Week in review: Thin hints, micro dose, counting sheep

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

You know what they say about retinal thinning … or have you heard? The thinner the retina, the greater the severity of Parkinson’s disease, according to new findings in Neurology. Korean researchers used OCT to examine the maculae of 49 newly diagnosed patients and 54 age-matched controls. Retinal thinning occurs during the earliest stages of Parkinson’s, they found, and may coincide with the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. If the findings hold up, retinal imaging might prove helpful in detecting the earliest signs of Parkinson’s. American Academy of Neurology

Eyenovia’s piezo-print technology can dot the cornea with a miniscule amount of latanoprost—just 0.005%, to be precise—and reduce IOP by nearly a third. The findings come from a proof-of-concept trial in 30 healthy volunteers who used the handheld device to spray the drug into their eyes once daily for 2 consecutive days. The technology was designed to eliminate drug waste associated with traditional drops, possibly eliminating side effects such as hyperemia and sunken globe. Eyenovia is gearing up for phase III trials in patients with myopia, angle-closure glaucoma and mydriasis. Eyenovia

Sheep with achromatopsia woke up to good news on Wednesday morning. A single injection of CNGA3 transgene has safely improved the animals’ cone function for 6 years and counting, according to a study published this week in Human Gene Therapy. The findings bode well for gene therapy in humans who have day blindness due to a mutation in CNGA3. Human Gene Therapy

Beijing scientists have created soft, transparent electrodes that could make corneal electroretinography a lot less irritating for patients and practitioners alike. A report in Nature Communications suggests GRAphene contact lens electrodes, or GRACEs, are more accurate and comfortable than electrodes mounted on hard contact lenses—at least in rabbits (shown above) and cynomolgus monkeys. PhysOrg

Just a little tweak here and there … and voila! Blind mice can see. It wasn't quite that simple, but researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine accomplished this feat by turning Müller glia into rod photoreceptors. Their NEI-funded study, published this week in Nature, details an elegant genetic manipulation that could advance regenerative therapies for diseases such as AMD and retinitis pigmentosa. National Eye Institute