Week in review: ED drugs linked to eye damage, new DME clinical trial, COVID-19 and retinal vein occlusions

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

Erectile dysfunction drug use can damage your eyes. For this case-control study, researchers looked at 15-year records from a US health claims database of more than 213,000 male patients taking phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) to assess the risk of ocular adverse events (AEs) in this population. The adjusted incident rate ratio for developing serous retinal detachment, retinal vascular occlusion, or ischemic optic neuropathy was 1.85. Patients with any of these ocular AEs were also more likely to have concomitant hypertension, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes, and to be taking ≥5 prescriptions. Clinicians should closely monitor their patients who take PDE5Is for any changes in vision. JAMA Ophthalmology

Clinical trial is under way to assess diabetic macular edema treatment in underserved populations. The Elevatum phase 4 clinical trial of faricimab (Vabysmo), recently approved in the United States for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME) and neovascular AMD, is focusing on treatment-naïve patients who are members of historically underrepresented populations, including Black, Native American, and Hispanic communities. The primary outcome is change in best-corrected visual acuity through 56 weeks. Manuel Amador, MD, one of the lead investigators, said that these populations “are disproportionately affected by diabetes and are at higher risk of developing vision-threatening DME.” Elevatum is now recruiting patients for the trial, with an estimated primary completion date of March 2024. Ophthalmology Times, ClinicalTrials.gov

Retinal vein occlusions are yet another ocular side effect of COVID-19, say researchers from Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) who reviewed records from more than 432,000 patients in the KPSC system diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 2020 and May 2021. The adjusted incidence rate ratio for retinal vein occlusions (RVOs) increased from 1 at baseline (reference) to 1.54 during the 6-month period following COVID-19 infection diagnosis. Having vascular conditions such as hyperlipidemia and diabetes increased the risk for developing RVOs. JAMA Ophthalmology