UPCOMING EVENTS
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR EYE CARE PROVIDERS
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VIRTUAL VISIONARIES
- COPE Accredited CE Series -
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Colorado Retina's Virtual Visionaries takes place via Zoom on the third Wednesday of each month from 6-7PM MST. This educational lecture series covers a mix of retina and uveitis topics and complex cases, and features guest sub-specialty experts to highlight a variety of other vision threatening diseases and disorders including: diabetes, cataracts, glaucoma, tumors, nerve-related vision problems, pediatric eye issues, and more. |
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MISSED A PRIOR CE EVENT? Previously Recorded Past CE Activities are Available on our Website for your Viewing.
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SEPTEMBER 2021 VIRTUAL VISIONARIES
Grand Rounds: Retina Round-up
Colorado Retina's Drs. Betty Zhang and Miriah Teeter host a grand rounds style "retina-round-up", covering a variety of unique and thought-provoking surgical and clinical vitreoretinal cases presented to us by our referring community. This course is provides a comprehensive review of posterior segment disease management, clinical guidelines for referral timing and diagnosis, along with modern patient care techniques for pre and post-surgery.
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CLINICAL RESEARCH UPDATES
COLORADO RETINA'S FDA-APPROVED, IN-HOUSE CLINICAL RESEARCH DEPARTMENT
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KODIAK "GLEAM" CLINICAL TRIAL
For Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema
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Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) is the most common cause of vision loss in people with diabetic retinopathy. Poor blood sugar control and medical comorbidities, such as high blood pressure, increase the risk of blindness for people with DME. DME can occur at any stage of diabetic retinopathy, although it is more likely to occur later as the disease goes on.
While anti-VEGF therapies have been approved for the treatment of DME for nearly a decade, diabetes continues to be the leading cause of vision loss in working-age adults in the developed world. Experts estimate that approximately 7.7 million Americans have diabetic retinopathy and of those, about 750,000 also have DME.
Because of the high-frequency treatment required with current anti-VEGF medicines, real-world outcomes show that many patients are chronically under-treated and do not achieve optimal vision outcomes as a result. There is a tremendous unmet need for more durable, highly efficacious treatments for DME patients. Building on the strong safety, efficacy and durability data from the ongoing phase 1b study, the GLEAM phase 3 study evaluates the efficacy of KSI-301 given as infrequently as every 6-months (after three monthly loading doses) compared to aflibercept on its approved every 2-month interval (after five monthly loading doses). If this study is successful, KSI-301 will have the potential to become the preferred, first-line treatment option for patients and retina specialists alike.
General Study Inclusion Criteria:
- Treatment-naïve diabetic macular edema, with vision loss and center involvement (if present) diagnosed within 9 months of screening
- BCVA of ≤ 78 to ≥ 25 letters
- Decrease in vision primarily due to DME
- Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes
Click below to learn more about our actively enrolling clinical trials. To refer a patient, submit your referral as you normally would (Online, fax or email) and note *referral to research*. The patient must first be a patient of Colorado Retina and be pre-screened by a CRA physician in order to enroll in a clinical research study.
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PRACTICE UPDATES
WHAT'S NEW AT COLORADO RETINA ASSOCIATES
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October is Blindness Awareness Month |
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There are currently more than 285 million visually impaired people in the world, a number that is expected to triple in the next 30 years. According to the World Health Organization, around 80% of visual impairment is avoidable, which pinpoints the importance of raising awareness about the subject and the methodical examination of our sight.
Blindness Awareness Month seeks to accomplish:
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Education: Companies around the world teach the public about good eye health and the latest research and innovations in the treatment of eye disorders.
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Inspiration: Stories are shared about blind or visually impaired people accomplishing incredible things most sighted people do not attempt.
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Advocacy: Organizations garner support for more resources, research, access, and laws that enable people with visual impairments to live fully productive lives and contribute equally to their communities.
There is no shortage of ways to learn about, celebrate, and support the visually impaired community throughout Blindness Awareness Month.
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CASE OF THE MONTH
REAL CASES OF YOUR REFERRED PATIENTS
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A Rare Presentation of Congenital Retinal Macrovessel
SALIL SHUKLA, M.D., Retina Specialist at Colorado Retina
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Presentation:
A 44-year-old male without acute visual complaint is referred for “abnormal vessel OS.” Patient has no pertinent past medical history. Patient has no past ocular history but states he was told about the unusual vessel OS 20 years prior. Visual acuity is 20/20 OU.
Anterior segment exam OU, and dilated fundus exam OD are within normal limits. DFE OS reveals a retinal vessel emanating from the optic nerve and passing through the macula inferior to the fovea. The remainder of the peripheral retinal exam OS was normal. Fluorescein angiography revealed normal perfusion and AV phases. No vascular leakage was observed.
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(representative image)1
The patient was diagnoses with congenital retinal macrovessel. Given the association with of congenital retinal macrovessel with cerebral venous malformation an MRI brain was performed. The MRI brain was interpreted as normal and patient was scheduled for PRN follow up.
Discussion:
Congenital retinal macrovessel is a rare typically venous malformation of the retinal vasculature involving a large anomalous vessel that crosses the macula. The diagnosis is typically incidental as the patient typically has normal vision. Vision loss may occur from vitreous hemorrhage, cystoid macular edema, or serous detachment. Management is observational. In 2018 in JAMA Ophthalmology a case series of 49 patients with congenital retinal macrovessel was published2. The authors identified a cerebral venous malformation in 24% of patients, primarily in the ipsilateral frontal lobe. The authors therefore recommend an MRI brain with contrast upon diagnosis of congenital retinal macrovessel.
References:
1. Han JR, Jeon GS, Park JH, Seong HK, Nam WH, Kim HK. Congenital retinal macrovessel and foveal dysplasia of retinopathy of prematurity. Jpn J Ophthalmol. 2009 May;53(3):277-9.
2. Pichi F, Freund KB, Ciardella A, et al. Congenital Retinal Macrovessel and the Association of Retinal Venous Malformations With Venous Malformations of the Brain. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2018;136(4):372–379.
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FEATURED NEWS ARTICLES
PRESS RELEASES & RESOURCES FROM OUR COLORADO RETINA TEAM
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A 62-year-old woman came through our clinic doors late on a Friday requiring an urgent mac-on retinal detachment repair. The kicker: She reported a severe allergy to all eye drops, leaving us no time to order preservative-free medications. Dr. Brian Joondeph and his team quickly found themselves facing a tricky dilemma: How to move forward? This presentation, a classic RD, usually prompts a cascade of surgical decisions. Who is available to operate? Should we handle it over the weekend or can it wait until Monday? Instead, we faced a far bigger problem with this patient: How could we diagnose, much less repair, an RD without dilating the patient?
Check out myriad dilemmas and decision points Dr. Joondeph's team faced, providing you a roadmap to successfully navigate similar cases you may encounter in the future. And get a glimpse of how this patient is doing months after surgery!
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Ultra-widefield fundus imaging (Optos) was a lifesaver,
capturing a superonasal retinal detachment through an undilated pupil (Figure 1).
Seen in: Retina Today, July 12, 2021. All rights reserved.
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COLORADO RETINA ASSOCIATES, P.C.
MAIN PHONE: (303) 261-1600
FAX: (303) 261-1601
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