RetinaDigest

In this large multicenter series of 499 large high myopic macular holes (≥400 µm MLD), the overall anatomical closure rate at 3 months was 72.4%, with meaningful visual acuity gains (~14.5 ETDRS letters) regardless of surgical technique employed.

In a cohort of 1,480 patients undergoing RD repair, 12.5% developed sequential fellow-eye RD, with axial length emerging as the strongest predictor—each millimeter increase conferring a 17% rise in odds—supporting risk-stratified surveillance in younger, highly myopic patients.

New-onset microscotoma occurred in 17.8% of eyes following vitrectomy with ILM peeling for ERM, with glaucoma, secondary ERM, ICG use, and male sex identified as significant risk factors, and a preoperative HVF 10-2 threshold cutoff of 27.5 dB providing a negative predictive value exceeding 99% for identifying low-risk areas.

In this retrospective comparison of tamponade agents following silicone oil removal, BSS provided the fastest visual recovery and superior short- and long-term BCVA outcomes compared to air and C3F8, with no significant IOP differences between groups.

In this retrospective cohort of 77 non-traumatic, non-syndromic GRT patients, contralateral retinal tears occurred in 44.2% and detachment or GRTs in 33.8%, with prophylactic 360° laser showing no significant protective effect over observation alone.

In this retrospective study of conservatively managed lamellar macular holes, ERM-induced retinal traction was associated with significantly faster functional and anatomical deterioration, with the maximum depth of retinal folds (MDRF) serving as a quantifiable predictor of progression rate.

Operculum-pseudoperculum volume (OPV) measured on OCT is associated with postoperative visual acuity improvement and outer retinal layer reconstitution following full-thickness macular hole surgery, suggesting its potential as a novel preoperative prognostic biomarker.

In this retrospective series of 15 eyes with morning glory syndrome-associated retinal detachment, the overall anatomic success rate was only 46.7%, with advanced PVR (grade C), younger age (≤3 years), and closed-funnel configuration strongly predicting surgical failure.

ILM loops, identified in 15.2% of eyes with non-surgical ERM on spectral-domain OCT, are strongly associated with ILM tears (50% vs 4.7%; OR 20.2) and higher ERM grades, suggesting they may represent ILM retraction following ILM tear.

Treatment of retinal breaks without detachment using laser retinopexy or cryotherapy is associated with a significantly increased risk of epiretinal membrane formation compared to untreated retinal breaks, with risk peaking early after intervention and persisting over five years.

Abstract not available — see full article for details.

In pseudophakic patients with multifocal IOLs undergoing RRD repair, adding a scleral buckle to PPV induces approximately -1.0D of additional myopic shift compared to PPV alone, but achieves comparable visual acuity and anatomic reattachment rates, suggesting scleral buckling remains a viable surgical option in this refractive-sensitive population.

In this retrospective cohort of 67 eyes with surgically managed hemorrhagic choroidal detachment, surgery within 0–6 days independently predicted worse 6-month visual acuity compared to surgery at 7–14 days, supporting delayed intervention to allow clot liquefaction when clinically feasible.

Abstract not available — see full article for details.

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In a Medicare-based analysis of over 25,000 primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repairs, the 2-year revision rate was 14.3%, driven primarily by disease complexity factors—giant retinal tears, total RDs, and complex vitrectomy—rather than surgeon or practice volume.

Abstract not available — see full article for details.

Abstract not available — see full article for details.

A machine learning-derived polygenic risk score study in over 92,000 diabetic participants demonstrated that both high genetic risk and unfavorable lifestyle independently increase diabetic retinopathy risk, but adherence to a favorable lifestyle can reduce DR risk by 44% even among genetically high-risk individuals.

In a large retrospective cohort of over 30,000 patients with type 2 diabetes and pre-existing diabetic retinopathy, GLP-1 receptor agonist use was associated with significantly reduced risk of major macrovascular complications, microvascular complications, and retina-specific outcomes including progression to proliferative diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, and neovascular glaucoma.

A cross-sectional analysis of 14,768 PDR patients from 2005–2024 demonstrates a dramatic shift away from PRP monotherapy toward anti-VEGF-based treatment, with combination therapy now the most common initial management approach at 42.4% of cases.

