News

Central visual field (VF) progression is faster in patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) and lower heart-rate variability than it is in NTG patients with higher heart-rate variability, according to recently published research.

Patients receiving anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) exhibit a distinct response pattern and time course of certain retinal morphologic changes.

Lens geometry and gradient refractive index (GRIN) can be reconstructed in isolated human lenses by using 3D optical coherence tomography and laser ray tracing, and both geometrical changes and the increase in the meridional power of GRIN play a role in lens spherical aberration caused by age, according to researchers in Madrid.

Commercially available scleral lenses can help manage moderate to severe ocular surface disease (OSD), according to new research out of the Mayo Clinic. As a bonus, the lenses can improve visual acuity (VA) in those whose vision has been negatively affected by the disease.

Peripheral iris thickness is associated with iridotrabecular contact (ITC) in those who have angle closure, according to new research out of Japan.

Internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling surgery causes significant modification of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness, according to researchers at the Ophthalmology Units of the University of Bologna and the Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic.

As the population is living for longer after cataract surgery, Dr Kugelberg and colleagues believed that a longer follow-up period was required to determine PCO rates in three different IOLs. Here, she discusses the highlights of this study.

The arrival of advanced therapeutic modalities for keratoconus has provided ophthalmologists with a growing menu of treatment options. The author discusses the challenge of determining which treatment is the best to use and highlights his experience with a triple procedure and a four-stage approach.

Dr Trattler focuses on the incidence of topographic abnormalities in patients before surgery, emphasizing the importance of pre-op topography to better understand the patient's corneal shape and enable better prediction of post-op outcomes.

A round-up of the latest ophthalmic products

Primary congenital glaucoma is usually controlled with surgery, however, in a recent paper it has been demonstrated that long-term treatment with latanoprost 0.005% eyedrops is effective in about 30% of affected eyes.

According to Prof. Shah, the second generation Lentis multifocal lens is a significant improvement over its predecessor. In this article, we highlight his study assessing visual outcomes after implantation with this new lens.

Consideration of all the available options should be made to correct refractive surprises, emphasized Dr Noel Alpins (NewVision Clinics, Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia) when speaking during the 'Assessment of Astigmatism' session at the 2013 ESCRS Congress.

In this piece, Dr Manish Nagpal describes his experience and treatment protocol using pattern-scanning laser to manage DME patients, highlighting the benefits of targeted laser application and discussing a case where DME was resolved successfully.

Various models of mutlifocal IOLs are currently available that enable patients to see at two focal points (distant and near). These lenses have demonstrated good safety, efficacy and predictability in correcting ametropia and presbyopia after phaco surgery although some visual side effects have been observed.

Dr Morris recently discussed his study, evaluating the Lentis MF-15 toric lens as an effective treatment for astigmatism despite having a low add power. Here, we present the key outcomes of his talk.

The authors discuss their study evaluating and comparing the post-op PCO levels, anterior capsule retraction and ACO of two single-piece hydrophobic acrylic lenses.

Corneal astigmatism may be reduced or nearly eliminated after intrastromal femtosecond laser astigmatic keratotomy, explains one ophthalmologist.

Implantation of an intracorneal inlay (Kamra, AcuFocus) modified the normal structure of the corneal layer of the eye but did not cause severe complications in a recent small study.

Bruch's membrane thickness is not related to axial length in highly myopic eyes, and axially elongated eyes - despite having thinning of the sclera and choroid - have a normal Bruch's membrane thickness.

Physical activity and the occasional alcoholic libation may help decrease the risk of developing visual impairment, according to researchers from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Align toric IOLs and skip the manual marking and data transfer steps with products designed to work together for markerless toric IOL alignment.

Urgent vitrectomy/phacovitrectomy to treat retinal detachment will produce the best postoperative visual acuity when it is conducted within 2 days or less of the detachment, according to a recent study.

When predicting topographical change in corneal remodelling, the new curvature gradient map, acquired immediately after surgery, predicted change in tangential curvature over the subsequent 12 months in areas where initial tangential curvature was greatest.

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome is a significant risk factor for normal-tension glaucoma (NTG), according to a newly published research article.

Temperatures measured by a newly developed non-contact ocular surface thermographer (OST) can be used to evaluate the efficacy of topical anti-allergic agents because of the significant correlation of the conjunctival surface temperature and the severity of conjunctival allergic reaction, according to recently published data.

Vitamin D deficiency may be a potential risk factor in the development of open-angle glaucoma (OAG), according to a recent study.

Both toric IOLs and peripheral corneal relaxing incisions (PCRIs) reduce astigmatism, but toric IOLs do so to a greater extent as well as being more predictable, according to results of a recently published study.