Surgery

Irvine, CA-Visiogen Inc. has received FDA approval to expand the phase III clinical trial of its dual-optic accommodating IOL (Synchrony) in the United States.

Las Vegas-Refractive lens exchange (RLE) is associated with an increased burden of informed consent disclosure because of the complex issues, both current and future, accompanying that procedure, said Douglas D. Koch, MD, at the Refractive Sur-gery Subspecialty Day during the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Las Vegas-Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) is comparable to medical treatment as the initial therapy for open-angle glaucoma (OAG) or ocular hypertension, according to results of a study reported by L. Jay Katz, MD, and colleagues here at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Editor's Note: During the time I was a resident at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital (1969-1972), I had the good fortune to work with Byron Capleese Smith, MD. Those who knew him will never forget him, and those who were not able to know him will gain a small glimpse of his persona and his contributions, as written by Christopher Teng, MD. -Norman Medow, MD

London-Thin, shallow corneal flaps of approximately 80 to 90 ?m created with an IntraLase femtosecond laser (IntraLase Corp.) may produce the best results in refractive surgery, effectively eliminating pain and haze while producing long-term visual stability, said John Marshall, PhD, in a keynote address during a session on femtosecond lasers here at the XXIV Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS).

A 59-year-old male was referred for decreased vision and glare in his right eye 7 days after uneventful clear corneal (CC) phacoemulsification with IOL implantation. On postoperative day 1, his visual acuity was 20/25 in the affected eye. The anterior chamber reaction revealed 1+ cell and flare and the IOL was clear.

St. Petersburg, FL-Lenstec Inc. says the FDA has granted it an investigational device exemption to begin a clinical trial of the Softec HD posterior chamber IOL.

Carlsbad, CA-SynergEyes Inc. has received FDA market clearance for the use of Alcon Opti-Free Replenish multi-purpose disinfecting solution with SynergEyes contact lenses.

Austin, TX-A new surgical technique addresses the cosmetic concerns of patients with facial palsy and provides them the eye protection that they need, said Sheri L. De Martel?re, MD, an oculoplastic surgeon in private practice in Austin, TX.

New York-The use of a scleral spacing procedure using PreView Scleral Implants (Refocus Group Inc.) appears to improve the technique to correct presbyopia. This revised technique seems to be a safe and effective method of improving near visual acuity without affecting distance visual acuity in emmetropic presbyopia, according to Barrie D. Soloway, MD, FACS.

Boston-SOLX, the glaucoma division of OccuLogix Inc., has begun an international program to train and certify ophthalmologists in Europe and the Middle East in surgical implantation procedures using the company’s Gold Micro-Shunt (GMS) products to treat patients with glaucoma.

Houston-Intestinal surgeries-such as gastric bypass, resections of the large and small bowel, and gallbladder removal-may interfere with the intestine's ability to absorb vitamin A, resulting in the potential for severe deficiencies and compromised vision.

London- One of the most revolutionary technological changes in corneal transplant surgery in decades is beginning to hit clinics around the world. A software and hardware upgrade for the femtosecond laser (IntraLase FS, IntraLase Corp.) has been released to help surgeons design custom incision shapes that improve surgical precision and promote faster healing.

Many factors play a role in wound healing after epi-LASIK. For example, use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) after surgery, advanced age, and a compromised tear film have been associated with delayed wound healing, whereas younger age, healthy tear film, and certain nutritional supplements have been associated with rapid wound healing.

Lenstec Inc. announced that the FDA has granted the company an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) to begin a clinical trial of the Softec HD posterior chamber IOL.

Blue-light-filtering IOLs provide protection against potential blue light toxicity without significantly affecting clinical functioning of recipients, said James D. McCulley, MD, during a spotlight session on pseudophakic IOLs at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

A fluocinolone acetonide implants seems effective for treating noninfectious posterior uveitis, reported Carlos Pavesio, MD, who reported his results at the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

The SOLX Gold Micro-Shunt (GMS, OccuLogix) is a novel approach to treating increased IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma that does not respond to other therapies and is a good alternative to trabeculectomy, according to Shlomo Melamed, MD, an investigator based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The SOLX Gold Micro-Shunt (GMS, OccuLogix) is a novel approach to treating increased IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma that does not respond to other therapies and is a good alternative to trabeculectomy, according to Shlomo Melamed, MD, an investigator based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

DSAEK

Today most universities have one or two oculoplastic surgeons on staff.

Stockholm, Sweden-The Perfect Capsule (Milvella), a sealed capsule irrigation device, seems to be very useful in very small eyes for preventing posterior capsular opacification (PCO), according to Maria Kugelberg, MD, PhD.

Maastricht, The Netherlands-Preliminary results with the foldable iris-claw myopic phakic IOL (Artiflex, Ophtec) indicate it has a similar safety index when compared with the original polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) model (Artisan, Ophtec), but is associated with less early induced refractive astigmatism, which results in a better efficacy index initially and shorter visual recovery curve, said Rudy M.M.A. Nuijts, MD, PhD.

I have made two changes in my surgical technique to enhance outcomes with presbyopia-correcting IOLs.

Since our practice began offering presbyopia-correcting IOLs, we have implanted 450 of them. One in five of our cataract and refractive lens exchange patients chooses one of these new lenses. The AcrySof ReSTOR lens (Alcon Laboratories) accounts for 80% of our presbyopia-correcting implants, while the ReZoom (Advanced Medical Optics) and the crystalens (eyeonics) together represent 20%.