Consensus and guidelines on diagnosis and management of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) from the Asia-Pacific Vitreo-retina Society (APVRS).

A panel of 21 international experts are formed by the Asia-Pacific Vitreo-retina Society to work out the consensus and guidelines on polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). PCV is a common subtype of neovascular age-related macular degeneration and is more prevalent in Asian populations. Recent advancement in imaging technology allows greater understanding of the disease process of PCV.

Two novel SNPs Rs1736952 and Rs17354984 are highly associated with uveitis in ankylosing spondylitis.

Background: Noninfectious anterior uveitis shares genetic factors, including HLA-B27, with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The aim of this study was to identify significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with noninfectious anterior uveitis in AS patients, which could help predict the risk of developing this condition and provide deeper insights into its genetic underpinnings.

Methods: A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted utilizing the genomic data of 468 AS patients, including 90 with noninfectious anterior uveitis and 378 without it, from the Taiwan Precision Medicine Initiative.

Visual outcomes of central retinal artery occlusion: Exploring treatment strategies beyond the conventional time window.

Backgrounds/aims: Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is a vision-devastating emergency. However, widely-acknowledged treatment consensus is lacking and prehospital delays commonly occur. Hence, we aimed to investigate the visual outcomes of conservative treatments (CT), local intra-arterial fibrinolysis (LIF) and hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy for non-arteritic CRAO (NA-CRAO) patients beyond the conventional time window.

Multiple parafoveal retinal detachment in myopic tractional maculopathy.

This study investigates the occurrence of multiple parafoveal retinal detachments (RDs) in myopic traction maculopathy (MTM), emphasizing the atypical extrafoveal involvement compared to central foveal detachment commonly observed. Patient 1, a 46-year-old male, exhibited MTM with retinoschisis and four small subretinal fluid (SRF) pockets inferior to the fovea, accompanied by a hyperautofluorescent vitelliform deposit. Patient 2, a 43-year-old male, reported ring-shaped dim vision in the left eye, displaying MTM with six stable SRF pockets surrounding the fovea.

Reprogramming patient-iPSC specific retinal organoids for deciphering epigenetic modifications of RNA methylation.

Background: Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology has emerged as a powerful tool for disease modeling, providing an innovative platform for investigating disease mechanisms. iPSC-derived organoids, including retinal organoids, offer patient-specific models that closely replicate in vivo cellular environments, making them ideal for studying retinal neurodegenerative diseases where retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are impacted. N6-methyladenosine (m6A), a prevalent internal modification in eukaryotic mRNAs, plays a critical role in RNA metabolic processes such as splicing, stability, translation, and transport.

Identifying Multiomic Signatures of X-Linked Retinoschisis-Derived Retinal Organoids and Mice Harboring Patient-Specific Mutation Using Spatiotemporal Single-Cell Transcriptomics.

X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) is an inherited retinal disorder with severe retinoschisis and visual impairments. Multiomics approaches integrate single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatiotemporal transcriptomics (ST) offering potential for dissecting transcriptional networks and revealing cell-cell interactions involved in biomolecular pathomechanisms. Herein, a multimodal approach is demonstrated combining high-throughput scRNA-seq and ST to elucidate XLRS-specific transcriptomic signatures in two XLRS-like models with retinal splitting phenotypes, including genetically engineered (Rs1) mice and patient-derived retinal organoids harboring the same patient-specific p.

Impact of Aflibercept vs Dexamethasone Treatment on Epiretinal Membrane Formation in Eyes with Diabetic Macular Edema.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the impact of aflibercept and dexamethasone (DEX) on the formation of epiretinal membrane (ERM) and their treatment outcomes in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME).

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, medical records of 124 eyes from 429 patients diagnosed with DME were reviewed between June 2017 and June 2019. Patients were categorized into two groups: the aflibercept group (67 eyes) and the DEX group (57 eyes).

The Short-Term Efficacy and Safety of Faricimab in Refractory Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: The Real-World Experience in Taiwan.

Introduction: Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment stands as the primary approach for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Faricimab has recently emerged as a novel anti-VEGF option for nAMD. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of faricimab in patients with refractory nAMD.

Inhibition of angiogenesis by the secretome from iPSC-derived retinal ganglion cells with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy-like phenotypes.

The blood supply in the retina ensures photoreceptor function and maintains regular vision. Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), caused by the mitochondrial DNA mutations that deteriorate complex I activity, is characterized by progressive vision loss. Although some reports indicated retinal vasculature abnormalities as one of the comorbidities in LHON, the paracrine influence of LHON-affected retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) on vascular endothelial cell physiology remains unclear.

Predicting Risks of Dry Eye Disease Development Using a Genome-Wide Polygenic Risk Score Model.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to conduct a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) and construct a polygenic risk score (PRS) for risk stratification in patients with dry eye disease (DED) using the Taiwan Biobank (TWB) databases.

Methods: This retrospective case-control study involved 40,112 subjects of Han Chinese ancestry, sourced from the publicly available TWB. Cases were patients with DED (n = 14,185), and controls were individuals without DED (n = 25,927).

Exome sequencing and genome-wide association analyses unveils the genetic predisposition in hydroxychloroquine retinopathy.

Objectives: To unveil the candidate susceptibility genes in chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine (CQ/HCQ) retinopathy using whole exome sequencing (WES) and genome-wide association study (GWAS).

Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of CQ/HCQ retinopathy based on the comprehensive demographic and ocular examination were included. The peripheral blood was extracted for WES and GWAS analyses.

Decoding and reconstructing disease relations between dry eye and depression: a multimodal investigation comprising meta-analysis, genetic pathways and Mendelian randomization.

Introduction: The clinical presentations of dry eye disease (DED) and depression (DEP) often comanifest. However, the robustness and the mechanisms underlying this association were undetermined.

Objectives: To this end, we set up a three-segment study that employed multimodality results (meta-analysis, genome-wide association study [GWAS] and Mendelian randomization [MR]) to elucidate the association, common pathways and causality between DED and DEP.

TENAYA and LUCERNE: Two-Year Results from the Phase 3 Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration Trials of Faricimab with Treat-and-Extend Dosing in Year 2.

Purpose: To evaluate 2-year efficacy, durability, and safety of the bispecific antibody faricimab, which inhibits both angiopoietin-2 and VEGF-A.

Design: TENAYA (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT03823287) and LUCERNE (ClinicalTrials.

Six-Year Outcomes in Subjects with Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy in the EVEREST II Study.

Introduction: The EVEREST II study previously reported that intravitreally administered ranibizumab (IVR) combined with photodynamic therapy (PDT) achieved superior visual gain and polypoidal lesion closure compared to IVR alone in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). This follow-up study reports the long-term outcomes 6 years after initiation of the EVEREST II study.

Methods: This is a non-interventional cohort study of 90 patients with PCV from 16 international trial sites who originally completed the EVEREST II study.

EFFICIENCY AND SAFETY OF INTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE PEELING WITH DIFFERENT FORCEPS FOR MACULAR DISEASE.

Purpose: To compare the efficiency and safety of internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling between the Sharkskin forceps and End-grasping forceps in various macular diseases.

Methods: It is a prospective cohort block-randomized study conducted in a tertiary medical center. Seventy subjects with macular hole, epiretinal membrane, vitreomacular traction syndrome, or myopic foveoschisis, receiving pars plana vitrectomy and ILM peeling surgery were equally divided into Sharkskin forceps group and End-grasping forceps group.

Stereotactic radiosurgery for orbital cavernous hemangiomas.

Objective: The goal of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of single-session Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for orbital cavernous hemangiomas (OCHs).

Methods: Patients who presented with an OCH between September 1999 and May 2022 and were treated with single-session GKRS were included in this single-center cohort study.

Results: There were 23 patients (7 males and 16 females) in this study.

Efficacy, Durability, and Safety of Faricimab in Patients From Asian Countries With Diabetic Macular Edema: 1-Year Subgroup Analysis of the Phase III YOSEMITE and RHINE Trials.

Purpose: To assess the 1-year efficacy, durability, and safety of faricimab in patients with diabetic macular edema from Asian and non-Asian countries.

Design: Global, multicenter, randomized, double-masked, active comparator-controlled, phase III trials.

Methods: Subgroup analysis of patients from Asian (N=144) and non-Asian (N=1747) countries randomized to faricimab 6.

Quantification of microvascular change of retinal degeneration in Royal College of Surgeons rats using high-resolution spectral domain optical coherence tomography angiography.

Significance: For research on retinitis pigmentosa in humans, the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat is commonly used as the primary animal model since the disease process is similar. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how the disease develops and determine whether the treatment is effective.

Aim: In this study, structural and microvascular change of retinal degeneration in RCS rats was assessed non-invasively on specific dates over 3.

Guidelines and treatment patterns for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachments: Expert consensus and survey in Taiwan Retina Society.

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is a significant cause of vision loss and requires appropriate surgical intervention. There are several approaches available, including observation, laser demarcation, pneumatic retinopexy, scleral buckling, and pars plana vitrectomy, which are chosen based on patient condition, surgeon experience, and national health insurance policies. Despite the various options, there is still no consensus on the optimal intervention.

TMEM132D and VIPR2 Polymorphisms as Genetic Risk Loci for Retinal Detachment: A Genome-Wide Association Study and Polygenic Risk Score Analysis.

Purpose: Retinal detachment (RD) is a sight-threatening ocular disease caused by separation of the neurosensory retina from the underlying retinal pigment epithelium layer. Its genetic basis is unclear because of a limited amount of data. In this study, we aimed to identify genetic risk loci associated with RD in participants without diabetes mellitus and to construct a polygenic risk score (PRS) to predict the risk of RD.

Inhibition of oxidative stress-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in retinal pigment epithelial cells of age-related macular degeneration model by suppressing ERK activation.

Introduction: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells is related to the pathogenesis of various retinopathies including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Oxidative stress is the major factor that induces degeneration of RPE cells associated with the etiology of AMD.

Objectives: Sodium iodate (NaIO) generates intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and is widely used to establish a model of AMD due to the selective induction of retinal degeneration.

Refining vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) is the main treatment modality for patients with severe diabetic retinopathy. With the development of systems for microincision, wide-angle viewing, digitally assisted visualization, and intraoperative optical coherence tomography, contemporary PPV for diabetic retinopathy has been performed on a wider range of indications than previously considered. In this article, we reviewed, in conjunction with our collective experiences with Asian patients, the applications of new technologies for PPV in eyes with diabetic retinopathy and highlighted several important procedures and entities not generally reiterated in the literature, in order for vitreoretinal surgeons to optimize their approaches when facing the challenges imposed by the complications in diabetic eyes.