News

Washington, DC—The automated, disposable Epi-K epithelial separator (Moria) safely and reliably cleaves the epithelium to create high-quality flaps and beds, and its use in Epi-LASIK is associated with favorable results with regard to postoperative pain and visual recovery profiles, said Daniela Jardim, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Alcon Laboratories is currently awaiting FDA approval for marketing of its LADAR 6000, a completely new laser built with customized ablation procedures in mind.

Washington, DC—The CustomCornea (Alcon Laboratories Inc.) or CustomVue (VISX) platforms seem to offer excellent outcomes in wavefront-guided LASIK for myopia. However, induced aberration appears to be less with CustomCornea treatment, especially after nomogram adjustment for the CustomVue procedure, and that difference is apparent clinically in terms of contrast sensitivity results, according to Stephen G. Slade, MD.

Washington, DC—Accruing experience with the AlphaCor (Argus Biomedical) synthetic keratoprosthesis has led to the identification of risk factors for complications along with the development of protective procedures that are enabling better outcomes, said R. Doyle Stulting, MD, PhD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Washington, DC—The initial results of a study of the MEL-80 excimer laser (Carl Zeiss Meditec) indicate that the laser has an excellent safety and efficacy profile when performing LASIK for myopia. The patients recovered their visual function rapidly, and the uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) levels in this trial in which wavefront-guided ablation was not performed were comparable to studies in which wavefront-guided ablation was performed using other lasers.

Washington, DC—The crystalens (eyeonics), an accommodating IOL approved for use in cataract patients, provides distance, intermediate, and near vision 3 years after implantation that are slightly better than the 1-year results. Optical tilt or optic flexure with induced astigmatism in conjunction with the traditional mechanism of action is hypothesized to play a role in the near visual acuity, according to Steven J. Dell, MD, speaking at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) annual meeting.

IntraLase Corp. has introduced its new IntraLase FS30 laser, and patients and surgeons alike are benefiting from its faster procedure time, tighter spot placement, and lower energy compared with its predecessor, the IntraLase FS.

Washington, DC—Early outcomes after wavefront-guided LASIK may be better when using the femtosecond laser microkeratome (IntraLase Corp.) for flap creation compared with mechanical microkeratomes, but show no difference whether the procedure is performed in a single session or with a staged approach regardless of the microkeratome used.

Washington, DC—A novel IOL in development from PowerVision may represent the most promising concept yet for an accommodative implant, said Louis D. "Skip" Nichamin, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Washington, DC—Use of the neutral-pressure "Light Touch" technique for conductive keratoplasty (CK, Refractec) improves predictability, minimizes induced astigmatism, affords faster visual recovery, and provides the opportunity for higher corrections compared with the original approach.

Washington, DC—Fibrin tissue adhesive (Tisseel VH Fibrin Sealant, Baxter BioSurgery) is a viable and attractive alternative to suturing in pterygium surgery with conjunctival-limbal autograft, said John A. Hovanesian, MD, at the World Cornea Congress V.

Washington, DC—Topical mitomycin-C (MMC) (Mutamycin, Bristol-Myers Oncology) is an effective treatment for conjunctival primary acquired melanosis (PAM) with atypia, and may even be considered a superior alternative to surgical excision and cryotherapy, said Joseph Frucht-Pery, MD, at World Cornea Congress V.

Madison, WI—An association between mortality and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was found in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). All-cause mortality increased with increasing severity of disease, with category 4 AMD having a significantly increased association with death compared with category 1 AMD. A protective effect was seen for zinc in participants randomly assigned to therapy with the mineral.

Santa Monica, CA—Four doctors are urging ophthalmologists not to download free software supposedly available on a Russian Web site that purports to calculate IOL power using their formulas.

With the deal complete, AMO will turn up the heat on its marketing of VISX technology.

Washington, DC—Corneal pathology continues to be a major cause of blindness in developing countries of the world, and nearly all of the diseases and conditions leading to corneal blindness are preventable or treatable with existing knowledge and technology, said Gullapalli N. Rao, MD, at World Cornea Congress V.

Fort Lauderdale, FL—The phenotype of age-related macular disease provides information about the genes that confer risk or the environmental factors that are involved in risk in a particular individual, according to Alan Bird, MD, who spoke at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Orlando—Ongoing efforts to encourage the adoption of mandatory preschool vision screening in every state were the main topic of discussion during a workshop at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS).

Washington, DC—The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) is joining other professional organizations to support the "Children's Access to Vision Care Act of 2005," a bill that would provide $75 million in state grants for eye exams and other treatment for uninsured children who fail vision screenings.

Cleveland—Comprehensive ophthalmologists who understand the mechanism of botulinum toxin type A (Botox, Allergan) and the underlying anatomy can find many functional and cosmetic uses for botulinum toxin in their practices, said Julian D. Perry, MD.

Washington, DC—A new ultra-small sleeve is making sub-2-mm coaxial phacoemulsification possible.

Washington, DC—The SofPort Easy-Load Lens Delivery System (Bausch & Lomb) seems to be a giant step forward in IOL delivery. The system allows surgeons to load the lens into the inserter without the use of forceps, which eliminates damage to the IOL. The system is easy to use and cuts down surgical time, explained P. Dee G. Stephenson, MD, during the annual meeting of the American Society of Cata-ract and Refractive Surgery.

Washington, DC—Cataract surgery patients who received the AcrySof apodized diffractive IOL (ReSTOR, Alcon Laboratories) experienced a significantly higher degree of satisfaction with their vision compared with recipients of an acrylic foldable monofocal IOL, reported Robert J. Cionni, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Washington, DC—An IOL that blocks blue light leads to impairment of scotopic vision at the short wavelengths important for rod-mediated vision. The significance of this impairment in terms of the patient's visual performance remains to be determined, explained Gregory Jackson, PhD, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

Washington, DC—The improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) made with the AcrySof Natural IOL (Alcon Laboratories), an IOL that attenuates blue light, were not statistically different from the results achieved with the AcrySof single-piece conventional IOL (Alcon). The Natural IOL did not adversely affect night driving or other common lifestyle events that are measured by a HRQOL questionnaire, reported Paul Ernest, MD, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

Washington, DC—The three-piece square-edge design of the Tecnis IOL platform (AMO) seems to protect the eye against development of posterior capsular opacification (PCO) by preventing migration of epithelial cells for at least 3 years after implantation, reported Michael Colvard, MD, FACS, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Washington, DC—Accumulating experience demonstrates the efficacy and safety of refractive lens exchange (RLE) performed with bimanual microincision phaco, said I. Howard Fine, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Washington, DC—Results of a clinical trial demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the investigational nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) nepafenac 0.1% ophthalmic suspension (Alcon Laboratories) for reducing anterior segment inflammation and minimizing pain after cataract surgery, said Stephen S. Lane, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Washington, DC—The combination of a new "ultra-sleeve" (Alcon Laboratories) with the Infiniti flare tip (Alcon) allows coaxial phacoemulsification to be performed with high efficiency through a 2.1-mm incision, said Richard J. Mackool, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Washington, DC—The introduction of a topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) 3 days before phacoemulsification produced excellent results in terms of surgical efficacy and outcomes, according to Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.