Eyeworld Daily News

The study also found a rate of recurrence of 9.4 per 1,000 person years. "The only significant risk factor for the recurrence of the disease was the presence of epithelial dendritic keratitis," Juan C. Serna-Ojeda, MD, Mexico City, said about one of the major causes of infectious corne- al blindness. Additionally, the study found that the results of penetrating keratoplasty were good when not compromised by amblyopia. A final finding was to urge pro- phylactic treatment with acyclovir on a long-term basis. The treatment had an adverse effect in only 4.8% of the children. Other data presented included preliminary results of recombinant human nerve growth factor (rhNGF) eye drop used for treating neuro- trophic keratitis (NK). No pharma- cologic therapy is available for NK, but previous research suggested that murine NGF eye drops could be a safe and effective treatment. The phase 1/2 multicenter, randomized, double-masked, vehi- cle-controlled parallel group study has examined the safety and efficacy of 2 doses of recombinant human nerve growth factor eye drops com- pared to a vehicle in patients with stage 2 and 3 NK. "The masked phase 1 results of the REPARO study suggest that rhNGF eye drops are safe and well tolerated, with no significant sys- temic or ophthalmic complications observed," said Flavio Mantelli, MD, PhD, Miami. Enrollment in phase 2 of the study was completed in March and follow up is ongoing. EW Editors' note: Drs. Henriquez and Serna-Ojeda had no related financial interests. Dr. Mantelli has a financial interest in Dompe US (Miami). groups of 294 bilateral keratoconus patients, 50 with high myopia or astigmatism, 30 with FFKC, and a 341 ammetropia patient con- trol group was presented during a symposium of highlights from the World Cornea Congress VII. The asymmetry was determined by subtracting the right eye value from the left eye value for each variable—including keratometry, astigmatism, and asphericity—and by considering the absolute value of the result. In addition to the finding that high ametropic eyes showed lower asymmetric values than very early keratoconus, the study also found that the asymmetry of the eyes was effective in discriminating between very early keratoconus and high ametropic eyes. The best parameter of asymmetry included elevation front and back, Belin-Ambrosio D, and astigmatism. A separate presentation detailed the clinical presentation, characteris- tics, treatment, recurrences, com- plications, and final outcomes in children with herpes simplex virus infections. The 10-year observa- tional, retrospective clinical study concluded that herpetic eye disease in children often is diagnosed late or misdiagnosed. High rates of epithe- lial dendritic and interstitial keratitis were found, as well as an increased risk of recurrence and vision loss due to corneal complications or amblyopia. Specifically, the 109-patient study identified a median 30-day delay from the onset of symptoms to presentation. Red eye in patients was the most common (47.5%) reason for consultation, and the me- dian best corrected visual acuity at presentation was a median of 20/80. In the study, 38.8% of patients had a previous HSV diagnosis and 15.5% were misdiagnosed. /attendwoc /attendwoc World Ophthalmology Congress ® of the International Council of Ophthalmology Host: Mexican Society of Ophthalmology Co-host: Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology Register Today: woc2016.org • Attend hundreds of scientific sessions led by internationally-renowned experts. • Network with more than 7,000 ophthalmologists from over 120 countries. • Visit more than 100 exhibiting companies. • See Guadalajara, a cultural center of Mexico, known for its beauty and history. Abstract Submission Deadline is June 1 Registration Rates Increase after July 31 Be part of the excitement February 5-9 Guadalajara, Mexico Join the conversation: #ASCRSASOA2015

• Cover