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Aims/Purpose: Intravitreal drugs are powerful therapies for diabetic macular edema (DME), but the clinical course and the response to treatments still remains unpredictable. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a class of small molecules associated with the regulation of several metabolic pathways, including diabetes. However, their use in the clinical setting of DME is limited by lack of data regarding the correlation with clinical and imaging features. In the present study we evaluated some miRNAs profiles obtained by serum samples of newly diagnosed DME patients. Methods: Prospective study, including baseline visit (V0), a 4‐months visit (V1) and a 12‐months visit (V2). At V0 patient underwent serum sampling, imaging was repeated at every study visit. Enriched serum microRNAs were extracted and real‐time PCR was performed. OCT features were used to assess the severity and progression of the disease. Results: We collected data of a cohort of type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients. All the patients presented DME and were naïve to intravitreal treatments. The follow‐up was of 12 months. Diabetes‐related miRNAs were found up‐ or downregulated and associated with the course of DME (resolved/recurrent/persistent). Correlations were found with imaging biomarkers. Conclusions: On the basis of these findings, serum miRNAs assessment is a feasible and clinically relevant assessment to be performed in the diagnostic work‐up of diabetic patients affected by DME. MiRNAs might pave the basis for customized treatment strategies to optimize the management of DME. References 1. Mastropasqua R, Toto L, Cipollone F et al. Role of microRNAs in the modulation of diabetic retinopathy. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2014. 2. Arrigo A, Aragona E, Capone L et al. Foveal Eversion: A Possible Biomarker of Persistent Diabetic Macular Edema. Ophthalmol Ther 2021. 3. Arrigo A, Capone L, Lattanzio R et al. Optical Coherence Tomography Biomarkers of Inflammation in Diabetic Macular Edema Treated by Fluocinolone Acetonide Intravitreal Drug‐Delivery System Implant. Ophthalmol Ther 2020. 4. Arrigo A, Aragona E, Battaglia Parodi M, Bandello F. Quantitative approaches in multimodal fundus imaging: State of the art and future perspectives. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/Purpose: Autoimmune diseases are characterized by a pro‐inflammatory environment, with over‐release of chemokines, as IL‐6, IL‐1β and TNFα. These might have a pro‐vasodilation effect at a conjunctival level, with the clinical result of hyperaemia. Hyperaemia is hardly evaluable from a research point of view. The aim of this study is to investigate the use of conjunctival vessel density (CVD) as a marker of vessel dilation and, indirectly, of ocular surface inflammation, in a cohort of patients affected by autoimmune diseases. Methods: Study design: cross‐sectional, observational. CVD score was obtained analysing vessel‐enhanced images obtained by R‐scan module of Keratograph 5M (OCULUS Optikgeräte GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany). Images were loaded in ImageJ software package and in‐house scripts were used to analyse CVD at baseline and at follow‐up visit. CVD was obtained through the same methodology widely used in retinal research to study macular vessel density. Clinical data were collected and the correlations were reported. Results: We collected data from a cohort of patients suffering from autoimmune diseases. All the eyes were categorized considering both systemic and topic treatments, co‐existence of more autoimmune disorders, clinical signs and severity of dry eye. CVD values resulted significantly correlated with dry eye severity, in particular the higher was dry eye severity score, the higher was CVD (p < 0.05). Conclusions: CVD is a new quantitative metric to objectively measure conjunctival hyperaemia; this diagnostic methodology resulted highly feasible to be performed in clinical practice, without inducing patients' distress, and resulted a parameter highly correlated with the pro‐inflammatory status of the patients. Reference 1.Singh RB, Liu L, Anchouche S, Yung A, Mittal SK, Blanco T et al. Ocular redness ‐ I: Aetiology, pathogenesis, and assessment of conjunctival hyperemia. Ocul Surf 2021. 2. Wu S, Hong J, Tian L, Cui X, Sun X, Xu J. Assessment of Bulbar Redness with a Newly Developed Keratograph. Optom Vis Sci 2015. 3. Arrigo A, Aragona E, Saladino A, Amato A, Bandello F, Battaglia Parodi M. The impact of different thresholds on optical coherence tomography angiography images binarization and quantitative metrics. Sci Rep 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/Purpose: To investigate the quantitative choroidal features associated with the presence of MNV or atrophy in high myopia. Methods: The study was designed as a retrospective, case series with 2‐year follow‐up. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images were used to measure choroidal thickness (CT) and to assess the presence and subtype of dome‐shaped macula (DSM). In DSM eyes we also calculated the presence and type of choroidal deepening (CD). The eyes were categorized as Subgroup 1 (high myopia without complications), Subgroup 2 (high myopia complicated by macular neovascularization (MNV)) and Subgroup 3 (high myopia complicated by macular or posterior pole atrophy). The main outcome measures were the detection of significant CT cutoffs associated with the three subgroups of eyes and the clinical impact of DSM and CD subtypes. Results: Our study cohort (190 eyes (190 patients) affected by high myopia) was categorized as Subgroup 1 (66 eyes), Subgroup 2 (72 eyes) and Subgroup 3 (52 eyes). The mean axial length was 31.74 ± 2.01 mm (−13.0D ± 2.0D). Baseline CT values allowed to separate the subgroups with myopic‐related complications (AUC 0.85; standard error 0.04; confidence interval 0.78–0.92; p < 0.05). DSM was distributed as follows: Subgroup 1 (39%), Subgroup 2 (44%) and Subgroup 3 (29%). In Subgroup 1, vertical DSM was the most frequent (54%), with CD absence characterizing the 46% of cases. Round DSM was the most represented subtype in Subgroup 2 (49%), with 55% of sub‐dome CD subtypes; in these cases, MNV resulted always localized in the fovea. Subgroup 3 equally showed horizontal or vertical DSM (53% and 47%, respectively), with 80% of cases showing peri‐dome CD. Conclusions: Choroidal quantitative assessment can categorize three high myopia subgroups. MNV subgroup is characterized by intermediate choroidal thinning and higher prevalence of round DSM with sub‐dome CD. DSM subtypes may have a role in predicting myopic complications and MNV localization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]