Top five ophthalmology news stories from ASRS

The American Society of Retina Specialists meeting in Vienna included the latest clinical research on retinal diseases.

Leading ophthalmologists gathered to discuss the surgical and technological advances in the treatments for age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema and other retinal diseases.

Here are the top five most-viewed stories from the ASRS meeting published on Healio.com/OSN:

1. Topical squalamine shows encouraging results in phase 2 studies

Final results of the phase 2 IMPACT study of topical squalamine lactate in the treatment of neovascular AMD showed a trend toward increased efficacy in specific lesion types. Read more

2. Intraoperative OCT enhances surgical decision-making

Microscope-integrated intraoperative OCT provides valuable feedback and significantly impacts decision-making during surgery, according to a study. Read more

3. Analysis: Lucentis may be more cost-effective than Eylea for DME

A cost-effectiveness analysis based on Protocol T results found considerably higher costs and minimal gain in quality-adjusted life-years with Eylea compared with Lucentis for the treatment of diabetic macular edema, leading to the conclusion that Lucentis may be more cost-effective. Read more

4. ROTATE study shows letter gain in DME patients who switch anti-VEGF agents

Six-month results of the Genentech-sponsored ROTATE trial showed benefits of switching to ranibizumab 0.3 mg in patients with diabetic macular edema after recent, frequent and long-term treatment with bevacizumab. Read more

5. PAT survey shows steady increase in use of anti-VEGFs, healthy drive toward practice expansion

The 2015 ASRS Preferences and Trends survey shows a steady increase in the use of anti-VEGFs, earlier switch of treatment for nonresponders and a growing consensus on treat-and-extend as best regimen when treating age-related macular degeneration. Read more