Catch up with what Optometry Times®' shared this week:

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Optometry news

OCT is a crucial tool in glaucoma diagnosis and monitoring

Jessica Steen, OD, FAAO; David Kasanoff, OD

When evaluating optical coherence tomography (OCT) in suspected cases of glaucoma or patients with established disease, it is crucial to obtain high-quality images to avoid inaccurate diagnoses. This means looking for the presence of artifacts, a common occurrence with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) images. When reviewing the data, eye care providers should check for areas on the image that do not correlate with the clinical view of the anatomy.

It is important to review the raw data, scrolling through the individual images, to determine whether a potential artifact or segmentation error is present rather than relying on the color classification. These errors and artifacts can have an impact on clinicians’ ability to detect glaucoma, and they take on greater significance when following patients’ disease progression over the long term.

Read both Dr Steen's and Dr Kasanoff's perspectives...

First investigational eye drop for front and back of the eye met both primary endpoints in Phase 3 OPTIMIZE Trial

David Hutton, Managing Editor, Ophthalmology Times

Oculis Holding AG announced positive top-line results from its phase 3 OPTIMIZE trial with OCS-01 eye drops, a novel, once-daily, high concentration, preservative-free, topical OPTIREACH formulation of dexamethasone for the treatment of inflammation and pain following ocular surgery.

The company noted in a news release that leveraging Oculis’ proprietary OPTIREACH technology, OCS-01 is a novel, high concentration (15 mg/ml), topical formulation of dexamethasone. The OPTIREACH solubilizing formulation technology addresses the main limitations of conventional eye drops by improving the solubility of lipophilic drugs, increasing the residence time on the eye surface and thereby, enabling less frequent administration for front-of-the-eye and the drug passage from the eye surface to the posterior segment for back-of-the-eye diseases.

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Managing cooperatively with patients

Marc R. Bloomenstein, OD, FAAO

Do you ever stop and think about what attributes are important to you that would create a sense of loyalty? More specifically, when you think about the places, things, or services you trust, what do they have in common? Take, for example, the food you eat. Unless you are on Soylent or have taken a vow to eat the same thing every day for the rest of your days, then deciding what to eat is arguably one of the most frustrating decisions of every day. The choice of nutrient consumption is a daunting task to do at home. So when you decide to eat out and avoid the dreaded “What should we make?” you want consistency, quality, and service that you are not going to get at home.

Loyalty and trust are based on meeting expectations, being consistent, and feeling that you are getting the most from that establishment. Now think about visiting a clinician. Should that be any different?

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Data for aflibercept 8 mg shows durable vision gains at extended dosing intervals for wet AMD

David Hutton, Managing Editor, Ophthalmology Times

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. recently announced positive, 2 year (96 weeks), topline data from the pivotal Pulsar trial investigating aflibercept 8 mg in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD).

According to a company news release, during the clinical trial, aflibercept 8 mg patients were initially randomly assigned to either 12- or 16-week dosing intervals (after three initial monthly doses) and were able to shorten or extend dosing intervals if pre-specified criteria were met.

The company also noted in its release the longer-term data follow the positive 2 year results for Photon with diabetic macular edema (DME), with Pulsar similarly demonstrating that the vast majority of aflibercept 8 mg patients with wAMD were able to maintain or further extend their dosing intervals.

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The right artificial tear simplifies the toughest contact lens cases

Caitlin J. Morrison, OD, FAAO, FSLS

As an optometrist with more than 10 years’ experience fitting contact lenses on patients with extreme corneal irregularities, I can get almost any patient into the right lenses comfortably. That goes for traditional contact lens cases as well as patients who need specialty scleral lenses designed to restore vision lost due to ocular surface remodeling (from corneal transplant, keratoconus, surgical disfigurement, severe dry eye disease [DED], corneal scarring, and other problems).

DED often factors into the process of fitting lenses and can exacerbate sensitivities with fit and vision. However, with thoughtful management of DED during the process, I can fit the right lens to achieve vision goals and ready the patient for long-term success.

We have many tools at our disposal to succeed with DED and contact lenses, whether your goal is to fit complex cases, to reduce dropout, or to enable more patients to wear lenses longer. And there is always something new. We do not ever need to give up on finding the right fit and the right management for our patients’ DED.

Read the August 2023 issue cover story...