In a cohort of 1,234 PDR patients undergoing pars plana vitrectomy, over half (54.1%) were lost to follow-up within one year, with poor glycemic control, renal comorbidities, and travel distance identified as key risk factors.

Ultra-widefield OCTA (UWF-OCTA) non-perfusion area and ischemic index from both 12×12-mm and 21×26-mm scans correlate with diabetic retinopathy severity, but the larger 21×26-mm scan better captures far peripheral ischemia and its association with predominantly peripheral lesions.

Combining vascular enhancement image processing with ultra-widefield fundus camera (UWFC) imaging significantly improved sensitivity for diagnosing proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) from 83.5% to 90.9% and nearly doubled neovascularization (NV) detection accuracy from 37.9% to 52.8%, without sacrificing specificity.

A 20-year retrospective cohort study of US patients with diabetes found persistent and worsening racial/ethnic disparities in diabetic retinal disease (DRD), with Hispanic patients now carrying the highest prevalence (26.0% in 2021) and Black/African American patients maintaining consistently elevated rates compared to White patients throughout the study period.

This retrospective case series demonstrates that type 4 macular neovascularization (T4MNV) can occur in eyes with long-standing diabetic retinopathy in the absence of AMD, carrying a poor visual prognosis and underscoring the importance of early recognition on multimodal imaging.

In patients with bilateral geographic atrophy, vision-related quality of life is most strongly associated with GA extent within the central 2.50-mm diameter region, suggesting this zone is a more clinically meaningful structural endpoint than simply noting foveal involvement alone.

Closer adherence to a Mediterranean diet is consistently associated with slower AMD progression across all disease stages, and its benefits are complementary to—not redundant with—AREDS2 supplementation, supporting combined use for maximal protection.

Using speckle-based OCT to quantify retinal blood flow, this study found that retinal perfusion remains stable during transient IOP elevations up to ~40 mmHg following intravitreal injection, but declines by 3.6% per mmHg above this threshold, likely reflecting the limits of autoregulatory reserve.

This systematic review and meta-analysis of 8 prospective studies (203 eyes) found that AAV-based gene therapy for neovascular AMD produces significant anatomical reduction in central subfield thickness but fails to demonstrate consistent functional visual acuity improvement, supporting an adjunctive treatment-burden-reducing role rather than replacement of standard anti-VEGF therapy.

A retrospective study of 14 centenarian patients with neovascular AMD found that long-term anti-VEGF therapy stabilized or improved vision in 57% of eyes, with Type 1 macular neovascularization predominating and better outcomes associated with higher baseline BCVA and thicker subfoveal choroidal thickness.

Abstract not available — see full article for details.

Abstract not available — see full article for details.

Sustained high-intensity lipophilic statin use (atorvastatin or simvastatin 40–80 mg) was associated with approximately 47% reduced risk of incident nonexudative AMD and 38% reduced risk of progression to exudative AMD, while general statin use showed no such benefit.

OCTA-guided navigated laser treatment (microsecond pulsing and/or focal continuous wave laser) achieved complete subretinal fluid resolution in 47.8% of neovascular CSCR eyes overall, rising to 65% when fovea-involving CNV cases were excluded, supporting its use as a safe, fluorescein angiography-free treatment option.

This scoping review of 43 studies and 2,712 eyes found that OCTA morphological descriptors for macular neovascularization in nAMD are heterogeneous, inconsistently defined, and poorly correlated with disease activity, severely limiting their clinical utility.

Pre-diagnostic OCT macular thickness patterns are significantly associated with future AMD risk, with a distinct profile characterized by thinner inner/outer superior subfields and thicker central/outer subfields conferring a 39% increased risk after multivariate adjustment.

In a large retrospective cohort study of over 3.4 million propensity score-matched patients, individuals aged 55 years and younger with migraine had a 42% higher risk of developing retinal vein occlusion (RVO) compared to controls without migraine.

AI-assisted volumetric OCT analysis of CRVO patients treated with aflibercept identified four distinct IRF trajectory patterns, with low or rapidly resolving IRF associated with significantly better 24-month visual acuity (median 73 letters) compared to persistent or recurrent IRF (median 53 letters; p=0.008).

