Mike Quinn / Moorfields Eye Hospital, City Road, EC1
Glaucoma biomarkers. A multi-institutional collaboration between Moorfields Eye Hospital and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, has identified biomarkers in blood that can predict how glaucoma patients might respond to further treatment. If additional research confirms their findings, the team’s results – published in Nature Medicine in June 2024 – could present a new glaucoma treatment pathway that does not depend solely on lowering intraocular pressure. Link
US ophthalmology: the cost of learning. A cross-sectional US JAMA Ophthalmology study of 116 ophthalmology residency programs has found that intraregional and interregional differences in stipend plus benefits income surplus (SPBIS) among residents can vary by thousands of dollars. The authors recommend that further discussion is needed regarding compensation to find strategies that improve resident well-being and performance. Link
RVO risk from open-angle glaucoma. A Nature study evaluating factors associated with diagnosis of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) after a retinal vein occlusion (RVO) has concluded that OAG is a significant risk factor for RVO, highlighting the need for glaucoma risk assessment in all patients with RVOs. Link
Squint surgery study. A retrospective cohort study on patients with uncomplicated, horizontal squint has shown a significant improvement three months after surgery; the researchers concluded that surgery in non-diplopic adults with horizontal squint should be regarded as restorative of normal anatomy from a pathological state rather than a cosmetic procedure. Link
AMD and vision loss. A team of scientists from the University Hospital Bonn and the University of Bonn have looked into how early changes in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients might indicate a measurable local loss of vision. Examining patients in the early stages of AMD, the researchers focused on iRORA lesions and their impact on retinal sensitivity, concluding that the lesions were associated with severe visual impairment. The study’s findings indicate that the lesions could act as a possible marker for monitoring AMD progression, with the potential for creating new and improved treatments for the disease at an earlier stage. Link
