MAR 16, 2018
By Anni Griswold
A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.
Keratoconus crept up on Ravens defensive tackle Brandon Williams with little warning, “like I got sand in my eye almost,” he recalls. After waiting more than 2 years for the FDA to approve Avedro’s corneal crosslinking system, the athlete recently underwent the procedure and has recovered vision in both eyes. The Baltimore Sun
Avedro’s newest crosslinking system may eliminate the epithelium-stripping step. The FDA has greenlighted a phase 3 efficacy trial of an epi-on corneal collagen crosslinking protocol for progressive keratoconus. If all goes to plan, the year-long multicenter, randomized study will enroll 275 patients and conclude in mid-2020. Avedro
Donated skin samples from a family in New York may help scientists find a breakthrough treatment for cone-rod dystrophy. The family carries a mutated ATF6 gene, which meddles with blood vessel development in utero and hinders fovea formation. Scientists transformed the donated skin cells into stem cells, then exposed them to millions of chemical compounds to see if any could restore blood vessel development. Their search turned up a candidate, AA147, which may steer researchers toward a new treatment if its therapeutic effects hold up in future studies. EurekAlert!
Harvard researchers have developed contact lenses that can interface with smart phones to time medication delivery to the eyes. The device, designed by Theraoptix, sandwiches two lenses around a thin polymer film that dispenses doses. “No eye drops, no injections — just one lens,” said Lokendra Bengani, a postdoctoral fellow who helped design the device. MIT News
Revealing racial and gender disparities in glaucoma treatment is the first order of business for a new study funded by the American Glaucoma Society. Researchers will mine data from the IRIS registry to determine how often minimally invasive glaucoma surgery devices and procedures are used in black and Latino glaucoma patients, and whether these devices perform similarly across races, ethnicities, genders, ages and regions. EurekAlert!