News

I see the beginning of 2017 as fresh. A year of fresh possibilities. It is new and brimming with fresh beginnings, filled with hopes and dreams. If you are not feeling it, perhaps you are ensnared in the gray world of A, B, and C. This ABC is a continuous loop. You are not sure how you got there or how to get out.

Consider factors such as glaucoma severity, eye pigmentation, and medication use when selecting power settings for the MicroPulse P3 device.

Patients with cataract surgery and microstent implantation had a lowered IOP and a reduced number of medications used at 3 years postoperatively

Recent tooth loss and periodontal disease have been linked to primary open-angle glaucoma in a large prospective study of male health professionals.

Netarsudil ophthalmic solution 0.02% met its primary and secondary efficacy endpoints in a third phase III trial investigating its non-inferiority to timolol maleate 0.05% for IOP lowering.

A new add-on glaucoma module has the capability of creating an anatomic map of each patient’s eye by using two fixed landmarks. The module also includes an extensive reference data base.

New laser technology in a single device offers multiple treatment platforms, including SLT for glaucoma, laser vitreolysis for floaters, capsulotomy, and iridotomy.

Though much focus for stents has been in the trabecular meshwork, many companies are currently developing suprachorodial devices, which are in various stages of FDA review.

Five patients receiving an extended-release travoprost delivery system (ENV515, Envisia Therapeutics) in the anterior chamber have ongoing IOP-lowering with follow-up to 9 months in an ongoing study.

Topical cyclosporine may be useful for treating dry eyes associated with immunomodulatory agents like nivolumab, which markedly upregulate T cell activation. In caring for patients with ocular side effects associated with cancer treatment, the delivery of proper ophthalmic care is critical.

In preparing for the new year, Editorial Advisory Board members of Ophthalmology Times weighed in on a few questions about their predictions for how 2017 will impact ophthalmology as a specialty.

The great thing about making predictions is that it is basically a win-win proposition: if you are correct in your predictions, you are celebrated for being a sage. If you are incorrect, you have the opportunity to learn from them and make better predictions for the next year. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a successful 2017!

Here is your roundup of what made top news in 2016!

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, a problem which is made even more serious by the fact that many patients do not notice any symptoms until it is too late to prevent permanent blindness.

LENSAR Inc. announced its filing of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition on Dec. 19 to reduce its debt, strengthen its balance sheet, and strengthen its platform for future growth, according to a press release from the company.

Humans are creatures of habit, even ophthalmologists. Having learned to use one device for pupil expansion, it is easy to forget that there are alternative devices.

There was clinically significant less CME in patients who received trans-zonular triamcinolone acetonide, moxifloxacin hydrochloride, and vancomycin-known as the Dropless approach-in addition to an NSAID after cataract surgery.

A 59-year-old otherwise healthy man presented with an acute-onset diffuse rash involving over 90% of his body surface area, including oral, genital, and ocular mucosal involvement. Initial ophthalmic examination was notable for development of extensive corneal epithelial defects in both eyes as well as conjunctival sloughing and pseudomembrane formation.

Have you lost your practice’s core values-that spark that made you excited to come to work every day? A lot of managers have lost their leadership compass-their core values-and aren’t making strategic decisions.

​Sreedhar Potarazu, MD, an ophthalmologist and entrepreneur from Maryland, recently pled guilty to $30 million in shareholder fraud and and $7.5 million in tax evasion. He was arrested on October 6, 2016.

As the end of the year approaches, we wanted to take a look back at the predictions our Editorial Advisory Board members made for 2016 and see how far we’ve come in the last 12 months.

Pharmacologic products and devices in development continue to gain momentum in the glaucoma treatment armamentarium.

Advances in treatments for keratoconus and presbyopia in 2016 continued to move patients toward emmetropia.

Looking back over the past year and into the near future, Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, Robert H. Osher, MD, and Mark Packer, MD, spoke to Ophthalmology Times about developments in diagnostic products and other tools used in cataract surgery. In addition, they discussed combination microinvasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) and office-based surgery as new trends.

Cataract surgeons in the United States have long been envious of the IOL options available to their international colleagues. Finally, in 2016, American ophthalmologists gained access to some novel IOLs such as the Tecnis Symfony Extended Range of Vision IOL and the Tecnis Symfony Toric IOL (Abbott) that were approved by the FDA. According to leading cataract surgeons who spoke to Ophthalmology Times, these simultaneous approvals rank as the biggest cataract surgery news story of the year.