INTERESTING EYE NEWS & CLINICAL PEARLS

 According to this study , "   there was an elevated risk of uveitis following COVID-19 vaccination, with the vaccine type and period mediating this risk. For individuals with a history of uveitis, clinicians should consider the potential risk of uveitis recurrence in vaccination strategies and clinical monitoring."

 According to this Chinese study,  Patients who developed myopia before 12 years old had a higher risk of developing high myopia than those who developed myopia later.  Age of myopia onset may be the single best predictor for high myopia.  

 This study in The American Journal of Ophthalmology states that there is an association between retina ischemic perivascular lesions (RIPLs, "ripples") and myocardial infarction in patients with coronary artery disease.   317 patients with coronary artery disease had OCT (optical coherence tomography) performed.  59.3% of the patients in that group who had a history of myocardial infarction demonstrated the presence of RIPLs on their OCT, while only 35% of those who did not have a myocardial infarction demonstrated RIPLs.  RIPLs show focal areas of atrophy of the inner nuclear layer of the retina along with resultant expansion of the other nuclear area, causing a "ripple" appearance on cross-sectional OCT. .  Prior studies have demonstrated an association of RIPLs with certain cardiovascular disease, including diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and carotid artery stenosis.  This study suggests that OCT screening in p...

 In this study ,  type 2 diabetic patients taking Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist (GLP-1RAs) have an initial 19% reduced glaucoma risk, increasing to a 29% reduction after 3 years.    Examples of GLP-1RAs include Exanatide (Byetta), Semaglutide (Ozempic), Liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda), and Lixisenatide (Adlyxin).  

  According to this study , " myopic subjects with convergence excess had faster elongation (resulting in faster progression of myopia) than normal myopic children in DIMS wearers (those who wore the myopic control spectacles).  The article suggests that this occurs because convergence excess causes an accommodative lag that creates greater peripheral retinal defocus, thus counteracting the effect of the myopia control lenses.  

 According to this study :  After 6 weeks of adding the 360 breathing technique (deep breathing six cycles per minute for 5 minutes, three times per day) to pharmacological glaucoma treatment, patients on average had a reduction of their intraocular pressure by roughly 2.5mmHg.  The study concludes: "365 breathing technique can reduce IOP, serum cortisol and improve autonomic dysfunction in glaucoma patients."

 According to this study : acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, commonly used in the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease, decreases the risk of macular degeneration by 6%.