Reference Library
What is the Reference Library?
Keeping current with the retina literature is, for most, an ongoing, futile effort. New journals are constantly being introduced, and existing journals keep getting thicker and thicker. Researching a topic on PubMed doesn’t allow you to spot key references or quickly digest what’s new globally on a topic of interest. And remembering what you’ve read a few weeks later (or even after you’ve turned the page to the next article) is a struggle.
To address these concerns, we pull key clinical references from 24 major ophthalmic and retinal journals each month (click here for the journal list). Although we can’t provide the journal article PDF due to copyright issues, we provide a single-line citation with a brief summary of the article’s main points. Our goal is to capture all major clinically relevant references.
Please contact us if we’re missing any key references or if any reference is mis-summarized or cited.
Want to Automatically Receive Our Monthly Journal Article Summaries?
That’s easy! Just subscribe to the Retina World Congress’s monthly email blast here.
How is the Reference Library integrated into the Image Library?
At the top of most Image Library folders is a ___References Word document containing the annotated bibliography for that topic. Every month, we file key articles into the appropriate Retina Rocks folder(s) and update this file. Key articles are located at the top of the list. This allows for a rapid snapshot and review of the literature while also looking through our multimedia images. Some seemingly unrelated references are included in each folder to aid in differential diagnosis or to learn about similar findings in other disorders.
Key Retina Journal Articles of the Month
Here is the current month's snapshot of key retina journal articles
Monthly Archives
Persistent Placoid Maculopathy: Long-term Outcomes and Prognostic Factors
Retina. 2026 Oct 1;46(10):1740-1747. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000004914.
Persistent placoid maculopathy: Final VA worse than 20-100 in one-third of eyes; MNV in 65%; Systemic cardiovascular comorbidities in 88%; Disease reactivation common — Retrospective, at least 23-month FU, 23 patients
Longitudinal Trajectories of 3-Dimensional Eye Shape and Pathological Sequelae in High Myopia
JAMA Ophthalmol. 2026 Oct 1;144(10):925-933. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.3684.
High myopia Longitudinal trajectories of 15-year 3D eye shape with pathologic sequelae. Axial length alone doesn’t reflect non-spheroidal contour — 30 patients, With editorial
Oral eplerenone in first-episode acute central serous chorioretinopathy: results of a double-masked randomized trial
Int Ophthalmol. 2026 Oct 12;46(1):417. doi: 10.1007/s10792-026-04287-1.
1st-episode ICSC: Oral eplerenone (vs placebo) enhanced fluid resolution but no change in VA at 3 months — Prospective, double-masked RCT, 44 patients
Pigment Epithelium Detachment in Severe Acute Posterior Multifocal Placoid Pigment Epitheliopathy
Retina. 2026 Oct 1;46(10):1733-1739. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000004918.
PED in severe APMPPE is associated with worse initial VA, bacillary layer detachment, and serous RD. PED biomarker for severe disease and choriocapillaris ischemia — Retrospective, 46 eyes
Real world experience with faricimab in switched neovascular AMD and evaluation of reloading versus interval matching regimes
Eye (Lond). 2026 Oct;40(14):2199-2205. doi: 10.1038/s41433-026-04686-9.
nAMD Switch to Vabysmo VA stable with decreased fluid and treatment burden. Initial matching interval dosing (rather than re-load) effective — Retrospective, 173 eyes
Macular serpiginous choroiditis versus macular serpiginous-like choroiditis: clinical features, outcomes and prognosis
Eye (Lond). 2026 Oct;40(14):2221-2227. doi: 10.1038/s41433-026-04706-8.
Macular serpiginous (MSC) vs serpiginous-like choroiditis (SLC): MSC more aggressive progression with worse VA prognosis — Retrospective, 30 eyes
Improvement in visual outcomes in diabetic macular edema through the reduction of macular thickness fluctuations using the 0, 19 mg fluocinolone acetonide implant
Int Ophthalmol. 2026 Sep 24;46(1):402. doi: 10.1007/s10792-026-04262-w.
Iluvien for unresponsive or recurrent DME: Reduced retinal thickness fluctuations with better VA — RIVER study, Retrospective, Portuguese national registry, 97 eyes
Marginal Outer Retinal Ridge after Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Repair: A Novel Biomarker of Retinal Displacement
Ophthalmol Retina. 2026 Oct;10(10):1009-1016. doi: 10.1016/j.oret.2026.05.021.
Post-RRD repair: Marginal outer retinal ridge OCT biomarker of retinal displacement — Retrospective, 12 eyes
Prechoroidal cleft in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD): A narrative review of pathophysiology, clinical implications and prognosis
Acta Ophthalmol. 2026 Nov;104(7):e745-e756. doi: 10.1111/aos.70095.
nAMD Prechoroidal cleft: Pathophysiology, clinical implications, and prognosis. Dynamic marker for disease activity — Review
Toxic Posterior Segment Syndrome Following Dropless Cataract Surgery With Compounded Triamcinolone-Moxifloxacin
Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2026 Oct;57(10):625-632. doi: 10.3928/23258160-20260819-01.
Toxic posterior segment syndrome post dropless cataract surgery with compounded triamcinolone-moxifloxacin — Retrospective, 50 eyes from 2017 outbreak
Hyperreflective foci and subretinal drusenoid deposits as predictors of exudation in intermediate AMD eyes with contralateral neovascular AMD
Eye (Lond). 2026 Oct;40(15):2360-2366. doi: 10.1038/s41433-026-04617-8.
iAMD Hyperreflective foci and subretinal drusenoid deposits load accelerate progression to exudative MNV in high-risk fellow eyes — Post hoc, EDNA database
Risk factors for early emulsification of silicone oil after surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment
Indian J Ophthalmol. 2026 Oct 1;74(Suppl 3):S464-S470. doi: 10.4103/IJO.IJO_565_25.
Early silicone oil emulsification post-PPV RD is more common with suboptimal oil fill — Retrospective, 81 eyes
Incidence and characteristics of newly formed polypoidal lesions in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy
Eye (Lond). 2026 Oct;40(14):2215-2220. doi: 10.1038/s41433-026-04697-6.
PCV New polyps develop in 33% of eyes (80% de novo) undergoing anti-VEGF treat-extend — Retrospective, 45 eyes
Thirty-year visual acuity outcomes after plaque brachytherapy for posterior uveal melanoma
Can J Ophthalmol. 2026 Oct;61(5):1181-1190. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjo.2026.04.006.
Post-uveal MM plaque 30 years post-surgery, fewer than 1 in 20 eyes retained usual VA. Results not altered after analyzing post-2010 patients within anti-VEGF era — Retrospective, 1785 Swedish patients
The long-term impact of neovascular age-related macular degeneration undergoing routine treatment in first and second eyes on vision-related quality-of-life: FASBAT Report 3
Acta Ophthalmol. 2026 Nov;104(7):e803-e809. doi: 10.1111/aos.70150.
nAMD Vision-related quality of life stable with unilateral disease, but decreased without recovery in 2nd eye — FASTBAT, 424 patients
Retinal Arterial Macroaneurysms: Clinical Features, Management, and Outcomes
Ophthalmol Retina. 2026 Oct;10(10):1047-1055. doi: 10.1016/j.oret.2026.06.001.
RAM Clinical features, management and outcomes. Most spontaneously improve, BUT selective treatment for more severe presentations may be beneficial — Retrospective, BPEI, 161 eyes
Macular Posterior Vitreous Detachment: Mechanical Insights From Volume-Rendered Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography
Retina. 2026 Oct 1;46(10):1644-1651. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000004853.
Macular PVD commonly involves circumferential cortical tearing (rather than detachment) due to shallow angle of tractional forces. May contribute to subsequent ERM formation —Retrospective, volume-rendered SS-OCT, 53 eyes
Photodynamic therapy and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor for acute central serous chorioretinopathy: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis
Surv Ophthalmol. 2026 Sep-Oct;71(5):1249-1260. doi: 10.1016/j.survophthal.2026.03.008.
Acute ICSC: PDT effective; Anti-VEGF transient 1-month decreased fluid without sustained VA or anatomic benefits — Systematic review and meta-analysis
Why do we still give prophylactic topical antibiotics after intravitreal injections?
Eye (Lond). 2026 Oct;40(15):2313-2314. doi: 10.1038/s41433-026-04812-7.
Editorial argues against prophylactic antibiotic use for intravitreal injections – Use does not reduce infection risk, increases drug resistance, and adds cost.
Long-term follow-up and outcomes of a Diabetic Eye Screening Programme in patients aged 80 with no diabetic eye disease at baseline: should we be routinely screening this cohort?
Eye (Lond). 2026 Oct;40(14):2187-2192. doi: 10.1038/s41433-026-04699-4.
Diabetic retinopathy screening in 80YO or older: 0.11% needed DME treatment, and no PDR identified. Suggests routine screening for this population should be reconsidered — Retrospective, 3599 patients
Three hundred sixty-degree prophylactic laser retinopexy versus focal laser during rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Acta Ophthalmol. 2026 Nov;104(7):731-741. doi: 10.1111/aos.70127.
PPV RRD 360-degree (vs focal laser) higher single-surgery success but similar VA. Need well-designed RCTs to confirm the magnitude of benefit — Systematic review and Meta-analysis.
