Miebo may reduce contact lens-related discomfort during wear

ANAHEIM, Calif. — People who used Miebo eye drops while wearing contact lenses reported decreases in end-of-day dryness and discomfort as well as greater overall contact lens wearing time, according to a study presented at Academy 2026.
“We have only one product, perfluorohexyloctane, identified on the marketplace to address evaporative dry eye disease,” study author Shane R. Kannarr, OD, of Kannarr Eye Care, Kansas, told Healio, noting that its current label recommends not wearing contact lenses for 30 minutes after instilling the drop. “Our goal was to see, is that necessary?”
Kannarr and

Expert sees concerning trend in Florida’s dengue emergencies

Three Florida counties have declared states of emergency due to a surge in locally acquired dengue fever, a mosquito-borne illness that has circulated in Florida for years.
But unlike previous dengue outbreaks in the state, which were mostly centered in South Florida, the numbers show a new trend for 2026: The viral illness is moving north, specifically to the state’s central Gulf Coast.
“What’s happening here is something different,” Nicole Iovine, MD, PhD, chief hospital epidemiologist at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida, told Healio. “We always see some local acquisition of

How women can step into leadership roles in medicine

CHICAGO — According to WHO, women represent 67% of the global health and social care workforce, providing essential health services to approximately 5 billion people worldwide.
However, research has shown that fewer than 30% of women hold senior leadership positions within medicine.
“Traditionally, most of the people we have seen in leadership within and outside of medicine have typically been men and, even more specifically, white men,” Mary K. Mulcahey, MD, professor and chief of sports medicine in the department of orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation at Loyola University

Ophthalmology Foundation focuses on blindness worldwide

Preventing blindness worldwide requires teamwork between industry veterans and ophthalmologists who are willing to offer their time to strengthen education across the globe. The Ophthalmology Foundation aims to make this a reality.
“Everybody gives their own personal time here,” Jim Mazzo, president of the Ophthalmology Foundation, told Healio. “I think that is what is so impressive about this project. The majority of those involved are giving their own personal time and personal checks to help get this done.”
A successor to the International Council of Ophthalmology Foundation (ICOF), the

Q&A: A 5-step approach to setting achievable goals

CHICAGO — SMART goals — an approach centered on making objectives specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound — provide a useful framework for personal growth, a speaker at the Women in Medicine Summit said.
However, before setting a SMART goal, physicians should first assess their readiness, confidence and the importance of the goal to improve their chances of success, according to Robyn Tiger, MD, DipABLM, FACLM, founder of StressFreeMD.
“It’s wonderful that we have this model of SMART goals, but when I was coaching other physicians on those, there were lots of times they

Qivigy gets orphan drug designation for stiff person syndrome

The FDA has granted orphan drug designation for Qivigy, a potential intravenous immune globulin treatment for stiff person syndrome, according to a press release from Kedrion Biopharma.
Stiff person syndrome (SPS), estimated to affect two per 100,000 people, is known to cause progressive muscle rigidity and muscle spasms that can impair a person’s movement and ability to perform tasks, said Nisha Jain, MD, vice president of global clinical development and strategy with Kedrion. It is estimated to be two to three times more common in women than in men.
People with SPS face an unmet need for care

Prima implant enables patients with GA to read, recognize faces

ANAHEIM, Calif. — A year after receiving a Prima implant, more than half of patients with geographic atrophy were able to complete tasks such as reading books and using digital devices, according to a study presented at Academy 2026.
“Visual acuity is the standard metric in clinical trials ... but visual acuity measured on a chart in a clinic doesn’t tell you what someone can actually do at home,” study author Ava K. Bittner, OD, PhD, professor of ophthalmology at UCLA Stein Eye Institute, told Healio. “Patients want to know if Prima would let them read their own

Study: Universal screening doubles detection of congenital CMV

Testing all infants in the neonatal ICU for congenital cytomegalovirus could catch twice as many cases as targeted screening of infants who fail their newborn hearing test, according to the results of a study at Cleveland Clinic.
The results were published at the same time that AAP endorsed expanded screening for the infection.
Congenital CMV (cCMV) is the most common nongenetic cause of hearing loss and developmental disabilities worldwide. One in 200 babies is born with the condition, 20% of whom will be born with or develop hearing loss or developmental disabilities, according to the CDC.

‘Invisible work’: The cost of unseen tasks for women in medicine

CHICAGO — For women physicians, the workday often extends beyond the clinic, with unseen tasks at work and home adding to the demands of practicing medicine, according to a presenter at the Women in Medicine Summit.
These unseen tasks, which range from additional professional expectations, such as mentoring and responding to patient messages, to family responsibilities, such as coordinating care for children and running a household, are known as “invisible work,” and may be impacting women’s roles in medicine, according to Gretchen Rickards, MD, MPH, PCC, internal medicine physician at

Novel amylin drug confers 10% weight loss, well tolerated

Petrelintide, a novel amylin analog, was associated with up to 10% weight loss with a comparable adverse events profile to placebo at 28 and 42 weeks, according to results of the ZUPREME 1 phase 2 trial.
For the trial, presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting and simultaneously published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, the researchers analyzed data from 485 patients (mean age, 47 years; 53% women; 86% white) with overweight or obesity (BMI 30 kg/m2 or 27 kg/m2 with hypertension, dyslipidemia or both; mean, 36.7 kg/m2) without type 2 diabetes