AAO recap: Scientific findings and interviews from New Orleans

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting was held November 12 to 15 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event included Subspecialty Days and a virtual component for remote participation.

AMD

Plasma metabolomic profiles linked with AMD progression

Ines Lains, MD, PhD, explained that the mechanisms of AMD progression currently remain poorly understood and the tools to predict and halt progression are limited.

Port delivery system efficiently delivers drugs to retina in patients with wet AMD, study reports

In a poster presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology 2021 annual meeting in New Orleans, Mark Wieland, MD, noted that the Port Delivery System with ranibizumab provides drug delivery over an extended period.

Diabetic Macular Edema

DME: Changes to central subfield thickness linked to worse visual outcomes

Ajay Kuriyan, MD, discusses his poster at AAO, "Fluctuations in central subfield thickness associated with worse visual outcomes in patients with diabetic macular edema in clinical trial setting."

Brolucizumab deemed noninferior to aflibercept for DME treatment, fewer injections required

Dilsher Dhoot, MD, reported the results of the KESTREL and KITE in which brolucizumab was compared with aflibercept for treating diabetic macular edema.

Sustained retinal stability achieved in DME with faricimab, study finds

Veeral Sheth, MD, presented research that found faricimab, a bispecific monoclonal antibody, provided sustained retinal stability in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) compared with other retinal treatments.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Universal face masking during anti-VEGF injections reduces endophthalmitis incidence

Sunir J. Garg, MD, speaks on the influence of COVID-19 universal face masking on the risk of endophthalmitis following intravitreal anti-VEGF injections.

Study examines dosing variability with pre-filled syringes of aflibercept, identifies risk of overdose

Roger A. Goldberg, MD, MBA, noted that small misalignments in the plunger can lead to possible overdosing.

Imaging

Intra-arterial tissue plasminogen activator beneficial in treatment of central retinal artery occlusion

tPA treatment could provide benefits for patients with central retinal artery occlusion.

Ophthalmology

ImprimisRx President John Saharek discusses 3 new products in the pipeline

John Saharek, president of ImprimisRX, speaks with Modern Retina's David Hutton on three new products the company featured during the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 2021 annual meeting, including Moxi-Brom (moxifloxacin hydrochloride 0.5% and bromfenac sodium sesquihydrate 0.075%), Klarity-CL drops (cyclosporine 0.1% / loteprednol etabonate 0.2% ophthalmic suspension) and Tim-Brim-Dor-Bim (prednisolone acetate 1%, gatifloxacin 0.5%, bromfenac 0.075%).

Increase in corneal haze after corneal crosslinking connected with mitomycin C

Shady Awwad, MD, pointed out that the application of mitomycin C after corneal crosslinking does not prevent development of corneal haze after the procedure and actually contributes to development of more corneal haze.

Bimatoprost implant reduces IOP for 2 years or more, study finds

Felipe Medeiros, MD, noted that a phase 3 clinical extension study of the bimatoprost implant found that patients’ IOP was lowered and stayed low with no additional treatment or changes in their visual fields.

Presbyopia-correcting drops and their potential for frustrated patients

VUITY, the first and only approved eye drop to treat age-related blurry near vision, provides opportunities for patients looking for spectacle independence.

Optic nerve pallor proves prevalent in ZIKA virus patients, study finds

Denise Freitas, MD, reported that the ocular findings in infants with congenital Zika virus syndrome were similar among the affected infants and occurred frequently. The most prevalent of the findings was optic nerve pallor.

Ocular surface tumors, though rare, often prove deadly

Nathan Hall, BS, MS, pointed out that an epidemiologic analysis of malignant ocular surface tumors found significant differences in geographic prevalence rates in the United States.