INTERESTING EYE NEWS & CLINICAL PEARLS

  A  study from China  analyzed U.S. survey data to examine the link between diet-based antioxidant levels and glaucoma risk. Using a measure called the Dietary Oxidative Balance Score (DOBS), which reflects the balance of antioxidants and pro-oxidants in a person's diet, researchers found that higher DOBS—indicating more antioxidants—was associated with a lower risk of glaucoma. Specifically, each point increase in DOBS reduced the risk by 4%, with the highest antioxidant group showing the lowest glaucoma rates. While the findings suggest a protective role of antioxidants, the study had limitations. It relied on self-reported glaucoma diagnoses, only included adults, and couldn’t prove a direct cause-and-effect link. The authors emphasized the importance of maintaining oxidative balance and called for more research into how nutrition affects glaucoma development and treatment.

  In a recent  study , researchers aimed to assess associations between long-term BPV and the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and found that a 5mm Hg increase in diastolic BPV was associated with a 54% higher risk of advanced AMD, suggesting that one of the mechanisms is choroidal ischemia and inflammation leading to choroidal thinning and ultimately to AMD onset.  In their paper, the researchers speculated that blood pressure variability affects choroidal thickness.  “It has been observed that, in the presence of continuous fluctuations in systemic BP, the choriocapillaris sympathetic system is overstimulated by, among others, local oxidative stress. This has been shown to induce vasoconstriction of the choriocapillaris, which can lead to ischemia and thinning of the choroid,” the authors explained in their article. One study observed a thinning of the choroid in hypertensive patients compared to a control group, particularly in the subfoveal region. ...

  Lacrimal gland injections can be a good option for patients who experience excessive tearing. In  this study  i t was found that Schirmer test scores decreased at three months as well as having decreased at six months. Adverse event overall incidence was 22%, with the most common being ptosis and diplopia.  Other than the objective measurement of Schirmer scores, subjective patient-reported outcomes also displayed significant improvement, reflective of high patient-reported satisfaction. Therapeutically, the effect of Botox is achieved via inhibition of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction within the lacrimal gland. In general they believe botulinum toxin injection “stands as a promising option for select patients, offering a balance of efficacy, reversibility and low invasiveness in managing chronic epiphora.”

   Two emerging treatments for dry eye disease (DED) associated with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) are intense pulsed light therapy (IPL)—thought to lead to the breakdown of aberrant or telangiectatic blood vessels and decrease inflammation—and low-level light therapy (LLLT)—a more recent development intended to aid tissue repair and neural recovery. When performed alone, the latter procedure has been shown to alleviate clinical signs and symptoms better than IPL, prompting the authors of a  new study  to investigate whether LLLT is more effective for MGD-related DED on its own or in combination with IPL. Their findings revealed that while both approaches improved symptom frequency and severity, combined therapy held an advantage in boosting cellular energy levels. The results revealed significant improvements in symptomatology across both treatment modalities.  Furthermore, meibum expressibility saw improvements in both groups after treatment.  The stu...

  Copper, found in foods typical of the Mediterranean diet, plays a critical role in various biological processes, including antioxidant defense and extracellular matrix biosynthesis. In a recent  study,  researchers investigated the relationship between the intake of copper, as well as iron, zinc, selenium in diet and late AMD, and found that out of all of these elements, increased copper consumption is associated with a reduced risk of late AMD, especially in those between the ages of 70 and 85. The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) 1 and AREDS 2 study demonstrated similar results, indicating that copper consumption was linked to reduced late-stage AMD risk. The authors suggest that more research into the mechanism linking copper and late AMD development is warranted.

  Tryptyr (pronounced  trip-tir ), released by Alcon activates trigeminal nerve signaling, leading to increased basal tear production. The recommended dosing of Tryptyr is twice per day.  Roughly half of subjects receiving the test drug met the primary outcome of at least a 10mm increase in Schirmer score at day 14, up to a fourfold increase over controls treated with the vehicle only,  The Alcon press release also states that some subjects treated with Tryptyr demonstrated statistically significant natural tear production as early as day 1. The company anticipates a US launch in the third quarter of 2025. Tryptyr will be supplied in preservative-free, single-use vials.