Your Great-Grandkids May Not Live Past 100

HOT TOPIC

New Dry Eye Drop Technology Launched

Italian pharmaceutical company NTC has announced the launch of a new preservative-free eye drop product line called Imperial, created through a strategic partnership with Silgan Dispensing Systems and featuring the innovative Silgan technology, Iridya.

This technology is designed to address dry eye conditions and aims to improve patient satisfaction and compliance by combining the benefits of various multidose preservative-free devices into one solution. Marcello Selvaggio, NTC’s Global Head of Ophthalmology, states that the Imperial line offers exceptional drop control, precise dosing, and advanced ergonomics to ensure ease of use. NTC plans to present the Imperial line at a conference in Milan, hopefully showcasing the device’s effectiveness and its key differentiation aspects from other bottles on the market.

My Two Cents

Nearly every day, I have an elderly patient ask me if there are any other options for preservative-free drops because they aren’t satisfied with the current dosing mechanisms. Whether it’s the giant “soft” multidose bottles or the individual ampules designed for single use, it seems as if no great option is available to our patients. Here’s hoping this new bottle becomes an actual game-changer for our patients!

OUTSIDE THE LANE

Human Life Expectancy May Not Exceed 100

A recent study in the journal Nature Aging suggests that human life expectancy may have reached its peak. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago analyzed data from 1990 to 2019 in countries with the longest-living populations, including Australia, France, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Hong Kong, and the United States. They found that although life expectancy increased significantly during the 20th century due to advances in public health, the rate of increased life span has slowed down in recent decades. The study indicates that despite all recent medical advances, the average life span has only risen by about 6.5 years since 1990, casting doubt on the notion that life expectancy will exceed 100 years for people born today. The researchers concluded that overall improvements in life expectancy have plateaued, and achieving a life expectancy of 110 years would require curing the most significant causes of death.

My Two Cents

I’ll be honest, this seems hard to believe. With all the scientific breakthroughs in gene mapping and human biological medications, among countless others, it seems as if we should continue to see an increase in average lifespan for years to come. Although we may not see the relative “explosion” in life span that was noticed earlier in the 20th century, I would imagine with all our technological advances, we should hit that 100 to 110-year expectation mark in the coming years. Many of us now have watches that monitor our heart rate, oxygen levels, etc—who knows what the next few years will bring? Also, how will the human eye fare at age 110?

CAN YOU RELATE

I recently had the wonderful experience of participating in a Peer-to-Peer Academy webinar on refractive surgery myths with Priya Mathews, MD, MPH; Kenneth King, OD; and Nick Bruns, OD, FAAO. (Peer-to-Peer Academy is an educational platform created by Dr. Bruns). During this non-CE webinar, we dispelled some of the most common refractive surgery myths by sharing our personal experiences and knowledge with our fellow eye care practitioners to decide which surgeries, if any, their patients were candidates for. We also helped each other finesse our pre- and postop care vocabulary.

It was a wonderful experience getting to speak frankly about some of the newest refractive surgery technology, including the Light Adjustable Lens (RxSight), which I recently recommended to one of my friends and personally did the adjustments on, and the EVO ICL (Staar Surgical), which I myself had implanted just about 4 months ago.

The ability to let the eye care professional community know what I experienced and how I describe the procedure to my patients will help countless patients fully understand their options. A major kudos to Dr. Bruns for creating this unique platform and for making yet another educational experience available to those interested!

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

Retinal macroaneurysm.

Paul Hammond, OD, FAAO, @kmkoptometrypro

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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