Urology

Fairfax, VA—The FDA is asking cataract surgeons to report any incidents of intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS) that they have experienced on the agency's MedWatch Web site.

San Francisco—A drug commonly prescribed for older men suffering from prostate enlargement seems to cause a "floppy iris" that increases the risk of complications during cataract surgery.

New York-Aqueous misdirection is "a rare, but serious complication of intraocular surgery" that requires immediate attention to prevent lasting damage, Celso Tello, MD, told participants at the Glaucoma 2004 meeting here.

New York -Five potential causes of failure of glaucoma filtration surgery include excessive subconjunctival fibrosis, tight scleral flap sutures, encapsulated bleb, occluded internal ostium, and intraocular obstruction, according to James C. Tsai, MD.

New York-"The time to think about preventing a shallow anterior chamber is the moment you decide to perform a trabeculectomy," said Jody R. Piltz-Seymour, MD, at the Glaucoma 2004 meeting here.

New York-The best time to start treating a bleb-associated infection resulting from trabeculectomy is when its first warning signs appear, reported Paul J. Lama, MD, at the Glaucoma 2004 meeting here.

New York-Hypotony maculopathy-damage to the macula caused by clinically significant low IOP-has several causes, including overfiltering blebs, bleb leak, cyclodialysis cleft, and ciliary body effusion/detachment, reported Celso Tello, MD, at the Glaucoma 2004 meeting here.

New York-How do you determine whether a patient identified as having suspected glaucoma has glaucoma or will develop glaucoma? When should you treat a patient? How aggressive should treatment be?

New York-The 2004 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research, given posthumously, honors Charles D. Kelman, MD, for transforming cataract surgery "from a risky and lengthy ordeal (2-week hospital stay) into a safe and quick outpatient procedure that has spared millions of people throughout the world from blindness," as well as for inspiring similar advances in a number of other medical specialties.

New York-The 2004 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research, given posthumously, honors Charles D. Kelman, MD, for transforming cataract surgery "from a risky and lengthy ordeal (2-week hospital stay) into a safe and quick outpatient procedure that has spared millions of people throughout the world from blindness," as well as for inspiring similar advances in a number of other medical specialties.

New York-It is not usual for a memorial ceremony to be punctuated by roars of laughter, but the commemoration held here on Sept. 13 for Charles D. Kelman, MD, was as unusual as the man himself. The tribute was as full of the liveliness, enthusiasm, and love that he expressed for everything in his life-from saxophone playing to song composing to helicopter piloting and to his medical and scientific studying that revolutionized ophthalmology.

Nidek Co., Gamagori, Japan, has introduced the NIDEK RKT-7700-an all-in-one auto-refractometer, keratometer, and tonometer unit-at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting in Paris. The new unit brings together advanced and innovative technologies and solutions into one diagnostic platform, offering the first combination unit of its type in the industry, the company reported.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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