Cataract & Refractive

Professor Gerd U. Auffarth and collegues have found that ophthalmic viscoelastic devices that combine both dispersive and cohesive properties, so that they can be used in sequence and at the appropriate phases of cataract surgery, can result in decreased complications, low adverse events, improved visibility and good space management.

The second-generation Malyugin ring is a versatile pupil expansion ring with high efficacy in femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery. Professor Boris Malyugin notes its advantages, having used it on a variety of classically difficult eyes and in complicated surgical cases.

Ongoing case series is revealing small-incision lenticule extraction to be better than surface ablation (SA) for all myopic laser corrections. However, SA still is useful in patients with thin corneas and therapeutic indications, according to Prof. Suphi Taneri.

Diabetes doubles the risk of cataract in the general population, with an even greater increased risk among people aged under 70, according to researchers.

The Malyugin ring is a safe alternative to traditional pupil-expansion approaches in cataract surgery. Here, best practice for safe surgery and a case study are described

Cataract surgery increases the risk of diabetic macular oedema (DMO), medical records from the United Kingdom suggest. An analysis of 4,850 eyes showed that the rate of DMO requiring treatment spiked about 4 months after the surgery.

During the XXXV Congress of the ESCRS, an international panel of expert FLACS users gathered to share their research and insights, and to learn from the experiences of their colleagues.

Research shows that enhancement rates after LASIK range from approximately 7.8% to 20%, with regression of approximately 1 diopter after 10 years.

Corneal epithelial thickness mapping may become an easy and objective tool in the diagnosis of biomechanically unstable corneas and perhaps a multitude of anterior segment disorders.

As another year comes to an end, five members of Ophthalmology Times Europe’s Editorial Advisory Board reflect and share their perspectives on the exciting opportunities that lie ahead for ophthalmologists in 2018, whilst also considering the potential challenges.

A combination of a topical corticosteroid and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) is more effective than either one alone in reducing the risk of cystoid macular oedema (CME) after cataract surgery in nondiabetic patients, researchers say.

Children in Tel Aviv have been treated with nightly atropine drops, significantly slowing the progression of myopia.

Long-term observation of SMILE reveals high stability at various degrees of correction of myopia. This allows surgeons who apply this method of treatment to give patients a long-term prognosis.

After spending a few months testing for dry eye and treating the tear film before doing preoperative measurements, the re-treatment rate dropped from 11% to 3%.

A multidiagnostic device is able to provide consistent measurements of refraction and ocular aberrations in healthy eyes. The consistency of refractive measurements is not dependent on the magnitude of the refractive error, with the same precision ability for moderate to high myopia and for hyperopia.

One source of error in IOL power calculation is the use of the classical keratometric approach for the characterisation of the corneal optics. This approach is based on the assumption of only one corneal surface and a fictitious index of refraction (keratometric index, nk) for obtaining an estimation of the corneal power (Pk).

Every ophthalmologist requires precise surgical tools with which he or she can perform surgery safely and accurately in order to ensure optimal outcomes. The availability of high-quality microsurgical instruments has increased over the past decade with manufacturers continually modifying and optimising existing instruments.

This case study presents the results and advantages of phacoemulsification, which Dr Dieter W Klass and his team applied after previous implantation of an iris-fixated phakic IOL (pIOL) (Artisan, Ophtec) for the correction of high myopia without explantation of the pIOL.

An aircraft that houses an ophthalmic teaching hospital, containing an on-board operating theatre, training and broadcasting facilities, and treatment rooms, recently visited London Stansted Airport in the UK.

The IC-8 IOL (AcuFocus) is one of the new class of extended-depth-of-focus (EDOF) IOLs that is definitively altering the landscape of cataract surgery in Europe and around the world. Whereas monofocal and multifocal lenses have one or two distinct focal points, an EDOF-IOL creates one elongated focal point, though each lens does so in a different way.

Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose--a line written (1913) by Gertrude Stein and its variations in a famous quotation are often interpreted as meaning “things are what they are--makes a statement of the law of identity, and in the post-factum age is ever more meaningful. An ophthalmologist could as well write: “Cataract is a cataract is a cataract is a cataract,” ICD-10 Code H25.0 for the diagnosis “Cataracta senilis incipiens” in its earliest stage and notably with a surgical history of more than 2,500 years.

Failure to follow-up after ophthalmology appointments can damage patients’ health, a new study suggests. “In our view, national consideration should be given to create targets for reporting how well providers are managing follow-up patients,” reported A Davis and colleagues in the journal Eye.

Only weak evidence supports the use of IOLs that filter visible blue light, researchers say. “On the basis of currently available evidence, one cannot advocate for the use of blue-light-filtering IOLs over UV-only filtering IOLs,” wroite X. Li, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford, Ireland, and colleagues.

Fluorescence of lens proteins could help understand, diagnose, and treat cataracts, researchers say.“Rather than waiting for the condition to appear, it could be possible to diagnose and monitor cataract before it forms, allowing preventative measures to be taken where possible,” said Rory Duncan of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburh, United Kingdom in a press release.