New Retina Radio By Eyetube

As we enter the therapeutic era of geographic atrophy, imaging the disease is more important than ever. How are retina specialists navigating this new clinical dynamic? Moderator Rishi P. Singh, MD, is joined by Roger A. Goldberg, MD, MBA; Mrinali Gupta, MD; and Katherine Talcott, MD, as they examine which imaging modalities are best suited for busy clinics, discuss how software can facilitate longitudinal imaging tracking, and review which imaging reports are most conducive to patient education. This episode is sponsored by ZEISS. 

New Retina Radio was at ASRS 2023 to cover the stories you may have missed.    How often do patients return to the clinic on time for anti-VEGF injections? Christina Y. Weng, MD, MBA, and her team explored how often patients missed scheduled appointments, by how much, and whether missing appointments affected patient outcomes.    And Nikolas JS London, MD, joined us in our mobile studio in Seattle to tell us about anatomic outcomes in wet AMD patients after faricimab (Vabysmo, Genentech/Roche) treatment.    This is episode 1 of 2 covering the 2023 ASRS Annual Meeting. Keep an eye on your feed for episode 2.  

How often did human graders agree with software designed to detect and quantify retinal fluid in wet AMD patients using a home OCT prototype? Moderator Sabin Dang, MD, is joined by panelists Lediana Goduni, MD, and Prethy Rao, MD, MPH, to examine how reliable such software was in a prospective observational study. After the break, the group speculates how these new data may affect retina doctors' comfort with home OCT and asks what is the minimum viable image quality required to trust home OCT imaging.  

Were fluid-free visits correlated with outcomes in the HAWK/HARRIER studies? Moderator Katherine Talcott, MD, and panelists Kyle Kovacs, MD, and Rebecca Soares, MD, MPH, summarize data from a study examining this question, review what it means to be "free of fluid," and discuss how these data fit into the overall conversation about fluid toleration in wet AMD. 

Is a solution to extending duration with aflibercept (Eylea, Regeneron) in DME patients an 8-mg dose rather than the typical 2-mg dose? Diana Do, MD, joined us to review data from the PHOTON study, which assessed the safety and efficacy of high-dose aflibercept in DME patients.   And we hear from Jennifer Lim, MD, who summarized data on extending treatment intervals in the phase 3 YOSEMITE and RHINE studies. Could a significant number of DME patients make it to 12—or even 16—weeks before needing another faricimab (Vabysmo, Genentech/Roche) dose?   

How are doctors using faricimab (Vabysmo, Genentech/Roche) in real-world settings? The IRIS Registry has a few answers. We sat down with Durga Borkar, MD, MMCi, to hear what researchers in the FARETINA-AMD study group found regarding dynamics related to faricimab’s use in wet AMD patients since its approval in January of last year.    We also interviewed Varun Chaudhary, MD, to learn specifically about faricimab treat-and-extend regimens in wet AMD patients who were enrolled in TENAYA and LUCERNE. How many patients achieved treatment intervals of 12 or 16 weeks? 

After years of failed clinical trials, we finally have an approved therapy for geographic atrophy, and more are hopefully on the way. Allen C. Ho, MD, and Robert L. Avery, MD, sit down with Eleonora M. Lad, MD, PhD; Jeffrey S. Heier, MD; and Dilsher Dhoot, MD, to discuss the introduction of geographic atrophy therapies into the retina clinic.

What did an analysis of the Korean National Health Insurance Service database reveal about the link between age-related macular degeneration and depression risk? Moderator Sabin Dang, MD, is joined by panelists Lediana Goduni, MD, and Prethy Rao, MD, MPH, to summarize the study's findings. After the break, the discussion turns to whether depression screening should (or could) occur in retinal clinics, and how optimistic framing of a diagnosis may make a difference in the lives of patients. 

What does an analysis of the Japan-Retinal Detachment Registry reveal about the relationship between duration of macular detachment and visual prognosis? Moderator Priya Vakharia, MD, invites panelists Sruthi Arepalli, MD, and Vaidehi Dedania, MD, to explore the design and findings of a recent paper by Miyake et al on this topic. After the break, they discuss the clinical and medico-legal implications of the paper’s findings. 

Cynthia A. Toth, MD, and Amani A. Fawzi, MD, sit down with experts Philip J. Rosenfeld, MD, PhD; SriniVas Sadda, MD; and Nadia K. Waheed, MD, MPH, to discuss the value of OCT angiography in the retina clinic. From assessing macular neovascularization to tracking treatment effect in patients with plaque choroidal retinopathies, this imaging modality can augment current tools—and even replace them, at times. Hear their pearls, tips, and tricks for integrating OCT angiography into your clinical routine.  

