Clinical Diagnosis

Surgeon outlines potential remedies such as medical therapy, tamponade, adhesives

Vancouver, British Columbia-A research chemist from QLT Inc. who helped develop the verteporfin for injection (Visudyne, QLT/Novartis Ophthalmics) treatment for age-related macular degeneration is among 13 chemists from four companies who have been named Heroes of Chemistry by the American Chemical Society.

New York-The ideal monitor of glaucoma progression should have high sensitivity, high specificity, be resistant to fluctuations of the condition, require few confirmatory tests, have broad sensitivity at all stages of the disease, and be easy to interpret, according to David S. Greenfield, MD, who spoke at the Glaucoma 2004 meeting here.

New York-Standard textbook descriptions about early detection of glaucoma underestimate the prevalence of glaucoma, said Robert N. Weinreb, MD.

Map allows clinician to watch early stages, monitor progression and regression

Clinicians need to recognize the fundamental characteristicsof the glaucomatous optic nerve in daily practice. While understanding cup-to-discratio is important, it is also important to recognize other structural characteristics.

When should intraocular lymphoma be considered, and when it is suspected what steps should be taken to make the diagnosis?

Dorado, Puerto Rico-The 26th annual "Current Concepts in Ophthalmology" meeting, sponsored by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine/Wilmer Eye Institute and supported by Ophthalmology Times, will be held Feb. 20 to 23 at the Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort.

Anaheim, CA-Evidence-based medicine is at least a partial solution to many of the dilemmas facing today's ophthalmologists.

Fort Lauderdale, FL-Both Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT, Heidelberg Engineering) exams and stereoscopic optic disc photographs can show abnormalities that pre- dict glaucomatous visual-field abnormalities as early as 4 years before visual-field conversion occurs, according to results of an analysis conducted at the University of California San Diego, La Jolla.

Fort Lauderdale, FL-What constitutes glaucoma progression and the relationship between progressive structural and functional injury? These were the main questions researchers set out to answer during a glaucoma mini-symposium at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Vista, CA-John Hawley, vice president of Heidelberg Engineering, served as an expert panelist at the Life Sciences Industry Council program, "Innovations in Eye Disease Technology," in Irvine, CA.

Dayton, OH-Move over a few disc diameters from the optic nerve head to assess the retinal thickness in the para-macular region for early diagnosis and close monitoring of the glaucomatous process. That's the message of Talia Technology Inc., Tampa.

New York-Pfizer Inc. will invest $400 million to expand its New Jersey facilities and potentially add 1,300 jobs, but plans to close five research and development sites around the world-including two in the United States- and other former Pharmacia Corp. offices as it begins the difficult logistical transition of its $57 billion takeover.

Fort Lauderdale, FL-When assessing a patient with dry eye, clinicians should keep the time of day in mind, said Carolyn G. Begley, OD, MS.

Editor's Note: Anterior uveitis is the most common type of intraocular inflammation. Among patients with inflammation localized primarily to the anterior chamber, 50% or more are HLA-B27 positive. Inaddition, a number of these patients with HLA-B27-associated anterior uveitis have, or will develop, an associated systemicdisorder such as ankylosing spondylitis,reactive arthritis (formerly known asReiter's syndrome), inflammatory bowel disease, or psoriatic arthritis.

CA-The FDA approval of gatifloxacin ophthalmic solution 0.3% (Zymar, Allergan) marks a milestone as the first fourth-generation fluoroquinolone to enter the ophthalmic market. The therapy for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis caused by susceptible strains of bacteria also has a unique mechanism to prevent development of antibiotic resistance, according to Allergan.

Salt Lake City-Dysphotopsias, the unwant-ed optical images seen at night, pose an annoying and sometimes debilitating effect for cataract patients receiving IOLs with a truncated edge. To minimize these effects, efforts to modify the IOL edge have paid off, according to Randall J. Olson, MD.

Omaha, NE-The Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) clearly demonstrat-ed that topical IOP-lowering medications can delay the onset of primary open-angle glaucoma. In addition, the OHTS study also revealed two very important secondary messages, which may be as important as the primary finding, according to M. Roy Wilson, MD.

New York-The European Commission is wrapping up its investigation into a proposed merger of pharmaceutical giants Pfizer Inc. and Pharmacia Corp.

Orlando-Optic nerve head (ONH) imaging forms an essential part of the management of suspected glaucoma, as well as in patients with established glaucomatous visual field loss, according to a London glaucoma specialist.

New York-Using a doughnut and its hole in an analogy, David S. Greenfield, MD, said glaucoma specialists are now focusing on the doughnut rather than the hole-and retinal imaging advances have made this possible.

Needham, MA-Ruthanne B. Simmons, MD, who followed in her father's footsteps to make her mark in ophthalmology and laser surgery research, died Nov. 8 of breast cancer. She was 43.

Editor's Note: This is the final story in a three-part series covering a forum on "Ethnicity and Glaucoma" at Johns Hopkins University to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Baltimore Eye Survey.

New York-Fluctuations in IOP during the day and night can be important for the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma, according to Robert N. Weinreb, MD, who spoke during the Glaucoma 2002 meeting here.

Tucson, AZ-Topical beta-blockers have been a mainstay of ongoing treatment for glaucoma for more than 20 years, but a new study adds to the evidence that they may not be the best option for long-term control of IOP for elderly patients.

Editor's note: This is the second story in a three-part series covering a forum on "Ethnicity and Glaucoma" at Johns Hopkins University to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Baltimore Eye Study. The meeting was sponsored by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Ophthalmology Times and supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Alcon Laboratories Inc.

New York-Glaucoma therapy of 10 years ago has no application today, according to Robert D. Fechtner, MD, who opened a session on glaucoma and cataract surgery at the Glaucoma 2002 meeting here.

Los Angeles-Considering the limited availability of published randomized trials, glaucoma surgeons should remain skeptical about the safety and efficacy of viscocanalostomy and deep sclerectomy with collagen wick, said Donald S. Minckler, MD.

Dr. Kornmehl: Thank you all for participating in this discussion about conductive keratoplasty (CK). Ed, what is the mechanism of CK