INTERESTING EYE NEWS & CLINICAL PEARLS

OSN SuperSite - Omega-3 fatty acids may prevent retinopathies, study suggests This study on mice suggests omega-3 fatty acids may be beneficial in patients w/ varying types of retinopathy.

OSN SuperSite - Effect of Hormone Replacement Therapy in Women on Ocular Refractive Status and Aberrations This study concludes: Hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women does not significantly affect refractive status, corneal topography, and wavefront aberrations of the eye at 6-month follow-up.

OSN SuperSite - Glaucoma surgery reverses optic disc cupping in some patients According to this report: 14% of patients treated surgically experienced a "reversal of cupping" compared with just 1% of patients treated medically.

Arch Ophthalmol -- Abstract: High-Speed Ultra-High-Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography Findings in Hydroxychloroquine Retinopathy, June 2007, Rodriguez-Padilla et al. 125 (6): 775 It may become standard in the future to monitor patients on Plaquenil using OCT.

OSN SuperSite - Systemic bevacizumab effective against PED secondary to AMD in small study According to this paper: Systemic treatment with bevacizumab improved vision and reduced lesion sizes in a small study of patients with pigment epithelial detachment secondary to age-related macular degeneration.

Journal of Glaucoma - Abstract: Volume 16(4) June/July 2007 p 372-383 Can Frequency-doubling Technology and Short-wavelength Automated Perimetries Detect Visual Field Defects Before Standard Automated Perimetry in Patients With Preperimetric Glauc According to this study: FDT and SWAP detect functional losses in cases of suspected glaucoma before glaucomatous losses detected by standard perimetry.

OSN SuperSite - Gonioscopy necessary before initiating glaucoma therapy, specialist says : "Gonioscopy is an essential tool for making an accurate diagnosis and understanding the biological mechanisms at work in glaucoma suspects, according to a specialist speaking here at the OSN Las Vegas meeting"

RETINA - Abstract: Volume 27(5) June 2007 p 557-566 LONG-TERM OUTCOMES OF PARS PLANA VITRECTOMY WITH INTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE REMOVAL IN DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA. Mean VA improved by at least two lines in 37% of patients. Conclusion: PPV with ILM removal appears to be effective in reducing DME and improving visual acuity, and its effectiveness is maintained in the long term. Recurrence of DME may be observed in the late postoperative period.

ScienceDirect - Ophthalmology : A Case–Control Study of Drug Risk Factors for Age-Related Macular Degeneration No association was detected between short- and medium-term use of antithyroids, thyroid hormones, and thiazide diuretics and the risk of AMD. Short- and medium-term use of antacids seems to be associated with a small increase in the risk of this disease. However, this increased risk is likely the result of residual confounding by smoking or uncontrolled confounding resulting from socioeconomic status. No conclusions could be drawn regarding longer-term use of each drug category.

Verteporfin Therapy and Intravitreal Bevacizumab Combined and Alone in Choroidal Neovascularization due to Age-Related Macular Degeneration . Ophthalmology Volume 114, Issue 6 , June 2007, Pages 1179-1185 Significant improvements in best-corrected VA after 1 month and their maintenance over a 3-month period were observed after verteporfin PDT combined with intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin). Especially impressive is that of the 23 patients who's visual improvement persisted at the 3 month follow-up, 22 of them were in the combined group.

Retinal Abnormalities in Early Alzheimer's Disease -- Berisha et al. 48 (5): 2285 -- Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science From the paper: There is evidence suggesting that visual disturbances in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) are due to pathologic changes in the retina and optic nerve, as well as to higher cortical impairment. Conclusion: Retinal abnormalities in early AD include a specific pattern of RNFL loss , narrow veins , and decreased retinal blood flow in these veins.

IngentaConnect Effect of 2 dorzolamide on retinal blood flow: a study on juvenil... According to this study: Dorzolamide, in association or in fixed combination with timolol, significantly improves retinal blood flow in JPOAG patients. Perhaps we can look forward to neuroprotective results generally as well. I look forward to the studies.

American Journal of Ophthalmology Volume 143, Issue 6 , June 2007, Pages 1026-1029 According to this paper: There were no consistent associations with the amount of beer, wine, or liquor consumption and the incidence or progression of AMD. Alcohol consumption is unlikely to strongly increase (or decrease) the risk of AMD.

American Chinese Glaucoma Imaging Study: A Comparison of the Optic Disc and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer in Detecting Glaucomatous Damage -- Leung et al. 48 (6): 2644 -- Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science The RNFL showed a stronger structure–function association and a higher diagnostic sensitivity for glaucoma detection than did the neuroretinal rim.

IngentaConnect Late intraocular pressure rise following intravitreal triamcinolo... : "Most ophthalmologists are aware of the risk of elevated intraocular pressure developing 1 or 2 months after an intravitreal injection of triamcinolone. However, the two cases reported here demonstrate that such a rise can occur significantly later than this. All patients who have had intravitreal steroid injection should therefore have prolonged intraocular pressure monitoring. "

OSN SuperSite - AMO recalls Complete MoisturePlus contact lens solution Advanced Medical Optics is voluntarily recalling its Complete MoisturePlus contact lens solutions in response to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing an increased risk of Acanthamoeba keratitis associated with its use, the company announced.