Curie Brief
Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
News
A new study shows laser prophylaxis could be a game-changer for children with Stickler syndrome. Kids who received the preventive laser treatment were far less likely to suffer a retinal detachment — just 8% vs. 64.3% in untreated patients. Researchers say the findings are promising, though larger studies are still needed to confirm the benefit.
Stickler syndrome is a genetic disorder that puts children at serious risk for retinal detachment — about half of affected kids experience it, and the detachments can be notoriously hard to repair. Now, a retrospective study out of Emory Eye Center suggests that laser prophylaxis could dramatically change those odds.
The chart review analyzed 131 eyes across 72 pediatric patients with Stickler syndrome treated between 2002 and 2024. Of the 75 eyes that received laser prophylaxis (at a mean age of 7.7 years), only 8% went on to develop a retinal detachment. Among untreated eyes, that figure jumped to 64.3% — a statistically significant difference. Untreated patients were also more likely to need a second surgery and to develop complications like giant retinal tears and proliferative vitreoretinopathy.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Retinal detachment in Stickler syndrome can cause permanent vision loss and is difficult to surgically correct. These findings suggest early laser prophylaxis could be a powerful preventive tool — though the authors caution that referral bias and the study's retrospective design call for larger, prospective trials before it becomes standard of care.
