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Cost-effectiveness of age-related macular degeneration study supplements in the UK: combined trial and real-world outcomes data.

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Age-related macular degeneration is a leading cause of blindness and visual impairment, and the incidence is expected to increase as the US and UK population ages. Although there are drugs available to slow the progression of this disease, they are expensive and must be administered by intravitreal injection. Studies have found that high-dose antioxidant vitamins and certain minerals may be beneficial for the prevention, however. Although these supplements are frequently prescribed in the US, they are not not routinely funded or prescribed throughout the UK. In this study, the authors developed an economic model using UK cost and prevalence data to investigate the cost-effectiveness of prescribing these vitamin supplements for cases of age-related macular degeneration.

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Determinants of Outcomes of Adenoviral Keratoconjunctivitis

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In this study, Dr. Cecilia Lee, Dr. Aaron Lee, and their coauthors performed a retrospective analysis of 500 patients with keratoconjunctivitis to identify the specific pathogens and host factors that were associated with worse outcomes. Conjunctivitis is a very common condition, most often caused by adenovirus D species. In the most severe cases patients can develop subepithelial infiltrates which can lead to vision loss.

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Fully automated, deep learning segmentation of oxygen-induced retinopathy images

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In this paper, published in JCI Insight, the authors describe their deep learning model for quantifying vaso-obliteration and neovascularization on retinal images, which are key measurements in oxygen-induced retinopathy mouse model studies of ischemia-driven neovascularization. The mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy is one of the most commonly used in vivo models to study basic mechanisms in ocular angiogenesis and to test potential therapeutics. Measurements of vaso-obliteration and neovascularization are often used in proof-of-concept studies evaluating antiangiogenic drugs for diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

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Disparities in delivery of ophthalmic care; An exploration of public Medicare data.

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In this interesting study, the authors examined the effect of geographic disparities on cataract surgery delivery to Medicare beneficiaries in the United States. Cataract extraction is the most commonly performed intraocular surgery in the United States, and Medicare beneficiaries account for approximately 80% of all cataract surgeries performed in the US. The authors analyzed Medicare claims data and US Census results to identify the number and geographic distribution of ophthalmologists delivering cataract extraction in the United States. They were able to evaluate the distance to providers for each region of the country to determine if utilization disparities exist in various regions.

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Deep-learning based, automated segmentation of macular edema in optical coherence tomography

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In this study, the authors developed a convolutional neural network that successfully detected intraretinal fluid on ocular coherence tomography images. Macular edema, characterized by loss of the blood retinal barrier in very small retinal blood vessels, leads to the accumulation of fluid in the retina that can interfere with vision. The degree of macula edema present is usually inferred by measuring central retinal thickness on ocular coherence tomography images, but this measurement does not fully capture the extent and severity of the intraretinal fluid present.

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