ROP

TO Dukey:



What you say is thrilling news for myopes. I will also get this to my daughter.

However, unless my good eye has CNV, it is not relevant. Yet maybe it is. Because my good eye  is vulnerable to RD. It might even have too much laser, so it might be more vulnerable.

I have lattice degeneration, myopia, retina problems 3 times in the family,

Can you say that CNV might be relevant to my condition?.

Could it also help RPO?  Degenerative myopia?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[dukey]

Of course, I am not a doctor and so can only voice my opinion about the situation with myopia having read just about everything out there. To me, coming from molecular biologist who works on perhaps the biggest genetic condition out there (diabetes), your situation sounds like a genetic defect that leaves you vulnerable to RDs. I know your daughter suffered bilateral RDs at a very young age. That is very unusual and significant and suggests to me a strong genetic predisposition. It's a big red flag. I know that lattice, myopia, giant retinal tears etc can cluster in families and these can all lead to a bunch of RDs in a single family. In fact, it is believed that it is the underlying condition that is transmitted and not the RD per se. This idea goes back to 1924! I think you might want to consider reading this. The introduction will ring a lot of bells with you I am sure!

http://bjo.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/57/8/566?ijkey=083fb02c6951e98d52fee05c1af7a2de3fdf3929&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

That link might get removed, if so contact me and I will send it to you.

I think in pure pathological myopia though, many of the common fundus findings (i.e. atrophy, lattice, staphyloma) are made much worse by CNV. CNV is what causes the vision loss in almost all cases of myopia. The specific underlying condition may be different but CNV is usually the end point and is the point at which vision loss becomes significant. Most articles state this and I am not saying anything new here. Dr Hagan has commented once or twice that many of his patients would be in a much better state had ant-VEGF treatment been available a few years ago, and I can believe it.

Again, I am not a clinician so take what I say however you want :)  

[dukey]

Oh and yes I do know that anti-VEGF is used for ROP. My doc uses it himself on the little babies if he has to.

[AnnaE]

Thanks again for giving us the info, and bing this to our attention again. I missed Dr. Haagan's earlier comments.

. I think your point of view is very important. I did not know you worked with diabetes. I teach and run programs in ESl, and my hispanic students taught me about diabetes, with stories about their parents. I was so saddened. Someone I know in anthropology did her diss on hispanics with diabetes.

Ahhhh...about the little babies getting help.

I think of Berrywoo now when I think of ROP.

I have always thought of my condition as inherited. Nephew with RP. Brother with severe myopia.

Thanks again.

[AnnaE]

Doesn't it seem like at least one of my eye doctors would have mentioned this over the years?

I still think the nutty surgeon operated on me and laserd me for practice--especially since I had medicare and therefore my other insurance paid only pennies.

[AnnaE]

BTW, the wrong title slipped in ther forthis discussion. S/B CNB

The psychiatrist who gives me meds to help me cope with my unnessary RD thinks the time I spend on this forum should be spent on my scholaly publications. That's because she has never had 5 preventable RDs in one eye, and because she is not trying to prevent another series of RDs in her good eye.