Durability and Efficacy of Faricimab in Treatment-Resistant Retinal Edema Utilizing "Real-World" Dosing Regimens.

To retrospectively analyze clinical outcomes of patients with "treatment-resistant" neovascular age-related macular degeneration or diabetic macular edema who were switched to intravitreal faricimab injections (IFIs) using a "real-world" treat-and-extend (TAE) protocol. Seventy-one eyes from 62 patients receiving antivascular endothelial growth factor injections were evaluated before and after switching to IFI. Demographic and clinical data were collected.

Telehealth Encourages Patients with Diabetes in Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups to Return for in-Person Ophthalmic Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionate impact on patients from racial and/or ethnic minority groups, causing many to delay healthcare. This study evaluates the role telehealth visits played in helping patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) return for subsequent, in-person eye examinations after the outbreak of COVID-19.

Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study analyzed 8147 patients with DM who had completed an outpatient ophthalmology and/or optometry visit in 2019 and who were due for return evaluation after the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.

Utilization of Remote Diabetic Retinal Screening in a Suburban Healthcare System.

Purpose: We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the utilization of a tele-ophthalmology screening program in a low-risk, suburban population of patients with diabetes.

Methods: A total of 214 diabetic patients without previously documented diabetic retinopathy (DR) underwent point-of-care non-mydriatic fundus photography through their primary care providers at five Beth Israel Lahey Health locations. The characteristics of the patients who received remote screening were compared with those patients who were eligible for screening but did not take part in the program.

Modeling the impact of COVID-19 on Retina Clinic Performance.

Background: COVID-19, a highly contagious respiratory virus, presents unique challenges to ophthalmology practice as a high-volume, office-based specialty. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many operational changes were adopted in our ophthalmology clinic to enhance patient and provider safety while maintaining necessary clinical operations. The aim of this study was to evaluate how measures adopted during the pandemic period affected retina clinic performance and patient satisfaction, and to model future clinic flow to predict operational performance under conditions of increasing patient and provider volumes.

Early Conversion to Aflibercept for Persistent Diabetic Macular Edema Results in Better Visual Outcomes and Lower Treatment Costs.

Purpose: To evaluate the functional and anatomic outcomes, as well as cost-effectiveness, of the timing of conversion to intravitreal aflibercept (IVA) in patients with treatment-resistant diabetic macular edema (DME).

Methods: Thirty consecutive eyes (25 patients) were identified that were treated with ≥3 intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) and/or ranibizumab (IVR) injections prior to treatment with ≥3 IVA injections. Eyes that received ≤6 IVB and/or IVR injections (early-switch) were compared to those that received ≥7 injections (late-switch) prior to conversion to IVA.

Effect of Fluid Status at Week 12 on Visual and Anatomic Outcomes at Week 52 in the VIEW 1 and 2 Trials.

Background And Objective: To evaluate effect of retinal fluid status at week 12 on visual and anatomic outcomes at week 52 in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration from the VIEW studies.

Patients And Methods: Post-hoc analysis included 1,465 eyes treated with intravitreal aflibercept (Eylea; Regeneron, Tarrytown, NY) 2 mg every 4 weeks (2q4) or every 8 weeks following three initial monthly injections (2q8) or ranibizumab (Lucentis; Genentech, South San Francisco, CA) 0.5 mg every 4 weeks (Rq4), which had known retinal fluid status at weeks 12 and 52.

Changes in flare after intravitreal injection of three different anti-vascular endothelial growth factor medications.

Purpose: To compare the change in anterior chamber flare after intravitreal injection of the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents bevacizumab, aflibercept, and ranibizumab.

Methods: Sixty-one eyes of 53 patients underwent intravitreal injection with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor medications for exudative age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, or retinal vein occlusion. There were a total of 26 eyes injected with bevacizumab, 14 eyes injected with aflibercept, and 21 eyes injected with ranibizumab.

Randomized trial of anesthetic methods for intravitreal injections.

Purpose: To compare the effectiveness of four different anesthetic methods for intravitreal injection.

Methods: Twenty-four patients each received four intravitreal injections using each of four types of anesthesia (proparacaine, tetracaine, lidocaine pledget, and subconjunctival injection of lidocaine) in a prospective, masked, randomized block design. Pain was graded by the patient on a 0 to 10 scale for both the anesthesia and the injection.

Preferential Hyperacuity Perimetry to detect hydroxychloroquine retinal toxicity.

Purpose: To determine if Preferential Hyperacuity Perimetry (PHP) testing can detect the presence of retinal toxicity due to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) or chloroquine administration.

Methods: Fifteen patients were divided into three groups. Five patients had confirmed HCQ or chloroquine toxicity, five patients had suspected HCQ toxicity, and five patients had history of long-term use of HCQ or chloroquine but no evidence of toxicity.

Magnesium chloride in a polyethylene glycol formulation as a neuroprotective therapy for acute spinal cord injury: preclinical refinement and optimization.

