Welcome to this edition of European Ophthalmic Review, which features a wide range of highly interesting articles that reflect the rapid pace of today’s progress in ophthalmology. We begin with two of our popular expert interviews. First, Dominique Bremond-Gignac discusses the VEKTIS study, which has demonstrated the efficacy and safety of cyclosporine for the treatment of paediatric vernal keratoconjunctivitis. In addition, Dan Reinstein discusses the courses he presented at the 2020 European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) virtual meeting, on managing the complications of refractive surgery.
Another interesting topic explored in this issue is how, in the past decade, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) intravitreal injections have transformed the management of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but their use in the real world rarely produces the outcomes seen in clinical trials. In an editorial, Aziz et al. evaluate new injectable therapies that target VEGF with higher binding affinity or sustained ocular bioavailability; different VEGF subtypes; or different biological pathways alongside VEGF.
New advances in glaucoma is another topic covered in this issue. Topical medication remains the mainstay of glaucoma therapy, but preservatives used in their formulation have been associated with adverse events affecting their safety and tolerability. In a review article, Al-Mugheiry and Broadway consider the potential advantages of once-daily preservative-free topical monotherapies.
An intriguing issue also covered in this journal edition is nonorganic vision loss or functional vision loss, which is the presence of abnormal vision, or visual fields, without an organic cause. Nonorganic vision loss can comprise around 1–5% of the patient population in an ophthalmology clinic. Kini et al. review this challenging issue and discuss advances in diagnostic and management strategies.
Finally, Lamprogiannis et al. present a review of novel binocular approaches to the treatment of amblyopia. While traditional treatment has aimed to improve vision in the amblyopic eye, a number of studies have suggested that binocular treatment may be beneficial.
European Ophthalmic Review would like to take this opportunity to thank all authors who contributed their expertise to this edition. A special thanks goes to our Editorial Board members for their continuing guidance. We are also grateful to all organisations and society partners for their ongoing support. We hope that you find these articles thought-provoking and useful. Please also take the opportunity to visit the Conference Hub on the touchOPHTHALMOLOGY website, which features a wealth of video content from experts in ophthalmology. Finally, we hope you all stay safe and well during these difficult times.
Jorge Alió
Jorge Alió is Professor and Chairman of Ophthalmology, Miguel Hernández University of Elche, Alicante, Spain; founder of Vissum Corporation, Spain, and the Jorge Alió Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness. He is a high-volume surgeon in cataract, cornea and refractive surgery, with over 50,000 surgeries performed. His main research interests include lens, refractive and corneal surgery. He is a pioneer in the area of multifocal, accommodative and toric intraocular lenses (IOLs), excimer laser refractive surgery, phakic IOLs and corneal regeneration surgery. He is the author of over 610 peer-reviewed papers, 379 chapters and 96 books. He is extremely active at congresses with lectures and courses, with a 2020 Hirsch factor (h-factor) of 64 (Scopus). He is LXIII chair of the Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis, XLIX chair of the European Academy of Ophthalmology, member of the American Ophthalmological Society, member of the Board of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, and has received over 103 international and national awards. He is the creator and director of the online course Scientific Methodology in Refractive, Cataract and Cornea Surgery (University Miguel Hernandez). Fellows from all over the world come to his research facilities to be trained under his supervision. He has been recently acknowledged by Expertscape (www.expertscape.com) and is listed number one in refractive eye surgery, cataract extraction, cornea, anterior eye segment, intraocular lens implantation and ophthalmological surgical procedures; and number two in refractive errors, visual acuity, laser corneal surgery, laser therapy and laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).
