Melbourne’s Monash University has contributed to an international project that successfully applied artificial intelligence (AI) technology to real-world retinal imagery, which may be able to detect diseases more accurately and on a larger scale. Read more
New glaucoma imaging tech wins 2021 ‘Quinlivan’ Research Grant
A UNSW researcher from the university’s Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering has been awarded Glaucoma Australia (GA)’s ‘Quinlivan’ Research Grant to develop a novel imaging technology for the early detection and monitoring of glaucoma. Read more
Silverstone’s optomap-guided OCT improves patient management
Two recent studies have demonstrated the Optos Silverstone device – combining ultra-widefield (UWF) fundus capture with optomap-guided swept source-OCT (SS-OCT) – can improve patient management and impact treatment decisions. Read more
Prof Robyn Guymer ‘thrilled’ by Phase 3 results of pegcetacoplan for dry AMD
Prominent Melbourne retinal disease researcher Professor Robyn Guymer is encouraged by the Phase 3 results of a trial she’s been involved in, investigating a new therapy she says is the only intervention shown to significantly slow the growth of lesions in dry AMD. Read more
Aussie bionic eye project secures $2m cash injection
A breakthrough bionic eye that delivers high-fidelity visual and spatial perception for blind people is one of 22 industry-led collaborative R&D projects to share in $47.1 million from the Federal Government. Read more
Rewriting eye disease: Are we ready for gene therapies?
In 2020, ophthalmology became the first medical field in Australia to secure approval for a gene therapy. The one-off treatment can restore vision in people once resigned to a lifetime of blindness and is expected to pave the way for many more. MYLES HUME analyses the opportunities and challenges posed by ocular gene therapies. Read more
Ophthalmologists rank among top earning doctors in latest income data
New income data from the Australian Tax Office (ATO) has revealed ophthalmologists are the second highest paid medical specialty – second only to neurosurgeons – earning more than half a million dollars on average. Read more
Second national eye health survey announced
A second National Eye Health Survey has been announced – this time with an added ear health component – and will examine close to 5,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Aboriginal Australians over two years. Read more
New study lends weight to pandemic and myopia link
A Hong Kong study highlighting a significant decrease in the time schoolchildren have been able to spend outdoors and a sharp increase in screen time is the latest to join mounting evidence that a rise in childhood myopia may be linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more
Long COVID link to corneal nerve damage
Nerve fibre loss and an increase in key immune cells on the cornea may be an identifying feature of ‘long COVID’, suggests a small study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. Read more