News

Ruth D. Williams, MD, has begun her term as the 115th president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Private equity firm Candescent Partners has acquired vision services provider Koch Eye Associates.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery have issued guidelines to assist ophthalmologists in determining their ability to charge Medicare and/or its beneficiaries for use of a femtosecond laser during cataract surgery.

TearScience Inc. has received FDA clearance for a second-generation version of its proprietary device that treats evaporative dry eye by liquefying and evacuating obstructions in the meibomian glands (LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation System).

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. has withdrawn its offer to acquire ISTA Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $7.50 per share in cash.

PRK seems to be associated with better optical quality 3 months postoperatively compared with femto-LASIK. The factors leading to negative effects in femto-LASIK might be the creation of an interface and the potential for development of dry eye, said Eric Perez-Campagne, MD.

Ophthalmology Times welcomes attendees of this weekend’s Glaucoma 360 for a “full-compass view” of the cure, catalysts, and care of glaucoma, Feb. 2 to 4. Three separate events-uniting research, industry, and philanthropy to find a cure for glaucoma-are planned for this gathering, which is presented by the Glaucoma Research Foundation, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for glaucoma, in association with Ophthalmology Times. All activities for the meeting will be held at the Palace Hotel.

The first issue of the Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology (APJO), the official publication of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology, was formally released online Jan. 23, a date coinciding with the Chinese New Year.

February is Age-related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month, and Prevent Blindness America is offering a dedicated online resource for patients and caretakers to learn more about the retinal disease.

Bausch + Lomb Japan and Topcon Medical Japan have announced a collaboration to co-promote their ophthalmic surgical products in Japan, including introduction of a proprietary microsurgery platform (Stellaris PC Vision Enhancement System).

TearLab Corp. announced that its proprietary tear osmolarity analysis test (TearLab Osmolarity System) has been granted FDA waiver categorization under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988.

Carl Zeiss Meditec has added new diagnostic tools for dry age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma to the software for its proprietary high-definition ocular coherence tomography (OCT) platform (Cirrus HD-OCT). The new software (Cirrus HD-OCT version 6.0) has received clearance from the FDA.

Preoperative evaluation of patients scheduled to undergo implantation of a refractive IOL is mandatory for obtaining the best postoperative results. Topography, optical coherence tomography of the macula, and fluorescein staining of the cornea are critical when evaluating patients before cataract surgery. William Trattler, MD, in private practice in Miami, described how he manages these patients.

Photocoagulation performed using a micropulse subthreshold diode laser (MicroPulse, Iridex) was superior to intravitreal injections of bevacizumab in the treatment of central serous chorioretinopathy, according to a comparative, controlled, prospective study.

The Ocular Surface, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal focusing on the external eye and vision, has been acquired by Elsevier.

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.

Analyses of data from baseline structural imaging studies performed in two large prospective, observational glaucoma cohort trials suggest inter-eye asymmetry in optic disc topography parameters and average retinal nerve fiber layer thickness may provide an additional tool to identify eyes with early signs of glaucoma.

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.