News

A winner has been announced for the latest Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organization prize. The blindness charity Helen Keller International (HKI) has won for its role in onchocerciasis (river blindness) control in 10 African countries.

Eschenbach Optik has been named the exclusive North American distributor of the Ash Technologies Ltd. line of video magnification products.

EyeGate Pharma has received the 2008 North American Frost & Sullivan Ocular Drug Delivery Technology Innovation of the Year Award.

Eye disease and sleep disorders are linked in several ways, according to research published recently in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Alcon Inc. has launched an online educational resource for people who have cataracts, and their caregivers.

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, will be the site of the World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC) meeting in February 2012.

Open enrollment for Medicare Part D drug plans began Nov. 15 and will continue through Dec. 31.

For seniors with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the answer to the question "Do you see what I see?" is always no.

In the workplace, employee relations can be improved by giving and receiving positive strokes, having adult-to-adult transactions more often, and getting rid of unproductive competitiveness.

Using a mathematical model, investigators have estimated that people with ocular hypertension have a nearly 30% risk of developing glaucoma over 20 years, adjusting for the competing risk of mortality. Among ocular hypertensive patients aged more than 70 years, however, a 90% risk of mortality exists over that 20-year period, suggesting that preventive treatment would have little benefit.

As understanding of the multifaceted nature of glaucoma continues to grow, the steps practitioners need to take to monitor progression of the disease evolve. Key steps to take to monitor progression include confirming with repeat testing any visual function loss, remembering that structural measurements have variability, and using structural and functional testing together.

Cataract surgery is a modern success story because of the advances in techniques and technology that have been made over the years. Excellent outcomes are becoming routine, and the field only continues to progress, thanks to a steady stream of innovations. Three cataract surgeons share their thoughts on some of the most noteworthy innovations and trends of 2008 and beyond.

We're to the point that medical care for our children is a discretionary item, less of a priority than digital cable. Blurry vision from a cataract is something that can be dealt with next year or whenever the economy sorts itself out. While it may be impossible to peer into the future, it increasingly appears that accessing medical care may not be the recession-proof priority for Americans that it has been in the past.

Today, 150 years later, what has come to be known as the University of Illinois Eye & Ear Infirmary continues to strive for excellence in medical education, care and treatment of patients, and cutting-edge research.

The federal government has allotted $4 million for peer-reviewed vision research via the fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) defense appropriations.

History-taking is a little more time-consuming for cataract surgeons with the recent FDA approval of silodosin capsules (Rapaflo, Watson) for the treatment of symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Inspire Pharmaceuticals Inc. has initiated a phase I clinical trial of INS117548 ophthalmic solution for the treatment of glaucoma.

Allergan Inc. has introduced an over-the-counter artificial tear (Optive Sensitive Preservative-Free Lubricant Eye Drops) for patients who have dry eye or dryness following LASIK.

The FDA has granted premarket approval to a new pachymeter/auto-refractor/keratometer (PARK 1, Oculus).

David F. Williams, MD, MBA, has been named president of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS).

Clinical trials provide far more information than just the safety and efficacy of a treatment. Information about the natural course and the risk factors of the disease can be gathered. Of equal importance is the collaboration of clinical investigators as they develop and carry out protocols facilitates incorporation of new ideas into medical practice.

Neil M. Bressler, MD, Susan B. Bressler, MD, Alexander J. "Sandy" Brucker, MD, and Stanley Chang, MD, were honored for their work in the subspecialty of retina Oct. 12 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS).

Collagen cross-linking, the newest advancement in the refractive arena, possibly will stabilize keratoconic and ectatic corneas. LASIK, an area that always is improving, has seen changes in flap sizes and lasers. Knowledge of corneal biomechanics also is progressing to provide more information than ever before with new instrumentation. The phakic IOL market has expanded considerably, catering to those with high myopia. IOL options for pseudophakia also are expanding, and refractive lens exchange remains popular for hyperopia. In addition, questions of patient satisfaction postLASIK are being answered by an FDA task force.

Sleep disorders can be indicators of various unrecognized eye disorders, according to the results of a literature search reported in the November issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Optonol announced in a prepared statement that its proprietary mini glaucoma shunt (Ex-PRESS) will be paid under a new ambulatory payment classification (APC) beginning Jan. 1, 2009.

ISTA Pharmaceuticals has filed a new drug application (NDA) with the FDA for bepotastine ophthalmic solution (Bepreve). If approved, the solution would be used as an eye drop treatment for ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2008 joint meeting with the European Society of Ophthalmology, held in Atlanta Nov. 8 to 11, featured strong attendance numbers. Preliminary figures for attendance at the meeting were approximately 22,000, and attendance at the Subspecialty Day events Nov. 7 and 8 totaled more than 6,200.

Prevent Blindness America (PBA) announced it has been awarded a 3-year cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with a first-year grant of $1 million.