The management of refractory and complex glaucoma is a challenging and often humbling undertaking. These difficult-to-treat glaucomas include neovascular, traumatic, uveitic, secondary angle closure, postsurgical, and refractory open-angle glaucoma (OAG).
New York-The incidence of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) was found to be significantly lower following cataract extraction with the Nd:YAG laser (Dodick photolysis system, ARC Laser Corp.) than with conventional phaco, according to a study performed at the Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital (MEETH), New York.
Los Angeles-Polishing the anterior capsule after phacoemulsification and lens implantation does not appear to reduce the incidence of posterior capsular opacification (PCO). In fact, substantially more eyes that underwent this procedure after cataract surgery needed posterior capsulotomy, a startling finding reported by Kevin M. Miller, MD.
Jackson, MI-The new AcrySof Natural IOL (Model SB30AL, Alcon, Fort Worth, TX), which has a light transmission spectrum similar to that of a 53-year-old human crystalline lens, is the first of its kind that has become commercially available. It effectively filters blue light between 400 and 500 nm and preserves contrast sensitivity and color perception, according to Paul Ernest, MD.
All eyes are focused on Orlando for this year's meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), Oct. 20 to 23. More than 500 exhibitors will showcase the latest ophthalmic technology in Halls A and B (Level 2) of the Orange County Convention Center.
Salt Lake City-A "sandwich-like" pattern of capsular attachment of a new one-piece hydrophobic acrylic IOL (AcrySof SA30AL, Alcon, Fort Worth, TX) appears to prohibit epithelial ingrowth, according to Liliana Werner, MD, PhD.
Tampa-Direct incision, the placement of autologous tissue grafts, and now the use of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, or ePTFE, are options for improving facial subunits. While communication between the doctor and patient is important in all cases to determine which option is best, it is particularly useful with ePTFE (SoftForm) implants. The key to patient happiness is patient selection.
Irvine, CA-When Allergan announced in January that it planned to spin off its optical medical device business into a separate company called Advanced Medical Optics (AMO), David E.I. Pyott, chairman, president, and CEO of Allergan, said the company would evolve into a specialty pharmaceutical company.
Baltimore-The AcrySof single-piece acrylic IOLs (Alcon, Fort Worth, TX) provide good refractive correction, excellent stability, and a low incidence of posterior capsular opacification (PCO), said Richard A. Adler, MD.
New York-An anterior chamber phakic IOL for the treatment of high myopia combats the four major problems facing anterior chamber lenses, according to cataract sur-geon Charles D. Kelman, MD, who described the advantages of his invention.
Fairfax, VA-The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) will rename its Innovator's Lecture to the Charles D. Kelman Innovator's Lecture to recognize his contributions to ophthalmology.
The many forms and causes of dry eye syndrome are targeted by a nearly equal number of devices to treat the malady.
Sydney, Australia-A rapid increase in the occurrence of myopia and an aging world population means 70% of the world will require vision correction by year 2020, according to a study by the Cooperative Research Centre for Eye Research and Technology.
Philadelphia-The reality of light-adjustable IOLs for clinical use is on the horizon. Availability of technology such as this will eliminate the need to remove IOLs because of incorrect power, according to Nick Mamalis, MD.
Philadelphia-A new silicone IOL and a new hydrophobic acrylate lens are both easy and safe to implant, offering reliable refraction for patients with high myopia and high hyperopia, said Gerd U. Auffarth, MD, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting here.
Philadelphia-Incorrect lens power continues to top the list as the most common reason for IOL explantation, followed by dislocation/decentration, reported Nick Mamalis, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) here.
Philadelphia-Patients with high myopia and high hyperopia seemed to have a good response to the implantation of the Phakic Refractive Lens (PRL, Medennium Inc.), according to Kenneth J. Hoffer, MD, who reported on the phase III trial for myopia and the phase II trial for hyperopia during the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting here.
Philadelphia-Most of the patients treated for high myopia with the Implantable Contact Lens (ICL, STAAR Surgical) were satisfied with their vision at the 2-year follow-up, said John A. Vukich, MD, who reported the interim results of the FDA clinical trial during the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.
Seattle-The body's natural wound-healing processes that repair a cornea scraped by a tree branch might interfere with the outcome of a LASIK procedure, according to Steven E. Wilson, MD.
More than 1.5 million cataract surgery procedures are performed each year in the United States. Currently, cataract surgery is one of the most safe and effective surgical procedures in all of medicine.
Researchers presented new strategies for tack-ling numerous retinal diseases that can have devastating effects on vision in a symposium entitled "New Vessels, New Medicines, New Ideas in Retina." Great progress has been made and con-tinues to be made in this subspecialty, noted Harry W. Flynn Jr., MD, organizer of the 2001 American Academy of Ophthalmology symposium.
New Orleans-The tarsal "sandwich" technique facilitates cosmetic repair of lower eyelid malpositions caused by trauma or infection. The reconstruction surgery offers a cosmetically pleasing result and is among the most difficult challenges for the surgeon, according to Richard J. Hesse, MD, author of a recent report on the subject. The tarsal sandwich procedure is for pa-tients whose malpo-sitions do not respond favorably to standard methods.
Hong Kong-The success rate following intranasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy in Chinese patients is similar to that in Caucasian patients, based on the results of a retrospective study of patients with nasolacrimal duct obstruction, according to Lawrence Lam, MD.
The search for an ideal soft tissue filler to cor-rect various facial folds and wrinkles has gone on for years. At the turn of the last century, injectable paraffin was tried but quickly found to be unacceptable.1 A refined form of liquid silicone was introduced in the 1960s, and for the next 30 years, various forms of injectable silicone were used with few reported complications. Unfortunately, numerous complications arose from the use of adulterated or impure silicones and as a result, injectable silicones were abandoned.2
Vancouver, British Columbia-The FDA recently approved the injection of botulinum toxin type A (Botox Cosmetic, Allergan, Irvine, CA) to treat moderate to severe glabellar lines in adults under age 65.
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