News

STAAR Surgical said that more than 200,000 of its implantable contact lenses (Visian Implantable Collamer Lens) have been implanted in patients worldwide.

PanOptica Inc. has raised $30 million in financing, coinciding with the company?s successful licensing of exclusive worldwide ophthalmic rights to a selective inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor (PAN-90806, OSI Pharmaceuticals) in exchange for up-front cash, equity interest in PanOptica, and potential future milestones and royalties.

Pfizer has obtained an exclusive option for a worldwide license to develop and commercialize Lpath Inc.?s lead monoclonal antibody product candidate (iSONEP), which is being evaluated for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration and other eye disorders.

The National Eye Institute has awarded $10.1 million to the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine to research and develop new treatments for retinal diseases.

The merger of Alcon Inc. and Novartis AG is expected to be completed during the first half of this year after it was announced that the companies have entered into an agreement whereby Novartis will pay $168 per share for the Alcon shares it currently does not own.

The FDA has requested additional information to aid in its decision of whether to approve a new drug application for an investigational fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal insert (Iluvien, Alimera Sciences) for the treatment of diabetic macular edema.

Bausch + Lomb (B+L) has voluntarily recalled an eye drop (Soothe Xtra Hydration) after receiving from consumers ?a small number? of reports of particles, which the company later identified as mold, in the tips of the bottles.

Fortunately, in most medical practices, angry patients are the exception, not the norm.

An age-adjusted retinal nerve fiber layer thickness normative database for a proprietary ocular coherence tomography device gives clinicians a tool for assessing glaucoma risk from a patient's first visit, according to one expert.

Achieving optic nerve regeneration is far from becoming reality.

Lower corneal hysteresis is associated with worse glaucomatous damage independent of its effect on IOP measurement, and may be the best indicator of the eye with worse visual field loss.

A specific diode laser with its versatility is one of the latest technologies available for laser trabeculoplasty.

In a review of what has changed in the more than 35 years since he became interested in open-angle glaucoma, Alfred Sommer, MD, MHS, provided his insights during glaucoma subspecialty day at the AAO.

A year after Novartis AG announced its intention to acquire the controlling shares of Alcon Inc., the companies have agreed on merger terms that raise the offer to minority shareholders of the world's largest eye-care company by $15 per share.

The impending availability of generic latanoprost is creating much discussion about the potential effect on the prescribing of IOP-lowering medications.

Results of an in vitro study of the potentially adverse effects of different topical glaucoma medications and preservatives showed that the preservatives polyquad and sofZia had much less toxicity when used in place of benzalkonium chloride in prostaglandin analogue formulations.

After putting physicians on the brink of a massive pay cut 5 times during 2010, legislation has been passed that buys a year of stability while a better method is sought for paying those who treat Medicare patients.

The lack of randomized, controlled clinical trials of blepharoplasty and ptosis repair leaves oculoplastics open to challenge for reliance on anecdotal evidence of the efficacy of common surgical procedures.

A glaucoma filtration device has several advantages that compare favorably with trabeculectomy.

Evaluating both the genomic and proteomic biomarkers combined seems the most effective method to determine age-related macular degeneration risk and the likelihood of progression to advanced AMD.

A multicenter, randomized clinical trial comparing the efficacy of the Ahmed valve implant with the B?rveldt implant for treating refractory glaucoma found that 1 year after surgery, the IOP, number of glaucoma medications, and rate of failure were lower in patients who received the B?rveldt implant.

Capsule membrane suturing is an effective secondary technique for extending the possibility of achieving capsular fixation in the management of decentered or dislocated IOLs.

The dream that stem cell therapy may someday be used to protect against or restore glaucoma-related vision loss seems to be moving closer to reality.

When a patient seeks laser vision correction surgery but has a thin cornea, refractive surgeons face a decision-making dilemma.

The author recounts his trip to the Amazon, comparing points to former President Theodore Roosevelt's Amazon's expedition.

With consumers investing in everything from Botox to bunion removal, it's no wonder that consumers are asking opticians, "Isn't there anything else?"

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology works closely with the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research to help ensure that adequate funding is available for both basic and translational research for the National Eye Institute.

When the author sees someone wearing improperly adjusted glasses, he recognizes that somewhere an optician has been trained improperly.

The most important advance in refractive surgery in 2010 that is being touted by surgeons is femtosecond technology for laser cataract surgery and the creation of LASIK flaps.

Hindsight being 20/20, 2010 has been another great year in cataract surgery.