Eye Research from the American Academy of Ophthalmology

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

This e-mail is a service offered to you as an Academy member.


A weekly news brief from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

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Editor-in-Chief: David W. Parke II, MD
Chief Medical Editor: Andrew G. Iwach, MD
Managing Editor: Susanne Medeiros
Contact Information AAO Advisory Panel:
Terry L. Forrest, MD, Jean E. Ramsey, MD
Milam A. Brantley, MD, James C. Tsai, MD
Sunita Radhakrishnan, MD

July 6, 2011  

New Journal Studies
Diabetes, hypertension linked to open-angle glaucoma

Nonagenarians appear at no greater risk of cataract surgery complications than octogenarians

UK study finds anti-VEGF-related safety incidents rare, but increasing

Intra-arterial chemotherapy can be effective in advanced retinoblastoma

Patients on warfarin therapy appear at no increased risk for vitrectomy complications

Scleral-fixated PC IOLs show good long-term visual acuity, high complication rate
Academy News
Open today: Nonmember registration and housing for the 2011 Annual Meeting

New video on the ONE Network demonstrates pediatric iridodialysis repair

New edition of Basic Principles of Ophthalmic Surgery now available

Wanted: Editor-in-Chief for the journal Ophthalmology

Nominations to the 2012 Board of Trustees

AAO Online Community
What’s new in the Academy online community
Industry News

Orphan drug status sought for uveitis treatment

VEGF Trap-Eye submitted for marketing approval in Japan



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NEW JOURNAL STUDIES

Diabetes, hypertension linked to open-angle glaucoma
This retrospective analysis evaluated the relationship between the various components of metabolic syndrome and open-angle glaucoma in a large, diverse sample of individuals enrolled in a national managed care network. After adjusting for confounding factors, diabetes mellitus (35 percent increased hazard) and systemic arterial hypertension (17 percent increased hazard) were found to be independently associated with OAG. Subjects with both conditions had a 48 percent increased risk compared to subjects with neither condition. Subjects with hyperlipidemia alone had a 5 percent reduced risk, while the increased hazard of OAG associated with DM and HTN were attenuated by the presence of hyperlipidemia. Ophthalmology, July 2011

Nonagenarians appear at no greater risk of cataract surgery complications than octogenarians
This retrospective analysis compared outcomes between nonagenarians and octogenarians who underwent cataract surgery at the U.S. Veterans Health Administration over a two-year period. Rates of intraoperative and postoperative complications were similar. At 90 days, 13.5 percent of octogenarians experienced complications compared with 13.4 percent of nonagenarians (P = 0.9001). Most nonagenarians lived for at least one year after surgery. The authors call for more study of other outcome parameters, such as visual function and quality of life. Ophthalmology, July 2011

UK study finds anti-VEGF-related safety incidents rare, but increasing
Investigators reviewed all anti-VEGF-related safety incidents reported to a national incident reporting database in England and Whales between 2003 and 2010. Of 166 incidents reported – which increased every year since anti-VEGF introduction in 2006 – the most common causes were intra-ocular inflammation/endophthalmitis (16), treatment or follow-up delays (45), wrong medication (26), wrong eye/patient injection (17). Of the 16 cases endophthalmitis cases reported, two were associated with bevacizumab and 14 with ranibizumab. The authors call for more rigorous infection control measures, and more patient safety reporting in the anti-VEGF era. Eye, published online, April 2011

Intra-arterial chemotherapy can be effective in advanced retinoblastoma
Researchers report on their four-year experience treating 78 patients with advanced unilateral or bilateral retinoblastoma with intra-arterial (IA) chemotherapy. Kaplan-Meier estimates of ocular event free (enucleation or radiotherapy) survival rates at two years were 70 percent for all eyes, 81.7 percent in eyes receiving IA chemotherapy as primary treatment, and 58.4 percent for eyes that previously failed intravenous chemotherapy and/or external beam radiation (EBR) therapy. For group V eyes, the event-free survival rate was 66.5 percent for all eyes, 80.5 percent for those receiving IA chemotherapy as primary treatment, and 51.5 percent for those previously treated with intravenous chemotherapy and/or EBR therapy. No permanent extraocular complications were observed. Archives of Ophthalmology, June 2011

Patients on warfarin therapy appear at no increased risk for vitrectomy complications
This retrospective, case-control study compared outcomes between 60 patients who continued warfarin therapy during the surgical period with patients not on any type of anti-coagulant therapy. While significantly more patients in the warfarin group presented with vitreous hemorrhage associated with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, they didn’t suffer more perioperative or postoperative complications from vitrectomy compared with controls. The authors believe the risks of stopping warfarin are greater than the perceived benefit of reduced complications, and don’t recommend stopping treatment before vitrectomy. British Journal of Ophthalmology, July 2011

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

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

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

way too time consuming but thanks. JHaganMD

[cwatt1]

I think Dr..Hagan would be a great choice for editor-in-chief of the Journal of Opththlmology!

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

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

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

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