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The recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-antibody human complement receptor 1 (CR1) fusion protein will be intravitreally administered in up to 150 patients.

Innovent Biologics completes first patient dosing in its phase 2 clinical trial assessing efdamrofusp alfa in patients with DME 

The trial assesses GAL-101 as an oral therapy designed to treat Alzheimer disease, dry age-related macular degeneration, and glaucoma.

Galimedix Therapeutics completes single ascending dose portion of phase 1 trial assessing GAL-101

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Selina McGee, OD, FAAO, emphasized that today’s approach to presbyopia correction must move beyond traditional methods like spectacles and contact lenses. 

CIME 2025: Exploring pharmacological options for presbyopia correction with Selina McGee, OD, FAAO

Investigators also reported that the benefits of the training for patients with hemianopia, driven by improved blind-side scanning, lasted for more than a month.

ARVO 2025: Head-scanning training program improves blind-side detection during virtual driving for hemianopia patients

The leading source of breaking news, news analysis, and emerging research reports in optometry, Optometry Times® disseminates practical content by optometrists for optometrists that can be immediately applied to improve the clinical experience.

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Dr. Ondrias is the executive director at the Mann Eye Institute and Laser Center with nine locations in greater Houston and Austin, TX.

The landscape of cataract surgery has changed rapidly-first with premium intraocular lenses (IOLs) and now additional refractive cataract options such as laser-assisted cataract surgery (LACS) and intraoperative aberrometry.

Integrating laser cataract surgery

Dr Jacob Lang discusses pharmacological presbyopia correction at the 2025 Controversies in Modern Eye Care meeting

CIME 2025: Pharmacologic presbyopia correction provices a new hope for flexibility for patients

 meeting in Los Angeles, California, which took place May 4, 2025, Jacob Lang, OD, FAAO, director of dry eye services at Associated Eye Care in the Twin Cities metro area of Minnesota, shared his perspective on one of the most exciting advancements in vision care: pharmacologic correction for 

According to Lang, pharmacologic options for presbyopia represent a long-awaited shift in how eye care professionals can help patients manage age-related near vision loss. What excites him most is the flexibility these therapies offer. “Pharmacologic correction gives patients the freedom to use it when they need it," he explained. “It’s about enabling lifestyle choices and offering convenience in the busy presbyopic years.”

This shift isn’t just about avoiding reading glasses; it's about empowering patients with control over their vision, particularly those who lead dynamic personal and professional lives.

Lang emphasizes motivation as the key driver when choosing candidates for pharmacologic treatment. “We're looking for patients who are motivated to do something different,” he said. These patients often want more freedom in their daily routines and are willing to try new options to achieve it. The ideal candidate is one who values the flexibility these therapies offer and has realistic expectations about their use.

Lang also highlighted a surprising barrier: provider awareness. “One of the biggest challenges is that many doctors aren’t familiar with the available pharmacologic options,” he said. As a result, patients may not even be offered these treatments. For Lang, continued professional education and openness to innovation are critical. “We need to embrace new tools and understand how they can benefit our patients.”

Finally, Lang reminded attendees that any pharmacologic intervention must be grounded in sound clinical judgment. “We have to treat the entire eye, front to back. From ocular surface to retina, we’re still the doctor.” He stressed that presbyopia drops are, after all, pharmaceuticals and should be managed with the same diligence as any other ocular therapy.

Conference

CIME 2025: Pharmacologic presbyopia correction provides new hope for flexibility for patients

Dr Dilsher Dhoot speaks on retinal disease and emerging therapies at Controversies in Modern Eye Care 2025

Dilsher Dhoot, MD, FASRS, expresses excitement for emerging retinal therapies, improved comanagement

2025 Controversies in Modern Eye Care conference

, Dilsher Dhoot, MD, FASRS, of California Retina Consultants shared his forward-looking perspective on developments in 

 management, highlighting both recent breakthroughs and promising innovations on the horizon. The Controversies in Modern Eye Care meeting took place May 4, 2025, in Los Angeles, California.

“We’re in a golden era of retina,” Dhoot began, referencing a wave of recent FDA approvals and a pipeline rich with potential. He expressed particular enthusiasm about gene therapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which offer new hope for patients needing longer treatment durability. These therapies, he noted, are "just around the corner" and could significantly extend treatment intervals compared with existing regimens.

