in ophthalmology, has appointed seven individuals to its scientific advisory board. The company chose experts from America, Japan, Israel, and France.

The ingenuity of pharmaceutical researchers continues to amaze in their bility to devise inventive solutions and improve upon our current arsenal of ophthalmic medications, devices,and delivery systems.

"An archaeobiologist and his former lover travel from San Francisco to the Himalayas to the Arctic Circle on a danger-filled quest for a cure to a drug-resistant form of leprosy . . . "

Certain biomarkers of cardiovascular disease may be risk factors for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to Andrew K. Vine, MD, FRCSC, who presented the results of a case-control study during the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.