Surgery

Washington, DC-New legislation introduced by two House committees in mid-June will not include a proposal to cut Medicare payment rates for ambulatory surgical center (ASC) services.

San Francisco-Could phakic IOLs some day emerge as the dominant refractive surgical approach, especially considering the past problems with early innovations?

San Francisco-Patient noncompliance can be overcome with the delivery of medication to the eye with intraocular time-release systems, according to James P. Gills, MD, who spoke during the Innovator's Session at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

Bausch & Lomb recently unveiled its SofPort System, an integrated, single-use, single-handed planar delivery IOL insertion system. The system is composed of the new MP-28 IOL injector and the new LI61-SE IOL.

San Francisco-The ClariFlex third-generation silicone IOL (AMO) is well tolerated in high-risk glaucomatous eyes, and the Unfolder Silver-Z insertion system (AMO) performs well in these eyes, with a very low incidence of cartridge jams or damaged IOLs, accord-ing to Thomas W. Samuelson, MD.

San Francisco-The Sensar IOL (AMO) with OptiEdge provides patients with excellent visual acuity, and after 1 year, it is associated with a higher incidence of clear posterior capsules and a lower rate of Nd:YAG capsulotomy compared with the parent model without OptiEdge, reported William J. Fishkind, MD, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

San Francisco-The AcrySof Natural IOL (Model SB30AL, Alcon), containing a covalently bonded, blue light-filtering chromophore (ImprUV), more closely mimics the light transmission spectrum of the precataractous adult human crystalline lens compared with standard UV-absorbing IOLs without any adverse effects on vision, said Paul H. Ernest, MD, at the American Society of Cata-ract and Refractive Surgery an-nual meeting.

San Francisco-With its proprietary apodized diffractive technology, the AcrySof ReSTOR pseudoaccommodative IOL (Alcon) provides patients with excellent near and distance vision and only infrequently causes visual symptoms that are generally minimal and easily tolerated, said David Allen, MD, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

The first one-bottle daily lens-care system for rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses will be available this month from Bausch & Lomb. The FDA approved Boston Simplus Multi-Action Solution in May.

Milwaukee-When an anophthalmic implant is required, in most cases, oculoplastic surgeon Russell S. Gonnering, MD, prefers using a non-wrapped porous sphere.

London-Subconjunctival injection of botulinum toxin type A (Botox, Allergan) can offer an effective treatment for upper eyelid retraction associated with thyroid eye dis-ease, said Jimmy M. Uddin, MD.

Rochester, NY-Bausch & Lomb will delay the regulatory filing for the intravitreal fluocinolone acetonide implant (Retisert), a treatment for diabetic macular edema (DME), for up to 3 years while the FDA reviews 12-month safety data of additional eyes treated with implants.

The FDA has approved the use of CIBA Vision's Focus NIGHT & DAY silicone hydrogel contact lenses for therapeutic use, and AOSEPT Clear Care lens-care solution for use with rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses.

The Legacy phacoemulsification system with AdvanTec (Alcon) runs cooler compared with the Sovereign phacoemulsification system with WhiteStar (Advanced Medical Optics) under all experimental conditions in air, according to Kevin M. Miller, MD.

San Francisco-With the presbyopic population reaching 51% (141 million) in the United States, the interest in surgical correction of presbyopia will likely take off as the baby boomers look for alternatives to glasses, according to Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, who delivered the Binkhorst Lecture during the opening session of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

Kansas City, MO-Placement of silicone intracanalicular plugs (ICP) in the treatment of dry eye can result in a variety of complications, including irreversible lacrimal occlusion. When removal is indicated, various surgical strategies may be necessary because the recommended simple irrigation in the office is not always effective, said William L. White, MD.

Recently, I have heard oculoplastic surgeons voicing their concerns about the future of our profession. Many advise de-specializing to try to compete with other plastic surgeons. I advise trying to be the best in our area of expertise. We are privileged to be in the best specialty in medicine.

San Francisco-At 1-year follow-up, the majority of patients who received the hyperopic Implantable Contact Lens (ICL, STAAR Surgical, Monrovia, CA) for correction of moderate to high hyperopia were satisfied with an uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) of at least 20/40 or better, noted Paul J. Dougherty, MD, who spoke during the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Annual Meeting.

Many of the common complications associated with external silicone punctum plugs, such as extrusion or irritation, can be avoided if physicians take the time to measure the puncta and gauge the correct size, according to representatives of the major manufacturers of these plugs.

Salt Lake City-Patients with pseudoexfoliation who have undergone cataract surgery are at risk for spontaneous IOL dislocation years after the procedure, according to Alan S. Crandall, MD.

In the past decade, porous orbital implants have become the implant of choice for many surgeons managing the anophthalmic socket after enucleation or evisceration. By permitting fibrovascular ingrowth, these porous implants are better able to resist infection, migration, and extrusion when compared with acrylic or silicone implants.

Restoration of accommodation and elimination of aberration arebecoming the standards by which we evaluate the results of cataract andrefractive surgery today.

Atlanta-CIBA Vision will purchase the posterior-chamber phakic refractive lens (PRL) from Medennium.

Warren, NJ-Success of browlifting depends on careful selection of the appropriate procedure, which takes into account the patient's anatomic features and goals, said Susan R. Carter, MD.

Jacksonville, FL-Wavefront technology is the tool of the future to determine the total optical system of the eye, according to Arun Gulani, MD.