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Week in review: Mindfulness for visual snow, barriers to diabetes eye care, FDA rejects reproxalap





Comprehensive Ophthalmology, Cornea/External Disease, Neuro-Ophthalmology/Orbit, Retina/Vitreous

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

Can mindfulness programs clear away visual snow? Yes, say investigators in the United Kingdom who enrolled 21 patients with visual snow syndrome (VSS) in an 8-week program of mindful-based cognitive therapy customized for visual symptom issues (MBCT-vision). This program involves structured group discussions related to the impact of VSS symptoms and treatments on the patients. In general, self-rated symptom severity and impact scores and well-being and psychological distress scores improved from baseline to week 9. Brain functional MRI scans showed modulation or improvement of functional connectivity (FC) in visual networks, and there was a correlation between increased FC and reduced VSS symptom severity. A randomized controlled trial of MBCT-vision is set to begin recruiting patients in early 2024. Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology; MBCT-vision

Sociodemographic factors affect whether someone with type 2 diabetes seeks eye care. A retrospective cross-sectional study, using data from 11,551 adults with type 2 diabetes enrolled in the longitudinal All of Us Research Program, found that older age, non-Hispanic White ethnicity, and higher income and educational levels were associated with a greater likelihood of visiting an eye care practitioner within the previous 12 months. Conversely, those with food and housing insecurity and self-reported fair (vs good) mental health were less likely to have visited an eye care practitioner. “Our results highlight self-reported barriers to seeking care and the potential importance of taking steps to promote health equity,” said the authors. JAMA Ophthalmology

FDA declines to approve reproxalap for dry eye disease. On November 27, 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a complete response letter to Aldeyra Therapeutics regarding their New Drug Application (NDA) for reproxalap for the treatment of dry eye disease (DED). The letter stated that the study data provided in the NDA failed to prove the drug’s efficacy in relieving the ocular symptoms of DED, with a request that “at least one additional adequate and well-controlled study to demonstrate a positive effect on the treatment of ocular symptoms of dry eye” be provided before the FDA would review an NDA resubmission. Reproxalap is also in phase 3 development for allergic conjunctivitis. Aldeyra Therapeutics

One advantage of having myopia: it could lower your risk of diabetic retinopathy. Participants with diabetic retinopathy (DR) included in the 2005–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey had a lower risk of high myopia (odds ratio [OR] 0.39) than participants who had nondiabetic retinopathy, according to a recent data analysis study. Additionally, those with high myopia had lower odds of developing DR (OR 0.43); these findings remained after adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and smoking status. Additional studies are recommended to further understand the relationship between high myopia and DR development and progression. BMC Ophthalmology



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