Also in the News…

From career opportunities at The National Eye Institute, to identifying links between dementia and visual impairment, these are the news stories and studies that caught our attention this week…

NEI opportunities. The National Eye Institute (NEI, Bethesda, Maryland) is currently recruiting for tenure-track/tenure-eligible investigators for its intramural research program. NEI states that it is “especially interested in applicants in ocular developmental and/or neurobiology, human genetics/genomics, aging-associated neurodegeneration and/or therapies, and those using innovative single cell, single molecule and/or ‘omics’ technologies.” Link

Licaminlimab phase II results. Oculis has announced positive topline results from it's licaminlimab phase IIb RELIEF trial. The company will now open discussions with the FDA on how licaminlimab, an anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic anti-TNFα biologic eye drop for dry eye disease (DED), might make its way through the registrational path for DED. Link 

Sustainable practices in Puerto Rico. A CooperVision production site based in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico, has received a Platinum Recycling Award and Sustainability Gold at the 15th annual Puerto Rico Sustainability Best Practices, Health and Safety Summit for achieving greater than 90 percent recycling rates, reducing its environmental footprint, and contributing to sustainable development on Puerto Rico. Link

Establishing a keratoconus mouse model. Scientists from the Medical College of Georgia (US) have sought to determine corneal phenotypes in three Ppip5k2 mouse models. Using a variety of techniques – including spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), pachymetry maps, and slit lamp biomicroscopy – the team identified phenotypic and histological corneal changes in three mouse lines, which could help with the evolution of KC mouse models. Link

Dementia and visual impairment. Researchers from the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, have investigated how visual impairment might exacerbate cognitive decline. Analyzing data from 2,159 adults in the 2021 and 2022 National Health and Aging Trends Study, the team assessed the binocular vision and dementia status of participants. The results show that a worse baseline of both visual acuity and contrast sensitivity contributed toward a greater likelihood of incident dementia in participants. Link

Melatonin linked to decreased risk of AMD.  A multi-institutional group based in Cleveland, Ohio, looked at case records of 121,523 patients with no age-related macular degeneration (AMD) history, as well as 66,253 patients with nonexudative AMD, to determine that non-AMD patients who took melatonin supplements were less likely to develop the condition; similarly, those with nonexudative AMD who also took the supplements were less likely to progress to exudative AMD. Link