(MedPage Today) — Men and heavier patients who have spine surgery may be at a greater risk for postoperative blindness, researchers found.
Author: MedPage Today
FDA to Study Complication of Cataract Surgery
WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) — A rare but potentially serious complication of cataract surgery has caught the attention of the FDA, which has launched a monitoring program to prevent outbreaks of toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS).
FDA Issues Second Contact Lens Recall
WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) — The FDA has issued a class I recall — the agency’s most serious — for a second brand of CooperVision’s AVAIRA Aquaform contact lenses that may cause serious eye injury.
Surgery Outcomes Better With Some Fat on the Bones (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Surgical patients with a body mass index at the lower end of the normal range were more likely to die within 30 days of the procedure than those in the moderately overweight range, researchers found.
FDA Approves Eylea for Macular Degeneration
(MedPage Today) — The FDA has approved a first-in-class drug, aflibercept (Eylea), for “wet” age-related macular degeneration, its manufacturer announced.
Genetic Testing for Eye Tumor Cuts Surveillance Costs (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Genetic testing of children with retinoblastoma and their families greatly reduced unnecessary and expensive clinical surveillance among potentially at-risk family members, a study suggested.
Decline in Vision Problems in Diabetes Noted (CME/CE)
ATLANTA (MedPage Today) — Diabetes-related vision deficits declined significantly over the past 15 years, according to a study by the CDC.
Eyes May Be Window on Future Disability (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Microvascular changes in the retina could be an early warning sign for disability in older people, researchers reported.
Vitamin D May Be Linked to Spine Disease (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Vitamin D was significantly lower in people with recurrent transverse myelitis, neuromyelitis optica, and related inflammatory spinal diseases, researchers found.
FDA Turns Down Merck Birth Control Pill, Glaucoma Drug
(MedPage Today) — Two products Merck had submitted to the FDA for marketing approval have been turned away with complete response letters, the company said.
FDA Strengthens Contact Lens Recall
(MedPage Today) — The FDA has raised the recall of CooperVision’s AVAIRA Toric Soft Contact Lenses for Astigmatism to Class I — the agency’s strongest — because silicone residue on the lenses could cause hazy vision, discomfort, or eye injuries.
Nail Bed Problems Point to Vascular Issues in Glaucoma (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Nail bed vascular abnormalities had a significant association with optic disc hemorrhage and other manifestations of glaucoma, data from a Korean clinical series showed.
Topical Steroids No Help for Eye Ulcers (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Bacterial corneal ulcers responded no better to adjunctive topical steroids than to placebo in a randomized trial.
Lab Notes: Knockout Mice May Be Autism Model
(MedPage Today) — Mice lacking a gene related to neural development showed behavioral abnormalities strongly reminiscent of autism, potentially shedding light on mechanisms and potential treatments. Also in this week’s Lab Notes, a potential strategy …
Eyelid Lipid Plaques Predict CV Disease (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — The presence of the lipid-containing yellow plaques known as xanthelasmata on the eyelids is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease, a large prospective study found.
Repeat Antibiotic Injections in Eyes Breed Resistance (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Bacterial flora in eyes that were treated routinely with ophthalmic antibiotics to suppress infection after intravitreal drug injections frequently became resistant to multiple antibiotics, researchers said.
Sleep Disturbance Linked to Aging Eye Lens (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — Sleep disturbance correlated significantly with reduced blue light transmission to the retina resulting from aging and yellowing of the lens, Danish investigators reported.
Eye Infections Appear Linked to Avastin Injections
(MedPage Today) — At least a dozen Miami-area patients developed serious eye infections after receiving ocular injections of bevacizumab (Avastin) for “wet” macular degeneration, the FDA said.
Age-Related Vision Loss Predicted by New Online Tool (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — A simple risk assessment tool incorporating baseline retinal characteristics can help predict a person’s likelihood of developing age-related macular degeneration, researchers suggested.
Antioxidant May Stall Inherited Blindness (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) — The antioxidant idebenone appeared to slow vision loss in patients with Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), particularly when sight was worse in one eye than the other, according to an international study.