Ophthalmology News

Interventions geared towards the health care system, health care professionals, and patients led to a 12% increase in retinopathy screening attendance vs. usual care, according to a recently published Cochrane Systematic Review. “Due to the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and the very real risk it poses to sight, our review highlights the importance of such interventions, as similar increases in attendance could have significant implications for people with diabetes, as the earlier we can detect the signs of retinopathy, the sooner we can start treatment,” John Lawrenson, PhD MSc, an author of the Cochrane review and professor of clinical visual science at City University of London, said in a press release.

While the Super Bowl draws the NFL season to a close, several health issues raised around this year’s game remain important for clinicians to consider.

Even more than chronic kidney disease, presence of proliferative diabetic retinopathy increased the risk for cardiovascular disease in adults with long-standing type 1 diabetes, according to findings published in Diabetes Care.

Regeneron has launched a consortium to fund the generation of genetic exome sequence data from 500,000 volunteer participants, the company announced in a press release.

Gary A. Smith

The wholesale acquisition cost of one-time Luxturna treatment for confirmed biallelic RPE65 mutation-associated retinal dystrophy is $425,000 per eye, Spark Therapeutics confirmed in an email to Healio.com/OSN.

A machine-learning technology known as a deep learning system showed high sensitivity and specificity for recognizing diabetic retinopathy and related eye diseases among patients with diabetes, according to data published in JAMA.

An overwhelming 79% of Americans are unaware that diabetic eye diseases exhibit no visible symptoms, and more than half are unaware that comprehensive eye exams can detect diabetes, according to the American Optometric Association.

Families affected by the Zika virus often experience a mix of emotions, and health care providers must offer appropriate support, David J. Schonfeld, MD, FAAP, said during the Zika Virus and Your Eyes Webinar.

CHICAGO – “Wavefront refractions are predicted to improve visual acuity in [those with Down syndrome] and can be used as an additional tool to prescribe glasses,” Ayeswarya Ravikumar, PhD, said at an academy-sponsored press conference here at the American Academy of Optometry meeting.