Lehigh Valley Center For Sight

FEB 14, 2018 Neuro-Ophthalmology/Orbit This population-based study evaluated the incidence and etiology of isolated, presumed fourth nerve palsy. Study design The authors used a database of Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents to identify all cases of isolated fourth nerve palsy diagnosed over a 15-year period. Outcomes Seventy-three patients were identified; mean age at presentation was 41.8 years. After adjustment for age and sex, the annual incidence rate was 5.73 per 100,000 per year, with a higher incidence in males than females. The most common etiology was presumed congenital (49%), followed by hypertension (18%) and trauma (18%). One patient (1%) had fourth nerve palsy owing to a known intracranial neoplasm. The cause was undetermined for 3 patients (4%). The most common decade of presentation was the fourth decade, including for presumed congenital cases. Limitations The population studied was predominately white. Thus, the results may be different for a...

JAN 25, 2018 By Keng Jin Lee Global Newswire Comprehensive Ophthalmology, Pediatric Ophth/Strabismus, Retina/Vitreous Swiss-based Novartis Pharmaceuticals has acquired rights to commercialize Luxturna —Spark Therapeutics’ gene therapy for inherited retinal dystrophy—outside of the United States. Spark will retain exclusive rights to Luxturna in the U.S., however. Luxturna is the first gene therapy approved in the U.S. to restore light perception in patients with biallelic RPE65 mutations. Spark agreed to pursue European approval, and filed for a marketing authorization with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on July 31, 2017. In addition to paying $105 million up front, Novartis will make milestone payments up to $65 million if EMA approval is granted. Spark hopes the move will help ensure that more patients with confirmed biallelic RPE65 mutation-associated retinal dystrophy who live outside the U.S. have access to voretigene neparvovec, according to Dan ...

JAN 25, 2018 Cornea/External Disease This study compared the incidence of epithelial erosions 1 year after transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) versus alcohol-assisted PRK. Study design Researchers matched 189 eyes that had undergone transepithelial PRK with 189 eyes that had undergone alcohol-assisted PRK. They retrospectively evaluated the incidence and symptoms of epithelial erosions in each group using data gathered from a post hoc patient questionnaire. Outcomes Compared with the alcohol-assisted group, the transepithelial group reported less frequent symptoms of subclinical recurrent epithelial erosion, including soreness to touch (6.6% vs. 26.0%), sharp pain (7.9% vs 32.5%) and eyelid sticking (6.6% vs 26.0%; P≤0.002). Furthermore, the mean time for contact lens removal after treatment was shorter in the transepithelial group (2.6 days) than in the alcohol-assisted group (3.7 days; P<0.001). Only 1% (1/100) of the transepithelial group reported t...

FEB 12, 2018 By Keng Jin Lee Genentech Retina/Vitreous Genentech announced encouraging data from an ongoing trial investigating the efficacy and safety of RG7716 , a novel bispecific antibody that binds to angiopoietin 2 and VEGF. The results, presented at the Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration 2018 symposium in Miami, suggest that treatment with intravitreal RG7716 may lead to better vision and anatomic outcomes among treatment-naïve DME patients than ranibizumab alone. Conducted in more than 90 sites across the United States, the double-masked BOULEVARD trial enrolled 229 DME patients who were randomized to receive a high or low dose of RG7716 (1.5 mg or 6 mg) or ranibizumab (0.3 mg). All patients were treated monthly for 20 weeks, followed by a 16-week observation phase. At week 24, patients who received high-dose RG7716 had a mean improvement of 13.9 letters from baseline, compared with 10.3 letters in the ranibizumab arm (P=0.03). Anatomic and DR...

FEB 08, 2018 By Anni Griswold EyeGate Pharma Cataract/Anterior Segment An experimental treatment for pain and inflammation, EGP-437 (iontophoretically delivered dexamethasone), showed slight but consistent benefits in a phase 2b trial of cataract surgery patients. The drug performed about as well as other anti-inflammatory products, according to EyeGate Pharmaceuticals, but its benefits failed to reach statistical significance because the placebo group fared unexpectedly well after cataract removal. “The efficacy results for the absence of inflammatory cells in the EGP-437 treatment group met our expectations, but the vehicle group response was better than anticipated,” Randall Olson, MD, EyeGate’s strategic advisor, said in a company press release. The EyeGate II Delivery System offers an alternative to postoperative eye drops . The system uses an electrical field to drive an iontophoretic glucocorticoseroid through the sclera . This delivers a more concent...

FEB 08, 2018 Cornea/External Disease, Pediatric Ophth/Strabismus Researchers examined visual outcomes and complications of Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis (KPro) implants in a pediatric population.    Study design   This retrospective case series included 11 eyes of 11 patients aged 16 years or younger. All patients underwent KPro surgery at 1 of 3 tertiary ophthalmology centers in Canada between 2010 to 2014.     Before surgery, BCVA ranged from 20/600 to light perception. All 6 patients with concurrent glaucoma received a glaucoma drainage device (GDD) prior to KPro implantation.   Outcomes   At the last follow-up (mean 41.8 months; range 6.5 to 85.0 months), 2 eyes retained their preoperative BCVA, and 5 eyes lost light perception. The initial KPro device was retained in only 4 eyes (36.4%).   The authors observed a high incidence of serious postoperative complications, which included retroprosthetic membrane (9 eyes), corneal melt (5 eyes) retinal detachment (5 ...

FEB 09, 2018 By Keng Jin Lee Nasdaq Uveitis pSivida's injectable fluocinolone acetonide implant was effective at preventing recurrence of posterior uveitis for at least 1 year, according to interim findings from a second phase 3 trial. "The continued positive efficacy and safety data for Durasert, now confirmed in two separate phase 3 studies at both 6 and 12 months, is encouraging for patients that are suffering from posterior segment uveitis," said primary clinical investigator Glenn J. Jaffe, MD, of Duke University. Durasert is a preventative measure, while most standard-of-care treatments are effective only during flareups. The implant can be inserted during an office-based procedure and is designed to remain in place for 3 years, Dr. Jaffe noted in this interview from AAO 2017 . The randomized trial enrolled 153 patients with posterior segment uveitis. Durasert met its primary efficacy endpoint by 6 months, showing a significantly lower r...