{"title":"Clinical and Genetic Spectrum of ACO2-Linked Dominant Optic Atrophy.","authors":"Cléis Beaulieu,Aymane Bouzidi,Valérie Desquiret-Dumas,Xavier Dieu,Rahul Makam,Neringa Jurkute,Catherine Vignal,Manon Philibert,Sylvie Odent,Xavier Zanlonghi,Marie Latypov,Eloi Debourdeau,Béatrice Bocquet,Raihane Yahia,Linda Pons,Frédéric Pollet Villard,Luc Jeanjean,Sarah Verrecchia,Caroline Froment,Camille Engel,Céline Poirsier,Carl Arndt,Hélène Dollfus,Philippe Gohier,Majida Charif,Marc Ferré,Delphine Prunier-Mirebeau,Isabelle Meunier,Patrick Yu-Wai-Man,Patrizia Amati-Bonneau,Guy Lenaers,Vasily Smirnov","doi":"10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0634","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0634","url":null,"abstract":"ImportanceAconitase 2 (ACO2) gene variants are one of the most frequent causes of dominant optic atrophy (DOA). However, the associated phenotypes and genotypes still lack proper characterization.ObjectiveTo characterize the clinical and genetic spectrum of ACO2-related DOA and evaluate genotype-phenotype correlations.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis was a retrospective case series to describe the ophthalmological examination of novel DOA cases with a heterozygous ACO2 variant. Data were collected from 13 reference centers in ophthalmology from France and Great Britain between January 2021 and September 2025. Included participants were those patients with OA and confirmed heterozygous or compound heterozygous ACO2 variants.ExposuresDOA cases with a heterozygous ACO2 variant.Main Outcomes and MeasuresPositive molecular diagnosis for ACO2 variants by next-generation sequencing, clinical examination including age at diagnosis, sex, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness, visual field mean deviation (MD), and fundus examination.ResultsData for 55 patients (median [IQR] age at diagnosis for 45 patients, 24 [8-51] years; 33 male [67%]) from 37 families with ACO2 variants were compiled. Analyses were conducted on 49 patients who were strictly heterozygous or compound heterozygous with the c.220C>G benign variant. Clinical data disclosed a high variability of severity, from pauci-symptomatic up to legal blindness. Median BCVA was 0.46 logMAR (Snellen equivalent, 20/63; IQR 0.00-0.89; n = 45). Four patients exhibited retinal abnormalities: 3 displayed a foveopathy, and 1 had retinitis pigmentosa. There were 12 previously unreported variants (to the authors' knowledge), including the deletion of ACO2 exon 9. No correlation between BCVA and sex, age at diagnosis (Spearman ρ = -0.19; 95% CI, -0.45 to 0.07), or variant type (Kruskal-Wallis test P =.33) was found, but there was a correlation between BCVA and RNFL (Spearman ρ = -0.74; 95% CI, -0.85 to -0.54), GCL (Spearman ρ = -0.60; 95% CI, -0.79 to -0.30), and MD (Spearman ρ = -0.65; 95% CI, -0.89 to -0.31). RNFL correlated with GCL (Spearman ρ = 0.69; 95% CI, 0.42-0.87) and MD (Spearman ρ = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.14-0.85); age at diagnosis correlated with GCL (Spearman ρ = -0.37; 95% CI, -0.63 to -0.03).Conclusions and RelevanceResults of this case series reveal the high clinical heterogeneity among patients with ACO2-related DOA and demonstrated that some of these patients can also exhibit retinal abnormalities. In addition, there was a deletion of an entire ACO2 exon, emphasizing the potential importance of searching for large genomic rearrangements in patients without a molecular diagnosis. These findings support further studies to explain clinical variability, as no genotype-phenotype correlation was encountered.","PeriodicalId":14518,"journal":{"name":"JAMA ophthalmology","volume":"427 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147636012","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
JAMA ophthalmologyPub Date : 2026-04-09DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0709
Ian C Han,Noor-Us-Sabah Ahmad
{"title":"When OCT and OCT Angiography Disagree.","authors":"Ian C Han,Noor-Us-Sabah Ahmad","doi":"10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0709","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0709","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14518,"journal":{"name":"JAMA ophthalmology","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147636008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nonexudative Macular Neovascularization in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.","authors":"Sridevi Thottarath,Sarega Gurudas,Syed Kubravi,Dimitrios Kazantzis,Ayse Merve Keskin,Sobha Sivaprasad, ","doi":"10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0459","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0459","url":null,"abstract":"IMPORTANCENonexudative macular neovascularization (neMNV) is a risk factor for exudation in fellow eyes of patients with unilateral exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Accurate estimation of prevalence of neMNV is required for sample size calculations for clinical trials evaluating novel interventions to delay exudation from neMNV. Certain dimensions of double-layer sign (DLS) on optical coherence tomography (OCT) are often regarded as a surrogate for neMNV.OBJECTIVETo assess the prevalence of fellow-eye neMNV on OCT angiography (OCT-A) in eyes with AMD with DLS on OCT among patients with unilateral new-exudative AMD in the first eye.