News

The laws governing ophthalmic drug and device approvals have changed little in recent years. But the FDA is making significant and far-reaching changes in its approvals process.

Seven glaucoma drug delivery companies reviewed the latest data on platforms

Device manufacturers presenting new implants and technologies to treat glaucoma. As the industry moves from 1.0 devices to 2.0 devices, this will be a transformative time in the way physicians treat patients.

Since glaucoma progresses faster in some patients than others, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual field progression analysis can be more useful than IOP in guiding treatment decisions.

A tsunami of glaucoma is sweeping toward the U.S. healthcare system, according to Cynthia Mattox, MD. For many ophthalmologists, coping with the increased demand will mean teaming up with other eye-care professionals.

Clinicians have a variety of tools and options at their disposal to treat narrow angle glaucoma. Sunita Radhakrishnan, MD, provided an overview of these possibilities.

Glaucoma progression occurs slowly in the vast majority of patients, and most patients with glaucoma will not go blind from the disease. However, it is important to get early diagnosis, treatment when indicated, and develop a disease surveillance protocol.

When glaucoma is progressing despite good intraocular pressure control, clinicians should consider a variety of issues before advancing patients along the therapeutic ladder.

Yvonne Ou, MD, reviewed the scientific evidence regarding the effects of various lifestyle practices on glaucoma and IOP.

Glaucoma is a common complication of uveitis, occurring in about 20% of affected eyes and arising through several different mechanisms.Here are seven common mistakes clinicians make in evaluating and managing elevated IOP in eyes with uveitis.

Ophthalmologists need to prepare their practices for the Value-Based Payment (VBP) program for Medicare services. VBP is a strategy to promote quality and value of health care services, with providers being paid based on value-of-care-delivered rather than volume. Regardless of the perspectives, the fact remains that reimbursement can increase or decrease substantially with the VBP program.

New agents and devices offer promise to control IOP and slow, perhaps even stop, the advancing vision loss that is common in glaucoma. Research and development to restore vision is starting to show significant results in preclinical models and early stage clinical trials.

Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole can be used both acutely and prophylactically in patients with Toxoplasma gondii retinochoroiditis.

Recently, I attended two public addresses. Neither of the speakers, I believe, are stupid. But neither (obviously) had a science background.

The intravitreal injection of a recombinant AAV2/2 vector with the wild-type ND4 gene might provide a safe and effective avenue to treat patients with Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy.

Tailor antibiotic choices for each patient, as resistance remains high, according to the 2015 Antibiotic Resistance Monitoring in Ocular micRoorganisms (ARMOR) update.

Dr. Harrie started a vision-screening program at a youth detention center which gives him and his team an opportunity to screen adolescents in the criminal justice system before they are assigned to a rehabilitation program or a long-term incarceration facility.

In the medical field, it is very common to see long distance relationships amongst healthcare professionals including medical students, residents, and fellows who are often in different training programs across the country.

So the next time you hand this task off to the human resources person to do, try jumping back in the saddle and taking the reins.

In the most recent update from the ARMOR study, Penny Asbell, MD, FACS, MBA, explained that clinicians must choose their antibiotics carefully.

Cataract surgery technology continues to advance with improvements that enhance surgical performance every step of the way.

Postoperative endophthalmitis remains a potentially devastating complication of cataract surgery. However, a good visual outcome is possible if the infection is recognized early and treated appropriately, said Harry W. Flynn Jr, MD.

It is no secret consumers use reviews to make buying decisions. The more consumers have to pay out of pocket, the more research they will do to investigate a medical procedure and to choose a surgeon.

Selective two-photon collagen crosslinking has been shown to stiffen any three-dimensional region inside corneal tissue without damaging surrounding tissues.

Compared with daily wear contact lens wear, wavefront-guided LASIK results in better binocular uncorrected visual acuity and comparable subjective outcomes.

Laser-assisted transcanalicular dacryocystorhinostomy is a quick, minimally invasive procedure that may yield a higher success rate than more traditional dacryocystorhinostomy approaches.

A scleral implant surgery system for presbyopia is being evaluated in a phase III study. One investigator talks about his experience.

Rainbow glare rarely occurs after femto-LASIK surgery and is usually transient. Phototherapeutic keratectomy of the flap undersurface targets the cause of the glare and has been used to immediately resolve symptoms in patients with persistent disabling rainbow glare.