New focus on ocular inflammation and possible therapeutic pathways

A new study published in The American Journal of Pathology provides new evidence that immune cells enter the retina via the body's standard pathway, identifying Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule (PECAM; also known as CD31) as the gatekeeper and neutrophils as proresolving mediators. This research offers new insights into how eye inflammation develops and could lead to better-targeted treatment options.

Stimulating the retina to allow people to see a brand new color

A team of engineers, computer scientists and ophthalmologists at the University of California, Berkeley, working with a pair of colleagues at the University of Washington, has developed a technique for stimulating the retina that allows people to see a color not normally seen by humans.

In their study published in the journal Science Advances, the group identified certain photoreceptors in volunteers and then stimulated them to allow those volunteers to see the unique color, which the team has named "olo."

NEI-funded researchers “push the ENVLPE” with new virus-like particle to fix mutations causing blindness

(c) Wikipedia

A research team funded by the National Eye Institute have developed a new virus-like particle (VLP) to enhance how specialists edit proteins causing inherited diseases.

This new VLP system, called engineered nucleocytosolic vehicles for loading of programmable editors — or ENVLPE — efficiently corrected two mutations associated with blindness. The researchers anticipate this CRISPR gene editing approach also being used to treat other inherited diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and familial hypercholesterolemia.

Nanotechnology may improve gene therapy for blindness

Using nanotechnology that enabled mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, a new approach to gene therapy may improve how physicians treat inherited forms of blindness.

Obesity linked to Macular Degeneration

(c) MSDManuals

A Canadian study published in the journal Science elucidates a new molecular mechanism that may cause age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The research at Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosement, in Montreal, shows how life stressors such as obesity reprogram immune system cells and make them destructive to the eye as it ages.

Two separate eye diseases may contribute to Age-related Macular Degeneration

(c) Prevent Blindness

Two separate eye diseases may contribute to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to a new study from New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.

According to a news release, the research is the first to demonstrate that two different types of deposits in the retina may contribute to early AMD, which can progress to advanced AMD and blindness. These two diseases could be diagnosed, studied, and treated separately with appropriate early intervention to prevent vision loss and other complications.

Does Anti-VEGF Injections Increase the likelihood of Tractional Retinal Detachment in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopatht?

(c) eyerounds.org

Is there an increased risk for tractional retinal detachment (TRD) in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) associated with intravitreal injections alone compared with other treatment regimens? That's the question that researchers at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania sought an answer for. 

New potential mechanism for vision loss discovered

(c) ASRS Image Bank

Scientists from Germany have discovered that visual cells in the human retina may not simply die in some diseases, but are mechanically transported out of the retina beforehand. For their research, they used miniature human retinas produced in the laboratory, so-called organoids. 

The authors report on their research in the journal Nature Communications, which paves the way for completely new research approaches, especially in connection with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The HAWK Extension Study outcomes with Brolucizumab in nAMD similar to those seen in Pivotal Phase 3 Studies

Efficacy and safety with the intended commercial formulation of brolucizumab 6 mg in neovascular age-related macular degeneration patients was consistent with that observed in the Phase III studies. 

Best-corrected visual acuity gain and central subfield thickness reduction observed at the end of the core study were maintained to Week 24 of the extension study. There was no indication of difference in the safety profile of the brolucizumab 6 mg drug product intended for commercialization and the brolucizumab 3 mg or 6 mg drug product used in the Phase III clinical trials.

Treating Age-Related Macular Degeneration before Decline in Visual Impairment

A retrospective analysis from data in a study from Japan indicates that initiating anti-vascular endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) treatment before best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) declines and advanced lesions develop would afford better visual outcomes for eyes of patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). They also found that eyes with a relatively good initial BCVA, such as < 0.3 in logMAR (Snellen 20/40), and without fibrovascular PED would achieve sustained or improved BCVA after anti-VEGF treatment within 3 years of follow-up. 

Cholesterol and diabetes drugs may lessen risk of degenerative eye disease of aging

Regular use of drugs to lower cholesterol and control type 2 diabetes may lessen the risk of age related macular degeneration, a degenerative eye disease that is associated with aging. This is a finding from a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, which has been published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

The results show that these common drugs are linked to lower prevalence of AMD in European populations.

Blinding eye disease is strongly associated with heart disease and stroke

(c) Ophthalmology Retina

Patients with a specific form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the United States, are at significant risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to new research from New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. This study, published in the July issue of Retina, is the first to demonstrate a link between the disorders.

Smart LED Contact Lenses for Treating Diabetic Retinopathy

(c) POSTECH

A team of scientists from Pohang University of Science and Technology in #SouthKorea and their collaborators have recently developed a smart contact lens-type wearable device to prevent diabetic retinopathy and treat it in its early stages.

A new type of Gene Therapy demonstrates the potential to treat Blindness

(c) Veronique Juvin, Sciartwork

Doctors have been able to use a form of gene therapy described as optogenetics for the first time to restore partial vision in a blind person. The research team genetically altered retinal ganglion cells to become light-sensitive in a man whose vision was destroyed by retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disorder that breaks down cells that absorb and convert light into brain signals.

Evidence of Retinal damage may indicate increased risk of Stroke and Dementia

(c) Progress in Retinal & Eye Research

Pictures of the retina may someday provide early warning signs that a person is at an increased risk of stroke and dementia, making it possible to take preventive measures, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2021. 

New Study links Alzheimer's disease to Age-related Macular Degeneration

(c) Cells [link below]

Newly published research has revealed a close link between proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease and age-related sight loss. The findings could open the way to new treatments for patients with deteriorating vision and through this study, the scientists believe they could reduce the need for using animals in future research into blinding conditions.

New therapeutic approach to treating Age-related Macular Degeneration

Scientists have found that inhibition of Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1), which has been linked to retinal neovascularization and the development of abnormal blood vessels resulting in vision loss, presents a new therapeutic approach in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Their results are reported in The American Journal of Pathology.

Metformin may help in reducing the risk for Macular Degeneration

In a large case-control study using a national database of patients, metformin use was associated with reduced odds of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This association was dose dependent, with the greatest benefit at low to moderate doses. When looking only at patients with diabetes, the authors note preservation of the dose-dependent decrease in the odds of patients developing AMD. Metformin does not appear to be protective in patients with diabetes and coexisting diabetic retinopathy. This study suggests that metformin may be useful as a preventive therapy for AMD and provides the basis for potential prospective clinical trials.

A commonly used anti-VEGF may not be as effective in treating diabetic macular edema in black patients

(c) peimag.com

A new study indicates a medication frequently used to treat diabetic macular edema, the most common cause of blindness in people with diabetes, is less effective when used to treat the condition in Black patients. 

Artificial Intelligence to predict heart disease via the eyes

(c) iaidl.org

An international collaboration of researchers has developed an autonomous artificial intelligence that is able to predict the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients through the blood vessels of the retina. The results of the study were published in the journal Nature Biological Engineering.