News

More than 70 applicants representing more than 20 states have been selected as delegates to the "Eyes on Capitol Hill" campaign in Washington, DC, Feb. 12 to 14.

Smokers have an increased long-term risk and greater progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Boston-According to a study, the antioxidants lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin E may help prevent cataracts.

SynergEyes Inc. has launched a hybrid contact lens (SynergEyes PS) designed specifically for post-refractive surgery patients in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Young ophthalmologists consider themselves well-prepared in terms of the medical and surgical knowledge but unprepared for non-clinical aspects of ophthalmology, such as leading employees and managing a successful practice.

At the 11th annual Healthcare Internet Conference, EyeCare America won two 2007 eHealthcare Leadership Awards-the Gold Award for Best Web Site Design and the Silver Award for Best Interactive Site.

Panoptx has launched a new logo with a stylized number 7, tied to a new brand (7EYE), along with a renewed emphasis on the treatment of dysfunctional tear syndrome (DTS) and servicing independent dispensaries that care for patients with DTS symptoms.

Wavefront-guided spectacles may provide a better solution than standard eyeglasses for patients with subjective complaints stemming from higher-order aberrations after LASIK.

The Bimatoprost Data Evaluation was a prospective, multicenter, investigator-masked study that randomly assigned 266 patients whose IOP was not adequately controlled with latanoprost 0.005% (Xalatan, Pfizer) to bimatoprost 0.03% (Lumigan, Allergan) or travoprost 0.004% (Travatan, Alcon Laboratories).

Two Canadian multicenter, randomized trials compared fixed-combination treatment with 0.2% brimonidine/0.5% timolol against 2.0% dorzolamide/0.5% timolol.

Advances have been made recently in both structural and functional tools for glaucoma diagnosis, producing better and faster results.

In a comparison study of adjunctive medication for glaucoma therapy, the addition of brimonidine tartrate, a selective alpha-adrenergic agonist, to a prostaglandin analog achieved greater pressure-lowering than either of two carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.

Analysis programs for longitudinal assessment of glaucoma are advancing. A new optical coherence tomography software analysis program provides overlays of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness plots as well as regression

Two models of a 24-karat gold implant are being evaluated in a prospective, randomized study enrolling patients with refractory glaucoma.

Prostaglandin analogues preserved with benzalkonium chloride (BAK) can cause more extensive loss of goblet cells and a breakdown of cell-cell adhesions, which could increase the risk of ocular surface disease, according to findings from a pair of studies conducted in rabbits.

The safety of endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation for the treatment of glaucoma is being investigated prospectively in a multicenter study.

A trabecular micro-bypass stent is being evaluated for the treatment of refractory open-angle glaucoma in a prospective, multicenter study.

Micropulse laser trabeculoplasty (MLT) using a specific diode laser seems to be a safe and effective approach to performing trabeculoplasty.

A proprietary retina tomograph (Heidelberg Retina Tomograph 3, Heidelberg Engineering) can help ophthalmologists differentiate patients at risk of progression to glaucoma from those patients who are not, based on structural and functional findings in the optic nerve and visual fields.

A proprietary miniature glaucoma device implanted under a partial-thickness scleral flap is safe and predictable compared with trabeculectomy.

A review of outcomes from 498 eyes that have undergone trabeculectomy ab interno surgery with a novel ablative device (Trabectome, NeoMedix) for open-angle glaucoma show that the procedure is very safe and maintains IOP in the range of 14 to 16 mm Hg.

Canaloplasty is being evaluated in a prospective study that enrolled 94 patients who were candidates for glaucoma surgery. The procedure was performed successfully in 74 patients (79%). Mean follow-up for the group is about 12 months, and more than half of the patients have been followed to 18 months. The results show well-controlled IOP and minimal complications.

Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) is comparable with argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT) in its ability to lower IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma, according to 5-year results of a randomized, controlled trial from the University of Ottawa reported at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

The medical profession was slow to adopt the concept of the risk factor, which was born from the marriage of statistics and probability theory. Gradually, however, it has become central to medicine and science and will assume even more importance in coming years.

A $10 million research grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is designed to help a consortium of researchers identify better ways to treat trachoma in developing nations.

Genentech has agreed to allow its wholesale distributors to ship its bevacizumab (Avastin) to compounding pharmacies or other locations of a physician's choice.

A 6-month reprieve on a proposed 10.1% fee cut for ophthalmologists and other physicians who treat Medicare patients will cause "great uncertainty" for patients and physicians, according to the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Ophthalmologists in more than 34 countries around the globe are busy planning events for World Glaucoma Day on March 6 to alert people to the devastating effects of glaucoma and the importance of having their eyes examined.