Week in review: Ophthalmologist burnout, cenegermin for DED, corneal nerve fiber loss

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

Rates of ophthalmologist burnout and stress have increased during the pandemic. Medscape has now released its Ophthalmologist Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2022. While 88% of ophthalmologists surveyed reported being very or somewhat happy with their lives outside of work prior to the pandemic, that figure is now down to 65%. Fifty-two percent of female ophthalmologists reported feeling burned out, compared with 35% of male ophthalmologists. The most common reasons for burnout were the volume of bureaucratic tasks and the number of government regulations. Burnout during the pandemic increased for 56% of respondents, contributing to a negative effect on personal relationships. Reported strategies for alleviating burnout and improving happiness include reducing work hours, incorporating stress reduction techniques, exercising, and participating in hobbies and other activities. Medscape

Patient enrollment begins for phase 3 trial of cenegermin for severe Sjögren-related dry eye disease. Dompé Farmaceutici has opened up enrollment for its phase 3 multinational, randomized, double-masked NGF0121 study comparing the efficacy and safety of cenegermin to vehicle in patients with severe Sjögren-related dry eye disease (DED). This is one of two DED studies Dompé is conducting; expected enrollment for NGF0121 is 100 patients. Patients will be treated with cenegermin 20 mcg/mL or vehicle 3 times daily for 4 weeks, and the primary outcome measure is the Schirmer I test (no anesthesia) >10 mm/5 min in the eligible eye at week 4. As there is currently no FDA-approved treatment for this condition, results will be eagerly awaited. Ophthalmology Times, ClinicalTrials.gov

More severe painful diabetic neuropathy linked to higher corneal nerve fiber loss. A recent study looked at the potential association between painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) and the severity of corneal nerve loss, as measured with corneal confocal microscopy (CCM), in 118 patients with diabetes and 38 controls. As PDN increased in severity, corneal nerve fiber and branch densities decreased, as did perception thresholds for cold and warm. As CCM was found to have good diagnostic accuracy in detecting these nerve fiber losses, ophthalmologists can use this tool to monitor their patients with diabetes for potential corneal damage. European Journal of Neurology