The FDA approval of pegcetacoplan (Syfovre, Apellis Pharmaceuticals) is a historic moment for the field of retina, finally providing a treatment option for patients with geographic atrophy. Allen C. Ho, MD, and Robert L. Avery, MD, share their initial reactions to the approval and discuss the potential effect on patient care and clinical practice. 

Diversity and inclusion in medical practice is essential, and while retina specialists always have their patients’ and colleagues’ best interests at heart, sometimes that message can get lost in translation, especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ sensitivities. Vivienne S. Hau, MD, PhD, and Basil K. Williams Jr, MD, sat down with four experts—Jessica Weinstein, MD; Roberto Diaz-Rohena, MD; Steven Sanislo, MD; and Brandon Johnson, MD—to discuss ways to foster workplace diversity and inclusion for LGBTQ+ patients and physicians.

No two secondary IOL procedures are the same, and each case requires your full attention. What is your favorite technique? How are you protecting the haptics and avoiding hypotony? Hear from four of the top retina surgeons on their preferred approaches and how they avoid common surgical pitfalls. A conversation with Christina Y. Weng, MD, MBA; Ashkan M. Abbey, MD; María H. Berrocal, MD; and Omesh P. Gupta, MD, MBA

Punctate inner choroidopathy-like, or PIC-like, reactions are rare, and they sometimesl confound retina specialists. New Retina Radio Journal Club with VBS panelists Kyle Kovacs, MD, and Priya Vakharia, MD, join moderator Yasha Modi, MD, to review a retrospective observational study of patients with PIC-like presentations in unrelated chorioretinal disorders.

Two biosimilars have been approved by the US FDA, and more are going to receive approval soon. With this level of disruption in US retina practice, what do you need know? George Williams, MD, the Senior Secretary for Advocacy at the AAO, joined us for preview on what practice might look like now that biosimilars are a fact of life. Also, Caroline Baumal, MD, sat down with us to discuss the YOSEMITE and RHINE studies, which released 2-year results. How did patients receiving faricimab (Vabysmo, Genentech/Roche) respond during their second year of treatment? 

John Kitchens, MD, invites Aleksandra Rachitskaya, MD, and Jonathan Russell, MD, PhD, to discuss the use of imaging technology in the retina clinic. The surgeons discuss cases in which they share approaches to imaging to evaluate wet age-related macular degeneration, retinal detachments, and more. They explain the value of OCT, ultra-widefield imaging, and fluorescein angiography, and comment on the use of change analysis with the Cirrus 6000 and Retina Workplace. Finally, the trio provides insights into the potential future of imaging technology. This podcast is sponsored by ZEISS.

We know about long-term intravitreal injections that might slow the progression of geographic atrophy (GA). But could a gene therapy in the pipeline require fewer treatments and still yield results? Jeffrey Heier, MD, summarized an AAO presentation on the phase 1 data of JNJ-1887 (Janssen), a potential gene therapy for GA. Was it safe—and were there signs of efficacy? Michel Michaelides, BSc, MB,, BS MD(Res), FRCOphth, joined us to speak about a gene therapy targeting x-linked retinitis pigmentosa. With a phase 3 study for the drug AAV5-RPGR (Jannsen/MeiraGTx) already underway, what can we learn from earlier trial results? 

Two biosimilars have been approved for retinal indications. What conclusions were drawn from the phase 3 studies that preceded their approval? Yasha Modi, MD, is joined by Kyle Kovacs, MD, and Priya Vakharia, MD, to review the ins and outs of biosimilarity, discuss the findings of two recent papers, and consider how use of biosimilars might affect future clinical practice in the United States. 

Identifying systemic biomarkers indicating risk for age-related macular degeneration would be a game-changer. But how can we find those biomarkers? We spoke with Joan Miller, MD, whose work with the Harvard Retina Metabolomics Program focuses on identifying specific metabolites that might be useful in real-world practice. Also, Yannek Leiderman, MD, PhD, stopped by to fill us in on the state of artificial intelligence (AI) in the OR. How far away are surgeons from interacting in real time with AI? 

Phase 3 data evaluating the biosimilarity of a new biosimilar (Xlucane, Xbrane Biopharma) referencing ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) has been completed. What were the results? Anat Loewenstein, MD, joined New Retina Radio to walk us through the results of the XPLORE study. And Ramanath Bhandari, MD, summarized his presentation on the TRUCKEE study, a real-world evaluation of the performance of faricimab (Vabysmo, Genentech/Roche). What do the most recent updates tell us about practice patterns and patient response?