News

News of Ebola found in a survivor’s eye has prompted a warning to ophthalmologists when performing surgeries on those who’ve been inflicted by the deadly virus.

Intraoperative aberrometry enables better outcomes for demanding and challenging patients according to new study.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology recently honored Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH, for his legislative efforts to advancing the quality of eye care available in the United States.

In his latest blog, Zack Oakey, MD, defends optometrist-performed medical procedures, and explains why he thinks not allowing such practices hinders patients and creates an ophthalmic monopoly.

In this article, Dr Simon Taylor discusses results of the key studies for both the ranibizumab anti-VEGF injection and the dexamethasone implant, including the higher BCVA gains achieved for BRVO with ranibizumab in COMRADE-B.

The number of presbyopia correcting options has increased along with the size of the presbyopic market. Clear lens exchange (CLE) is becoming a popular option as a result of the latest generation of intraocular lenses that have been shown to offer spectacle independence to a high proportion of patients. In this article, Mr Chitkara presents the 1-year results of his small study evaluating CLE with implantation of the Diffractiva-aA lens.

Here, Dr Verdoorn presents his experiences with the Raindrop Near Vision Inlay, which he has found to be a successful option for presbyopic patients.

The aim of modern glaucoma surgery is to reduce IOP by creating a drainage pathway for aqueous fluid. Trabeculectomy surgery has been modified over the years to prevent certain complications, however some still occur. In this article, the authors present a combined method of trabeculectomy with cyclodialysis as a potential option for glaucoma surgeons.

The first drug in the new class integrin peptide therapy continues to show continued efficacy and safety in various clinical trials.

Training and well-planned implementation will serve practices well as they anticipate the transition to ICD-10.

The FDA granted 510(k) clearance for five new performance applications in the LensAR Laser System with Streamline.

In the United States, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development projects the 2.5% annual growth for the next 20 years will fall to 1.8% as the bodies of U.S. workers-marinating in glucose-accomplish less and fail earlier than those of their less-wealthy-but-healthier parents.

Ophthalmologists are finding that femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery may be beneficial to some patients with Fuch’s dystrophy.

A double-ended dissector allows improved opening of all femtosecond laser-created corneal incisions during cataract surgery.

Updates to a femtosecond laser platform include a swept-source optical coherence tomography imaging system and new software that provides auto-recognition of landmarks in the eye.

After intravitreal bevacizumab injection in eyes with treatment requiring-retinopathy of prematurity, there was growth and maturation of retinal vessels, although certain abnormalities remained.

Analysis of eyes with and without prior vitrectomy from DRCR Protocol I showed similar results when treated with ranibizumab with prompt or deferred laser.

In patients with severe superior oblique palsy with a large degree of excyclotorsion, anteronasal transposition of the inferior oblique muscle can be considered as the primary procedure of choice.

The safety and efficacy of femtosecond laser cataract surgery was evaluated in a small series of patients with small pupils.

SMall-Incision Lenticular Extraction for the treatment of myopia requires new surgical skills with a manageable learning curve.

: In this installment of Sight Lines, Gary Brown, MD, MBA, and Melissa Brown, MD, MN, MBA, discuss their work quantifying the value of ophthalmic care as it relates to the improvement of patients’ quality of life. Their use of Quality-Adjusted Life-Years methodology allows comparison of cost-effectiveness of medical, pharmacologic, and surgical interventions within and across specialties.

When a capsulotomy is completely separated from the anterior capsule, or free floating, surgeons can simply grasp the capsule and lift it from the eye-literally as easy as lifting a napkin up from a table-thus the “napkin” capsulotomy.

A software upgrade brings flap-making capability to the first commercially available femtosecond laser for cataract surgery.

Take-home message: Implantation of intrastromal rings for keratoconus can be a highly effective treatment with proper patient screening, surgical planning, and femtosecond laser precision.

For the Aker Kasten Eye Center, the surgical benefits of switching to femtosecond laser cataract surgery have surpassed any initial financial concerns.

Everything physicians need to know about where personalized lenses are headed

Dr Mushtaq discusses one centre’s initial post-marketing experience with the fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant 0.19 mg. The implant demonstrated favourable outcomes and good patient acceptance.

In this article Dr Anat Lowenstein explains that the benefits of treatment with a dexamethasone intravitreal implant for DME were observed across a variety of demographic characteristics.

The authors present results from a retrospective chart review demonstrating effective management of exudative AMD using anti-VEGF/photodynamic combination therapy. Possible implications of these findings for clinical practice are also discussed.

In the case study discussed in this article, a patient who was treated for DME with a fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant reported improved vision-related quality of life and the ability to perform daily routines without problems. These benefits persisted 12-months after treatment.