Week in review: AMD video game, RNFL thinning linked to diabetes and hypertension, safer IOP measurement

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

A patent issued for video game software that aids in AMD detection. A collaboration between the Retina Foundation of the Southwest, BALANCED Media Technology, and researchers from Southern Methodist University has yielded a new technology that combines a video game with automated software to identify ocular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The game, titled Eye in the Sky: Defender, has OCT retinal images embedded in its environment to create human-computational image segmentation. When players predict the path of an invading alien force they are in fact learning to trace lines used for performing diagnostic measurements of OCT scans. The new data sets that are then created can be used to train AI algorithms to analyze images. Dr. Karl Csaky, CEO and CMO at the Retina Foundation of the Southwest, noted “This technology could be a game-changer for researchers and drug manufacturers in the data analyzation of disease progression, drug trials, and treatment efficacy for age-related macular degeneration, among other diseases.” Southern Methodist University, BALANCED Media Technology

Thinner retinal nerve fiber thickness is another ocular byproduct of diabetes and hypertension. In a retrospective study conducted in South Korea, records from 325 patients (325 eyes) were reviewed to assess the damage to the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) caused by diabetic neurodegeneration. Healthy participants had thicker pRNFLs than patients with diabetes, and longer diabetes duration was negatively correlated with pRNFL thickness. In addition, patients with concomitant hypertension had even thinner pRNFL thickness than patients with diabetes alone, underscoring the importance of controlling blood pressure in this population. Diabetes, Endocrinology Advisor

In pandemic times, how do you measure IOP safely? As the SARS-CoV-2 virus is spread via droplets or aerosols and has been found in the conjunctiva and tears of patients with COVID-19, ophthalmologists currently face challenges in safely measuring IOP in people at risk for glaucoma. A recently published review looked at ways to balance reliable IOP measurement with infection risk reduction. Using disposable applanation tips when performing Goldmann applanation tonometry is recommended. Handheld tonometry devices, such as iCare and Tono-pen, also have single-use tips and are good alternatives. Current Opinion in Ophthalmology