Week in review: Robotic eye exams, topical anti-hypertensives and dry eye, mydriasis treatment approval

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

Your future eye exam could be conducted by a robot. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Duke University have received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to further refine their robotic eye examination system in development. Currently, the system uses an optical scan technique to automatically position examination sensors at a safe distance from the eye, and the research team will use the grant money to further refine and add features that will allow it to get closer to the eye. Dr. Kris Hauser, the team’s lead investigator, said that automatic eye screeners “would mean faster and more widespread screening leading to better health outcomes for more people. But to achieve this, we need to develop safer and more reliable controls, and this award allows us to do just that.” University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Using topical anti-hypertensives can lead to dry eye disease? Yes, say investigators who conducted a cross-sectional study of 77 patients (77 eyes) with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) who had been taking topical anti-hypertensive (TAH) drugs for POAG for ≥12 months. Compared with age- and sex-matched healthy controls, the patients taking TAH drugs had significantly greater tear film osmolarity and loss area of meibomian glands in the inferior eyelid and were more likely to have abnormal noninvasive breakup times and Ocular Surface Disease Index scores. The authors recommend that, given these findings regarding ocular surface disease in patients with POAG, clinicians perform thorough, regular evaluations of their patients and address ocular surface changes as soon as they are detected. Journal of Glaucoma

Ophthalmic solution for pharmacologically induced mydriasis is approved in the US. On September 27, 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Ryzumvi (phentolamine ophthalmic solution 0.75%) for the reversal of pharmacologically induced mydriasis caused by a parasympatholytic agent, an adrenergic agonist, or a combination thereof. In the MIRA-2 and -3 trials, treatment with Ryzumvi 0.75% led to significantly better outcomes than placebo, with pupils returning to baseline diameter as early as 60 minutes. Ryzumvi (formerly named Nyxol) is expected to be available in the first half of 2024. Ophthalmology Times

For people with diabetes, bariatric surgery won’t increase diabetic retinopathy progression. A Danish cohort study reviewed data from 553 adults with type 2 diabetes enrolled in the Danish Registry of Diabetic Retinopathy who had undergone bariatric surgery at any time from 2013 to 2022. Compared with a control group (n = 2677) who had not had surgery, the surgery group was less likely to have incident or progressive diabetic retinopathy (DR) worsening. The odds of short- and long-term DR worsening was also lower at both 6 and 36 months after bariatric surgery, even after adjusting for age, sex, and other factors. Acta Diabetologica