Catch up with what Optometry Times shared this week:

BVI to launch new SERENITY and SERENITY Toric monofocal IOLs

By Jordana Joy, Associate Editor

Ophthalmic device company BVI has announced that its new SERENITY and SERENITY Toric premium monofocal IOLs will be fully commercial available in CE-accepting markets in 2025.¹ The new, non-diffractive IOLs are the second generation of BVI’s ISOPURE premium monofocal IOL that was launched in 2019, according to a news release.

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Modeling life after blue zone communities for the sake of longevity and lasting vision

By Carrie Roitstein, OD, cPNP, INHC

Longevity has remained an important topic to most people. As communities strive to live longer and feel better, people are seeking solutions to live healthier, be stronger, and even see better. As a society, we are constantly looking for the magic pill to achieve a utopian state of being. The truth: There is no single pill, diet, or activity leading to a state of wellness. Instead, wellness should be a personalized holistic journey to “feeling younger while growing older,” as tagged by wellness expert Dana Frost.¹

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Researchers find increased depression risk in patients with hyperopia

By Jordana Joy, Associate Editor

A team of researchers based in the UK have found a suggested correlation between the presence of hyperopia and an increased risk of depressive disorders by utilizing accelerometer data. The study found that a higher mean spherical equivalent (MSE) was also associated with an increased risk, with every 0.5-diopter increase in MSE attributing for a 6% higher risk of developing depressive disorders (odds ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02–1.11; P = 0.007).¹

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Researchers develop saline-powered, ultra-thin battery for smart contact lenses

By David Hutton, Managing Editor, Ophthalmology Times

A team of researchers from Nanyang Technology University Singapore have developed a flexible battery as thin as a human cornea, which has the ability to store electricity when it is immersed in saline solution, and ultimately could power smart contact lenses.

According to an NTU news release, smart contact lens offers the capability of displaying visible information on the cornea and can be used to access augmented reality. It can be used to correct vision, monitor the health of the user, and flag and treat diseases for patients diagnosed with chronic health conditions such as glaucoma and diabetes. Going forward, smart contact lenses also could be developed to record and transmit everything a wearer sees and hears to cloud-based data storage.¹

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Ocuphire Pharma announces dosing of first patient in phase 3 VEGA-3 clinical trial

By Martin David Harp, Associate Editor, Ophthalmology Times

Ocuphire Pharma announced it has dosed the first patient in its VEGA-3, phase 3 clinical trial (NCT06542497) of phentolamine ophthalmic solution 0.75% for the treatment of presbyopia.

The company noted in a press release¹ that phentolamine ophthalmic solution 0.75% is being developed to provide a non-invasive, convenient alternative to traditional corrective measures for presbyopia.

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