Eyeworld

N EWS 26 | EYEWORLD | MAY 2019 ment that studying these cells in clinic is "like looking into a black box." This proof-of-con- cept study using fluorescent dye and adaptive optics, he continued, shows that clinicians can study the "unique fingerprint of the RPE, and […] monitor the tissue over time." The researchers also designed software that rec- ognizes RPE patterns and changes that might occur over different imaging sessions. Healthy volunteers had little change in their RPE, while a patient with Bietti crystalline dystrophy had larger, less organized RPE cells that showed major changes in the mosaic pattern over time. Dr. Tam said this imaging technique can show what is happening in this hard-to-image tissue over time. Calcium does not increase AMD risk While foods rich in calcium are thought to be part of a healthy diet, a study published in 2015 suggested that high levels of calcium could increase risk for age-related macular degenera- tion. 3 More recent research by scientists at the National Eye Institute, however, suggests the opposite. 4 Eating calcium or taking supplements does not increase risk for AMD; it could, in fact, have a protective effect. "Although the findings suggest that high calcium intake may be protective, the jury is still out on whether people should alter their calcium intake to pre- vent the onset or progression of AMD," Emily Chew, MD, said in a press release statement. "These latest findings provide no evidence that there is a need to change the management of calcium intake for individuals who are already taking calcium for other medical indications." Novel hydrogel contact lens could prevent corneal melt Corneal melts due to uncontrolled production of matrix metalloproteinases by a person's own immune cells could be treated with a new hy- drogel developed by researchers at the Univer- sity of New Hampshire. 5 The hydrogel deac- tivates these enzymes by removing zinc ions, Healthy Vision Month May is Healthy Vision Month, sponsored by the National Eye Institute (NEI). Getting an eye exam is the first and most important suggestion that the NEI makes as part of Healthy Vision Month. Other tips ophthalmologists could give patients to encourage eye health include knowing their family eye history, protecting their eyes during work and play activities, giving eyes a rest after staring at a screen or books for long periods of time, wearing sunglasses, eating healthy foods, maintaining a healthy weight, and exercising. Protein in vitreous could provide early biomarker test for Alzheimer's Scientists analyzed vitreous of 80 ocular surgery patients for proteins associated with Alzhei- mer's disease, correlating them with lower cog- nition and suggesting that it could be a source for early disease testing. 1 Levels of amyloid-ß and tau proteins in the fluid were measured and linear regression analysis tested the association between these levels and the Mini-Mental State Exam and serum apolipoprotein E allele status. Low levels of these proteins were associated with lower cognitive scores, according to the research. "These findings could help us build an accessible and minimally invasive test to deter- mine Alzheimer's disease risk, especially among patients with eye disease," Lauren Wright, MD, said in a press release statement. "We noted that some of the participants who had low levels of protein biomarkers in their eye fluid already had signs of mild to moderate dementia based on their cognitive scores." Further study is needed to compare the biomarkers that might be pres- ent in the vitreous to neurological testing. Long-lived patterns in eye cells observed Researchers at the National Eye Institute were able to track retinal epithelial cell patterns in healthy patients and those with retinal disease. 2 Johnny Tam, PhD, said in a press release state- News in brief References 1. Wright LM, et al. Association of cognitive function with amyloid-ß and tau proteins in the vitreous humor. J Alzheimers Dis. 2019. Epub ahead of print. 2. Jung H, et al. Longitudinal adaptive optics fluorescence microscopy reveals cellular mosaicism in patients. JCI Insight. 2019;4. Ecollection. 3. Kakigi CL, et al. Self-reported calcium supplementation and age-related macular degen- eration. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2015;133:746–54. 4. Tisdale A, et al. The association of calcium intake with incident age-related macular degener- ation Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). JAMA Ophthal- mol. 2019. Epub ahead of print. 5. Lopez C, et al. Matrix metallo- proteinase-deactivating contact lens for corneal melting. ACS Bio- mater Sci Eng. 2019;5:1195–99. 6. Shirzaei Sani E, et al. Sutureless repair of corneal injuries using naturally derived bioadhesive hydrogels. Sci Adv. 2019;5:eaav1281. 7. Jiang H, et al. Dietary vitamin and carotenoid intake and risk of age-related cataract. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019;109:43–54.

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