News

Cleveland-Twenty-three sites will collect data for anationwide study on the genetics of Fuchs' endothelial cornealdystrophy (FECD), which afflicts about 1% of the generalpopulation.

San Francisco-Topography detects the early curvature changeson the anterior corneal surface. And these are precisely thechanges that need to be heeded in patients undergoing refractivesurgery. These changes may have been ignored previously andresulted in the development of vision-threatening ectasia, reportedStephen D. Klyce, PhD, who spoke at the annual meeting of theAmerican Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

The Fusarium keratitis outbreak might have been spotted sooner hadthere been better communication between the country's ophthalmicmicrobiology centers, according to a couple of ophthalmologists.

Miami-In uveitis cases, laboratory testing often fails because of the low prevalence of the types of uveitis diagnosable by this means.

Compulsive graft management, questions, appropriate differentialdiagnosis are key, surgeon says

As investigators search for the source of an unusual outbreak of Fusarium keratitis cases among contact lens wearers, the number of confirmed cases continues to climb.

Baltimore-Divergence and convergence abnormalities are similar in nature and can be difficult to differentiate. Michael Repka, MD, described the subtleties as well as what works best for these patients.

Oklahoma City, OK-Ferreting out the causes of diplopia can betricky. To make the task easier, R. Michael Siatkowski, MD,outlined his four steps to finding the causes of diplopia and sevenrules that all cases should follow.

Lund, Sweden-The effect of cataract surgery for improvingvisual function decreases over time, but a high proportion ofpatients continue to enjoy the benefits of surgery up to 8 yearsafter the procedure, according to a study undertaken by Swedishophthalmologists.

Analyses of flap thickness showed favorable predictability.

An impressive track record with the Dohlman-Doane Bostonkeratoprosthesis in adults at high risk for corneal transplantationhas motivated corneal surgeons to use the device in pediatric eyeswith corneal opacities, and the outcomes in those young patientshave been very encouraging.

What is your contact lens image?

Invite patients to try contact lenses at no obligation.

The primary disadvantage of frequent-replacement contacts isoverwear.

Dallas-Essilor of America Inc. now offers Definityprogressive lenses through its network of laboratories and otherselect labs nationwide. Definity lenses feature Dual Add, apatented technology that maximizes available design space of thelens, minimizing peripheral distortion and providing a smoothertransition between all distances.

S?o Paulo, Brazil-Early detection of glaucomatous functionalloss and its progression are facilitated by reliance on a singletest program and use of the computer-assisted interpretation toolsavailable for that technique, said Anders Heijl, MD, PhD, tocolleagues at the World Ophthalmology Congress.

The mean annual HSK recurrence rate was reduced significantly to ?0.45 episodes/year in both the punctal cautery and cyclosporine groups.

Beverly Hills, CA-Corneal collagen cross-linking withriboflavin (C3-R) appears effective for stabilizing keratometry incorneas that are demonstrating instability associated with avariety of pathologies, according to a study presented by MunishSharma, MD, MBBS.

All of the PTK-treated eyes experienced pain relief that persistedthrough follow-up.

San Francisco-IntraLase Corp. introduced itsfourth-generation FS Laser, a system that allows for a 100%blade-free LASIK procedure, according to the company.

San Francisco-Thin-flap LASIK with the K-4000 microkeratome(Becton Dickinson) is safe and delivers flaps that aresignificantly thinner than with other available heads. Thin-flapLASIK is the preferred choice with the K-4000 microkeratome,according to Rupal S. Shah, MD.

Mild haze (graded as 1.5 on a scale of 0 to 4 with higher scoresindicating more haze) was present the first day after surgery,which decreased by the fourth postoperative day to 0.5.

Studies evaluating the new Zyoptix XP microkeratome (Bausch &Lomb) indicate that it performs safely and reliably to cut LASIKflaps of a reproducible thickness with a standard deviation thatmatches or exceeds results reported for the femtosecond laser(IntraLase).

Analyses of flap thickness showed favorable predictability.

Barranquilla, Colombia-Mechanical microkeratomes have anumber of advantages compared with the femtosecond laser"macrokeratome" and should continue to be regarded as safe andefficient instruments for LASIK flap creation, according to CesarA. Carriazo, MD.

One of the major advantages of the femtosecond laser is theversatility to program flap thickness across a wide range.

New York-On March 6, OSI Pharmaceuticals/EyetechPharmaceuticals and Pfizer issued changes in the product labelingfor pegaptanib sodium injection (Macugen), which was approved bythe FDA for the treatment of neovascular age-related maculardegeneration in December 2004.

San Francisco-A team of ophthalmologists founded the EctasiaCommittee in the hopes of summarizing the current knowledgeregarding ectasia and refractive surgery and developingrecommendations to prevent the development of the condition,explained Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, at the annual meeting of theAmerican Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS).