Ocular Oncology News

CHICAGO — Despite identification of risk factors, many ophthalmologists still observe borderline lesions, waiting for growth before initiating treatment of uveal melanomas, Jerry A. Shields, MD, said in his delivery of the Charles L. Schepens, MD, Lecture here.

A 64-year-old woman was seen at the ophthalmology clinic with a 1-day history of decreasing vision in her left eye. She reported that throughout the preceding 24 hours, she noted increasingly blurred vision in her left eye at both distance and near. She described the blurred vision as looking through a “veil.” She denied pain, diplopia, photophobia, flashing lights or floaters. She denied constitutional symptoms including headache, weakness, dizziness, weight loss, fevers, jaw claudication, scalp pain, myalgias, arthralgias or rashes.

A 64-year-old woman was seen at the ophthalmology clinic with a 1-day history of decreasing vision in her left eye. She reported that throughout the preceding 24 hours, she noted increasingly blurred vision in her left eye at both distance and near. She described the blurred vision as looking through a “veil.” She denied pain, diplopia, photophobia, flashing lights or floaters. She denied constitutional symptoms including headache, weakness, dizziness, weight loss, fevers, jaw claudication, scalp pain, myalgias, arthralgias or rashes.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology is reminding ophthalmologists and the public that it does not recommend marijuana or other cannabis products for the treatment of glaucoma, according to a press release.

MILAN — The Italian Society of Ophthalmology honored Stefan Seregard, MD, this year with the SOI Honorary Award for his research and clinical work in the field of ocular tumors, primarily malignant melanoma.

NEW YORK — Treatment of retinoblastoma has come a long way since the American Ophthalmological Society first met in 1864, with smartphones now playing a role in patients’ hands, according to Carol L. Shields, MD.

A longer diagnostic delay from initial symptom presentation to diagnosis was significantly associated with more advanced-stage disease and worse survival among pediatric patients with bilateral retinoblastoma, study results showed.

PHILADELPHIA — Double doses of intravitreal bevacizumab may reduce macular thickness and improve best corrected visual acuity in patients with post-radiation cystoid macular edema that does not respond to standard dosing, according to a study presented here. The 2.5 mg double dose may not be a treatment option for patients whose macular edema worsened following the standard dose of 1.25 mg, Arman Mashayekhi, MD, said at the Wills Eye Annual Conference. “[In] patients who got worse with the standard dose, none improved with the double dose either,” Mashayekhi said. “That may help us in selecting our patients. In fact, if we delete this group from the study, our success rates will improve from 33% to 41%.”

A proposed clinical trial of vismodegib, a novel once-daily oral therapy, to treat orbital and periorbital basal cell carcinoma should begin recruiting in the spring, according to a physician.

Chemoreduction with cyclophosphamide controlled progression of retinoblastoma while preventing the need for enucleation and external beam radiotherapy, a study found.