News

Four representatives of government and academia weighed in on the pay-for-performance (P4P) issue during the government relations general session of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) symposium.

Madison, WI?Investigators expanded the eligibility criteria of the SCORE study, a multicenter, randomized clinical trial designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of standard care versus intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) injections for the treatment of macular edema associated with central and branch retinal vein occlusion. The broader standards will accommodate a patient population more closely matched to those seen in the practice setting.

Minneapolis?The potential for better flaps, improved outcomes, and happier patients are the factors that motivated the surgeons at Minnesota Eye Consultants to join the ranks of others who are performing all-laser LASIK using the femtosecond laser microkeratome (IntraLase) for flap creation, said Richard L. Lindstrom, MD.

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Chicago?Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an important imaging technology that allows high-resolution, cross-sectional imaging of microstructures in the eye. Since the technology was first introduced, successive generations have improved considerably.

Madison, WI?Investigators expanded the eligibility criteria of the SCORE study, a multicenter, randomized clinical trial designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of standard care versus intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) injections for the treatment of macular edema associated with central and branch retinal vein occlusion. The broader standards will accommodate a patient population more closely matched to those seen in the practice setting.

Boston?Researchers at Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary (MEEI), Boston, have discovered more evidence that inflammation plays a role in the pathogenesis of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A team of investigators found Chlamydia pneumoniae, a pathogen capable of inducing chronic infection, in the diseased eye tissue of several patients with wet AMD, and the bacterium was not present in tissue from the eyes of a small group of patients without AMD.

The wavefront-guided lenses are made of programmable material that can be customized to each eye's 'optical fingerprint.'

Carlsbad, CA?SynergEyes Inc. has launched its interactive Web site at www.synergeyes.com. The site offers the ophthalmic industry and the general public the opportunity to obtain product information for the hybrid contact lenses produced by the company. SynergEyes lenses feature a rigid, gas-permeable center and a soft, hydrophilic outer skirt, resulting in a durable hybrid lens for patients seeking crisp, clear vision with the comfort of a soft lens.

Multiple educational resources are available on the site.

Chicago?Patients with unexplained visual loss are often referred to neuro-ophthalmologists to determine if the problem is associated with the optic nerve or visual pathways. Surprisingly, this is not always the problem, reported Karl C. Golnik, MD, MEd, who spoke during the subspecialty neuro-ophthalmology day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Baltimore?While once there was little to be done for patients with nystagmus, a series of medications has been discovered over the past 25 years that help many individuals with different forms of the condition, and more options are on the horizon, said David Zee, MD, professor of neurology and ophthalmology, the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore.

Chicago?Vision screening of children in the community has received attention for a great number of years, and because of that numerous instruments are commercially available to fill that need.

Baltimore?Treating amblyopia in older children and teenagers, that is, those over 7 years of age and up to 18 years, may produce positive results. The Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG) recently reported that conventional treatments can work in teenagers; however, the magnitude of the benefit varies greatly among individuals, according to Michael X. Repka, MD.

Chicago?While treatment for amblyopia is effective, there is no consensus as to what treatment works best. However a number of factors have an impact on treatment efficacy, according to Bruce A. Furr, CO, who spoke at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

In 1882 Henry Edward Juler produced a small reflecting ophthalmoscope that had a rotating disc of 21 lenses, which was also very popular during that period.

The IOL provides good unaided distance and near vision with few early postoperative complaints about the lack of the same good intermediate results.

Chicago?Evaluations of refractive surgery outcomes using a computer-based predictive model indicate that wavefront-guided LASIK results in better visual quality than optimized or conventional LASIK, regardless of the level of preoperative higher-order aberrations (HOAs), said Capt. Steven C. Schallhorn, MD, at the refractive surgery subspecialty day program during the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

By revealing that the first generation of LASIK procedures were inducing higher-order aberrations (HOAs), wavefront technology answered a key question about why outcomes had been less than perfect. At the same time, it raised a new question: How best to use that information to improve outcomes? In response, two different approaches, wavefront-guided (WFG) treatments and wavefront-optimized (WFO) treatments, emerged. So far, the FDA has approved three laser systems for WFG treatments: Alcon's CustomCornea, Advanced Medical Optics' CustomVue, and Bausch & Lomb's Zyoptix. In 2003, the agency approved one system for WFO treatments: WaveLight's AllegrettoWave.

Lisbon, Portugal?The preliminary results from the ongoing FDA trials of a comparison of wavefront-guided and wavefront-optimized treatments with the Allegretto Excimer Laser (WaveLight Laser Technologie AG) indicate that the two treatments provide similar results, reported Karl G. Stonecipher, MD, at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons annual meeting.

Lisbon, Portugal?LASIK and Epi-LASIK procedures performed using Alcon Laboratories' CustomCornea system provide patients with excellent results in uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) levels and higher-order aberrations (HOAs).

Lisbon, Portugal?Conductive keratoplasty (CK) achieves improved near vision in patients with presbyopia who have undergone a successful previous LASIK or PRK procedure. CK is the next logical refractive step for these patients as they age and want to remain free of spectacles, according to Daniel Durrie, MD.

Chicago?In-depth studies of corneal healing after wavefront-guided PRK are providing an understanding of the postoperative course of changes in refractive errors and wavefront aberrations, said Keith Holliday, PhD, at the refractive surgery subspecialty day meeting sponsored by the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Based on data from the last available follow-up visit (mean 2.5 months postop), the iris registration group had 50% less residual cylinder compared with the controls.

FDA approval of the crystalens (eyeonics), in addition to the AcrySof ReSTOR (Alcon Laboratories) and ReZoom multifocal (AMO) IOLs, allows ophthalmologists the ability to offer various choices of presbyopia-correcting technology with the hope of providing a surgical procedure that will greatly reduce or eliminate their patients' dependence on glasses following cataract surgery and refractive lens exchange. Hype and rumor regarding accommodating lens technology has created confusion regarding just how effective or ineffective these particular lenses may be. A review of the results in peer-reviewed medical literature in addition to an analysis of theoretical considerations with regard to the limits of accommodation provided by these lenses should clarify their ultimate usefulness in the average ophthalmic practice.

Chicago?Contamination of short-cycle sterilizer reservoirs may be responsible for an outbreak of postoperative endophthalmitis/toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS) in a multisurgeon clinic, said Simon P. Holland, MD, FRCSC, at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Chicago?Evidence of a rising incidence of acute endophthalmitis postcataract surgery has intensified attention regarding the role of antibiotic prophylaxis, but the jury is still out on the efficacy of topical and intracameral therapy for reducing the risk of this sight-threatening infection, said Robert W. Snyder, MD, PhD, at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Baltimore?The prevalence of cataract is high among the Hispanic population of Mexican descent living in the United States?2.8%, according to a recent report from the Proyecto VER (Vision and Eye Research) survey of Hispanic individuals living in southern Arizona. A number of barriers, including lack of medical insurance and difficulty speaking English, impede these individuals in obtaining cataract surgery, according to Aimee Teo Broman, MA.