The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has granted approval for the iStent inject Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent to its developer, Glaukos (Laguna Hills, Calif.). With TGA approval, the iStent inject is now indicated for use in Australia in conjunction with cataract surgery for the reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) in adult patients with mild-to-moderate glaucoma currently treated with ocular hypotensive medication.

Michigan State University (MSU) scientists have reason to believe ethoxzolamide, a sulfa-based compound found in many prescription glaucoma drugs, could also be used to treat tuberculosis (TB), even the drug-resistant kind, the university said.

According to Robert Abramovitch, PhD, TB "may not have eyes and ears, but it has the uncanny ability to sense certain environmental cues in the body and adapt. One of these cues includes the infection's ability to detect pH, or acidity levels, which tells the disease it's being attacked by a host immune cell," MSU said in a news release.

RESEARCH BRIEFS

• Axial length measurements using a biometer based on optical low coherence reflectometry (OLCR) appeared as reliable as those made using the standard measurement mode, according to H.J. Shammus and colleagues. In this cross-sectional, retrospective study, data were collected from 2 sites where the "dense cataract measurement" mode for the OLCR on the LENSTAR LS900 (Haag-Streit, Koniz, Switzerland) had been used. The percentage of eyes that were measurable in the new mode that were not measurable in the standard mode was calculated. Data for 4,791 eyes were available for analysis. Axial length (AL) measurement was possible using the standard algorithm in 94.4% of cases. The use of the new mode allowed for measurement of an additional 4.0% of cases, a statistically significant increase (P<.001). Comparisons of AL measurements with concurrent ultrasound or postoperative optical biometry showed high correlations, with the 95% limits of agreement of -0.47 to +0.29 mm, similar to results for standard measurements. The study is published in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
• Topical azithromycin suppressed expression of pro-inflammatory mediators and increased expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) to normal levels, according to a study in JAMA Ophthalmology. L. Zhang and colleagues performed a case-controlled study where 16 patients with posterior blepharitis and conjunctival inflammation due to MGD were treated with azithromycin, 1%, drops for 4 weeks. Compared with a 1-time measurement of 8 healthy participants, among 16 symptomatic patients, the mean fold change of expression of pro-inflammatory mediators interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-8, and MMP-9 increased to 13.26, 9.38, and 13.49, respectively (all P<.001), in conjunctival cells and to 11.75, 9.31, and 11.52 (all P<.001), respectively, in the eyelid margin of patients with MGD. In contrast, the mean fold change of expression of TGF-β1 messenger RNA (mRNA) decreased to 0.58 and 0.63 (both P=.02) in conjunctival and eyelid margin cells, respectively, of patients with MGD. Levels of IL-1β, IL-8, and MMP-9 mRNA remained suppressed, although they rebounded toward pretreatment values 4 weeks after azithromycin withdrawal. Expression of TGF-β1 increased during treatment and remained at levels similar to the healthy controls after drug withdrawal.
• Eyes with glaucoma are at increased risk for complications and have more modest visual outcomes after cataract surgery compared to eyes without glaucoma, according to a large cohort study. Angela Turalba and colleagues identified 608 glaucoma cases and 4,306 controls undergoing planned cataract surgery alone from the Veterans Affairs Ophthalmic Surgery Outcomes Data Project. After adjusting for age, pseudoexfoliation, small pupil, prior ocular surgery, and anterior chamber depth, they found glaucoma cases were more likely to have posterior capsular tear with vitrectomy (odds ratio [OR] 1.8, P=.03) and sulcus IOL placement (OR 1.65, P=.03) during cataract surgery. Glaucoma cases were more likely to have postoperative inflammation (OR 1.73, P<.0001), prolonged elevated intraocular pressure (OR 2.96, P=.0003), and additional surgery within 30 days (OR 1.92, P=.03). Mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ) scores significantly improved after cataract surgery in both groups (P<.0001), but there were larger improvements in BCVA (P=.01) and VFQ composite scores (P<.0001) in the non-glaucoma versus the glaucoma group. 3,621 (94.1%) non-glaucoma cases had postoperative BCVA of 20/40 or better, compared to 466 (89.6%) glaucoma cases (P=.0003). The study is published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology.