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Isolated Bowman layer transplantation can reduce and stabilize corneal ectasia in eyes with progressive advanced keratoconus, researchers said. “It flattens the cornea into a more normal position,” said Jack Parker, MD, a researcher at the Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery (NIIOS) in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. “It doesn’t give them perfect vision, but it keeps them from getting worse. It lets them to continue wearing their contact lenses.”

Well tolerated and effective, anti-VEGF therapy is the current gold standard to treat DME. However, one treatment simply does not fit all and VEGF may just be one piece of a much larger puzzle. The fact that some DME patients have a limited response to anti-VEGF therapy is representative of this concept; we are discovering that there are additional inflammatory mediators that may be crucial components to the DME picture.

When performing IOL exchange in eyes with anterior capsule phimosis, use of a femtosecond laser to create a secondary anterior capsulotomy can allow in-the-bag placement of the new IOL.

Metabolic insult from silicone oil exposure can cause lens epithelial cells to undergo fibrous metaplasia, making the lens capsule resistant to tearing. Instead of persisting in trying to initiate a tear, surgeons should use an instrument to cut through the fibrotic material. This non-standard approach for opening the capsule recognizes potential for capsular fibrosis in eyes filled with silicone oil.

The number of patients with glaucoma will rise dramatically in the future because of growth in both the size of the aged population and in demographic groups at high-risk for the disease. Ophthalmology, however, is not equipped to handle the increasing demand for services considering workforce projections and current models of care.

Results from 2 years of follow-up in a large, prospective comparative study show that conventional corneal crosslinking (C-CXL) and accelerated CXL (A-CXL) are similarly safe and effective for stabilizing keratoconus progression in eyes with mild-to-moderate disease, said Tulika Chauhan, MD, at AAO 2016.

Thomas A. Oetting, MD, MS, shared five pearls for operating in eyes with small pupils. In the follow-up discussion, panel members commented on their experiences with newer options for small pupil management.

About one-half of people diagnosed with uveal melanoma ultimately develop metastatic disease. A look at survival rates for patients with uveal melanoma indicate that not much has changed in the past several decades or even for the past 100-plus years. Nevertheless, there is good reason to be optimistic about the future considering the recent developments and ongoing research in this field, said Mary Beth Aronow, MD, at Ocular Oncology and Pathology 2016.

Findings from a single-surgeon consecutive series including 97 eyes with up to 12 years of follow-up provide realistic insights for corneal surgeons about long-term outcomes after implantation of the Boston keratoprosthesis type 1 (“Boston KPro”; Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary). The information-which included analyses of visual acuity results, device retention rates, and complications associated with the permanent keratoprosthesis-was presented by Anthony J. Aldave, MD, at Cornea 2016.

Adding a topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to treatment with a topical corticosteroid significantly reduces the incidence of clinical pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (PCME) in at-risk eyes.

Under the best of circumstances-meaning when cataract surgery is performed in an eye with a normal cornea by expert hands and with use of an advanced IOL power calculation formula-the achieved refractive outcome will be more than 0.5 D off target in 1 out of every 11 eyes.

Recognizing that healthcare errors impact one in every ten patients around the world, the World Health Organization has called patient safety an endemic concern, said Richard L. Abbott, MD, at AAO 2016.

Findings from immunohistochemical analysis of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor expression on pathology specimens of orbital vascular tumors suggest a potential therapeutic role for anti-VEGF agents.

Using an endoscope allows the clinician to visualize the tip of the probe and remove a pediatric nasolacrimal duct obstruction more easily, quickly, and accurately.

A retrospective study reviewing outcomes of 17 consecutive eyes with retinoblastoma treated for refractory vitreous seeds found intravitreal topotecan was safe and resulted in complete regression in all eyes after a mean of three injections.

When treating cases of pediatric orbital cellulitis, it is essential that clinicians consider the risks and advantages of antibiotics, steroids, and surgery.

Accommodating-disaccommodating IOLs are being developed that mimic the movement of the young crystalline lens through the use of “Zonular Capture Haptics” technology.

Though the year is quickly winding down, clinical education opportunities still abound for clinicians and vision researchers via the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). For instance, a one-day public workshop will focus on the newest clinical data on inherited retinal diseases and future clinical trial designs aimed at developing therapies to stem vision loss.

Preoperative computer-assisted manipulation of CT images-with 3-D printing of anatomic models and intraoperative guides-can be a powerful tool in managing complex periorbital fractures, explains Paul Langer, MD.

A team of ophthalmic surgeons describes successful corneal neurotization using an ipsilateral supraorbital nerve in a patient with recalcitrant neurotrophic keratopathy

Thyroid eye disease (TED) is an autoimmune disease that is usually seen in patients with Graves’ thyrotoxicosis although it can also be seen in hypothyroid as well as euthyroid patients. Myasthenia gravis (MG) is also an autoimmune antibody mediated disorder characterized by fluctuating weakness of the skeletal muscles that can occur with TED.

In a timely talk at Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day 2016, Sunil Shah, MD, made a case for why refractive surgeons might want to consider this minimally-invasive corneal refractive procedure.

Giovanni Staurenghi, professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Milan speaks about OCT, infrared, and autofluorescence base images used in practice. He explains how using blu autofluorescence imaging speeds up flow in cleaning and helps in diagnosis.

Infectious keratitis is not a common complication after laser vision correction (LVC), but it is important because it can be devastating, said Deepinder K. Dhaliwal, MD, at Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day 2016.

If you want to become a better communicator, it’s important to become more sensitive not only to the body language and nonverbal cues of others, but also to your own.

Dr. Maling had a great idea for how to make the ophthalmology clinic more child-friendly.

The promise of simple, objective, single instrument-based screening for highly asymmetric keratoconus in patients considering LASIK is still more of an idea than reality. Multiple metrics can identify early keratoconus in a minority of affected eyes, but none of the metrics consistently identify early corneal abnormalities and none of the metrics identify the same eyes as being at elevated risk for ectatic disease.