In a nationwide Japanese cohort of 34 patients with RPGRIP1-associated retinal dystrophy, biallelic variants caused two distinct phenotypes—Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and achromatopsia (ACHM)—with clear genotype-phenotype correlations, and a founder exon 18 deletion variant identified in 63% of alleles.

Ultra-widefield imaging reveals that BEST1-related retinopathies are associated with a significantly higher prevalence of peripheral retinal changes—particularly white without pressure, dark without pressure, and vascular abnormalities—compared to controls, with autosomal recessive bestrophinopathy showing the most pronounced findings.

Abstract not available — see full article for details.

This scoping review of 17 trial clusters across eight genotypes found that paediatric benefit from IRD gene therapy is genotype-dependent and influenced by residual retinal structure, therapeutic platform, and dose, with RPE65-associated disease providing the strongest efficacy and durability evidence in children.

Stem cell therapies targeting inherited retinal disorders have demonstrated acceptable safety profiles across intravitreal, subretinal, and suprachoroidal delivery routes in early clinical trials, though larger studies are needed to establish efficacy for preventing or reversing vision loss.

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified XXYLT1 as a novel gene associated with inherited retinal dystrophy, presenting as cone-rod or macular dystrophy with cystoid macular edema and schisis-like changes, suggesting XXYLT1 should be added to clinical IRD gene panels.

Abstract not available — see full article for details.

This 30-year retrospective study of 3,641 medium-risk infants (GA ≥27 weeks, BW ≥800g) validates the FIRST-ROP algorithm, demonstrating that deferring initial ROP screening to 34 weeks PMA misses zero cases of treatment-warranted ROP while reducing per-patient examination burden by approximately 17%.

Ultra-widefield OCT demonstrated that intravitreal bevacizumab induces rapid regression of neovascular tufts and fibrovascular ridge flattening within one week in Type 1 ROP, with continued remodeling through the first month post-treatment.

Abstract not available — see full article for details.

This retrospective case series characterizes tubercular retinitis (TBR) as a distinct, purely intraretinal phenotype of ocular tuberculosis, identifiable by a pathognomonic 'moat sign' on fluorescein angiography and full-thickness intraretinal hyper-reflectivity on OCT, consistently associated with occlusive retinal vasculitis.

Abstract not available — see full article for details.

This systematic review and meta-analysis of 106 studies found a pooled NIU prevalence of 131.6 per 100,000 adults and 27.4 per 100,000 children, with substantially higher rates in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, spondyloarthritis, Behçet disease, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

In this pilot RCT, topical difluprednate 0.05% achieved complete subretinal fluid resolution in 90% of chronic CSC patients at 3 months—significantly outperforming oral eplerenone (45%) and observation (23%)—suggesting it may be a viable therapeutic option for this condition.

In this multicenter retrospective study of 450 CSCR patients, Black patients presented with worse initial vision and greater morphological severity but experienced significantly lower rates of recurrence, persistent subretinal fluid, and macular neovascularization compared to White patients, suggesting distinct underlying pathophysiology between racial groups.

This systematic review and meta-analysis of six RCTs found that subthreshold laser is safer than conventional laser for acute central serous chorioretinopathy with comparable visual outcomes, but offers limited anatomical efficacy and uncertain advantages over observation or photodynamic therapy.

Abstract not available — see full article for details.

AMN-like lesions represent an OCT-defined phenotype rather than a single disease entity, occurring across a spectrum of ischemic and inflammatory ocular conditions with variable morphology depending on the underlying etiology.

In this exploratory study, 82% of pediatric non-infectious uveitis patients demonstrated measurable T cell responses against EBV EBNA-1 antigen regardless of HLA-DRB1*15:01 status, suggesting a potential role for EBV in pediatric autoimmune uveitis pathogenesis.

A real-world study of 80 eyes demonstrated that sequential intravitreal dexamethasone followed by fluocinolone acetonide implantation provides effective long-term control of non-infectious uveitic macular edema, with FAc offering sustained anatomical stabilization and a median retreatment interval of 35 months.

Abstract not available — see full article for details.

