News

The American Medical Association (AMA) has asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to lengthen the timeframe for registering and using the Open Payments system. This would allow physicians enough time to review and seek corrections of inaccurate claims made by pharmaceutical companies, device manufacturers, and group purchasing organizations under the Sunshine Act, the AMS noted.

Research in glaucoma that evaluates the molecular interactions between resident and systemic immune cells and neurons is progressing with the goal of providing translational applications for immunomodulation as a neuroprotective strategy in patients with glaucoma, said Gülgün Tezel, MD.

Kala Pharmaceuticals has initiated a phase II clinical trial to evaluate a nanopartical platform in patients with intraretinal or subretinal fluid secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO) or diabetic macular edema (DME).

Alcon Laboratories’ brinzolamide 10mg/mL and brimonidine tartrate 2mg/mL (Simbrinza) eye drop formulation have been approved by the European Commission to decrease elevated IOP in adult patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

The Danish Health and Medicines Authority, along with the Norwegian Medicines Evaluation Board, have granted marketing authorization to Alimera Sciences’ Iluvien for the treatment of vision impairment associated with chronic diabetic macular edema (DME) in their respective countries.

Results of a retrospective analysis of more than 432,000 eyes that underwent LASIK or photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) as a primary procedure show a very low rate of postoperative microbial keratitis, said Julie Schallhorn, MD, MS.

McDonnell University

After a meeting with a former fellow whose wife owns a university, Peter J. McDonnell, MD, discusses the real costs of higher education worldwide and how the United States can better its own education for the sake of its future students.

A fixed-dose combination containing an investigational rho kinase/norepinephrine transporter inhibitor and latanoprost 0.005% achieved its primary endpoint, showing potential as a high-efficacy, IOP-lowering therapy in a phase IIb trial.

Data from the phase III VISTA-DME trial show aflibercept 2 mg every 4 or every 8 weeks remains superior to laser photocoagulation and is associated with stable improvements in best-corrected visual acuity and macular thickness.

Although surgical intervention is not always necessary in eyes with choroidal detachment, drainage should be performed if spontaneous resolution does not occur in order to restore normal anatomy and prevent trabeculectomy failure.

Implantation of two stents (iStent, Glaukos) may be another option for controlling IOP in phakic and pseudophakic patients with open-angle glaucoma who are refractory to one anti-glaucoma medication.

Results of a randomized study show both superior and inferior visual field defects impair drivers’ performance on the computerized Hazard Perception Test. However, superior visual field loss is associated with significantly greater worsening than inferior visual field loss.