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis prospective observational cohort multicenter study took place in the United Kingdom from January 2021 through June 2025. The study included 862 participants with OCT and OCT-A within 3 months of initiation of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy, of whom 550 (63.8%) had both OCT and OCT-A performed within 30 days of the date of the first anti-VEGF injection to the fellow eye. These data were analyzed from July 2025 through October 2025.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESPrevalence of DLS, neMNV, and assessment of univariable and adjusted associations with neMNV and DLS were assessed using logistic regression models.RESULTSAmong 550 eyes (mean [SD] participant age, 78.0 [7.6] years; 315 female [57.3%] and 235 male [42.7%]), 112 (20.4%; 95% CI [Wilson score], 17.1%-24.0%) had DLS and 47 eyes (8.5%; 95% CI [Wilson score], 6.4%-11.3%) had neMNV at baseline, including 42 (89.36%) within DLS, 3 (6.4%) in fibrovascular irregular shallow-pigment epithelial detachment, and 2 (4.3%) below drusen. Prevalence of neMNV was higher among eyes with thick DLS (n = 36 [48%]) compared with those with thin DLS (16.2%; n = 6; difference = -31.8%; 95% CI [Wilson score], -46.9% to -11.7%; P = .002).CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEWhile 1 in 5 fellow eyes had DLS on OCT among patients with unilateral new-onset exudative AMD in the first eye, the prevalence of neMNV on OCT-A was only 40% among these eyes with DLS. These results suggest DLS on OCT in fellow eyes of patients with new-onset exudative AMD in the first eye is not a good surrogate for neMNV.Trial RegistrationISRCTN registry Identifier: ISRTCTN13798759.","PeriodicalId":14518,"journal":{"name":"JAMA ophthalmology","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147636010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Interleukin 6 Inhibition With Vamikibart for Uveitic Macular Edema: The Phase 1 DOVETAIL Nonrandomized Clinical Trial.","authors":"Sumit Sharma,Phoebe Lin,Allen Hu,Eric B Suhler,Meike Pauly-Evers,William Holmes,Zeinab Barekati,Daniela Willen,Lachlan Macgregor,Laura Steeples,Zdenka Haskova,Derrick Feenstra,David Silverman,Benedicte Passemard,Sascha Fauser,Marina Mesquida","doi":"10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0610","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0610","url":null,"abstract":"ImportanceEffective nonsteroidal therapies are needed for uveitic macular edema (UME).ObjectiveTo assess the safety, tolerability, and effects associated with intravitreal (IVT) vamikibart in UME.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis multipart, multicenter, open-label, multiple-ascending-dose nonrandomized clinical trial of vamikibart (RO7200220), a novel IVT anti-interleukin 6 monoclonal antibody, included monotherapy in participants with UME secondary to noninfectious uveitis (NIU). DOVETAIL was conducted from July 2019 to November 2023 at 18 sites in the US. Adults with UME secondary to NIU (optical coherence tomography central subfield thickness [CST] ≥325 µm) were eligible for inclusion. Data were analyzed from February 2024 to May 2024.InterventionsParticipants were enrolled into 3 dose groups (0.25, 1, or 2.5 mg) and received IVT vamikibart at day 1, week 4, and week 8, followed by observation not receiving treatment until weeks 20 (2.5 mg) or 36 (0.25 or 1 mg).Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcomes were safety and tolerability; exploratory outcomes included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and CST.ResultsIn this nonrandomized study, vamikibart was associated with improvements in BCVA and CST across all doses. A total of 37 participants with UME were enrolled (0.25 mg: n = 12; 1 mg: n = 12; 2.5 mg: n = 13); 22 of 37 patients (59.5%) were female, and the mean (SD) age was 63.5 (15.4) years. At week 12, mean (SD) change from baseline in BCVA letter score was +9.9 (8.9), an approximate 2-line improvement (improvements in letter scores of +11.1 [8.1], +10.3 [8.0], and +8.4 [10.8] for the 0.25-mg, 1-mg, and 2.5-mg groups, respectively), and mean (SD) CST reduction was -165.1 (147.5) µm (-125.0 [135.0] µm, -188.1 [152.4] µm, and -183.6 [159.4] µm for the 3 dose groups, respectively). Of 37 participants, 36 continued vamikibart throughout the 12 weeks. Ocular adverse events (AEs) in the study eye were reported in 19 participants (51.4%), including 1 serious AE (uveitis worsening, unrelated to study drug) and 1 treatment-related AE (VA reduced transiently). No cases of retinal vasculitis (occlusive or nonocclusive) were reported.Conclusions and RelevanceThese results from the phase 1 DOVETAIL nonrandomized clinical trial provide preliminary evidence supporting safety, tolerability, and potential effects of vamikibart for UME secondary to NIU. Two phase 3 clinical trials (MEERKAT [NCT05642312] and SANDCAT [NCT05642325]) are underway to further evaluate vamikibart in UME.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06771271.","PeriodicalId":14518,"journal":{"name":"JAMA ophthalmology","volume":"62 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147636013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
