The HCPLive diabetic macular edema page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on DME. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for the leading cause of blindness, and more.
May 20th 2024
On May 20, 2024, the FDA announced the approval of 2 products as interchangeable biosimilars to aflibercept—the first products to receive such a designation from the FDA.
New Telemedicine Screening Program Looks to Improve Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy
As part of their overall health management, patients with diabetes are encouraged to undergo annual eye exams. While not all patients follow this direction, research is being done to better improve their eye health by working with their general practitioners.
Taking Treatment from the Lab to the Clinic: Rishi Singh from Cleveland Clinic
In many, if not most cases, there can be a break in the chain between researchers and the doctors they are developing treatments for. When that divide does not exist it can mean more direct access for doctors and patients to the latest treatments even in the development stages.
Treating Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration Making Great Strides
The treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration has come a long way in a short period of time. While it may take some explaining that injections in the eye are the best way to treat the condition now there is work being done to find better ways for the future.
Indomethacin Paired With Ranibizumab May Improve AMD Symptoms
Italian researchers found that supplementing ranibizumab treatment with the daily administration of an NSAID solution improved AMD symptoms better than ranibizumab alone, and believe over time greater statistical significance will emerge.
The Mediterranean Diet and Macular Degeneration
Does adherence to the Mediterranean diet reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration? Portuguese researchers attempted to determine the AMD-preventative nature of the popular regional diet, which is commonly associated with fish, fruit, grains, and the occasional splash of wine.
In Diabetic Macular Edema Treatment, Addition of Diclofenac Reduced Central Macular Thickness
Although differences between treatment groups in best-corrected visual acuity were not statistically significant, combination treatment reduced central macular thickness and macular volume statistically significantly more than bevacizumab alone.
Aflibercept and Ranibizumab Produce Similar Improvement in Visual Acuity, According to Recent Study
A large observational study of results in routine clinical practice showed that visual acuity outcomes 12 months after Aflibercept or Ranibizumab treatment did not differ, and neither did the number of injections required for each agent.
Study Identifies Predictive Factors for Efficacy of Anti-VEGF Injections
The only factor that predicted visual outcomes one year after nAMD diagnosis was baseline visual acuity, which maintained its predictive ability five years after diagnosis. Visual acuity increased more frequently in women.
Resvega Improved Retinal Structure, Stabilized Visual Acuity in Neovascular AMD Case Study
In an 84-year-old woman with AMD and acute deterioration in vision, the oral antioxidant supplement Resvega led to regression of subretinal fluid and eliminated the need for intravitreal injection of an anti-VEGF agent over the course of 9 months.
An optical coherence tomography study found that, after three monthly treatments,aAflibercept was 7 times more effective than ranibizumab in resolving serous pigment epithelium detachment, though neither treatment improved visual acuity in these patients to a statistically significant degree.
Tissue Plasminogen Activator Yields Results for Wet AMD-Related Thick Subfoveal Hemorrhage
Vitrectomy plus subretinal injection of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) reduced scar area moreso than pneumatic displacement plus intravitreal injection of tPA. Visual acuity improved noticeably after both of these treatments, but not after treatment with pneumatic displacement alone.
End-Stage Renal Disease Elevates Risk of Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was 72% more likely to develop in end-stage renal disease patients than in control subjects and 74% more likely to develop in peritoneal dialysis patients than in hemodialysis patients.
In Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Lucentis and Eylea Yield Similar Injection Burden
After 12 months of follow-up, a Japanese team found a trend toward greater BCVA improvement in the Eylea group than in the Lucentis group but no statistically significant differences between groups in BCVA or central foveal thickness.
Seeking Solutions for DME Patients Who Respond Poorly to Anti-VEGF Agents
No difference in the superficial capillary plexuses was found in cases of diabetic macular edema that responded well to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor as opposed to those that didn't, but poor responders had more damage and microaneurysms in the deep capillary plexus.
Flying Eye Hospital Brings Invaluable Resources to Patients Worldwide
The treatment of various eye conditions can vary widely depending on where a patient lives. While some countries may have the best technology readily available others are lacking in not only equipment but training.
Investigational Implant Halts Recurrence of Uveitis Inflammation, Improves Visual Acuity
A long-acting fluocinolone acetonide implant improved visual acuity and controlled intraocular inflammation for 2 years in 11 eyes of 11 patients with noninfectious intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, or panuveitis.
Howard Schatz: Moving from the Operating Room to the Dark Room
It was supposed to be just a one year sabbatical for Howard Schatz to take a break from his work as a retina specialist and enjoy what had become a growing hobby of photography. More than two decades later Schatz said he misses some parts of practice but is greatly enjoying what has become a second career.
Rahul Khurana: Intravitreal Injections a Difficult Treatment Choice but Often Better Than Blindness
The discussion of intravitreal injections may not be an easy one for doctors to have with their patients, but when the full treatment picture is explained it can show how the benefits outweigh other potential issues.