News

Attendees at the upcoming International Vision Expo and Conference can take advantage of discounted hotels and travel, as well as exclusive shopping and entertainment specials in New York City. International Vision Expo and Conference will be held March 16-20, at the Jacob K. Javits Center.

Sportscaster Lesley Visser?who has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was the first woman to report from the sidelines at a Super Bowl game?is partnering with Transitions Optical and sports vision specialist Larry Lampert, OD, to raise awareness about healthy vision and its connection to sports performance.

Robert Cionni, MD, a specialist in cataract surgery and LASIK in Salt Lake City, UT, was selected to Becker?s ASC Review list of the ?34 Best Ophthalmologists in America? for his leadership and involvement in nationally recognized ophthalmologic organizations.

February is ?Save Your Vision Month,? and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) is encouraging Americans over the age of 40 to make an appointment for an eye examination. According to AAO, by 2020 43 million Americans will be at risk for significant vision loss or blindness from age-related eye diseases such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration?an increase of more than 50% over the current number of Americans with these diseases.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has distributed 360 Basic and Clinical Science Course (BCSC) sets, a complete curriculum in ophthalmology, to residency training programs in 67 developing nations through its Education Distribution Project.

Patients taking an omega-3 supplement (TheraTears Nutrition, Advanced Vision Research) had a self-reported reduction in dry eye symptoms and an increase in tear volume and tear flow compared with a group of controls who received placebos, according to a pilot trial of dry eye patients reported in the journal Cornea.

Product benefits relating to vision quality top the list of considerations when patients whose vision has been corrected select eye-care products, according to the Needs, Symptoms, Incidence, Global Eye Health Trends (NSIGHT) study.

An ophthalmic mitomycin C system (Mitosol, Mobius Therapeutics) used in the prevention of recurrence of pterygium after its surgical excision has received orphan drug designation from the FDA, according to the company.

Transitions Optical is expanding its consumer education program through a video series and retail space at upcoming PGA Tour events.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a new patent to Biolase Technology covering the use of its laser technologies for treating presbyopia and hyperopia, according to the company.

Two new tools available on a proprietary OCT imaging system are designed to help physicians assess glaucoma risk and progression in their patients.

Pooled results from two prospective, multicenter, double-masked, placebo-controlled studies show a multi-modal anti-allergy product, bepotastine besilate ophthalmic solution 1.5%, provides rapid and long-lasting clinically significant improvement in allergen-induced ocular itching.

Epinastine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution 0.05% is a reliable, fast-acting treatment for patients with itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis.

Solutions to impact patient outcomes are being evaluated.

The ocular functional optical zone decreased in about one-third of eyes following wavefront-guided PRK for myopia and mixed astigmatism.

Potent activity combined with a favorable safety profile make loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic suspension 0.2% a valuable option for the management of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis.

Near-term results from a study assessing the effects of patient age on the safety and efficacy of LASIK for the treatment of myopia indicate that young adults do equally well as their older counterparts.

In the first in-human study fo human umbilical tissue-derived cells as cell-based therapy for retinal degenerative diseases, all seven patients tolerated the subretinal injection well and had no postoperative visual loss.

Frontalis suspension, the ptosis surgery of choice for poor levator function due to congenital or acquired ptosis, can be performed with synthetic materials or fascia lata allografts or autografts.

In patients undergoing LASIK with use of a femtosecond laser for flap creation, pretreatment with a hyperosmotic agent during the week before surgery significantly reduces the risk of intraoperative corneal epithelial disruption.

Refractive surgeons able to offer both phakic IOL implantation and LASIK can meet the needs of a broader population seeking treatment for moderate-to-high myopia.

Ocular allergy remains one area in which new therapies are continually being developed.

Descemet-stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty procedure seems to be supplanting penetrating keratoplasty as the standard of care for vision loss from corneal edema.

The cost of glaucoma medications is affecting patient compliance with their treatment regimens.

The author analyzes the plight that student loans present in today's society.

A sterile cornea allograft has many advantages that make it a useful alternative to traditional eye bank corneas and other allograft material for a variety of graft procedures where viable endothelium is not needed.

The latest addition to the antihistamine arsenal is alcaftadine ophthalmic solution 0.25%, a new chemical entity developed as an ocular anti-allergic agent.

A novel compound may be able to bring vision to previously blind retinas by switching on remaining ganglion cells in the inner retina.