New Retina Radio by Eyetube

What did a review of the AAO IRIS Registry reveal about the rates of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) during the COVID-19 pandemic? Moderator Katherine Talcott, MD, sits down with Phoebe Mellen, MD, and Kyle Kovacs, MD, to review the study's conclusion that RVO rates did not increase during the pandemic, discuss challenges about talking to patients seeking causality for an ocular phenomenon, and review the relative strengths and drawbacks of relying on the IRIS Registry. 

Recent studies have proven the therapeutic viability of a different approach in treating retinal vascular diseases. Join Dr. John Kitchens, Dr. Margaret Chang, and Dr. David Chin Yee as they discuss their clinical experiences using a therapy with a novel mechanism of action in patients with nAMD and DME. And, learn how they approach managing patients with macular edema. This special episode of New Retina Radio, and its content, is supported by Genentech USA, Inc.

In the second episode of this 2-part series, moderator Paul Hahn, MD, PhD, and panelists Durga Borkar, MD, MMCi, and Ted Leng, MD, turn to the findings of FARETINA-AMD and FARETINA-DME, which rely on real-world outcomes as documented in the AAO IRIS Registry. What can retina specialists learn from these studies, and how might these studies' findings affect treatment decisions?

Protocol AA might be complete—but analysis of its data is far from over. What did that study’s data tell us about the relationship between leakage and DR severity? Justis Ehlers, MD, breaks down what he and his team uncovered when examining ultra-widefield images from Protocol AA, and helps us understand how machine learning might be used in future retina clinics. And Lisa Faia, MD, explains what her claims database analysis uncovered about the overlap between GA diagnoses and rates of depression and anxiety. What new info do we have that can contextualize the value of GA care?

How do outcomes differ for RRD patients at risk of PVR following PPV alone or combined PPV/scleral buckling? Moderator David Xu, MD, hears from panelists Barton Blackorby, MD, and Prethy Rao, MD, MPH, about a recent peer-reviewed paper published in Ophthalmology Retina covering surgical outcomes of patients with RRD who were considered high risk for PVR and underwent either PPV alone or PPV/scleral buckling. After the break, the doctors discuss the specific mechanics of a PPV/scleral buckle that may lead to successful surgery and ask whether this paper helps us better understand risk factors for PVR.

Could next-generation anti-VEGF agents such as faricimab (Vabysmo, Genentech/Roche) and high-dose aflibercept (Eylea HD, Regeneron) be dosed as infrequently as every 20 weeks without sacrificing efficacy? And even if there are data that suggest that finding, would anyone actually adopt an interval that long in wet AMD patients? Philip Storey, MD, fills us in on TENAYA and LUCERNE data that explored, in part, how many patients could theoretically reach a 20-week dosing interval with faricimab, and which baseline factors predicted whether patients were conducive to such a strategy. And Prof. Sobha Sivaprasad joins us to review findings from PULSAR. In particular, she focuses on data examining whether wet AMD patients could be dosed as long as every 24 weeks on high-dose aflibercept. This is part 1 of 2 of NRR's ARVO 2024 coverage. 

David RP Almeida, MD, PhD, MBA; Lisa Faia, MD; and Chris Riemann, MD, return for the second episode in this podcast miniseries, in which they review a trio of real-world GA cases, explore what early responses to treatment look like, and ask how to address GA in the presence of wet AMD. 

Join David RP Almeida, MD, PhD, MBA; Lisa Faia, MD; and Chris Riemann, MD, as they assess which clinical and non-clinical characteristics drive their decision-making in patients with geographic atrophy (GA). After the break, Dr. Faia shares a real-world case from her clinic in which a patient who was lost to follow-up returns to consider treatment.

What conclusions can be drawn from a cross-trial comparison of randomized clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of anti-VEGF agents used in the treatment of AMD and DME? Paul Hahn, MD, PhD, sits down with Durga Borkar, MD, MMCi, and Ted Leng, MD, to review a recent presentation by Dr. Leng on this topic, and to examine the clinical relevance of the study's findings. 

Biosimilars in retina are here. How are practices integrating them into their clinics? And how do they navigate issues around payer policy, protocol changes, and ensuring continuity of care? 

Moderator John Kitchens, MD, sits down with retina specialist Dave Brown, MD, and Kristin Yockus, the VP of Process Integrations at Retina Consultants of America, to answer these questions, and to preview how the coming increase in biosimilar options might play out in a real-world landscape.