News

Alcon Inc. said it intends to purchase up to one million common shares by Dec. 31 from the public to cover employee equity compensation plans.

Lexington, SC, and Colorado Springs, CO-Biosyntrx Corp. is partnering with Wellosophy Corp. to include a professional-strength version of a proprietary hydrogel gastric bulking technology (Swell) into Biosyntrx’s new mealtime portion-control product (Avantrx).

East Hanover, NJ-Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. has launched the Patient Assistance Now Web site and telephone service to integrate company programs and other resources to help uninsured Americans pay for their Novartis medicines and find health-care information.

Menlo Park, CA-iScience Interventional has received expanded 510(k) clearance from the FDA to allow ophthalmic surgeons to use its microcatheters to enlarge outflow passages to reduce IOP in the treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

San Francisco-The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has announced the slate of candidates for board positions that have terms beginning Jan. 1.

Mountain View, CA-Iridex Corp. has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for a family of laser systems (IQ 532, IQ 577, IQ 630-670, and IQ 810) and their associated delivery devices to deliver laser energy in three different modes (CW-Pulse, MicroPulse, and LongPulse).

South San Francisco, CA-A special committee of the Genentech Board of Directors has unanimously rejected a proposal by Roche under which Roche would have acquired the shares of Genentech it did not own for $89 per share.

Torsional ultrasound using the INFINITI? Vision System with the OZil? Torsional handpiece (Alcon Laboratories) is a unique modality that changes the dynamics of ultrasonic phacoemulsification. Compared with traditional longitudinal ultrasound, torsional ultrasound is a fundamentally different approach to phacoemulsification because the side-to-side ultrasonic oscillations shear lens material. Many cataract surgeons have quickly adopted this new modality based on the positive experiences reported by users, including significantly reduced repulsion, improved material followability, improved efficiency of lens removal, and an improved thermal profile; all contributing to improved clinical outcomes.

Optic atrophy secondary to sickle cell hyphema can lead to permanent loss of visual acuity. Sickling should be suspected in all cases of hyphema, particularly in individuals of African American or Mediterranean descent. Because a slit-lamp examination will not reveal sickled cells, however, a lab test for sickling should be ordered.

Electrodiagnostic testing remains a critical and important tool in determining visual function in patients with many types of retinal disease.

Use of fixed-combination dorzolamide 2.0% and timolol 0.5% (dorzolamide-timolol; Cosopt, Merck) as a replacement or add-on is a safe and effective option to achieve further IOP lowering in patients.

Laser trabeculoplasty is an effective way to lower IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma. In an ongoing randomized study of 160 patients designed to compare outcomes using an argon laser and a titanium:sapphire laser, no clear-cut winner has emerged. Both lasers perform effective trabeculoplasties with a low incidence of complications.

Selective laser trabeculoplasty offers safe and effective treatment for patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and other, more difficult glaucomas, according to one ophthalmologist. It might be a reasonable first-line intervention in some situations.

Marketing at the practice level offers a less expensive and easier way to increase patient volume. Creating a memorable patient experience by showing the practice's superiority over others, starting at the consultation, as well as addressing concerns and fears at the beginning, will help retain patients and increase references.

Trabeculectomy remains the most commonly performed surgical glaucoma procedure. However, interest in identifying alternatives involving simpler postoperative follow-up and a better safety profile is fueling the development of newer surgical procedures.

Complications associated with trabeculectomy have prompted a search for better alternatives. Practice pattern data from recent years show growing usage of tube implants. Results of the multicenter, randomized Tube vs. Trabeculectomy study offer validation for this trend.

Canaloplasty with tensioning suture placement is an FDA-approved technique for the surgical management of open-angle glaucoma. This nonpenetrating procedure obviates the need for a bleb and has been associated with good IOP control after 2 years of follow-up. The accumulating data and a successful training program are contributing to increasing interest.

Implantation of a glaucoma drainage device made entirely from medical-grade gold (SOLX GMS Plus Gold Shunt, SOLX Inc.) is a viable surgical option for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Implantation of a trabecular bypass microstent (iStent GTS-100 Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent, Glaukos Corp.) effectively lowered IOP and dramatically decreased anti-glaucoma medication use among 48 subjects in a prospective, 24-month, multicenter evaluation. The stent bypasses the blocked trabecular meshwork to allow aqueous fluid to move into the Schlemm's canal area and then out through collector channels.

A miniature shunt (Ex-Press, Optonol) is as effective as standard trabeculectomy procedures in the lowering of IOP in patients with glaucoma, according to a retrospective review. The advantages of implementation of the device over standard trabeculectomy include a greater decrease in the postoperative medications taken by patients, lower levels of hypotony occurrence, and a predictable, even flow reduction of aqueous fluid from the subconjunctival space.

A modified version of a commercially available high-definition optical coherence tomography (OCT) device, adapted for imaging the anterior chamber angle, was able to provide higher-resolution images than current OCT devices and help investigators identify a new anatomic landmark. If this instrument is developed commercially, it could become a new gold standard for diagnosis of angle-closure glaucoma.

A new perimetry device (Heidelberg Edge Perimeter, Heidelberg Engineering) shows to be very useful in the precise evaluation of patients with glaucoma and suspect glaucoma. This unique instrument may very well replace standard automated perimetry devices.

Although edged out by prostaglandin analogs as the preferred first-line medication for glaucoma therapy, beta-blockers, including a once-a-day formulation of timolol maleate (Istalol, ISTA Pharmaceuticals) remain an acceptable choice for first-line or additive therapy, according to one ophthalmologist. Timolol generally is well tolerated and may be a cost-effective choice for some patients.

Initial results from the Glaucoma Adherence and Persistence Study confirmed poor patient adherence with prescribed glaucoma medication therapy and identified lack of motivating concern and a doctor-dependent learning style as independent predictors of poor adherence. New analyses provide insight on the features of patients who possess these characteristics and patterns of physician communication associated with adherence.

Investigators using a non-contact applanation tonometer (Ocular Response Analyzer [ORA], Reichert Inc.) have made finds pertaining to the importance of corneal hysteresis, the role of ocular biomechanical properties in the pathophysiology of glaucoma, and differences in these properties between African Americans and Caucasians.

A new formulation of travoprost (Travatan Z, Alcon Laboratories) containing an ionic-buffered preservative (sofZia), and the older formulation (Travatan), preserved with benzalkonium chloride (BAK), had similar IOP-lowering effects in a group of patients who began treatment with the original drop then switched to the newer drug. The ionic-buffered agent is intended to be less toxic to the ocular surface than BAK, which could be significant in long-term glaucoma therapy.

Results of a retrospective chart review including 101 consecutive eyes that underwent endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECP) combined with phacoemulsification and IOL implantation document the safety of this procedure for lowering IOP. A subgroup analysis suggests that ECP may have a unique application in eyes with chronic angle-closure glaucoma and plateau iris.

Outcomes of a 5-year study, initiated when the first prostaglandin analog became available, showed that latanoprost (Xalatan, Pfizer) does not increase the frequency of corneal erosions during long-term glaucoma treatment when compared with other forms of pressure-lowering medication.