News

Las Vegas-Post-LASIK dry eye is a common problem even in patients with no preoperative evidence of dry eye. In fact, the prevalence of dry eye in the adult population has been reported to be as high as 70% (under certain conditions). Therefore, all LASIK candidates should be treated as if they might develop the condition, according to a refractive surgery expert.

London-Thin, shallow corneal flaps of approximately 80 to 90 ?m created with an IntraLase femtosecond laser (IntraLase Corp.) may produce the best results in refractive surgery, effectively eliminating pain and haze while producing long-term visual stability, said John Marshall, PhD, in a keynote address during a session on femtosecond lasers here at the XXIV Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS).

Las Vegas-Omesh P. Gupta, MD, MBA, of Wills Eye at Jefferson, Philadelphia, was named the winner of the fourth annual Ophthalmology Times Resident Writer's Award Program. The program was sponsored by Advanced Medical Optics (AMO). During a presentation in November at the Venetian Hotel, Dr. Gupta was the first-place winner for a case study of intracameral entry of antibiotic ointment following routine cataract phacoemulsification.

Editor's Note: Omesh P. Gupta, MD, MBA, a senior ophthalmology resident and co-chief resident at Wills Eye at Jefferson, Philadelphia, was named the winner of the fourth annual Ophthalmology Times Resident Writer's Award Program-presented at the 2006 American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting in Las Vegas.

A 59-year-old male was referred for decreased vision and glare in his right eye 7 days after uneventful clear corneal (CC) phacoemulsification with IOL implantation. On postoperative day 1, his visual acuity was 20/25 in the affected eye. The anterior chamber reaction revealed 1+ cell and flare and the IOL was clear.

Boston-SOLX, the glaucoma division of OccuLogix Inc., has begun an international program to train and certify ophthalmologists in Europe and the Middle East in surgical implantation procedures using the company's Gold Micro-Shunt products.

Boston-The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, was the first institution in the United States to acquire the Allegretto Wave Eye-Q excimer laser system for performing LASIK. Another system was installed 2 weeks later at Emory Vision, part of the Emory Eye Center and the Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta.

Dublin, CA-Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc. has installed 6,000 Stratus OCT systems.

St. Petersburg, FL-Lenstec Inc. says the FDA has granted it an investigational device exemption to begin a clinical trial of the Softec HD posterior chamber IOL.

Cleveland-The Cleveland Clinic's Cole Eye Institute will lead a large, multicenter clinical trial to explore combination therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

"Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus."

Las Vegas-Herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis is the leading infectious cause of corneal blindness in the developed world, said Deborah Pavan-Langston, MD, FACS, at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting. HSV infection also is one of the most complicated illnesses, because it encompasses mechanical and immune as well as infectious components, continued Dr. Pavan-Langston, associate professor of ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

The preservative system used to manufacture Systane Free Liquid Gel lubricating eye drops (Alcon Laboratories) is distinctly different from that of the company's other products, including travoprost ophthalmic solution 0.004% (Travatan), according to the company.

Las Vegas-Kevin M. Miller, MD, Kolokotrones Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, and Hussein Wafapoor, MD, of Retina Health Center, Fort Myers, FL, are among the physician recipients of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's (AAO) series of achievement awards.

images

New York -"Measurement of IOP in 2006 is under pressure," Robert N. Weinreb, MD, told the Glaucoma 2006 meeting attendees here. "We need to reassess both the quality and the quantity of our IOP measurements.

Ann Arbor, MI-The Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm (SITA) is one of the newer generations of perimetry basic detection devices used in glaucoma to evaluate visual fields. The others are short wavelength automated perimetry and frequency doubling technology. Emerging technologies include high-pass resolution perimetry and multifocal electrophysiological tests. Sayoko E. Moroi, MD, PhD, recently discussed SITA and how to use the test to the best advantage.

John A. Vukich, MD, a refractive surgeon and cataract specialist in private practice in Madison, WI, explores another dimension of his personality away from ophthalmology in a sport that many consider extreme: heli-skiing.

Carlsbad, CA-SynergEyes Inc. has received FDA market clearance for the use of Alcon Opti-Free Replenish multi-purpose disinfecting solution with SynergEyes contact lenses.

Nontraditional marketing includes those efforts that make you slightly uncomfortable, ideas your competitors won't do first, and-most importantly-things that bring patients to your practice, according to Debi Dilling, who is responsible for marketing Eye Physicians and Surgeons of Florida in Fort Myers, FL.

Surgical control in the anterior chamber is essential for performing effective phacoemulsification. The Sovereign system with WhiteStar technology (Advanced Medical Optics Inc.) features an innovative power modulation known as increased control and efficiency (ICE), which adds an initial kick to each millisecond pulse of ultrasound, increasing cutting power without increasing energy utilization.

Fort Lauderdale, FL-An analysis of the correlation between macular thickness and visual acuity supports the concept that measurement of structural changes can provide valuable information about the nature of functional changes in the treatment of macular edema, said Julia A. Haller, MD, who spoke during the Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Bevasiranib sodium is the latest approach to treating AMD and, potentially, many other medical diseases.

Jacksonville, FL-Results of the Herpetic Eye Disease Studies (HEDS) have provided some guidance on the treatment of herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis, but questions remain about the management of these infections, said Thomas J. Liesegang, MD.

Recently the French lost out in the World Cup finals, so let's look at their most important early historic contributions to ophthalmology and make them feel better!

Fair Lawn, NJ-Acanthamoeba keratitis, a potentially sight-threatening condition, developed in a patient undergoing orthokeratology for the treatment of myopia. Osher Sebrow, MD, a private practitioner in Fair Lawn, NJ, described this case and the available management options.

New York-The use of a scleral spacing procedure using PreView Scleral Implants (Refocus Group Inc.) appears to improve the technique to correct presbyopia. This revised technique seems to be a safe and effective method of improving near visual acuity without affecting distance visual acuity in emmetropic presbyopia, according to Barrie D. Soloway, MD, FACS.

Seoul, Korea-Intraoperative use of mitomycin-C (MMC) is a safe and effective method for preventing corneal haze in eyes undergoing PRK, said Dongho Lee, MD, PhD, director, Yonsei Eye Center, Seoul, South Korea.