Also in the News…

510(K) clearance for New World Medical’s VIA360. US-based ophthalmic surgical device manufacturer, New World Medical, recently announced it has received 510(K) clearance from the FDA for its VIA360 Surgical System. The VIA360 is used for delivering controlled amounts of viscoelastic fluid during surgery and can also be used to cut trabecular meshwork tissue during trabeculectomy procedures. Link

AI-powered retinal screening for cardiovascular risk. The world’s first AI-powered cardiovascular retinal screening technology will be launched by Heart Eye Diagnostics at upcoming UK optical conferences, 100% Optical (March 1–3) and Optix 2025 (March 17–19). The company reports that the technology uses retinal imaging to test for patients’ risk of cardiovascular disease in only three minutes. Link

New retinal dystrophy gene therapy treatment. Young children with AIPL1-associated severe retinal dystrophy have gained life-changing improvements to their vision as a result of a new genetic treatment developed by the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, with support from MeiraGTx. The findings, published in The Lancet last week, show significant improvements in visual acuity, functional vision, and retinal preservation over 3–4 years in the four infants, indicating that early gene therapy intervention can provide substantial and lasting visual benefits for severe retinal dystrophies. Link

Glaucoma and the lungs. Lung function could act as a biomarker for glaucoma, says a new study from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Using data from the UK Biobank to investigate the relationship between lung function and glaucoma, the authors found that lower lung function – measured by forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume (FEV1), and FEV1/FVC ratio – is significantly associated with an increased risk of glaucoma. Mendelian randomization analyses suggest no causal relationship, indicating that impaired lung function may serve as a biomarker rather than a direct cause of glaucoma itself. Link

Genetic influences on retinal aging. Using transcriptomic and proteomic analyses across nine genetically diverse mouse strains, a new Molecular Neurodegeneration study has examined how genetic background influences retinal aging and degeneration. The study identified strain-specific aging signatures, with WSB mice showing severe photoreceptor loss resembling retinitis pigmentosa, and NZO mice exhibiting retinal ganglion cell degeneration and diabetic retinopathy-like vascular dysfunction. The findings highlight how genetic diversity can act as a key determinant in retinal aging and disease susceptibility. Link