The Lens Newsletter: September 16, 2026

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week’s episode we discuss:OCT angiography detected glaucomatous progression earlier than OCT or visual field testing, preceding visual field progression by an average of 2.3 years.Living in areas with greater sunlight exposure in Taiwan was associated with a 20% higher odds of POAG and significantly faster RNFL thinning.Dry eye disease was significantly more frequent among patients with circadian rhythm sleep disorders at 1, 3, and 5 years after diagnosis compared with propensity-matched controls.

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week's episode we discuss:Veligrotug infusions show potential for improving thyroid eye disease through improvement of symptoms including proptosis and diplopia A new cost-efficiency analysis study explores the utility of ambulatory surgical centers in ophthalmology A 15-year study of highly myopic eyes demonstrated 3D globe remodeling predicted pathologic progression beyond axial elongation alone. Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) may play a role in inflammation and remodeling in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD)

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week’s issueChildren with neurodevelopmental disorders may have a higher risk of amblyopia, strabismus, and myopia.IOP stress testing may predict glaucoma progression.Patients with metastatic melanoma had a higher risk of developing noninfectious uveitis.

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here!In this week's episode, we discuss:A study of AI use in 27000+ ophthalmic research articles found substantial evidence of LLM-generated text.HAL spectacle lenses significantly slowed myopic progression and axial elongation in US children compared with single-vision lenses. Unilateral noninfectious uveitis was associated with bilateral corneal nerve abnormalities, including reduced corneal nerve sensitivity and altered morphology. OCT/OCTA retinal vascular changes in patients with severe large artery stenosis were associated with cerebral atrophy and cognitive impairment. 

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week’s episode we discuss: Clobetasol propionate ophthalmic suspension with twice-daily dosing may be a good option for post-cataract treatment.Lacrimal sac massage is an effective and noninvasive approach for addressing CNLDO in infants.In ocular syphilis, acute inflammatory imaging findings are concentrated earlier after symptom onset, while structural abnormalities may persist throughout the disease course.

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week’s episode we discuss:Higher dietary intake of B vitamins B3 and B12 is associated with a lower risk of developing glaucoma.Prior vitrectomy may come with postoperative baggage, with a nearly 4-fold higher risk of CME after cataract surgery.Ocular herpes doesn’t affect cancer risk, except in patients with underlying immune dysfunction.A little overcorrection after intermittent exotropia surgery hits the sweet spot for long-term alignment.Senescent “zombie” cells stick around and fuel the tissue damage that causes keratoconus.

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week’s episode we discuss…In patients with ROP, neurodevelopmental outcomes do not differ between anti-VEGF and laser photocoagulation treatments.AS-OCT identifies plateau iris, which carries an 11-fold higher risk of progression to angle closure, making it a potentially useful screening tool.Patients presenting with ocular complaints, and those presenting to eye doctors, receive more timely care in GCA than those presenting to their PCP or with headache or systemic symptoms. Depression is subjectively strongly associated with dry eye disease severity, but not associated with objective clinical signs.

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week’s episode we discuss: Despite a substantial burden of diabetic retinopathy outside metropolitan areas, nearly all diagnostic and treatment services are delivered in urban practices. Real Architecture for 3D Tissues-Ocular Surface transplantation improved ocular surface disease in advanced aniridia-related keratopathy with an acceptable safety profile in a first-in-human clinical trial.Women, Black patients, and patients with socioeconomic challenges were significantly less likely to receive timely surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in a large US retrospective study.A novel prediction model combining placental and early neonatal factors accurately identified infants at risk for retinopathy of prematurity before routine screening begins.

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week’s episode we discuss:Vitamin B3 may help prevent the progression of ocular hypertension to primary open-angle glaucoma.Patients with chronic pain conditions are more likely to develop dry eye disease.Compared with PRP, PPV may yield better preservation of peripheral visual function and a favorable trend in DME.A smartphone application might be able to detect basal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma.

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week’s episode, we discuss:Long-term, repeated intravitreal anti-VEGF injections were associated with a significantly increased risk of cataract surgery in the treated eye, with risk increasing in a dose-dependent manner.Prespecified OCT interpretation rules, particularly assessment of the TSNIT curve, accurately distinguished glaucomatous damage from myopic structural changes with high sensitivity and specificity.Delaying the initial retinopathy of prematurity screening examination until 34 weeks postmenstrual age in selected medium-risk infants safely reduced unnecessary examinations without missing treatment-requiring ROP.Subretinal AAV8-mediated PD-L1 gene therapy reduced retinal inflammation and preserved retinal structure and function in a rat model of autoimmune uveitis, suggesting a potential future immune-modulating treatment strategy.