News

An observational cohort study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, used Medicare Part D data to assess the number of opioid prescriptions written by ophthalmologists in the United States.

As the number of LASIK procedures being performed continues to fall worldwide, correction of presbyopia is receiving increasing attention as being the final frontier and “holy grail” for refractive surgery, said Wayne Crewe-Brown, MD, at Refractive Surgery 2017.

Removal of the crystalline lens was developed as a procedure to treat the media opacity, but advances in surgical techniques and in pseudophakic IOL technology have increased the functional use of lens-based refractive surgery, said William F. Wiley, MD.

Encountering complications is inevitable for anyone who performs LASIK, and when the complication occurs intraoperatively, surgeons are often faced with the need to make a decision quickly, said Priyanka Sood, MD.

The 2017 meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology will convene in New Orleans from Nov. 11 to 14. Go to www.aao.org/annual meeting for the latest updates

After a seven-year hiatus, Ophthalmology Times resumed its Best Programs Survey this fall. While a few new names popped up on the list, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, remained at the top of the Best Overall Program category, followed again by the Wilmer Eye Institute at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore.Number three in the overall list has a new name with Dean McGee Eye Institute at the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City-the first time that institute has appeared in the top category since the survey’s inception 20 years ago.

The foundations for success in using fillers during oculofacial surgery include understanding the characteristics of these products, which influences outcomes, and learning techniques to avoid and treat complications.

Now with mosquito season past in most parts of North America, it seems we can be confident the predicted spread will not come to pass-at least in this year.

Adopting new technologies across multiple practices using a single ambulatory surgery center can be challenging. A systematic approach leverages technology champions, employs consistent communications, and provides administrative support to secure reimbursement.

Patient selection is the key factor in obtaining the best visual outcomes after cataract surgery and intraocular lens implantation.

Because a variety of vision-limiting macular pathologies are detectable only with OCT, this imaging should be performed in all patients undergoing cataract surgery.

A perfect storm is brewing that may make ophthalmologists and office staff, with networked equipment, easy targets for cyber criminals. In a matter of days, cyber criminals can infect computers around the world. Sure, you can pay the ransom, but HIPAA fines and consultant fees, recovering from the damage to your reputation, loss of patients, and all the time and energy lost could bankrupt your practice.

Refractive surgeons are likely to enjoy success with monovision for presbyopia if they aim for a maximum of 1.50 D of residual myopia in the non-dominant eye, exclude patients with pre-existing strabismus, and monitor for signs of strabismus.

Hydrogel technology enables the use of drugs that are known to be efficacious for ocular diseases and conditions when formulated as daily drops or monthly injections, into one-time or several-month dosage forms.

On Oct. 26, the federal government will release the last of the secret records on the Kennedy Assassination. Whatever revelations emerge from the estimated 3,600 files, one signature fact will remain: Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman in Dealey Plaza. Still, new perspectives on the tragedy continue to surface, even after 50 years.

Crosslinking meets the previously unmet needs of progressive keratoconus patients and provides an opportunity to increase engagement with optometrists, explain John Berdahl, MD, and George O. Waring IV, MD.

Characterizing the genetic elements linked to different types of glaucoma, such as in the Primary Open-Angle African American Glaucoma Genetics study, could help clinicians develop more precise and effective treatments.

Researchers share findings from a comparison of relative efficiency and chatter of two phaco tips with identical optimal settings.

Half of patients with ocular allergies report experiencing symptoms year-round. While nearly all of them take eye drops to treat their symptoms, the majority report limited or no effect from over-the-counter drops, according to a new survey. The results suggest that new treatment approaches would improve both symptoms and quality of life.

When you do not have enough money or time, a well-worded post script can be your best friend. Whether you are the new doctor who doesn’t have a large database or the kind-hearted provider who accepts all those low-paying plans and really can’t afford the estimated 60 cents per unit cost of a fall postcard campaign, please consider adding a P.S. to emails and a red-ink P.S. to all patient-directed, routine postal pieces.

How do the newer anticoagulant medications compare with warfarin when it comes to the risk of intraocular bleeding? A meta-analysis published in JAMA Ophthalmology did a systematic review of phase 3 randomized trials looking at over 100,000 patients.

Why it is that ophthalmologists who read the same papers in the same journals have such widely varying approaches?

Ocular blood flow has been associated with the incidence, prevalence and progression of glaucoma, but its potential causative role remains a subject for debate. Better insights may be on the horizon using OCT angiography and sophisticated mathematical modeling techniques.