OT Roundup: GLP-1 NAION warning, LEMS clues, Eyedaptic Eva, AFib

In this episode of OT Roundup, Ophthalmology Times covers the FDA's new NAION warning for GLP-1 receptor agonists, with an Expert Insight from Veeral Sheth, MD. The episode also looks at how to tell Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome from ocular myasthenia gravis, a new AI assistant for patients with retinal disease, and a study linking retinal changes to atrial fibrillation.

Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | iHeart

Missed the last episode? Watch here!

FDA adds NAION warning to GLP-1 drug labels

On November 9, the FDA announced it is requiring a warning about nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) on the labels of all GLP-1 receptor agonists. The agency describes it as a potential increased risk, not a confirmed cause.

Sheth, a retina specialist at University Retina, walks through the evidence and what it means in the clinic. "I read this as the FDA saying the signal is consistent enough that patients and doctors should know about it, but it's not the FDA saying these drugs cause NAION," he said. The FDA's pooled analysis of randomized trials rests on 15 probable cases, he noted. On patient counseling, he said "sudden vision loss in one eye is a same-day call, not a wait and see."

>>> Read the full article here.

How to tell LEMS from ocular myasthenia gravis

Kiril Kiprovski, MD, a neurologist at NYU Langone, explains why Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome can look like ocular myasthenia gravis, and why a bedside reflex check after brief muscle exertion is a useful clue. Leg weakness, dry mouth and constipation are other clues. About half of cases are tied to cancer, most often small cell lung cancer.

>>> Read the full Q&A with Kiprovski here.

Eyedaptic launches Eva AI visual assistant

Eyedaptic introduced Eva, an agentic AI assistant for its EYE7 smart glasses designed for patients with retinal disease. The accuracy figures are company-reported from internal testing and have not been peer reviewed. An independent, unsponsored study of the earlier EYE6 glasses found that 17 of 19 patients improved on near vision testing.

>>> Read the full article here.

Retinal imaging and atrial fibrillation

A study in PLOS Digital Health, led by first author Josef Huemer, MD, of the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre and University College London, found that people with atrial fibrillation had thinner ganglion cell-inner plexiform and inner nuclear layers. The cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis shows an association, not causation. In UK Biobank, each standard deviation of thinning in the ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer was linked to a 27% higher hazard of atrial fibrillation.

>>> Read the full article here.

Where to listen

OT Roundup is part of the Eyepod podcast network.

Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | iHeart

New episodes of OT Roundup will be available every other Friday.