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Dear EURETINA Members,
A very warm welcome to the July 2010 edition of the web-based digital magazine, "EURETINA Brief"©.
EURETINA are delighted to continue our delivery of up to date summary briefs on a range of topics of interest to retinal specialists across Europe. This resource is designed to accommodate the very busy schedules of all our members by providing them with a short overview of some new developments in our field over the last month.
In this issue you will notice the incorporation of a feedback section where you can comment on any of the news items or articles under discussion. Previous articles and issues can be found in the archive section [link to Archive]
The current issue highlights a number of recent developments including new research on the development of three dimensional retinal tissue constructs, visual impairment costs and its economic burden in Japan and further coverage on the design of a US clinical trial evaluating the use of Lucentis plus laser for the treatment of diabetic macular edema.
Finally, our feature bio-ophthalmology article this month reports on environmental factors which have long been known to interact on an individual's genes. The medical literature is replete with case studies of twins and siblings that share either all or half of their genome but often suffer very distinct medical conditions. One of the reasons behind such phenomena is a differential influence of diverse environmental factors, ranging from different micro-environments within the womb to diet, lifestyle and geography. Research within a population of glaucoma patients has revealed a correlation between the extent of visual field loss and a patient's postcode. As remarkable as it may sound, an analysis of the details shows that such a finding is not only predictable but also to be expected across the globe.
As always, increased interaction by you with the EURETINA web community serves to expand your professional network and keep you abreast of the latest initiatives in your field. Our hope is that such cross-fertilisation in an active web-based platform will lead to increased collaborative opportunities and ultimately to improved patient care. We look forward to hearing from you.
Dr. Gearóid Tuohy, EURETINA