News

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.

Here’s a scenario: You walk up to the local fast food counter for lunch. The morning is still fresh in your mind, and all the afternoon projects are pushing their way into the forefront of your brain. Distracted is under stating where your mind is at. You finally get to the order person, and a 16-year-old sings out: “Hi sweetie, what can we do for you today?”

A retrospective study evaluating outcomes in patients with keratoconus found that when compared to femtosecond laser-enabled keratoplasty (FLEK), femtosecond laser deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (FsDALK) had similar overall visual and refractive outcomes with a statistically significant lower overall graft rejection rate.

Patients with thin corneas as the result of keratoconus, ectasia following LASIK, or pellucid marginal degeneration can safely undergo epithelial-on collagen crosslinking with pulsed UV light and achieve visual benefits from the procedure.

Subclinical haze after CXL can affect corneal topography measurements; a comparison shows that measurements with four different devices cannot be used interchangeably.

Treating ocular surface disease may have an impact on the effectiveness of glaucoma treatment. Inder Paul Singh, MD, offers some strategies used in practice.

A focus on functional vision outcomes in patients who had both DMEK and DSAEK procedures found that the DMEK procedure yielded quality of vision superior to that of DSAEK.

Surgeons share their lessons learned about new lens technologies for refractive cataract surgery, such as extended-depth-of-focus IOLs.

A single bimatoprost topical ring has been shown to be effective and safe for lowering IOP over six months, according to results from a phase II study.

In this column, I will describe various keratoconus case scenarios from my referral-based practice-ranging from the highly complex to simple-that can be improved with single or staged techniques that move patients toward emmetropia.

Five-year results from a study of the Boston keratoprosthesis type 1 implant suggest that frozen and fresh corneal donors offer similar clinical outcomes-with no significant differences in device retention, visual rehabilitation or complication rates.

An implantable corneal inlay recently approved by the FDA gives ophthalmologists a new choice in treating presbyopia.

At the 2016 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting in Seattle, about 100 uveitis and uveitis-related papers and posters were presented by researchers from around the world. The presentations covered a wide range of research initiatives that are underway to treat–or at least understand how to address–uveitis. Here are five intriguing abstracts of research that were presented at the meeting.

In order to avoid a public health crisis and keep up with increasing vision loss among the aging baby-boomer generation, correctable vision impairments must be eliminated by 2030, according to a report issued by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).

An increasing number of treatment options have given patients facing diabetic macular edema (DME) new hope in the face of this chronic, progressive, and blinding disease. Experience and time have shown us there is not a one-size-fits-all solution for patients with DME. To get the results we want, we need to screen our patients and match them with the treatment protocol best suited to their needs.

As a continuation of the VSP eye health index for 2016, here are the 10 least eye-healthy cities in the United States.

Ready for some big news? Johnson & Johnson announced they have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Abbott Medical Optics (AMO) for $4.325 billion in cash. AMO’s business segments include cataract surgery, laser refractive surgery, and consumer eye health, and reported sales in 2015 were $1.1 billion.

When a three-piece IOL intended for sulcus placement dislocates posteriorly during an IOL exchange procedure, cataract surgeons can consider several possible strategies.

When it comes to their eyes, patients want the safest treatments, and they know the best technology available is a laser. The cataract patient demographic is changing, and patients today have active lifestyles that demand functional vision.

EyeGuru.org is an educational website designed by ophthalmology residents for ophthalmology residents. The website states upfront, “You get no more and no less information than exactly what's needed.”

Achieving spectacle independence for distance vision after toric IOL implantation depends on the refractive outcome. Factors affecting residual astigmatism and studies evaluating the use of various surgical techniques and technologies relating to those factors are discussed.

An updated classification of corneal dystrophies will help clinicians with properly differentiating and naming the disorders.

A surgeon with clinical experience with three femtosecond lasers discusses the practicalities of creating ideal femtosecond laser inlay pockets.

On the heels of the recent FDA approval of corneal collagen crosslinking, some surgical pearls are provided for the treatment of progressive keratoconus and corneal ectasia.

When Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream,” he had a vision for people, not a program. Visionary leaders have the ability to communicate values and ideas in a way that connects. In your practice, they bring certainty into the uncertain world of reimbursement rates and rapid change. What is your capacity to bring vision and direction into times of uncertainty?