JAMA ophthalmologyPub Date : 2026-04-09DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0630
Suraj Bala,Matthew Regueiro,Victor Bellanda,John G Parel,Gabriel C S Barbosa,Krishnan R Patel,Danny A Mammo
{"title":"Characteristics of Retracted Publications in the Ophthalmology Literature.","authors":"Suraj Bala,Matthew Regueiro,Victor Bellanda,John G Parel,Gabriel C S Barbosa,Krishnan R Patel,Danny A Mammo","doi":"10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0630","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0630","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14518,"journal":{"name":"JAMA ophthalmology","volume":"95 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147636042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
JAMA ophthalmologyPub Date : 2026-04-02DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0539
Danny Varghese,Jake Young,Joseph Zimmer
{"title":"Vitreous Opacities and Polyneuropathy in a 38-Year-Old Woman.","authors":"Danny Varghese,Jake Young,Joseph Zimmer","doi":"10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0539","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0539","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14518,"journal":{"name":"JAMA ophthalmology","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147585770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
JAMA ophthalmologyPub Date : 2026-04-02DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0540
Leon von der Emde,Emily Vance,Souvick Mukherjee,Jintong Hou,Elvira Agrón,Fares Siddiq,Amitha Domalpally,Usha Chakravarthy,Emily Y Chew,Tiarnán D L Keenan,
{"title":"Modest and Variable Correlations Between Geographic Atrophy Enlargement Rates in Fellow Eyes in the AREDS2 Study.","authors":"Leon von der Emde,Emily Vance,Souvick Mukherjee,Jintong Hou,Elvira Agrón,Fares Siddiq,Amitha Domalpally,Usha Chakravarthy,Emily Y Chew,Tiarnán D L Keenan, ","doi":"10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0540","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.0540","url":null,"abstract":"ImportanceIn bilateral geographic atrophy (GA), enlargement rates in fellow eyes are often assumed to be highly correlated. On this basis, researchers have inferred treatment effects and proposed GA trials using the untreated fellow eye as an internal control.ObjectiveTo quantify the correlation in GA enlargement rates between fellow eyes.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis was a post hoc analysis of Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2), a multicenter study of patients in retinal specialty clinics throughout the US. Included in the analysis were participants of the AREDS2 trial with bilateral GA. Study data were analyzed from May 2025 to January 2026.ExposuresGA in the fellow eye.Main Outcomes and MeasuresPearson correlation coefficient for 2-year GA enlargement rates in eye pairs. Rates were derived from planimetry of annual fundus photographs and expressed as untransformed, square root-transformed, and perimeter-adjusted rates. Correlation was analyzed overall and within clinically relevant strata.ResultsA total of 386 eyes of 193 AREDS2 participants (mean [SD] age, 75.5 [7.3] years; 118 female [61.1%]) with bilateral GA were included in this analysis. Correlations in enlargement rates varied substantially by transformation used as follows: moderate for untransformed (r = 0.51; 95% CI, 0.41-0.61), weak to moderate for square root-transformed (r = 0.38; 95% CI, 0.25-0.49), and very weak for perimeter-adjusted (r = 0.11; 95% CI, -0.03 to 0.25) rates. Correlation was consistently weaker in large vs small GA: 0.30 (95% CI, 0.07-0.50) vs 0.63 (95% CI, 0.41-0.78; untransformed), 0.38 (95% CI, 0.16-0.56) vs 0.46 (95% CI, 0.20-0.66; square root), and 0.03 (95% CI, -0.21 to 0.26) vs 0.22 (-0.08 to 0.49; perimeter), respectively. For GA location using untransformed rates, correlation was strongest for extrafoveal GA, intermediate for subfoveal GA, and weakest for discordant pairs. Square root rates showed a similar pattern. For focality using untransformed rates, correlation was similar for unifocal, multifocal, and discordant pairs. Using square root rates, it was strongest for unifocal GA, weakest for multifocal GA, and intermediate for discordant pairs. For reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) status, correlation was strongest for RPD absence, weakest for presence, and intermediate for discordant pairs. Differences were smaller using square root rates.Conclusions and RelevanceResults of this post hoc analysis of the AREDS2 trial reveal that correlation in GA enlargement rates between fellow eyes was modest. Key GA characteristics of area, location, focality, and RPD status, as well as the transformation used, were strongly associated with the correlation. Untransformed rates were inflated by a tendency for symmetry in baseline GA characteristics, whereas genuine biological correlation (best reflected by linear enlargement) was only weak to moderate. Researchers should be cautious of trials and analyses relying on assumptions of highly correlated enlarge","PeriodicalId":14518,"journal":{"name":"JAMA ophthalmology","volume":"93 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147585768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}