News

Refractec Inc. announces the promotion of Thomas G. Frinzi to the newly created position of chief operating officer to oversee the company?s growing global operations. Frinzi, formerly senior vice president of sales and marketing, will add clinical, regulatory affairs, and quality assurance to his sales and marketing responsibilities. He continues to report directly to President and CEO Mitchell B. Campbell.

Lumenis, which celebrates 40 years of ophthalmic laser innovation this year, offered ophthalmologists a ?Passport to Adventure? at The Field Museum in downtown Chicago on Friday evening.

Implantation of micro-thin prescription inserts (Intacs, Addition Technology) in eyes with keratoconus appears to result in better refractive and visual outcomes when the femtosecond laser (IntraLase FS, IntraLase) is used for channel creation instead of a mechanical device, said Yaron Rabinowitz, MD, at the refractive surgery subspecialty day meeting sponsored by the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

IntraLASIK as a one-step procedure is safe and effective for correction of ametropia after penetrating keratoplasty (PK), although the best refractive results may be achieved in eyes with only mild-to-moderate astigmatism, said Irina S. Barequet, MD, at the refractive surgery subspecialty day meeting sponsored by the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

The Retisert implant (Bausch & Lomb), a nonbiogradable device containing fluocinolone acetonide, is approved for the treatment of uveitis and seems promising in diabetic macular edema (DME) and vein occlusion, according to Glenn Jaffe, MD. He reported his experience with the implant on Friday during retina subspecialty day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

The 12-month results of two randomized clinical trials of ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) indicate that the drug shows encouraging signs of activity against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), reported Jeffrey Heier, MD, Friday at the retina subspecialty day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology

CE approval has been granted for SOLX?s 24-karat DeepLight Gold Micro-Shunt (GMS), which is available for sale outside the United States for the first time.

Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc. announces that the FDA has granted 510(k) clearance for its Visante OCT. The device is a stand-alone, high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging system for the anterior segment of the eye, including the cornea, iris, angle, and the lens.

Eyeonics has developed the crystalens SE System (Square Edge System), a modified design of the original crystalens accommodating IOL, which offers a 360? square-edge optic to help prevent posterior capsule opacification (PCO).

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy has been validated as the foundation treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), evidence-based medicine should drive practice patterns, combination therapies should improve results, early treatment of early disease is a better approach, and anti-VEGF therapies will have a wider role to play than solely in AMD, stated Lawrence Singerman, MD, Friday during the retina subspecialty day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Preliminary results from small studies suggest Fourier-based wavefront LASEK may provide a safe and effective method for enhancing highly aberrated eyes that have had previous RK or LASIK, said Marguerite B. McDonald, MD, clinical professor of ophthalmology, Tulane University, and director, Southern Vision Institute, New Orleans.

A number of incremental advances that have occurred in wavefront-guided treatment during the past year have added up to significantly enhanced outcomes of these customized procedures, said Capt. Steven C. Schallhorn, MD, director, cornea and refractive surgery, Naval Medical Center, San Diego.

Cataract surgery does not seem to accelerate progression to neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in those patients who are at low-to-moderate risk for progression, reported Frederick Ferris III, MD, Friday during the retina subspecialty day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.

The Age-Related Eye Disease Study II (AREDS II) will begin soon after the AREDS ends in December 2005. The study aims to refine the findings of AREDS, which demonstrated that oral supplementation with high-dose antioxidant vitamin and minerals (vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc, and copper) reduced the risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by 25%.

Participants in a Friday evening CME Symposium at The Fairmount Chicago received an update on factors that influence early diagnosis and detection of progression and therefore are crucial to effective patient management. Moderator Robert N. Weinreb, MD, University of California, San Diego, and other speakers discussed recent advances in optic nerve evaluation and the impact of central corneal thickness (CCT) and other factors on IOP measurement.

Some eye movements are mediated through the temporal lobe for target position; the saccades and pursuits are initiated in the posterior parietal lobe.

Increased intracranial pressure is associated with extraocular motility disturbances.

Nashville, TN—Knowledge of skew deviations and their management has changed dramatically in recent years. Skew deviations occur more commonly than previously suspected and result from lesions in the vertical vestibular ocular reflex pathway.

Editor's Note: Howard Pomeranz, MD, describes a possible association of sildenafil and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). There are several compelling parts of the argument, including temporal relationship of symptoms to drug delivery, a suggestive rechallenge history, a biologically plausible mechanism of effect, and analogy from other cases.

When and how do you use laboratory testing in patients with suspected toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis? What patients require no testing? When and how do you use testing of intraocular fluids? What approach should be taken in routine clinical practice?

Chicago will play host to the 109th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). The main meeting will run from Sunday, Oct. 15 to Tuesday, Oct. 18, but it will be preceded by 2 full days of subspecialty presentations beginning on Friday, Oct. 14. All of the subspecialty day programs and scientific program sessions will be held at the McCormick Place Convention Center on Chicago's beautiful lakefront. On Wednesday, Oct. 19, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., "The Best of the Academy in Spanish 2005" will be held in the Imperial Ballroom at the Fairmont Chicago.

Edina, MN—When IOL piggybacking is needed, combining the modified prolate anterior surface IOL (Tecnis, AMO) with a conventional spherical IOL is a good option because it provides patients the added benefit of improved optical performance and better quality of vision, said Y. Ralph Chu, MD.

After a priority 6-month review, the FDA approved nepafenac ophthalmic suspension 0.1% (Nevanac, Alcon Laboratories), a novel nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory prodrug, for the treatment of pain and inflammation associated with cataract surgery.

Reduction of incision size represents only one of many advantages. . . . The crucial difference is not the size of the incision; it is the separation of inflow and outflow.

Must ophthalmologists understand procedural coding? Perhaps a staffer or even a computer program could do the job? Unfortunately, the answer today is that physicians need to remain involved, understanding and then overseeing the process in their offices.

Washington, DC—If capsule bag fixation is not possible, cataract surgeons have several options for IOL optic capture depending on the particular surgical needs, explained Howard V. Gimbel, MD, MPH, professor and chairman, department of ophthalmology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA.

Edina, MN—When IOL piggybacking is needed, combining the modified prolate anterior surface IOL (Tecnis, AMO) with a conventional spherical IOL is a good option because it provides patients the added benefit of improved optical performance and better quality of vision, said Y. Ralph Chu, MD.

Orlando—Visual acuity maturation was similar in infants and young children treated with IOLs or aphakic contact lenses for unilateral congenital and developmental unilateral cataracts, according to results of a small, prospective, single-center study.

Montreal—Favorable functional and anatomic outcomes in eyes with subfoveal neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) were reported following 24 weeks in an open-label, uncontrolled clinical trial using off-label, systemic and intravitreal therapy with bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech), a humanized full-length monoclonal anti-VEGF antibody.

Montreal—Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (Kenalog, Bristol-Myers Squibb) is effective in the treatment of macular diseases but is associated with complications such as ocular hypertension, endophthalmitis, intraocular inflammation, and progression of cataract. While the long-term effects of the drug still need to be determined, the drug appears to be safe for treating macular diseases.