The evolution in geographic atrophy management

. “We haven’t traditionally had therapy for GA, but now we do,” he noted, referring to the 2 FDA-approved treatments that have emerged in recent years. While these agents can slow atrophy progression, he emphasized that this is just the beginning.

“The pipeline will include more durable agents, and possibly more effective ones,” he said. He also stressed the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in identifying patients who may benefit most from current and future treatments. AI-driven imaging and biomarker identification are already showing promise in personalizing care and improving outcomes.

Optometry’s pivotal role in retinal health

Dhoot praised optometrists for their role in early detection and referral. “You do a great job identifying these patients,” he said, emphasizing that timely referral doesn’t signify imminent vision loss. “Being sent to retina is not a sentence to blindness.”

He encouraged optometrists to reassure patients about intravitreal injections, noting that they’re less daunting than they sound. “The eye is a very easy place to inject,” he said, and with current therapies, patients can retain—and sometimes even improve—vision.

Referral thresholds and collaborative care

Dhoot urged optometrists to consider a low threshold for referral, particularly when diagnostic uncertainty exists or interventions are available. “For myself, if I’m not sure, I refer,” he said. While conditions like intermediate age-related macular degeneration or mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy can sometimes be monitored, he stressed the importance of access to advanced imaging and clear communication between providers.

As the field of retina rapidly advances, collaboration between optometry and retina specialists will remain crucial in delivering optimal patient care.

Dilsher Dhoot, MD, FASRS, shares his forward-looking perspective on developments in retinal disease management, highlighting both recent breakthroughs and promising innovations on the horizon.

Pipeline

CIME 25: Dilsher Dhoot, MD, FASRS, excited about emerging retinal therapies

At CIME 2025, Selina McGee, OD, FAAO, says some patients underestimate oculoplastic care. She stands in front of a sign that says Controversies in Modern Eye Care 2025.

The 19th annual Controversies in Modern Eye Care (CIME) kicked off May 4 in Los Angeles, California. Attendees settled into the ballroom at the Sheraton Grand Los Angeles with coffee and a full suite of scientific programming, including hot topics from both the ophthalmic and optometric spheres.

Selina McGee, OD, FAAO, met with the editorial team bright and early so the Eye Care Network could interview her about both symposia she participated in at the meeting. In the first of 2 interviews, McGee spoke about oculoplastics. She revealed what's trending, what patients are curious about (including light therapy and dry eye spas), and nonsurgical interventions that could remove barriers in oculoplastic care.

At Controversies in Modern Eye Care, Dr McGee talks about helping patients and clinicians expand their understanding of oculoplastics.

At CIME 2025, Selina McGee, OD, FAAO, says some patients underestimate what's possible in oculoplastic care

Research conducted by CooperVision and University of Rochester Flaum Eye Institute, in collaboration with the Instituto de Optica “Daza de Valdés,” may have identified a novel marker for 

. This discovery, which will be presented May 7 in a paper at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology 2025 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, explores the change in both anterior segment and lens geometry according to accommodative demand.

The paper, titled “OCT-based marker for accommodative effort in presbyopes,” explores changes in the anterior segment and crystalline lens geometry in relation to accommodative demand. While the study included a range of subjects in a variety of stages of presbyopia, the change was most pronounced in emmetropic and myopic presbyopes. Investigators used 3D optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure and monitor geometric alterations in patients with varying stages of presbyopia. Focusing ability remained, even when reduced, and crystalline lens thickness was the key marker for focusing effort, particularly in myopes.

“We believe this is the first in vivo study to show the evolution of physiological response of the crystalline lens as adults age,” Percy Lazon de la Jara, director of research programs for CooperVision and a paper coauthor, said in a press release. “CooperVision’s deep commitment to advancing ocular science and care means evaluating the entire eye, including how it changes from presbyopia onset through stabilization. This latest work—employing a remarkable application of OCT to uncover previously unavailable insights—will help map optical corrections that could be incorporated into future presbyopia correction methods and devices.”

Investigators believe the new marker for accommodation in presbyopes has the power to drive future category innovation.

While the study included a range of patients in a variety of stages of presbyopia, the change in crystalline lens and anterior segment geometry was most pronounced in emmetropic and myopic presbyopes.

