News

The Wills Eye Institute has received institutional review board approval as a site for a phase I/II clinical trial for nonexudative (dry) age-related macular degeneration using human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells from Advanced Cell Technology Inc.

This year’s Operation Eyesight will find the surgeons, physicians, anesthesiologists, and clinic professionals of Minnesota Eye Consultants donating their time and skills to perform eye surgery, at no cost, to patients from Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN, greater Minnesota, and Wisconsin on Feb. 4 and March 10.

Paul P. Lee, MD, JD, has been appointed chairman of the ophthalmology and visual sciences department and holder of the F. Bruce Fralick Professorship at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Teva UK Ltd. has launched a generic version of latanoprost 0.005% eye drops solution (Xalatan, Pfizer). Latanoprost is indicated for the treatment of elevated IOP in patients who have open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Genentech announced it will make its first milestone payment to ForSight VISION4 Inc. as part of an exclusive license agreement to develop an investigational device designed to provide sustained delivery of the vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor ranibizumab (Lucentis).

The board of directors of ISTA Pharmaceuticals Inc. is reviewing a revised non-binding acquisition proposal from Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc.

Results from a prospective randomized eye-to-eye study comparing wavefront-optimized (WFO) and wavefront-guided (WFG) myopic PRK show the WFO technique affords faster visual recovery, but ultimately, quantity and quality of vision appear to be better after WFG PRK, said co-investigators Anthony C. Liu, MD, and Edward Manche, MD.

ISTA Pharmaceuticals says it is discussing a potential sale with a number of buyers, as Canada's biggest drug maker presses the board to accept its $360 million takeover bid.

Consider if selling an extended warranty makes sense for your dispensary.

A review of the current landscape and look to the future identifies multiple reasons why contact lens fitting should be part of a comprehensive ophthalmology practice.

A new paradigm of aqueous outflow positing that it is a dynamic, pump-like process regulated through pulsatile mechanisms provides a conceptual framework unifying structure and function throughout the entire trabecular meshwork in both health and disease.

A new method of drug delivery for ocular hypertensive therapies cannot be expected to be generally available for 4 or more years from now.

Results of a preclinical pilot study demonstrate ocular iontophoresis accelerates transfer of topically applied riboflavin into the cornea.

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology is launching a third journal, Translational Vision Science & Technology, an online-only, peer-reviewed journal emphasizing multidisciplinary research that bridges the gap between basic research and clinical care.

The use of cryopreserved amniotic membrane tissue on the ocular surface can modulate inflammation and promote healing without scarring in adults.

Intraoperative application of a proprietary in situ gel-forming hydrogel to the sutured conjunctival-limbal incision is safe and shows promise as an effective "bandage" for preventing early postoperative wound leaks in eyes undergoing fornix-based trabeculectomy surgery.

Findings from various patient surveys of satisfaction with medical care show that many of the commonly cited complaints can be mitigated by appropriate patient education.

Employee retention is probably one of the top five concerns on most managers' minds.

The author discusses beach soccer, Van Gogh, and yellowing of the vision.

The field of laser cataract surgery continues to evolve with the Dec. 22 announcement by OptiMedica that its proprietary laser system received FDA 510(k) market clearance for capsulotomy and lens fragmentation.

Genetic research has identified genes that can cause glaucoma primarily on their own and genes that require involvement of multiple genes and environmental factors in order for the disease to develop.

Rayner Intraocular Lenses Ltd. Received approval from the FDA in December 2011 to market the C-flex Aspheric 970C IOL in the United States.

Gregory Hageman, PhD, has been selected for the 2011 Lighthouse International Pisart Vision Award. Presented annually, this award honors an individual who has “distinguished himself or herself by invention or otherwise in the prevention, cure, treatment, or care of blindness.”

Quark Pharmaceuticals Inc. has announced favorable interim results from the first two cohorts of its open-label, first-in-human phase I clinical study of QPI-1007, its proprietary synthetic siRNA drug candidate for ocular neuroprotection, in patients with recent onset of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.

Data from a large European study link daily aspirin use to increased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Researchers found that people aged 65 and older who took aspirin daily had double the risk of developing wet AMD, compared with those who took it less frequently.

Avedro Inc.’s proprietary LASIK Xtra procedure has received CE mark approval. LASIK Xtra is a 2-minute corneal crosslinking procedure used in conjunction with standard LASIK to restore the biomechanical integrity and strength to the cornea after a LASIK procedure.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. has entered into a non-exclusive license and partial settlement agreement with Genentech Inc. relating to U.S. ophthalmic sales of aflibercept injection (Eylea, Genentech).

EyeGate Pharma has enrolled the first patient in a milestone phase III pivotal study of its lead product EGP-437 (a late-stage asset with multiple indications for inflammatory ocular indications) for the treatment of anterior uveitis. The company, a private specialty pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics designed to address patient compliance and patient throughput, enrolled the patient at Tauber Eye Center in Kansas City, MO.