PARIS — Following implementation of the SAFE strategy and a system of epidemiologic surveillance, Morocco is close to achieving World Health Organization certification of elimination of blinding trachoma as a public health problem. Abdelouahed Amraoui, MD, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Casablanca, was awarded the Trachoma Gold Medal during the annual meeting of the French Society of Ophthalmology.
Amakem Therapeutics, a clinical stage ophthalmology company, today announced that first patients have commenced treatment in a Phase 2 dose-ranging study of its lead drug candidate, AMA0076 for the treatment of glaucoma.
PARIS — The current price of anti-VEGFs is not too high, considering the benefits they provide, according to Jean-François Korobelnik, MD, president of the French Society of Ophthalmology. “The media have put a lot of emphasis on the cost of anti-VEGFs. But we are investing on expensive treatments also for cancer to prolong life of a few months, and new promising molecules for hepatitis C are going to cost €60,000 for 3 months of therapy,” he said.
PARIS — Cross-linked corneas were not found to be stiffer than normal corneas in a study performed with the Corvis ST tonometer. The Corvis ST (Oculus) uses Scheimpflug technology to visualize and measure the corneal deformation response to an air pulse, providing information on stiffness and viscoelasticity. “We measured the biomechanical changes produced on the cornea by LASIK, PRK, intracorneal rings (ICRs) and cross-linking 1 month postop.
A new project has been launched to assess the awareness, treatment and implications of diabetic retinopathy globally.
A children’s cancer charity is calling for all squints in babies and young children to be checked with a red reflex test to rule out eye cancer.