Ophthalmology

The World Health Organization (WHO) collects, studies, and develops eye care information for people worldwide. At the 70th World Health Assembly, it was suggested, with the support of experts, that WHO examine the current state of eye care and draw attention to effective strategies to increase patient access to eye care services. Although WHO reports...

The risk of visual impairment increases, and to some degree, is expected as we age. Visual impairment in the elderly is a prevalent issue across all racial and ethnic groups. The most common causes of visual impairment in the elderly are cataracts, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Cataracts can be corrected with surgery in...

Clinical trials are performed to develop new and better treatment methods. They are also a means for patients to receive expensive treatment. This fact is especially relevant for elderly patients suffering from neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Previous studies, such as the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Trap-Eye: Investigation of Efficacy and Safety in Wet AMD...

Many barriers prevent patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) from adhering to their appointments. COVID-19 was a major barrier for many patients who did not want to risk leaving home for eye screening or follow-up appointments due to fear of catching the virus. Transportation is an especially challenging barrier for patients with wet AMD....

Of the two forms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), non-neovascular (dry) AMD and neovascular (wet) AMD, 90% of all AMD cases are classified as dry, meaning the macula’s light-sensitive cells slowly deteriorate. Cases of wet AMD are less common (10%) but more severe. Wet AMD is advanced AMD that can cause legal blindness in patients,...

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy, or anti-VEGF therapy, has become one of the most useful and effective therapies for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This retrospective cohort study focuses on racial/ethnic differences in anti-VEGF intravitreal injection treatment. The 104,430 patients studied were commercially insured and had wet AMD, among other conditions. Main outcomes included receiving...

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) refers to the growth of blood vessels that break into the subretinal pigment epithelium. It is a major cause of vision loss and is associated with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study sought to analyze novel biomarkers and gene expression signatures of AMD and focuses on the EFEMP1 gene. The researchers...

Convolutional neural networks (CNN) are a type of deep learning neural network that is most often used to evaluate visual imagery. Detection of Apoptosing Retinal Cells (DARC) is a technique that uses laser ophthalmoscopy to create images of the retina. This study focuses on using a CNN DARC algorithm to predict subretinal fluid formation in...

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of legal blindness around the globe. This chronic visual impairment develops with age and is affected by genetic and environmental factors. Some environmental factors that contribute to AMD development and progression are preventable, such as smoking. Researchers sought to determine the association smoking has with AMD. To...