News

The tornado that hit March 14 in downtown Atlanta is not expected to affect plans for the joint meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the European Society of Ophthalmology in November, according to the AAO.

The first World Glaucoma Day was held March 6. The World Glaucoma Association (WGA) and the World Glaucoma Patient Organization (WGPA) sponsored the observance. The Ophthalmology Times Group was the official news source of the event, providing e-newsletter coverage of the awareness and educational activities organized by glaucoma institutions and local patient support groups worldwide.

Cerimon Pharmaceuticals has entered into an agreement with Novartis Pharma AG to conduct a proof-of-concept study of basiliximab (Simulect) for the treatment of noninfectious uveitis.

Genentech has changed its provider and patient support programs related to ranibizumab (Lucentis)-including Lucentis Access Solutions and the Genentech Access to Care Foundation-in an effort to improve enrollment timing and broaden eligibility requirements.

Facial rejuvenation procedures can be worthwhile adjuncts to an ophthalmology practice. Surgeons, however, require detailed knowledge of products and anatomy, must make patient education a priority, and should obtain specific training. Patients undergoing cosmetic procedures often have very high expectations, and it is important to have an in-depth understanding of aesthetic facial anatomy and features.

As the Asian eye-care market begins to explode, Alcon Inc. is preparing to be close to the action by adding a manufacturing plant in Singapore. The 250,000-square-foot plant, which will employ 150 people, will manufacture pharmaceuticals to be distributed throughout Asia, with the exception of Japan.

Prevent Blindness has dedicated May as UV Awareness Month in an effort to educate the public on the best way to protect their eyes.

It appears that diabetic retinopathy is not the only eye disease associated with diabetes, according to a study, which found that women with diabetes have about a 70% increased risk of developing the most common form of glaucoma-primary-open angle glaucoma-compared with women without diabetes.

Preclinical results for two new compounds (Sirion) that may be used for the treatment of retinal diseases will be presented during the 2008 annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Study of the use of collagen crosslinking with riboflavin has been limited. Early experience with this technique, however, suggests it safely increases corneal rigidity and limits ectasia progression.

The Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) showed that substantially lowering IOP, whether through medication or surgery, can prevent vision loss. One of the major trials of recent years, CIGTS also showed that surgery was an effective first-line treatment and had important findings on quality of life.

The European Glaucoma Prevention Study (EGPS) has produced reports on baseline factors that predict development of primary open-angle glaucoma as well as intercurrent factors also associated with development of the disease. The study also confirmed the importance of IOP reduction and identified systemic diuretics as a risk factor.

An anterior chamber diffractive multifocal IOL (Vision Membrane, Vision Membrane Technologies) designed as a phakic implant has been used successfully to treat ametropia and presbyopia in pseudophakic eyes. The technology, its benefits, and the outcomes achieved are described in this article.

Optic pathway gliomas occur frequently in children with neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1). As not all patients with these tumors are symptomatic, regular examination of NF1 patients is important, and a nonsurgical treatment algorithm should be followed if a tumor is found.

Fundus autofluorescence imaging, one of the modes available in a new instrument (Spectralis HRA+OCT, Heidelberg Engineering), enhances its utility as a diagnostic device and a tool for monitoring therapy of patients with retinal and macular diseases.

An analysis of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) results from a large clinical trial of ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) in patients with age-related macular degeneration has shown that an improvement of 5 to 10 points on the VFQ-25 score correlated with meaningful clinical improvement in vision.

Outcomes of fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography show that patients who received intravitreal injections of a fusion protein (VEGF Trap-Eye, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals) had reductions in retinal thickness, lesion size, and area of choroidal neovascularization. These results support positive visual acuity findings in the same group of patients.

Results of a phase II study evaluating pegaptanib sodium (Macugen, OSI Eyetech/Pfizer) intravitreal injection in eyes with macular edema (ME) secondary to nonischemic central retinal vein occlusion suggest a potential role for vascular endothelial growth factor blockade to reduce ME and improve visual acuity.

Spectral domain, three-dimensional (3-D), high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) represents a step forward in OCT technology, with precise registration, complete data set acquisition, and improved coverage of the retina being the major advantages.

A feasibility study of a novel beta radiation epiretinal brachytherapy system for age-related macular degeneration produced favorable 1-year results. The radiation was administered in combination with bevacizumab in two study arms. Patients had a mean improvement in visual acuity of 13.1 lines.

Arteriolarization, with a large artery feeding many branching arterioles, may explain why some eyes with choroidal neovascularization fail to respond to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment. Dynamic high-speed indocyanine green angiography can identify this morphology and be used to direct photodynamic therapy toward the feeder artery. Initial results with this intervention are promising.

Three prestigious Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) awards will be presented to clinical researchers at the ARVO 2008 Annual Meeting (April 27–May 1) in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The awardees also will present lectures focusing on their research.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) have joined with the FDA and the National Eye Institute to form a joint task force to discuss the design of a study to identify dissatisfied post-LASIK patients, define their significant symptoms, and examine the effects of those symptoms on quality of life.

The National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) is correlated with reading speed and restricted activity days.

Fewer retinal redetachments were reported following combined vitrectomy and scleral buckling procedures than with either procedure alone in a retrospective study. Factors such as the surgeon's skill and preoperative preparations also influence the outcome of retinal detachment surgery, however.

Postmenopausal hormones taken by women actually may decrease the risk of developing advanced stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), especially if women took oral contraceptives previously, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

Torsional phacoemulsification may be more efficient than standard phaco. In an experiment in which beads were aspirated or rejected inside a cell serving as an anterior chamber, longitudinal ultrasound phaco was less than 50% aspiration efficient as demonstrated by bead rejection from the phaco tip, whereas torsional phaco had nearly the aspiration efficiency of irrigation/aspiration alone.

Dr. McDonnell discusses whether futures markets, which are sometimes more accurate in their predictions than experts, could possibly be used to identify promising therapies to explore.