INTERACTIONS OF METFORMIN AND OTHER MEDICATIONS IN REDUCING THE ODDS OF AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION IN A COHORT OF PATIENTS WITH DIABETES.

Purpose: A previous study from our group demonstrated protective effects of the use of metformin in the odds of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This is a subgroup analysis in a cohort of patients with diabetes to assess the interaction of metformin and other medications in protecting diabetic patients against developing AMD.

Methods: This is a case-control analysis using data from the Merative MarketScan Commercial and Medicare databases.

Double-Scroll Formation by Fluid Column Manipulation in Preloaded DMEK Grafts Prepared From Younger and Older Donor Tissue.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether manipulation of preloaded single-scroll Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) grafts within the fluid column of an injector can safely and reliably result in formation of double-scroll DMEK grafts and whether there are differential effects on younger versus older donor tissue.

Methods: Pairs of DMEK grafts prepared from older (65-80 years) and younger (48-64 years) donors were preloaded into a Straiko modified Jones tube. One member of the pair was manipulated within the fluid column to form a double-scroll graft, and the other remained unmanipulated.

Retinoblastoma presenting as pseudohypopyon and preserved visual acuity.

Purpose: To describe a Case of retinoblastoma that presented subtly as a pseudohypopyon in a child with preserved visual acuity.

Observations: A 3-year-old male was referred for concern of hypopyon in the left eye. Initial examination revealed 20/30 vision, a pseudohypopyon, and a large white mass on fundoscopy.

Association of Metformin Use With Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Case-Control Study.

Importance: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of irreversible blindness in older adults, appears to have no effective preventive measures. The common antidiabetic drug metformin has been shown to have protective outcomes in multiple age-associated diseases and may have the potential to protect against the development of AMD.

Objective: To determine whether metformin use is associated with reduced odds of developing AMD.

Update on the Surgical Management of Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy.

Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) is the most common posterior corneal dystrophy and the leading indication for corneal transplantation in the United States. FECD is slowly progressive, and patients develop gradual corneal endothelial decompensation, eventually resulting in failure of the endothelium to maintain corneal deturgescence. Medical management consists of topical hyperosmotic agents to facilitate dehydration of the cornea, but surgical intervention is often required to regain corneal clarity.

Validation of a photophobia symptom impact scale.

Background: Routine assessment of photophobia in the clinical setting may underestimate the presence and severity of this condition. We aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire to improve evaluation of the impact of photophobia on activities of daily living, and to determine the relationship of this questionnaire to psychophysical assessment of light sensitivity thresholds.

Methods: We developed the 17-item Utah Photophobia Symptom Impact Scale (UPSIS-17) and compared its psychometric properties to the 8-item Korean Photophobia Questionnaire (KUMC-8).

Rho GTPase signaling promotes constitutive expression and release of TGF-β2 by human trabecular meshwork cells.

Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is causally implicated in the pathophysiology of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). The molecular mechanisms responsible for elevated IOP remain elusive, but may involve aberrant expression and signaling of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β2 within the trabecular meshwork (TM). Consistent with previously published studies, we show here that exogenous addition of TGF-β2 to cultured porcine anterior segments significantly attenuates outflow facility in a time-dependent manner.

Primary cilia dynamics instruct tissue patterning and repair of corneal endothelium.

Primary cilia are required for several signaling pathways, but their function in cellular morphogenesis is poorly understood. Here we show that emergence of an hexagonal cellular pattern during development of the corneal endothelium (CE), a monolayer of neural crest-derived cells that maintains corneal transparency, depends on a precise temporal control of assembly of primary cilia that subsequently disassemble in adult corneal endothelial cells (CECs). However, cilia reassembly occurs rapidly in response to an in vivo mechanical injury and precedes basal body polarization and cellular elongation in mature CECs neighboring the wound.