ARVO 2025: New research reveals new marker for presbyopic accommodation

Dr Robert Maloney discusses IOLs at the 2025 Controversies in Modern Eye Care meeting

CIME 2025: What the first IOL can teach modern optometrists

 meeting in Los Angeles, California, Robert Maloney, MD, MA, shone a spotlight on a historic event that continues to shape the field: the first implantation of an 

 by Sir Harold Ridley in 1950. While hailed today as a foundational innovation in cataract surgery, Ridley’s groundbreaking work was initially met with hostility, skepticism, and ethical concern. His experience serves as a compelling reminder to optometrists that innovation often walks a tightrope between risk and reward.

Ridley’s first IOL implantation, though revolutionary, came at a time when medical experimentation lacked today’s rigorous oversight. The early IOLs caused severe inflammation and had not been adequately tested in animals. As noted during the presentation, these practices arguably violated principles of the then-emerging Nuremberg Code, which emphasized informed consent and ethical clinical research.

Yet the controversy wasn’t simply about safety; it highlighted a critical tension that persists today: the push for innovation vs the duty to protect patients from harm. As Maloney emphasized, “The process of invention is really a conversation between the inventor, who’s doing something radical, and the establishment, which says, ‘We need to protect patients.’”

Drawing a parallel to today’s advancements, Maloney suggested that history doesn’t repeat itself—but it does spiral. As optometrists encounter emerging treatments, technologies, and diagnostic tools, Ridley’s story offers a historical lens through which to assess new developments. It reminds clinicians to ask essential questions: Are we balancing innovation with safety? Are we learning from past missteps?

Unlike traditional, lecture-heavy meetings, the CIME format emphasizes discussion, debate, and practical takeaways. Rather than providing long lists of diagnoses, the sessions challenge practitioners to think critically about the “gray zones” of modern practice. Every 10 to 15 minutes, attendees will likely hear a pearl that can be directly applied to patient care.

“This meeting is not about rehearsing what we already know,” said Maloney. “It’s about exploring what we don’t know—and doing it with colleagues in a fast-paced, collegial setting.”

CIME 2025: What the first intraocular lens can teach modern optometrists

Dr Steven Ferrucci at Controversies in Modern Eyecare 2025

Emerging hope in retinal disease: New therapies for GA and beyond

2025 Controversies in Modern Eye Care meeting

, which took place May 4, in Los Angeles, California, Steven Ferrucci, OD, FAAO, chief of optometry at the Sepulveda VA Hospital in Los Angeles and professor at Marshall B. Ketchum University, shared his excitement about advancements in 

, in an interview. His insights are a powerful reminder that the therapeutic landscape is evolving rapidly, bringing new hope for patients once considered untreatable.

New FDA-approved therapies for geographic atrophy

Geographic atrophy, the advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is now receiving long-awaited attention. According to Ferrucci, 2 medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have demonstrated the ability to slow GA lesion progression over time. While the specific drugs were not named, this likely refers to pegcetacoplan (Syfovre; Apellis Pharmaceuticals) and avacincaptad pegol (Izervay; Astellas Pharma), both of which received FDA approval in 2023.

“GA is probably a little more common than we might think,” said Ferrucci. With over 1.5 million Americans affected—a number he suspects is underreported—these new therapies mark a significant shift in how optometrists can manage this chronic and previously untreatable condition.

The promise of genetic and onetime therapies

Ferrucci also highlighted the potential of gene therapy. In contrast to current anti-VEGF treatments that require frequent intravitreal injections, future gene-based therapies may allow for a single viral vector injection that transforms the eye into a long-term source of anti-VEGF expression. “It might be a one-and-done type thing,” Ferrucci noted, though some maintenance may still be required.

This approach could revolutionize treatment for diseases like wet AMD and diabetic retinopathy, improving patient adherence and reducing clinical burden.

Optometrists should also be aware of newer treatment modalities, such as the Valeda Light Delivery System, a light-based therapy for dry AMD. Promising treatments for inherited retinal diseases like Stargardt disease and retinitis pigmentosa are also emerging. A newly approved treatment, Encelto, targets macular telangiectasia, a condition that previously had no effective interventions.

Optometrists are on the front lines of detecting and managing retinal disease. With innovations coming fast, clinicians must remain vigilant and proactive in learning about these breakthroughs. As Ferrucci suggests, keeping “your ears open and your eyes open” may be the key to offering hope to patients we once thought were beyond help.

As a retinal expert, Ferrucci discusses some emerging retinal therapies that excite him.

Dana Ondrias, OD

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