Intravenously administered magnesium has been extensively investigated as a neuroprotective agent traumatic brain injuries and stroke. Numerous investigators have reported the neuroprotective benefits of magnesium in animal models of spinal cord injury (SCI) as well, but typically with doses that far exceed human tolerability. To develop magnesium into a clinically relevant therapy for SCI, further refinement and improvement of the magnesium formulation is necessary.

Anatomic and visual outcomes of noninfectious endophthalmitis after intravitreal triamcinolone.

Purpose: To describe the anatomic and visual outcomes of patients in whom noninfectious endophthalmitis developed after injection of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Methods: Ophthalmologic evaluations of patients in whom noninfectious endophthalmitis developed after intravitreal triamcinolone took place on the day of injection, at the time of presentation of noninfectious endophthalmitis, at the time of clearance of inflammation, and on follow-up examination.

Intravascular lymphoma masquerading as Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome.

Purpose: To describe the clinical course of a case of intravascular lymphoma.

Design: Case report.

Methods: Retrospective chart review.

Profound choroidal hypoperfusion after combined photodynamic therapy and intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide.

Background And Objective: To report a case series of patients with profound choroidal hypoperfusion on fluorescein angiography following combined photodynamic therapy (PDT) and intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVT) for age-related macular degeneration.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed of all 108 patients (155 treatments) who had combined PDT/IVT between January 2002 and December 2004 at the institution.

Results: Fifteen patients were identified with "profound choroidal hypoperfusion.

Effect of adjunctive diclofenac with verteporfin therapy to treat choroidal neovascularization due to age-related macular degeneration: phase II study.

Background: To determine short-term effects of topical diclofenac administered in conjunction with verteporfin therapy for predominantly classic subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: Randomized, multicenter (14), prospective, placebo-controlled, double-masked clinical trial. Patients (n=61) were randomly assigned to treatment with diclofenac sodium ophthalmic solution 0.

Effects of polyethylene glycol and magnesium sulfate administration on clinically relevant neurological outcomes after spinal cord injury in the rat.

The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and magnesium sulfate (MgSO(4)) on clinically relevant motor, sensory, and autonomic outcomes after spinal cord injury (SCI). Rats were injured by clip compression (50 g; T4) and treated 15 min and 6 hr postinjury intravenously (tail vein) with PEG (1 g/kg, 30% w/w in saline; n = 11), MgSO(4) (300 mg/kg; n = 5), PEG + MgSO(4) (n = 6), or saline (n = 10). Behavioral testing lasted for 6 weeks, followed by histological analysis of the spinal cord.

Early treatment of cystoid macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion with intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide.

Background And Objective: To determine the efficacy of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) in the early treatment of severe cystoid macular edema (CME) related to acute branch retinal vein occlusion.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective, non-comparative case series. Twelve eyes with severe CME (foveal thickness > 450 microm) secondary to acute branch retinal vein occlusion received IVTA.

Symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders in ophthalmologists.

Objective: To describe the presence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the neck, low back, and upper extremity among ophthalmologists.

Design: Survey.

Methods: Mail survey using a pretested instrument to 2,529 ophthalmologists in the Northeastern United States; 697 ophthalmologists (28%) returned a completed survey.

Percutaneous carotid artery angioplasty and stenting for ocular ischemic syndrome.

Purpose: To describe percutaneous carotid angioplasty and stenting to treat ocular ischemic syndrome resulting from severe intracranial carotid artery stenosis.

Design: Retrospective case series of 3 patients with ocular ischemic syndrome and intracranial carotid artery stenosis.

Intervention: All patients underwent carotid artery evaluation, including ultrasound, transcranial Doppler, magnetic resonance imaging or magnetic resonance angiography,and angiography.

The importance of multiphase and multicomponent modeling in consequence and risk analysis.

The ability to accurately predict the consequences of hazardous fluid release is dependent on three things: the knowledge of the modeler, the quality of the model that is used, and the quality of the input parameters. One of the most difficult problems in consequence modeling is the prediction of post-release multiphase behavior, especially when a multicomponent mixture is involved. Releases from gas/oil wells often fit this description.

Isolated allogeneic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal cells engraft and stimulate growth in children with osteogenesis imperfecta: Implications for cell therapy of bone.

Treatment with isolated allogeneic mesenchymal cells has the potential to enhance the therapeutic effects of conventional bone marrow transplantation in patients with genetic disorders affecting mesenchymal tissues, including bone, cartilage, and muscle. To demonstrate the feasibility of mesenchymal cell therapy and to gain insight into the transplant biology of these cells, we used gene-marked, donor marrow-derived mesenchymal cells to treat six children who had undergone standard bone marrow transplantation for severe osteogenesis imperfecta. Each child received two infusions of the allogeneic cells.

Homocysteine: a risk factor for retinal venous occlusive disease.

Purpose: Recent studies have shown a relationship between elevated levels of homocysteine and vascular disease including cerebrovascular accidents and myocardial infarctions. We evaluated patients with a recent retinal vein occlusion to determine if there was an associated elevation of homocysteine.

Design: Age and gender matched case-controlled study.