Retina Expert Brief

Macular Edema Treatment Advances

• 🔥 Sequential Ranibizumab + Dexamethasone for RVO-ME: Sequential therapy of ranibizumab followed by...

• Novo Nordisk's semaglutide (Wegovy) pill outperformed orforglipron in weight loss and tolerability via indirect trial data; multi-month...

Practice-changing data for RVO-ME: Sequential ranibizumab then Ozurdex implant shows superior outcomes vs ranibizumab alone in 139 eyes (71 combo).

-...

• Regulatory Milestone: FDA's RMAT designation to RTx-015 provides development guidance and priority review, accelerating optogenetic therapy for...

• Cause-specific mortality examined in retinal vein occlusion (RVO) patients
• RVO is a sight-threatening retinal disease
• Classified as branch (BRVO) or central (CRVO) retinal vein occlusion

ANI Pharmaceuticals has published NEW DAY trial results for Iluvien, a corticosteroid implant specifically for DME patients with prior corticosteroid therapy. Updated evidence strengthens its role in refractory DME management.

• Racial disparities in NPDR to TW-DED progression (Hispanic RR 1.40, Black RR 1.15) vanish after adjustment; DFU (HR 1.08) and DN (HR 1.06) remain...

Clinical heads-up for retina specialists: American Optometric Association flags GLP-1 drugs linked to NAION (sudden, painless vision loss), plus...

FDA Approvals

• 🔥 EYLEA HD Extended Dosing: The US FDA approved extension of dosing intervals up to every 20 weeks for EYLEA HD in wAMD and DME...

Drs. Singh and Starr discuss rates and risk factors for submacular hemorrhage in neovascular AMD patients undergoing anti-VEGF treatment—key insights for clinical practice in retinal vascular disease.

Key advances reducing injection burden in wAMD/DME:

• EYLEA HD approved for up to 20-week intervals after 1 year of response in wAMD/DME, backed by...

Expert preview for retina specialists: Dive into David A. Eichenbaum, MD, FASRS's podcast series on the future of retina care.

• Hosted by Eichenbaum,...

• Scalable MES tool: Machine learning enables multidisease eye screening from widely available routine blood tests.
• Non-invasive breakthrough:...

Opus Genetics secures up to $155M non-dilutive funding ($35M upfront + $5M equity), boosting cash to ~$100M and extending runway into 2029 through...

FDA Approvals

• 🔥 EYLEA HD for Wet AMD: EYLEA HD (aflibercept) approved by FDA as first injectable anti-VEGF with dosing intervals up to 5 months...

• Spot non-response early: 4 signs signal anti-VEGF failure despite initial swelling reduction.
• Predict with imaging: Multimodal biomarkers forecast...

Breakthrough in DR therapy: Kodiak's anti-VEGF Zenkuda met primary endpoint in 48-week GLOW2 trial, with 63% of patients achieving ≥2-step DRSS...

Updated RVO guidelines summary integrates AAO Preferred Practice Pattern® (2025):

• Etiology: Systemic/genetic risks, Mendelian pathways, post-COVID...

Predictive AI/ML predicts diagnoses by analyzing retinal OCT images and patterns, optimizing ophthalmologists' practice as shown in key studies.

• High clinical match: AI tools deliver high sensitivity and substantial agreement with ophthalmologists for DR and DME diagnosis.
• Real-world...