News

New York—The American Association of Dispensing Ophthalmologists (AADO) has endorsed eight continuing education courses, March 31 to April 1, during the International Vision Expo East conference at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York. The courses presented by AADO, of which Ophthalmology Times is a sponsor, include:

For the 12-month ending (ME) period closing Sept. 30, 2005, the vision-care industry in the United States generated nearly $26.2 billion in revenue, an increase of 3.8% compared with the previous 12-month period.

Chronic trachoma was treated with oily or fatty ointments, which contained myrrh, resin, malachite, yellow ocher, and red natron.

Monrovia, CA—STAAR Surgical Co. expects to begin U.S. shipments this month of the Visian implantable collamer lens (ICL), a foldable, minimally invasive lens approved for the correction of adult myopia.

San Francisco—The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has developed an ophthalmology curriculum of more than 800 topics that it believes represent the material that is most relevant to clinical practice.

New Orleans—Two weeks after the city of New Orleans was ravaged by the effects of Hurricane Katrina, Marguerite B. McDonald, MD, phoned New Orleans Academy of Ophthalmology (NOAO) President Scott D. Lanoux, MD, to say speakers were assuming the NOAO's annual symposium, scheduled for March 10 to 12, 2006, would be canceled.

Lisbon, Portugal—Significant financial "disincentives" on the part of governments worldwide may be a major contributing factor to why cataract surgeons are reluctant to perform simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery (SBCS), reported Steve A. Arshinoff, MD, FRCSC, at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.

Baltimore—Some patients with preoperative risk factors for developing post-LASIK ectasia never develop the complication, while other individuals without evidence of topographic abnormalities or pachymetry values associated with surgical risk do.

New York—Ophthalmologists who choose to use bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) for off-label treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) should not expect Medicare to reimburse those expenses, according to George A. Williams, MD.

Chicago—Refractive surgeons should be confident about treating patients of all ages with hyperopia and hyperopic astigmatism because there are many treatment options that can produce satisfying results, according to Carmen J. Barraquer, MD, who received the Barraquer Award at the American Academy of Ophthalmo-logy annual meeting.

Indianapolis—A process called accommodative arching is what Kevin Waltz, MD, OD, uses to describe how the crystalens IOL (eyeonics Inc.) and the natural crystalline lens work in the eye.

Chicago—Early results from a multicenter, prospective study provide evidence to support the conclusion that EpiLASIK is a safe and effective procedure that may fulfill its promise to offer the advantages of PRK and LASIK with the disadvantages of neither, said Marguerite B. McDonald, MD, at Refractive Surgery 2005: Simply the Best.

Miami—Results from an international clinical trial including nearly 1,600 eyes indicate laser presbyopia reversal (LAPR) increases accommodation and improves near and intermediate vision with a benefit that is maintained for up to 5 years, said Richard S. Kalski, MD.

Charlotte, NC—The iris claw phakic IOL (Verisyse, AMO) is a welcome addition to the refractive surgeon's armamentarium for enabling treatment of patients who are not good candidates for custom wavefront-guided LASIK or IntraLASIK either because of level of myopia or corneal thickness, said Jonathan Christenbury, MD.

Munich, Germany—Ongoing follow-up in recipients of the STAAR toric implantable collamer lens (TICL) shows that this phakic IOL continues to provide safe, stable, and accurate correction for moderate to high myopia and astigmatism, said Tobias H. Neuhann, MD.

Most patients had clear corneas after surgery and achieved a more rapid visual recovery.

Chicago—Wavefront-guided CustomCornea LASIK using the LADARVision 4000 Excimer Laser System (Alcon Laboratories) safely and effectively treats mixed astigmatism and with some advantages compared with conventional LASIK, said James J. Salz, MD, at the refractive surgery subspecialty day meeting sponsored by the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Chicago—Topography-guided LASIK performed with a platform consisting of the Atlas 995 topographer, the CRS-Master software program for ablation planning, and the MEL-80 excimer laser (Carl Zeiss Meditec) offers a safe and highly successful method for improving outcomes in eyes with debilitating vision complaints after previous refractive excimer laser surgery, said Frank J. Goes, MD, at the refractive surgery subspecialty day meeting sponsored by the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

One third of patients reported being spectacle-free for all reading and about half said they wore glasses some of the time to work at the computer.

Chicago—Higher amounts of preoperative coma and a greater difference between the preoperative manifest and wavefront-measured cylinder are risk factors for postoperative astigmatism after wavefront-guided LASIK using the Zyoptix platform (Bausch & Lomb), reported Scott M. MacRae, MD. He spoke at the refractive surgery subspecialty day meeting sponsored by the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Chicago—An early report of custom topography-guided LASIK indicates that it is quite effective in treating irregular astigmatism and enlarging optical zones, according to David T.C. Lin, MD, FRCSC.

Chicago—Conductive keratoplasty (CK) may benefit a subset of patients who are experiencing complications from LASIK or PRK by improving corneal optics and vision, according to the results of a small, interventional case series reported at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Chicago—Implantation of microthin prescription inserts (Intacs, Addition Technology) for the treatment of keratoconus appears to result in better visual outcomes when the femtosecond laser (IntraLase FS, IntraLase) is used for channel creation instead of a mechanical device, said Yaron S. Rabinowitz, MD. He spoke during the refractive surgery subspecialty day meeting sponsored by the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Chicago—The Synchrony Dual Optic Accommodating IOL (Visiogen) is an exciting option for patients with cataract and presbyopia. Researchers reported the results of the 2-year experience with the IOL at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Miami—When determining IOL calculations after refractive surgery, surgeons can take a few steps to avoid any pseudophakic refractive surprises, according to Terence O'Brien, MD.

Researchers have been working hard to develop an artificial cornea for use in patients who are at high risk of graft failure with a conventional corneal transplant. Patients at high risk of corneal graft failure are those who have undergone previous transplantations that were unsuccessful. Attempting to transplant another corneal graft after one, two, three, or more previous attempts likely will result in another failed procedure. In addition, patients without a previous corneal transplant in whom a donor corneal graft is likely to fail can also benefit from an artificial cornea.

Vancouver, Canada—QLT Inc. has outlined a new strategic plan that refocuses it on key programs in an effort to streamline the company and increase revenues.

Cincinnati—Robert H. Osher, MD, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Cincinnati and medical director emeritus of the Cincinnati Eye Institute, is celebrating 20 years of the Video Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery with two issues in 2006.