News

Stephen D. McLeod, MD, is the new chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

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Editor's Note: In a recent column we covered lumps and bumps on the surface of the iris and some of the men associated with their descriptions (Ophthalmology Times, June 15, 2006). Now we turn our attention to some lumps and bumps discovered on the conjunctiva, the surface of the globe, and the lids; their pathology; and those individuals who are credited with the findings.

The floor tiles have not changed in 56 years. As soon as I see the brick-red, black, and green-grey pattern of the 3/4-inch squares, recollections of a time long past rise to the surface. Even before I walk up the steps in the small lobby, my legs remember that there will be six risers to the landing in front of the elevator.

For K. Bailey Freund, MD, the magic of science and the science of magic are overlapping and, sometimes, ambiguous. Dr. Freund, a retina specialist with Vitreous-Retina-Macula Consultants of New York, is a magician and a collector of vintage magic props.

There is increasing interest in using the femtosecond laser to perform penetrating keratoplasty, according to two corneal experts.

Philadelphia-The triple corneal procedure should be considered for patients with both visually significant corneal disease and cataract. However, the ultimate visual rehabilitation from combined surgery should be weighed against the increased intraoperative risks and the unpredictability of the refractive error, according to Sadeer B. Hannush, MD.

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands-When four leading practice management specialists met as a panel recently, the pearls of wisdom they shared encouraged ophthalmologists to be aware of vital aspects of their business, including finances, human resources, and legal issues. The session, titled "Business, Operation, and Legal Pearls," provided physicians and administrators with suggestions on how ophthalmologists can increase efficiency, maximize profit, and avoid pitfalls leading to liability.

San Bernardino, CA-Fixing common billing and documentation errors could mean improvements of up to 35% to your bottom line, according to Donna McCune, CCS-P, COE.

Ophthalmologists know that a very large number of patients in general practice, and in many subspecialty practices, present with eye symptoms that are too dry or too wet. These common situations trigger coding issues that must be understood in order to ensure proper compensation for care of this sizable patient group.

Madison, CT-Common errors related to billing for glaucoma patients may have detrimental effects on the financial success of an ophthalmology practice, said Donna M. McCune CCS-P, COE.

Editor's note: In part one of "Optimize Your Optical" (see Ophthalmology Times, Sept. 15, 2006) optician, dispenser, and educator Laurie Pierce shared five techniques, forged through personal experience, that have enabled her to build patients' confidence while saving time and money. In part two, Pierce offers more of her practical "how-tos."

Sydney, Australia-The first synthetic polymer corneal inlays implanted in humans appear to be biocompatible with corneal tissue and represent a safe, biologically acceptable alternative to other forms of refractive surgery, according to observations made over an 18-month period, said Deborah F. Sweeney, B Optom, PhD.

Alicante, Spain-While one segment of the ophthalmic community sees presbyopic lens exchange for patients with high myopia as a promising, safe technique leading to good improvements in visual acuity, another segment does not, stating that the risk of retinal detachment and other complications related to the surgery are just too high, according to Jorge L. Alio, MD.

Lasers are designed to treat people based on averages in a population. However, an individual or a class of individuals may respond slightly differently to the laser pattern that has been designed by the manufacturer.

Minneapolis, MN-Wavefront-guided enhancements seem to be very effective for correcting residual refractive error after a primary LASIK procedure. The enhancement procedure using the CustomVue Wavefront system (VISX/Advanced Medical Optics) results in significantly better Snellen uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) than that achieved with conventional enhancements, according to David R. Hardten, MD.

The introduction of the femtosecond laser for flap creation in LASIK gives refractive surgeons an additional treatment option. But beyond the obvious marketing hype of an "all laser" LASIK procedure, are there definite clinical benefits to using this keratome over traditional microkeratomes?

Raleigh, NC-Simplicity is the key word to James Kiley, MD, when he describes the MK-2000 microkeratome (Nidek).

Santiago, Chile-Intracorneal Ferrara rings (Mediphacos) appear to be a useful alternative method to improve corneal shape and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in patients with keratectasia. However, the long-term refractive effects and complications of the rings need further study, according to Marcelo Coria, MD.

London-The structural integrity of the cornea is compromised by refractive surgeries, and the deeper the surgery is the more compromise takes place, according to John Marshall, PhD, FRCOphth(Hon).

Caracas, Venezuela-Implantation of intrastromal corneal ring segments (Intacs, Addition Technology) and penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) result in similar vision improvement when used to treat eyes with a mild grade of keratoconus, but the implantation procedure offers the advantage of faster visual rehabilitation, said Luis A. Rodriguez, MD.

The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) before and after cataract surgery significantly lowers the incidence of cystoid macular edema (CME) and provides patients with better quality of vision. The results of three studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, San Francisco, bore out that finding.

New York-It is essential for clinicians who treat glaucoma to recognize all the fundamental characteristics of the glaucomatous nerve, David S. Greenfield, MD, said at the Glaucoma 2006 meeting here.

Winter Haven, FL-Combination therapy using bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) as a "booster shot" in conjunction with pegaptanib sodium (Macugen, OSI/Eyetech/Pfizer) to treat exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) appears to work very well in both the short term and the long term, according to Michael Tolentino, MD.

Results from a case study comparing inter-eye central corneal thickness (CCT) in patients with asymmetric glaucoma show a positive association between more advanced glaucomatous cupping and a thinner central cornea, according to Shawn J. Khan, MD, FRCSC.