News

News from The American Academy of Ophthalmology

• Glaucoma and Alzheimer’s Disease: Overlapping Diseases on the Same Spectrum?
  Dr. Thomas Johnson explored the epidemiological and pathophysiological overlaps between glaucoma and Alzheimer’s disease at the American Glaucoma Society 2026 Annual Meeting.
• Week in Review: Dry Eye Disease in Patients With Autoimmune Conditions, Attitudes Toward AI-Based Diabetic Retinopathy Screening
  Having an autoimmune disease can predispose a person to dry eye, and survey results show that patients appear to prefer human-based diabetic retinopathy screening over AI-based programs.
• Initial Glaucoma Treatment With SLT vs Eyedrops May Help Slow Visual Field Loss
  A post hoc analysis of the Laser in Glaucoma and Ocular Hypertension Trial (LiGHT) focused on the 6-year visual field (VF) mean deviation (MD) progression rate in the 2 treatment arms.
• Failed Initial Endothelial Keratoplasty May Be Successfully Managed With DMEK
  In the absence of other risk factors, after failure of a first cornea graft, Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) appears to be a viable option for surgical success.
• Weekly Journal Update — February 25, 2026
  An HVF protocol for hydroxychloroquine retinopathy, Chat GPT-5 answers ophthalmology questions, lifestyle factors and AMD progression, pharmacologic dilation and acute angle closure, EDOF lenses can help eyes with irregular astigmatism.
• Health-Related Quality-of-Life Outcomes Appear to Be Good After Upper Eyelid Surgery
  The American Academy of Ophthalmology recently issued an Ophthalmic Technology Assessment regarding instruments used to measure health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) outcomes following upper blepharoplasty and blepharoptosis surgery.
• Aniridia May Increase the Risk of Retinal Detachment With a Boston Keratoprosthesis
  Retinal detachment is a potential concern after implantation of a Boston keratoprosthesis type 1 (KPro), but a retrospective study found that aniridia might further increase that risk.
• Discrepancies Exist in How Industry Payments to Oculoplastic Surgeons Are Distributed
  Industry payments to oculofacial plastic surgeons appear to be concentrated among relatively few surgeons receiving a high number of payments from a small number of companies.
• Early Corticosteroid Tapering May Be Associated With Higher Rejection Risk After DMEK
  A retrospective study found that stopping topical corticosteroid eyedrops within the first few years after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) could increase the risk of graft rejection.
• Patterns of Ellipsoid Zone Loss May Predict Progression in MacTel
  A longitudinal OCT imaging study identified three distinct patterns of ellipsoid zone loss in macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel) corresponding with different rates of disease progression.