Michael Ammar, MD, a retinal specialist and surgeon at Retina Consultants San Diego (RCSD), shares his clinical perspective from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting, including his top sessions and topics from the second day of subspecialty sessions—including newly-released phase 3 data.
Let’s talk about AAO’s vibe.
This meeting has always been fun and collegial, with the chance to see colleagues and mentors we’ve known throughout our entire training and career; it's our biggest and our best reunion.
And the Exhibit Hall at AAO is also a premier place and major highlight of the weekend with some of the newest therapeutics and equipment being showcased.
So … what’s new?
A standout from the anterior segment space—and a hot topic among surgeons—is a new lens entering the market: the IC-8 Apthera intraocular lens (IOL) by Bausch + Lomb.This IOL is a presbyopia-correcting lens intended to deliver an extended depth of focus to cataract patients via its unique, small aperture and wavefront-filtering design
This is the first lens with this type of a pinhole like design to be used in intraocular surgery, and was a very hot topic amongst cataract and anterior segment surgeons.
I need more details on this.
Glance has got you covered:
The IC-8 IOL was originally developed by AcuFocus, Inc. before being purchased by B + L in January 2023 (coverage here).
Prior to that, though, it was FDA approved in July 2022 as the first and only small-aperture, non-toric extended-depth-of-focus (EDOF) IOL for unilateral implantation.
Also of interest: in January 2023, the first patients were commercially implanted with the IOL via cataract surgery (details here).
Gotcha. Any other notable products?
- XDEMVY by Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is hoping to revolutionize the treatment of Demodex blepharitis as the first FDA-approved therapeutic.
- Glance coverage on its July 2023 FDA approval is here.
- U.S. commercial launch announcement (September 2023) details here.
- Glance coverage on its July 2023 FDA approval is here.
- MIEBO (perfluorohexyloctane ophthalmic solution) by B+L and Novaliq, a preservative-free eye drop and the first to directly target tear evaporation in DED, holds much promise for patients.
- Glance coverage on its May 2023 FDA approval is here.
- U.S. commercial launch announcement (September 2023) details here.
- Glance coverage on its May 2023 FDA approval is here.
Anything on the surgical side?
Heads-up display surgery, which has been around for a number of years at this point, continues to be a more modern approach to intraocular surgery. Case in point:
- ARTEVO 800 (ZEISS), an ophthalmic digital microscope (the first of its kind) designed to integrate with DigitalOptics and provide reduced light sensitivity, higher resolution images, and “outstanding” depth of field
- NGENUITY Digital 3D Visualization System (Alcon) offers a three-dimensional system intended to redefine a surgeon’s traditional 2D operating field with a 3D viewing area.
- Provides enhanced depth perception for surgeons to more accurately gauge instruments’ distance and position within the eye’s tissues.
These both offer heads-up display formats that provide better ergonomics for surgeons.
Lastly … what’s a high-value opportunity at AAO?
Clinical training sessions.
These allow attendees to work with experts in various surgical techniques and approaches so that they can adopt these practices in their own operating rooms and clinics.
These are highly informative sessions with one-on-one teaching that are great opportunities to learn skills and techniques to better provide care to our patients.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting is being held Nov. 3-6, 2023, in San Francisco, California.