Week in review: Bowel disease and dry eye, OCT detects cerebral disease, presbyopia treatment approval

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

Having IBD may leave you vulnerable to dry eye. A nationwide cohort study conducted in Taiwan, using data from the National Health Insurance research database, found that patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) had higher incidence rates of dry eye disease (DED) than patients without IBD (8.18 cases per 1000 person-years vs 5.42 cases per 1000 person-years, respectively). After adjusting for age, sex, corticosteroid use, and other covariates, patients with IBD had a 43% greater risk of developing DED. In addition, having IBD was significantly associated with developing corneal surface damage. The authors recommend that patients with IBD who develop corneal issues be referred to an ophthalmologist as soon as possible. BMC Ophthalmology

A simple eye exam could help detect cerebral small vessel disease, a contributor to dementia, say researchers at the University of Southern California (USC). Ninety-six participants enrolled in the African American Eye Disease Study (AAEDS), a population-based study conducted out of USC, underwent cognitive assessment, OCT angiography (OCT-A), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. After adjusting for age, sex, education, and presence of diabetes and hypertension, lower retinal capillary perfusion, as measured with OCT-A, was associated with worse cognitive assessment measures. These findings were confirmed with the MRI scans. Dr. Xuejuan Jiang, lead author of the published paper, said that it was important for research to include more diverse populations, such as the AAEDS participants. “There needs to be more research on Blacks and Latinos because they are at higher risk, and we are hopeful that this research is moving in the direction of finding a screening and monitoring tool,” he noted. Keck School of Medicine of USC; Alzheimer’s & Dementia

Presbyopia treatment is approved in the United States. On October 18, 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Qlosi (pilocarpine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution) for the treatment of presbyopia in adults. It can be administered once or twice daily, and has shown efficacy for up to 8 hours after administration. In the NEAR-1 and -2 trials, treatment with Qlosi led to significant gains in distance-corrected near visual acuity without significant losses in distance visual acuity. Qlosi is expected to be available in the first half of 2024. Ophthalmology Times