Clinical Diagnosis

Galveston, TX-Three-times-a-day treatment with famciclovir (Famvir, Novartis) was as effective against ophthalmic herpes zoster as five-times-a-day acyclovir (Zovirax, Glaxo Wellcome) in a major international trial, said Stephen K. Tyring, MD, PhD.

Atlanta-The longest follow-up to date of a large number of LASIKpatients has given convincing evidence that the procedure does not damagethe corneal endothelium, said Henry F. Edelhauser, PhD.

Houston-An artificial retina could be the answer for an estimated 1 million Americans with retinal blindness by conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, said Alex Ignatiev, PhD, professor of physics, chemistry, and electrical and computer engineering at the University of Houston.

Los Angeles-The Amadeus Microkeratome (Allergan Surgical) offers advantages in both speed and safety in performing LASIK, said Lee Nordan, MD.

Allowing patients to listen to the music of their choiceduring cataract or glaucoma surgery can help reduce the cardiovascular effectscaused by both pre- and peri-operative feelings of stress, according toKaren Allen, PhD.

Augusta, GA-Despite negative results in an early trial, effortsare continuing to determine whether external-beam irradiation can slow visionloss caused by subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in age-relatedmacular degeneration (AMD), said Dennis M. Marcus, MD.