LPS.1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
From the supplements that could decrease AMD risk, to protecting against BAK-induced ocular surface toxicity, these are the news stories and studies that caught our attention this week…
Groundbreaking new chip technology. Siloton has become the first commercial organization in the world to capture a subsurface image of the retina using photonic chip technology. The imaging capture, previously only possible in academic labs, was achieved using the UK-based health technology start-up’s first-generation optical coherence tomography (OCT) chip, Akepa. Link
AMD decreasing supplements. A JAMA Ophthalmology paper suggests that curcuma-based nutritional supplements (CBNS; for example, turmeric) might be used to lessen the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) development and progression. The cohort study – led by scientists from Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California – investigated the outcomes of 66,799 patients without AMD who take CBNS, concluding that these patients had a decreased risk of developing nonexudative AMD, advanced nonexudative AMD, and exudative AMD when compared with counterparts not taking CBNS. Link
Sight loss survey. A newly released survey questioning over 2,000 adults in the UK has revealed that over half expect to experience some form of sight loss in the next ten years. The survey, commissioned by Apellis, went on to find that – despite these fears – one in four of the individuals surveyed still didn’t attend regular eye test appointments, with 34 percent saying they would wait more than a month to seek medical aid if experiencing vision issues. Link
Urban versus rural glaucoma. A new study from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, has uncovered a rural preference for minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS). Physicians in metropolitan areas are more likely to perform a larger proportion of traditional glaucoma procedures. Link
Sodium hyaluronate protects against BAK-induced corneal damage. A TVST study has investigated the protective effects of sodium hyaluronate (SH) on ocular surface toxicity induced by benzalkonium chloride (BAK). In both cell cultures and mouse models, SH was found to mitigate BAK-induced cell damage, enhancing cell viability, wound healing, and corneal nerve regeneration in a concentration-dependent manner. The study – conducted by a team from the Innate Immunity Laboratory at the Institute of Experimental Medicine, Buenos Aires, Argentina – suggests that high concentrations of SH could be particularly beneficial for patients using BAK-preserved eye drops, as it aids in maintaining ocular surface health and accelerating recovery. Link
AMD predictor. Researchers from the Centre for Eye Health, University of New South Wales, Australia, evaluated the potential of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and ellipsoid zone (EZ) curvature – measured as sinuosity – for predicting late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In short, increased RPE sinuosity strongly correlates with AMD progression. The correlation was found to be particularly accurate as a long-term predictor over five years, surpassing traditional biomarkers such as pigmentary abnormalities and drusen volume. Link
