New Retina Radio by Eyetube

Are retina doctors seeing more retinal pathology following infection or vaccination? Or is there nothing to see here? Rahul Khurana, MD, joins us to discuss the findings of various health care database analyses seeking to clarify whether COVID infection or vaccination were linked to retinal manifestations. Was there a clear—or even an opaque—connection between the two? And Paul Hahn, MD, PhD, sits down with us to explain how inflation, new realities of reimbursement, and step therapy directives are playing out in retina clinics in the United States. Inflation-adjusted reimbursement is declining—but can anything be done about it? And is step therapy actually saving the system any cash? 

We finally have two FDA-approved treatments for geographic atrophy (GA)—and yet, many retina specialists have been reluctant to embrace them. Join moderator John Kitchens, MD, as he explores this question with Miguel Busquets, MD, and Esther Kim, MD. Further in the episode, they gameplan patient conversations centered around choosing a treatment, ask how heavily to weigh safety when selecting a complement inhibitor, and preview the GA pipeline.

In this episode of the New Retina Radio Journal Club with VBS, Maura Di Nicola, MD; Sruthi Arepalli, MD, and Barton Blackorby, MD, discuss a recent study comparing endophthalmitis rates following anti-VEGF injections with pre-treatment using either 5% Povidone Iodine or 0.05% Chlorhexidine. They highlight how prefilled syringes can reduce the risk of endophthalmitis and explore the implications for clinical practice, including antiseptic protocols, patient sensitivities, and how to navigate conflicting study outcomes. Tune in for valuable insights that could influence your injection protocols.

Tens of thousands of real-world geographic atrophy patients were analyzed in a retrospective database study. How did GA progress—and how do these data inform our understanding of GA? Ted Leng, MD, stopped by the show to share the findings from his research on the natural history of GA, which he recently delivered on the podium in Lisbon. And Michael Klufas, MD, joined us for a discussion about another real-world study. This time, it was a retrospective multicenter outcomes analysis following multiple injections of high-dose aflibercept (Eylea HD, Regeneron) for treatment of wet AMD, DME, and DR. How did treatment-naïve patients fare compared with previously treated patients? And did treatment intervals improve? Stick with us to find out.

What is the relationship between retinal artery occlusion (RAO) and death, stroke, or myocardial infarction? Moderator Katherine Talcott, MD, is joined by Kyle Kovacs, MD, and Phoebe Mellen, MD, to explore the latest contribution to the literature on this topic. After the break, they discuss how best to manage patients who present to the clinic with an RAO, review academic centers' model for rapidly assessing patients with RAOs, and strategize how best to perform work-ups for patients who present to the retinal clinic with an RAO weeks after reporting reduced vision. 

Could inhibition of C1q effectively halt the progression of GA? Joel Pearlman, MD, PhD, sat down to discuss findings from the phase 2 ARCHER study, which evaluated ANX007 (Annexon) in patients with GA. He tells us what happened when patients were dosed with ANX007 for 1 year—and what occurred when patients stopped receiving treatment. And later, Dimitra Skondra, MD, fills us in on the latest research regarding potential interactions between metformin and AMD development in non-diabetic patients. Does the future of care include metformin as prophylaxis? Stick with us to find out. 

Does switching long-term wet AMD patients to faricimab (Vabysmo, Genentech/Roche) result in meaningful change to disease presentation? Join New Retina Radio Journal Club host Ben Young, MD, MS, and panelists Lediana Goduni, MD, and Josh Uhr, MD, as they break down a recent real-world study published in the literature. After the break, they review whether the study's findings could inform clinical decision-making, weigh the value of anatomic improvement that doesn't result in significant improvement in vision quality, and review their comfort with switching from legacy anti-VEGF agents to next-generation therapies.

The Port Delivery System with Ranibizumab (PDS; Susvimo, Genentech) was shown to be effective for wet AMD treatment. What did the PAVILION study find when it came to treating diabetic retinopathy out to 100 weeks? Margaret Chang, MD, summarized the PAVILION study’s 2-year safety and efficacy findings regarding the PDS in patients with DR but no DME. Plus, Dr. Chang offers her opinions on what it will take for retina specialists to trust the PDS now that the next-generation model has been released. Hear what she has to say in this one-on-one interview. 

Is avacincaptad pegol (Izervay, Astellas) effective in patients with major ellipsoid zone attenuation at baseline? Katherine Talcott, MD, stopped by our studio in Stockholm during ASRS with a top-line summary of her lecture at this year’s meeting. And Sunir Garg, MD, joined us for a conversation about the GALE study, which assessed 36 months of continuous dosing of pegcetacoplan (Syfovre, Apellis Pharmaceuticals). What did microperimetry findings reveal about long-term dosing with C3 inhibition? Join us in this episode to find out. 

Patients with DME in DRCR Retina Network Protocol AC were switched from bevacizumab to aflibercept if they met specific switch criteria. Where there any baseline factors that predicted a switch? Moderator Rebecca Soares, MD, sits down with panelists Matt Starr, MD, and Nikisha Kothari, MD, to review this study, ask whether the findings are clinically relevant, and explore other risk factors that may be worthy of further investigation.