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Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP Guest: Jonathan Jonisch, MD Personalized care is playing a bigger role in geographic atrophy management, especially as emerging therapies are giving clinicians more opportunities to help slow disease progression. To choose the right approach, it’s important to consider various factors, such as lesion characteristics, treatment burden, and each patient’s individual goals and lifestyle. Joining Dr. Charles Turck to share practical insights on tailoring treatment decisions and guiding patient conversations around geographic atrophy care is Dr. Jonathan Jonisch, board-certified ophthalmologist and Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine in New York.

Host: Alexandria May, PharmD, BCPS Guest: Hasenin Al-khersan, MD Geographic atrophy can progress silently before patients notice meaningful vision changes, making early detection critical to preserving long-term retinal health. Fortunately, advances in imaging and emerging biomarkers are helping clinicians identify higher-risk patients earlier and refine monitoring and referral decisions. Joining Dr. Alexandria May to discuss the evolving approach to geographic atrophy detection and management is Dr. Hasenin Al-khersan, a board-certified medical and surgical retina specialist with Retina Consultants of Texas in Houston.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Guest: Jaclyn Kovach, MD Geographic atrophy can develop long before traditional visual acuity testing reflects the true impact of disease, making early identification critical in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In this discussion with Dr. Brian McDonough, Dr. Jaclyn Kovach reviews the imaging findings and biologic drivers associated with geographic atrophy progression and shares practical approaches to patient monitoring. Dr. Kovach is a Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and the Fellowship Director at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

Host: Marlana Orloff, MD Guest: Gregory Daniels, MD, PhD Guest: Jesse Keller, MD Dive into what sets metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM) apart from cutaneous melanoma and why that matters for clinical decision-making. Explore how HLA A*02:01 typing informs patient selection and how bispecific TCR therapy is changing the treatment landscape. Real-world cases and clinical trial data bring these concepts to life, with special attention to application in VA and academic settings. Whether you're a medical oncologist, ocular oncologist, ophthalmologist, or APP, this discussion is designed to sharpen your skills and your care aligned with the latest science.

Emerging evidence reveals that air pollution may be an overlooked contributor to worsening uncorrected visual acuity in children. In this AudioAbstract, Ryan Quigley explores a large machine learning–based study examining nearly 30,000 East Asian students that revealed lower levels of PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide are independently linked to better vision—especially in younger children with mild to moderate myopia.

Guest: Jeffrey Walline, OD, PhD Many eye care professionals and parents still believe children must wait until their teenage years to wear contact lenses, but as Dr. Jeffrey Walline explains, modern daily disposable lenses offer improved safety, comfort, and ease of use, making them a viable option for children as young as 7 or 8. And beyond the clinical benefits of slowing myopia progression and preserving long-term eye health, contact lenses have also been shown to improve children’s self-esteem. Learn more with Dr. Walline, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at The Ohio State University College of Optometry.

Guest: Ryan Quigley Myopia is more than blurred vision; it's a chronic condition requiring lifelong attention that could affect up to five billion people by 2050. In response to this growing crisis, the World Council of Optometry (WCO) has issued standard-of-care guidelines built around three pillars: Mitigation, Measurement, and Management. Tune in to learn about this evidence-based framework and how it can help you turn routine visits into proactive prevention opportunities. Reference: World Council of Optometry. The Standard of Care For Myopia Management by Optometrists. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://myopia.worldcouncilofoptometry.info/standard-of-care/

Guest: Jeffrey Walline, OD, PhD Many parents hesitate to allow young children to wear contact lenses, fearing poor hygiene or increased risk of infection. But evidence shows that kids between the ages of 7 and 12 are not at higher risk than teens; in fact, they actually have fewer complications than college-age wearers, and long-term studies reveal no difference in eye health between those fit with contact lenses in childhood versus adolescence. Here to talk about the safety of contact lenses for myopic children is Dr. Jeffrey Walline, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at The Ohio State University College of Optometry.

Host: Mary Katherine Cheeley, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FNLA Guest: Arghavan Almony, MD The production of biosimilar therapies is setting the stage for a shift in how we approach treating patients with wet AMD, diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, and other retinal diseases, but many questions remain regarding how their efficacy and safety compare to the reference products and how we can best talk to our patients about these treatment options. To help shed light on these and other FAQs, Dr. Mary Katherine Cheeley speaks with Dr. Arghavan Almony, Adjunct Assistant Professor at Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine at Campbell University in North Carolina.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Anne Negrin, MD Since eye issues are becoming increasingly common in patients with rheumatological conditions, it’s now more vital than ever that physicians are aware of their common symptoms. Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle is Dr. Anne Negrin, an ophthalmologist in New York, to break down these symptoms and to focus on rheumatological concerns that ophthalmologists see in practice.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Jean Bennett, MD, PhD Guest: Albert Maguire, MD Power couple Drs. Jean Bennett and Albert Maguire discuss how their new therapy for the RPE65 gene, which causes retinal blindness, was recently approved by the FDA to become the first gene therapy treatment for a genetic disease in the United States and the first worldwide treatment for inherited blindness. Not only do they delve into the mechanics of the corrected gene injection, but they also explain what this milestone means for patient eligibility and how their marriage has played a role in the success of their research partnership. Dr. Jean Bennett is the F.M. Kirby Professor of Ophthalmology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Albert Maguire is a Professor of Ophthalmology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Attending Physician in the Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

[Read the Article] Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a leading cause of vision loss in patients with diabetes, resulting in up to 24,000 cases of blindness each year in the United States. Laser therapy has been the most common treatment used to help reduce severe vision loss, but the procedure has many side effects including permanent loss of peripheral vision and swelling of the retina. A group of researchers from across the US tested an alternative treatment using an injectable medication called ranibizumab, to see if it would be as effective as the laser therapy. They studied more than 300 patients with PDR, assigning them to either receive standard laser therapy or an injection into the eye. In total, they treated close to 400 eyes. Outcomes, especially loss of vision, were compared at two years. Over the two year period, researchers found that patients receiving the injections of medication had fewer side effects and did somewhat better in terms of vision loss than those who received laser therapy. [Watch more videos of The JAMA Report]

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Patrick Spencer, Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Grandview Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. Their discussion centers on primary care manifestations of sickle cell retinopathy, from early to late-stage presentations and the gold standard treatment approaches along this disease course.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr. Gail L. Torkildsen, staff ophthalmologist at Andover Eye Associates and one of the leading Dry Eye Principal Investigators in the world. Dr. Torkildsen has served as P.I. on over 20 client-sponsored Dry Eye studies since 2002. In this discussion she takes listeners on a tour of common eye problems faced in primary care, and how clinicians can better prepare themselves to address issues such as Meibobian gland disorders, blepharitis, dry eyes, and conjunctivitis with greater confidence.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP A clinical pearl in the arena of eye care is that serious eye problems tend to manifest serious symptoms and signs, which makes vision loss one of the key findings in a diagnostic workup. Yet vision testing is commonly neglected in primary care practice even when patients present with eye-related complaints. What are the most important steps a clinician can take when assessing eye problems, and where does the primary care practitioner fit into the ophthalmologic care continuum? Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr. Sumitra Khandelwal, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine, to examine the top issues in eye care for generalists and ophthalmic specialists.