Cognitive bias evaluation on the choice of treatment in common retinal disorders among retina specialists in 2023.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to discern the intent to treat with the therapeutic agents prescribed first or second line in the following eye conditions: neovascular age-related macular Degeneration (nAMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), retinal vein occlusion (RVO), and myopic maculopathy with choroidal neovascularization (MMNV). The study also aimed to distinguish the ophthalmologists' intended treatment for their patients from those that they would prescribe for themselves if they were affected by the above macular conditions. METHODS: The study utilized an online survey of 243 French ophthalmologists practicing medical retina, with males accounting for 54.3% of the participants. Data was obtained using a questionnaire that focused on the ophthalmologists' experience with various agents as well as their first and second line choices for nAMD, DME, RVO, and MMNV. RESULTS: The vast majority of French ophthalmologists (99%) had experience with the most widely used anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (anti-VEGFs); ranibizumab, bevacizumab, and aflibercept. Fewer than 8% reported experience with anti-VEGF drug reservoirs, biosimilars, or faricimab. The study findings also showed ranibizumab and aflibercept as the commonly prescribed first line choices for the above-mentioned ocular conditions. For the second line choice, the study showed that aflibercept and dexamethasone intravitreal implants were the most common across the four retinal conditions studied. The only difference in intent to treat for "patients" versus "yourself" was for biosimilars (0% to 0.8%, P=0.001). CONCLUSION: The findings regarding the first and second line choices for the mentioned ocular disorders were found to agree with the findings of published literature currently used in practice, with a tendency to prefer ranibizumab as first line therapy for neovascular disorders and aflibercept as first line therapy for macular edema. In addition, there were no differences between choices for first and second line therapy for patients vs. ophthalmologists.

Retro-mode imaging for the diagnosis of optic disc drusen: a case series.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare the detectability of optic disc drusen (ODD), using various non-invasive imaging techniques, including the novel retro-mode imaging (RMI), as well as to analyze the morphological characteristics of ODD on RMI. METHODS: This study involved seven patients with bilateral ODD, totaling 14 eyes. Multimodal imaging techniques, including multicolor fundus photography (MC), near-infrared reflectance (NIR), green and blue light fundus autofluorescence (G-FAF and B-FAF, respectively), and RMI were used to examine the eyes. FAF was used as the primary method of identifying ODD, and each method's detection rate was compared by two observers. Quantitative measurements of ODD included the number of ODD visualized by the RMI technique, the perimeter (P) and area (A) of ODD were identified. RESULTS: The average age of the patients included was 49.28 ±â€¯23.16 years, with five of the seven being men. RMI was able to detect ODD in all cases, with a sensitivity of 100%, compared to MC (sensitivity 60.71%), NIR (sensitivity 60.71%), B-FAF (sensitivity 100%), G-FAF (sensitivity 100%). RMI was the only imaging technique capable of assessing ODD morphology and quantifying ODD. CONCLUSIONS: RMI is a promising imaging modality for diagnosing superficial ODD, providing valuable information on the distribution, location, and size of ODD. We suggest the incorporation of RMI as a complementary tool for diagnosing and monitoring ODD in combination with other multimodal imaging methods.

Optic Nerve Measurement on MRI in the Pediatric Population: Normative Values and Correlations.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Few articles in the literature have looked at the diameter of the optic nerve on MR imaging, especially in children, in whom observations are subjective and no normative data exist. The aim of this study was to establish a data base for optic nerve diameter measurements on MR imaging in the pediatric population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study on the MR imaging of pediatric subjects (younger than 18 years of age) at the Department of Diagnostic Radiology at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. The optic nerve measurements were obtained by 3 raters on axial and coronal sections at 3 mm (retrobulbar) and 7 mm (intraorbital) posterior to the lamina cribrosa. RESULTS: Of 211 scans of patients (422 optic nerves), 377 optic nerves were measured and included. Ninety-four patients were female (45%) and the median age at MR imaging was 8.6 years (interquartile range, 3.9-13.3 years). Optic nerves were divided into 5 age groups: 0-6 months (n = 18), 6 months-2 years (n = 44), 2-6 years (n = 86), 6-12 years (n = 120), and 12-18 years (n = 109). An increase in optic nerve diameter was observed with age, especially in the first 2 years of life. Measurements did not differ with eye laterality or sex. CONCLUSIONS: We report normative values of optic nerve diameter measured on MR imaging in children from birth to 18 years of age. A rapid increase in optic nerve diameter was demonstrated during the first 2 years of life, followed by a slower increase. This was independent of sex or eye laterality.