The Lens Newsletter: May 21, 2025

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week's episode we discuss...Certain systemic medications for T2DM may increase DME risk, while others are protective, suggesting medication choice impacts retinal health.Daily low-dose valacyclovir reduces herpes zoster ophthalmicus-related recurrence at 18 months, supporting utility in long-term suppression.RVO incidence rose during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea among middle-aged adults, while RAO rates remained stable. Nanopore sequencing shows promise for uveitis diagnosis, detecting herpes viruses with up to 75% sensitivity and 100% specificity.

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week’s episode we discuss…Pathogenic mismatch repair gene variants commonly linked to Lynch syndrome were found in a subset of uveal melanoma patients.Glaucoma is linked with circadian rhythm sleep disorders and other sleep-wake disturbances.Physical activity acutely increases IOP in glaucoma patients, returning near baseline during recovery, with IOP closely tracking blood pressure and heart rate changes.

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week’s episode we discuss:Thickening of the retinal pigment epithelium-Bruch (brook) membrane is associated with both age-related macular degeneration progression and higher genetic risk scores. Early glaucoma diagnosis may increase emotional distress in patients, even without noticeable vision loss.Patients with diabetes may not be at increased risk of postoperative endophthalmitis after cataract surgery, regardless of A1C levels.High cholesterol in the aging lens may help protect against cataract formation by preventing protein-membrane interactions.A multi-task artificial intelligence platform used ultra-wide-field fundus images to accurately detect and triage multiple retinal diseases—including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma suspect, and age-related macular degeneration—with high area under curves and interpretability features, offering a scalable solution for real-world screening.

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week’s episode we discuss: Male sex, worse high contrast visual acuity, and older age at presentation for acute optic neuritis were associated with worse visual outcomes at 6 months.Individuals with >6 months of GLP-1 agonist use had increased incidence of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.Female ophthalmologists send more and longer virtual patient messages compared to male counterparts.Tocilizumab reduced relapse rates and glucocorticoid use in pediatric patients with non-infectious uveitis.

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week’s episode we discuss:Both high and low levels of HDL were associated with increased risk of AMD, though the mechanism for this remains unclear.A majority of ophthalmic subspecialists practice in urban areas, and this trend has increased over the last decade.Study compares 5 modern toric IOL formulas for cataract patients with astigmatism.Systemic GLP-1 inhibitor treatment was found to reduce size and leakage of CNVM lesions in mouse models.

In this episode, we kick off season 5 of the Lens Pod with an educational episode about Keratoconus: a corneal ectasia!Resources for this episode include:https://eyewiki.org/Keratoconushttps://www.aao.org/education/content/ophthalmology-okap-board-reviewAmerican Academy of Ophthalmology. (2023). External Disease and Cornea (Section 8, Basic and Clinical Science Course). American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week’s episode we discuss: Virtual reality-based infrared pupillometry differentiates long COVID from post-COVID and controls, a promising noninvasive long COVID screening tool.Pandemic-related lifestyle changes are associated with a significant rise in the prevalence and severity of pediatric astigmatism.TriNetX study finds no association between semaglutide and Non-arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION) or Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (ION).Gut dysbiosis and altered microbial metabolites are associated with the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Too busy to read The Lens? Listen to our weekly newsletter summary here!In this week's episode, we discuss:Orbital masses and red eyes are correlated with worse prognosis in retinoblastoma. Comprehensive study suggests women in ACGME-accredited ophthalmology residencies attain lower surgical and procedural volumes than their male counterparts.Healthy lifestyle factors implicated in improved retinal health and reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration.

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week's issue we discuss:Epigenetic aging alone, as established by DNA methylation studies, correlates with faster glaucoma progression independent of IOP. Repeated low-level red light (RLRL) therapy can delay myopia progression and axial elongation in children, but new research shows it can lead to ganglion cell damage and cone photoreceptor loss.Pegcetocoplan treatment reduces vision loss in the fovea and junctional zone in patients with geographic atrophy, per microperimetry analysis.

Too busy to read The Lens? Listen to our weekly podcast here!In this week's issue: Children from lower socioeconomic public school districts have higher rates vision screening failure.Heterozygous Tcf4 loss confers protection against disease progression in a Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy mouse model.An artificial intelligence-based OCT model demonstrates 99% accuracy in detecting diabetic retinopathy.