Week in review: Grafts for limbal stem cell deficiency, high-dose EYLEA approved, Parkinson’s biomarkers

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

Cultivated epithelial cell grafts may be a safer treatment option for limbal stem cell deficiency. A multicenter research team has developed a method of manufacturing cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cells (CALECs) that can then be grafted into the corneas of patients with limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). In a phase 1 trial that enrolled 5 patients with unilateral LSCD, 4 patients received CALEC grafts. At 12 months, none of the graft recipients had serious adverse events. Standard cornea transplantation is not generally effective in treating LSCD, and other therapeutic options such as limbal allografts carry a high rate of recipient rejection. Given these early promising results, larger-scale safety and efficacy trials are planned. Science Advances

High-dose aflibercept is approved by the FDA. EYLEA HD (aflibercept) 8 mg injection has now been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The 8-mg dose is approved for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and diabetic retinopathy (DR), based on results from the 48-week PULSAR and PHOTON trials. The recommended dosing is once every 4 weeks for the first 3 months, then every 8–12 weeks for DR and every 8–16 weeks for wet AMD and DME. Modern Retina; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

What if you could diagnose Parkinson’s disease by looking at retinal images? Researchers studying the inner retinal OCT images of patients included in the UK-based AlzEye population study and UK Biobank Study found that those patients with diagnosed prevalent Parkinson’s disease (PD) had significantly thinner ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCPL) and inner nuclear layer (INL) across all subfields than controls. Additionally, those with incident PD also showed reduced GCPL and INL thickness. More studies will be needed to confirm these findings. Neurology

In patients with ocular syphilis, ineffective treatment reduces quality of life. In a cross-sectional study conducted in Brazil, 32 patients with ocular syphilis (infectious uveitis) were surveyed about their perceived quality of life via the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire. Poorer vision, social functioning, mental health, and other quality of life issues were associated with worse BCVA after treatment, as was older age (>40 years). The authors recommend early diagnosis and treatment of the disease so that visual acuity can quickly improve. Scientific Reports