Week in review: Primary Prima, salary satisfaction, blinding flu

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

Prima, an experimental vision restoration system, has been implanted into its first patient in the United States. Developed by Pixium Vision, the wireless subretinal device is designed to restore partial sight in patients with advanced dry AMD. “This is an incredibly exciting first for us at UPMC and I’m honored to be a part of it,” said Joseph Martel, MD, the implanting surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. UPMC

Close to 60% of ophthalmologists are satisfied with their salary, according to a fall 2019 salary survey. Out of the 21 medical specialties surveyed, ophthalmology ranked 15^th for the second year in a row with an average annual base salary of $274,767, a slight bump up from last year’s average. Orthopedics, cardiology and urology were the only specialties to average over $400,000/year. A majority of this year’s respondents were general ophthalmologists with at least 10 years of experience. MedPage Today

Researchers have developed the world’s first smart LED contact lens that could diagnose diabetes and treat diabetic retinopathy. The lens measures sugar levels in conjunctival blood vessels via a micro-LED and a photodetector that analyzes near-infrared light. Professor Sei Kwang Hahn and his team at the Pohang University of Science and Technology demonstrated that these lenses were also capable of reducing retinal angiogenesis in rabbits with diabetic retinopathy. Next, Hahn plans to collaborate with Stanford Medicine to commercialize the device. Pohang University of Science and Technology, Nature Reviews Materials

A novel nasal spray for tackling dry eye disease met its primary endpoint in a phase 2 trial, reports Oyster Point Pharma. The 123-patient trial tested 2 OC-01 concentrations; both were more effective than placebo at improving Schirmer’s score. Most adverse events were mild and self-resolving. “The results from the MYSTIC study further validate the novel mechanism of action of OC-O1 nasal spray and its ability to stimulate natural tear production via the trigeminal parasympathetic pathway,” said Preeya Gupta, MD, a physician at Duke University Eye Center and member of the company’s medical advisory board. Oyster Point Pharma 

An influenza attack left young Jade DeLucia blind due to acute necrotizing encephalopathy, a rare and deadly complication. After a week of what her parents thought was just “a little bug,” Jade’s condition quickly deteriorated. The 4-year-old woke up on New Year’s Day after being unconscious for nearly a week but could not see, despite getting the all-clear from her ophthalmologist. "It [the flu] affected the part of her brain that perceives sight, and we don't know if she's going to get her vision back," said ner neurologist Theresa Czech, MD, adding that time will tell if she recovers her vision. CNN