Tanihara and colleagues studied the short-term results of topically administered selective Rho kinase inhibitor, K-115, in a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Fifty healthy volunteers received a single instillation, while another 50 healthy volunteers received repeated instillation of increasing concentrations in a stepwise manner. Maximal intraocular pressure reductions were noted 1 to 2 hours after instillation, with slight to mild conjunctival hyperemia found in more than half of the participants after each instillation of the drug, typically resolving within 90 minutes. These findings suggest a potential benefit of this class of medications, pending further clinical trials.
Continuing Medical Education
Although dry eye disease is common, there is a poor correlation between its symptoms and objective signs at the ocular surface. To explore whether pain sensitivity plays a role in patients’ experience of symptoms from dry eye disease, Vehof and colleagues evaluated 1622 women aged 20 to 83 years from an adult registry of twins in the United Kingdom. Higher sensitivity and lower pain tolerance to a heat stimulus on the forearm appeared to be associated with dry eye disease, suggesting that pain sensitivity might play a role in the perception of symptoms from this common ocular condition.
Continuing Medical Education
Mitchell and colleagues analyzed National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire 25 data to determine the impact of ranibizumab treatment compared with laser on patient-reported visual function outcomes. In a randomized clinical trial of 345 participants, the antivascular endothelial growth factor treatment ranibizumab, alone or in combination with laser, appeared more likely to result in improved patient-reported visual function outcomes compared with laser alone, supporting the visual acuity benefits previously reported from this trial.
Journal Club Slides