Plasma metabolomic and lipidomic profiling of treatment-naïve acute VKH patients revealed widespread downregulation of glycerophospholipids, which correlated with markers of neuroinflammation and choroidal thickening, and a 25-glycerophospholipid signature discriminated VKH from healthy controls with an AUC of 0.953.

Hispanic patients with CSC present with more severe disease—including higher rates of complex CSC, multifocal RPE alterations, and greater neurosensory detachment height—compared to non-Hispanic patients, yet both groups achieve meaningful visual improvement with comparable recurrence and persistence rates.

In 1,180 uveal melanoma patients treated with I-125 episcleral plaque brachytherapy, intermediate one-year tumor volume regression (33.3%–75%) conferred the greatest overall survival benefit, establishing TVR as a clinically actionable prognostic biomarker.

Abstract not available — see full article for details.

In this landmark series of 4,000 eyes treated with plaque radiotherapy for posterior uveal melanoma prior to the anti-VEGF era, 62% of patients experienced ≥15-letter visual acuity loss at a median of 16 months, with Kaplan-Meier estimates reaching 82% at 10 years.

Eyelid disorders, predominantly upper eyelid ptosis, occurred in 20.9% of patients following episcleral brachytherapy for uveal melanoma, with iodine-125 use and anterior tumor location identified as independent risk factors.

This multicenter retrospective study identified distinct clinical and OCT-based imaging biomarkers that differentiate Candida from Aspergillus endogenous fungal endophthalmitis with approximately 85% accuracy, enabling early organism-specific management prior to microbiological confirmation.

A retrospective analysis of U.S. retinal clinical trials from 2015–2025 found high attrition rates across major indications, with phase 2 trials most often discontinued after interim analyses and phase 3 trials frequently failing to meet primary efficacy endpoints, highlighting persistent challenges in translating early-stage findings to late-phase success.

The reengineered 27-gauge TDC Veloce vitrectome operating at 20,000 CPM demonstrated significantly higher aspiration flow rates and reduced core vitrectomy time by approximately 39 seconds compared to a standard 27-gauge TDC probe at 16,000 CPM.

A novel scleral-fixated prosthetic capsular bag (PCB) demonstrated safe and effective sutureless posterior chamber IOL fixation in 15 eyes lacking capsular or zonular support, with one device-related serious adverse event and strong visual and refractive outcomes at 12 months.

A mathematical model integrating Boyle-Mariotte's law with gas absorption kinetics was developed to predict altitude-related IOP elevation after PPV with gas tamponade, establishing minimum safe air travel intervals of 13 days for air, 22 days for SF₆ and C₂F₆, and 35 days for C₃F₈ based on a ΔIOP safety threshold of ≤6 mmHg.

This systematic review and meta-analysis of 718 eyes found that Nd:YAG laser vitreolysis significantly improved patient-reported visual function (NEI VFQ-25 +18.9 points) and contrast sensitivity in patients with symptomatic vitreous floaters, with a favorable safety profile and no permanent vision loss.

In a large propensity score-matched cohort study, prior pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) was associated with a nearly 4-fold increased risk of pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (CME) following cataract surgery compared to vitrectomy-naive eyes (4.59% vs 1.23%; RR 3.73).

Abstract not available — see full article for details.

Chronic methamphetamine use disorder is associated with subclinical layer-specific microvascular damage detectable by OCTA, including significantly reduced deep capillary plexus vessel density and choriocapillaris flow area, even in the absence of clinically visible retinopathy.

In an 18-year retrospective series of 79 Boston KPro type 1 implants, vitritis occurred in 22.7% of eyes, with endophthalmitis comprising over half of cases; early pars plana vitrectomy on the day of diagnosis was associated with implant retention and preservation of visual acuity.

A dropless regimen of intravitreal decanted triamcinolone (5 mg) and moxifloxacin (500 μg) administered at the conclusion of PPV demonstrated superior postoperative inflammation control, reduced CME incidence, and greater BCVA improvement compared to standard topical therapy, with a comparable IOP profile and no cases of endophthalmitis.

Approximately 5% of U.S. residents live more than 60 minutes from a retinal specialist, with reduced access disproportionately affecting communities with higher proportions of Medicare-aged, less educated, uninsured, and Hispanic/Latino residents, as well as more racially homogeneous (rural) areas.

Abstract not available — see full article for details.