Week in review: CyPass checklist, eye bandage, mind over matter

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

The FDA has updated their CyPass recommendations for patients and physicians affected by the microstent’s recall. The agency urges physicians to check the device’s position and promptly evaluate endothelial cell loss in patients who have at least 2 rings visible. Based on those results and other factors, such as patient age, the device may require trimming or repositioning. Full recommendations are available here. FDA

A new contact lens can bandage injured eyes and speed the recovery of stubborn corneal wounds, Australian researchers report. The team lined a scleral lens with limbal mesenchymal stromal cells, taken from tissue discarded after routine corneal transplants. Similar to existing bandages made from amniotic membranes, the cells release wound-healing factors that soothe corneal ulcers and persistent wounds. But the new bandage could offer a more consistent and readily available supply of anti-inflammatory properties, researchers say. Queensland University of Technology

Mindful meditation can lower IOP and improve overall health in patients with primary-open angle glaucoma, according to a new study. Following a 3-week program of morning meditation and breathing exercises with a trained instructor, participants saw dramatic drops in IOP and stress-related serum biomarkers. “The study suggests that mental stress may be one of the main causal factors for glaucoma,” said co-investigator, Bernhard Sabel, PhD. The study lends credence to a holistic approach for glaucoma management, he said. Journal of Glaucoma, EurekAlert!

A proprietary ophthalmic formulation of bevacizumab for wet AMD has entered clinical trials outside the United States. Researchers have dosed the first round of patients with Oncobiologics’ ONS-5010, a bevacizumab biosimilar designed for intravitreal injection. The company plans to launch a second clinical study in the U.S. in early 2019 after filling an investigational new drug application. Oncobiologics

A Texas researcher received a $1.9 million grant from the National Eye Institute to improve treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency. Vivien Coulson-Thomas, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Houston, is using the skin plumper hyaluronic acid, which occurs naturally in high concentrations in the eye, to spur limbal stem cell development and survival. EurekAlert