News

San Diego-Patients who have had prior glaucoma surgeries are not at significantly increased risk of negative visual outcomes if they then have Descemet's stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK), according to Thasarat S. Vajaranant, MD, assistant professor, glaucoma service, University of Illinois at Chicago.

San Diego-"There's a well-defined and ill-met need to improve the delivery of glaucoma medications." That's the word from Richard A. Lewis, MD, a private practitioner in Sacramento, CA.

San Diego-The newest version of proprietary software (Guided Progression Analysis, Carl Zeiss Meditec) to measure the progression of glaucoma combines event and trend analyses and permits faster and more quantitative evaluation of progressive change in visual field, said Donald L. Budenz, MD, MPH, professor of ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

San Diego-When it comes to assessment of progression of glaucoma, trend analysis and event analysis have distinct advantages, said Joseph Caprioli, MD. He is the David May II Professor of Ophthalmology, chief of the glaucoma division, and director of the glaucoma basic science and clinical laboratories at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, Los Angeles.

San Diego-Although heuristic factors always will be part of the art of ophthalmology, the profession currently faces an era in which payments for medical treatments will be scrutinized increasingly for their effectiveness. Ophthalmologists may be well-advised to focus on an evidence-based approach to identifying high-risk glaucoma cases, said Ivan Goldberg, FRANZCO, FRACS, University of Sydney and Sydney Eye Hospital, Australia.

San Diego-Elderly people who have bilateral glaucoma are significantly more likely to cease driving than age-matched peers who do not have glaucoma or who have glaucoma in only one eye, according to Pradeep Y. Ramulu, MD, PhD, assistant professor of ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore.

San Diego-The rate of change in axon loss, not the location of the damage, most likely differentiates an aging eye from a glaucomatous eye, according to recent research, said Claude F. Burgoyne, MD, holder of the Van Buskirk Chair for Ophthalmic Research, Devers Eye Institute, Portland, OR.

San Diego-The 2009 annual meeting of the American Glaucoma Society (AGS) is experiencing record-setting total attendance, according to officers of the organization, with 619 members and an additional 75 attendees participating. This number represents an increase of more than 20% in total attendance over last year's annual meeting.

There may be an association between atypical moles, common moles, freckles, moles on the iris, and risk of melanoma, according to a study.

Cystatin C, a biomarker of kidney function, also may be associated with the incidence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), said researchers.

Pfizer and Bausch & Lomb signed a deal to collaborate on promoting both company's prescription eye drugs in the United States to increase significantly the support for the products, according to the companies.

A laser burn to one retina can cause both eyes to lose immune privilege, according to scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute.

According to new research, cataract surgery does not hasten vision loss in people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

A new weeklong program, Healthy Lifestyles in Sight, will highlight the Transitions Championship PGA tour, March 16 to 22, at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club.

March is Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Awareness Month, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the American Society of Retina Specialists, the Macula Society, and the Retina Society have teamed up to encourage Americans to become more aware of their risks for AMD.

In a response to the current economic woes plaguing the United States, CareCredit has reduced the interest rate on its 24-month, no-interest plan by 50% through the end of this month, said the company in a prepared statement.

When compared with glasses, contact lenses significantly improved self-image in children, according to results from the 3-year Adolescent and Child Health Initiative to Encourage Vision Empowerment (ACHIEVE) Study.

During the winter meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, held in early February here, Visiogen Inc. announced the formation of its European subsidiary, Visiogen Europe.

Sirion Therapeutics Inc. has entered into an agreement with Advanced Vision Research Inc. (AVR) of Woburn, MA, to co-promote AVR's new oral retinal nutritional supplement (MacuTrition) and its product for meibomian gland therapy (NutriDox Convenience Kit).

Abbott has completed the tender offer by Rainforest Acquisition Inc., its wholly owned subsidiary, to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock of Advanced Medical Optics (AMO).

Aton Pharma Inc. has acquired the U.S. marketing rights to the timolol (Timoptic) product line from Merck & Co. Inc.

Physicians can receive a 2% bonus for e-prescribing and participating in the Physician's Quality Reporting Initiative, adding up to a potential 4% bonus to participating doctors in 2009. This year, program participation is not mandatory, but in 2012, physicians will be penalized –1% for not e-prescribing.

Federal regulators have judged the first phase of the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program a success, but the controversial plan promises potential headaches for physicians as it goes forward. In response to the initial success, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in October its plan to expand the program to a dozen new states in the first quarter of 2009. By January 2010, all 50 states will be in RAC's crosshairs.

No existing scientific evidence validates the presumption that thinner preoperative corneal thickness independently increases the risk of post-LASIK ectasia, as long as intraoperative pachymetry is performed to guard against a thicker-than-expected flap. In fact, thin corneas in eyes with normal topography appear to be biomechanically strong. Routine preoperative topographic screening should be performed to detect abnormalities that suggest an increased risk for post-LASIK ectasia.

Results obtained with wavefront-optimized LASIK are equivalent to those achieved with wavefront-customized LASIK, according to a retrospective study of 148 patients. The wavefront-optimized approach also presents an option for the approximately one-third of patients who cannot undergo customized treatment for one of several reasons, according to the ophthalmologist who conducted the research.

Difluprednate ophthalmic emulsion 0.05% (Durezol, Sirion Therapeutics) was comparable with prednisolone ophthalmic suspension 1% (Pred Forte, Allergan), the current standard of care, in a pivotal anterior uveitis trial. Difluprednate was dosed four times daily compared with eight times for prednisolone acetate, suggesting that it could enhance compliance.

When capsulorrhexis becomes complicated by a radial tear, pulling the flap backward, first circumferentially and then centrally, can rescue the tear-out. Here, an ophthalmologist shares a technique to successfully address this complication.

Cataract surgery can dramatically lower elevated IOP, and the effect appears to be quite durable. This benefit, together with the safety of phacoemulsification, suggests that ophthalmologists should consider its role as a stand-alone procedure to treat co-morbid cataract and glaucoma.