Ophthalmology Times

06/09/2026

Cataracts remain the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide, yet the surgical gap continues to widen as population growth and aging outpace available care. In recognition of Cataract Awareness Month, Ophthalmology Times spoke with John Berdahl, MD, a board-certified ophthalmologist at Vance Thompson Vision in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and a professor at the University of South Dakota, who is internationally recognized as a leader in cataract, cornea, glaucoma, and refractive surgery.

A longtime advocate for global eye care access, Berdahl has participated in surgical mission trips worldwide and serves in a leadership capacity with EyeCare America, which connects underserved patients with no-cost ophthalmologic care. In the following Q&A—the first of a 2-part conversation— Berdahl discusses the scale of the global cataract surgical gap, the structural interventions most likely to close it, and what emerging data linking cataract surgery to reduced dementia risk may mean for how surgeons counsel their patients.

In part 1 of a 2-part Q&A, John Berdahl, MD, discusses the widening global cataract surgical gap and examines emerging evidence linking cataract extraction to a reduced risk of dementia.

06/07/2026

FDA issued draft guidance to help developers bring promising gene therapies to patients more efficiently by making greater use of existing scientific and regulatory knowledge.

According to a press release from the FDA, the guidance will outline how sponsors can use publicly available information and establish platform knowledge, including chemistry, mmanufacturing and controls data (CMC), nonclinical study results, and clinical information, to streamline regulatory submissions for human gene therapy products that use genome editing in human somatic cells.

Guidance includes building on existing science, reducing redundant testing, and accelerating treatments for rare and life-threatening diseases

06/06/2026

A hybrid deep learning model combining convolutional and recurrent neural network architectures applied to dynamic corneal imaging sequences achieved approximately 90% accuracy in distinguishing healthy eyes from eyes with keratoconus.

A pilot study shows that analyzing how the cornea moves under air-puff stimulation may improve early keratoconus detection.

06/05/2026

Oculis has announced its phase 3 DIAMOND-1 and DIAMOND-2 trials of OCS-01 eye drops in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) did not improve best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 52 weeks. The findings effectively close the regulatory path for OCS-01 eye drops in DME, with the company confirming it does not plan to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this indication.

The company confirmed it does not plan to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

06/04/2026

A clinic-based study of more than 6,000 Japanese adults has found that men who drink alcohol regularly develop advanced presbyopia earlier than non-drinking men, adding to a growing body of evidence connecting lifestyle factors to the age-related loss of near vision.

The study, published in Clinical Optometry in May 2026 by researchers at Keio University School of Medicine, measured near add power—the corrective lens strength needed to restore close-up vision—in 6258 patients aged 40 to 79. Participants were drawn from a single eye clinic in Kanagawa, Japan, between December 2018 and April 2024.

The study, led by researchers at Keio University School of Medicine, measured near add power in 6258 patients aged 40 to 79.

06/04/2026

TearSolutions has received FDA Orphan Drug and Fast Track designations for Lacripep, a topical synthetic peptide, in neurotrophic keratitis, and has dosed the first patients in a phase 2 multicenter, randomized, vehicle-controlled trial. As described by the company, Lacripep is a novel, first-in-class topical synthetic peptide derived from the human tear protein lacritin, with proposed dual neurotrophic and prosecretory functions, based on preclinical and early clinical studies. Swipe for the key clinical details.

Read the full article here: https://hubs.li/Q04k2VX70

06/03/2026

Samsung Bioepis has launched Opuviz, an aflibercept biosimilar, across Europe for wet AMD, DME, RVO, and myopic CNV—following EC approval in November 2024 and MHRA approval in April 2025.

Swipe for the key clinical details.

🔗 Full article in bio.

06/03/2026

As Cataract Awareness Month begins, Ophthalmology Times is highlighting the latest clinical insights, emerging research, and expert perspectives shaping cataract care.

Follow along throughout the month for coverage focused on diagnosis, surgical innovation, patient outcomes, and the evolving landscape of cataract management.

https://hubs.li/Q04jXHtb0

06/03/2026

Ophthalmologists, neuro-ophthalmologists, and optometrists should understand the impact pregnancy can have on the eye, according to Kathleen B. Digre, MD.

“Pregnancy is really a window of opportunity during which two people are cared for simultaneously as well as a window into the patient’s future health. The latter began to become apparent during the past 20 years,” she commented. Digre, a neuro-ophthalmologist, is Distinguished Professor Neurology Emerita, Professor of Ophthalmology, Adjunct Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City.

Knowing pregnancy-related risks enhances patient safety.

06/02/2026

TearSolutions, Inc. has announced that the FDA has granted both Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) and Fast Track Designation for a topical synthetic peptide (Lacripep) in neurotrophic keratitis (NK), and that the company has initiated a phase 2 clinical trial with the first patients dosed.

NK is a rare degenerative corneal disorder in which reduced or absent corneal sensitivity impairs epithelial healing, potentially resulting in persistent epithelial defects and vision loss.

The topical synthetic peptide receives orphan drug and fast track status and enters phase 2 as a first-in-class treatment for a rare degenerative corneal disease.