News

Rochester, NY—Bayer HealthCare LLC's Biological Products Division has granted Bausch & Lomb (B&L) an exclusive worldwide license to its Plasmin technology for use in developing novel therapies for ocular conditions.

Vienna, Austria—In an unprecedented event, the Association of International Glaucoma Societies (AIGS) is hosting the World Glaucoma Congress in Vienna, Austria. Organizers believe the meeting, which runs July 6 to 9, will attract about 2,000 general ophthalmologists, glaucoma specialists, and industry representatives to study a disease that is debilitating to more than 100 million people worldwide.

A waterfall may just be a waterfall for many passers-by, but in the eyes of David A. Snyder, MD, the cascading water may be an intricate part of a photograph waiting to be captured.

Boston—Ultra-high-speed spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) is a significant advance in noninvasiveretinal imaging that allows for rapid, comprehensive screening of large areas and three-dimensional (3-D) volume rendering of the optic nerve head and fovea, said Johannes F. de Boer, PhD.

The Accreditation Council forContinuing Medical Education (ACCME) has awarded theAmerican Academy of Ophthalmology' (AAO) CME program Accreditation with Commendation, a distinction awarded to only 8% of all accredited CME providers, and one that is seldom achieved by a medical specialty society.

New Orleans—Travoprost 0.004% (Travatan, Alcon Laboratories) lowers IOP by both increasing outflow facility and improving uveoscleral outflow, according to the results of a clinical study designed to investigate the mechanism of action of travoprost.

New Orleans—Twice-daily administration of a fixed-combination product containing brimonidine 0.2% plus timolol 0.5% (Combigan, Allergan Inc.) safely and effectively lowers IOP, according to the pooled results of two 12-month, randomized, double-masked, phase III studies.

Timolol maleate ophthalmic solution 0.5% (Istalol, ISTA Pharmaceuticals), available in a new, once-a-day formulation, is as effective as a standard 0.5% timolol maleate ophthalmic solution administered twice daily to treat elevated IOP in ocular hypertension and open-angle glaucoma.

Norristown, PA—Transciliary filtration (TCF) offers an alternative for safe and effective IOP lowering in phakic primary open-angle glaucoma but with many advantages relative to trabeculectomy.

New Orleans—Results of a prospective, randomized, double-masked study demonstrate a fixed combination of travoprost 0.004% and timolol 0.5% (Extravan, Alcon Laboratories) administered once daily is safe, well-tolerated, and offers better IOP lowering than monotherapy using either of its components, said Howard S. Barnebey, MD.

Uppsala, Sweden—Adjunctive latanoprost (Xalatan, Pfizer) therapy for open-angle glaucoma is safe and effective, based on the results of a 5-year assessment of the drug. The mean decrease in IOP was 25% of the baseline IOP and this was sustained without any treatment change in 70% of eyes.

New Orleans—Patient adherence to prostaglandin analogue or prostamide therapy for glaucoma is high but not perfect. There are still opportunities to improve adherence to therapy with these drugs, according to Jacob Wilensky, MD.

New Orleans—The ExPRESS miniature glaucoma shunt (Optonol Ltd., Neve Ilan, Israel; marketed by CIBA Vision, Duluth, GA), originally intended to be placed through the limbus and under a conjunctival flap, produced significant IOP lowering yet an unacceptable high rate of complications. So researchers are now investigating placement of the device under a scleral flap, according to Marlene R. Moster, MD.

New Orleans—Bleb needling may be a good approach for early bleb failure if medication, digital massage, and suture lysis or removal are not effective. In the case of late bleb failure, YAG laser lysis of the sclerotomy, bleb needling, and bleb revision are favored, according to glaucoma specialist Jon M. Ruderman, MD.

New Orleans—One of the most complex aspects of glaucoma management is establishing a safe level of IOP, below which damage will not occur. But should this level be determined by a number or a percentage?

New Orleans—One of the most complex aspects of glaucoma management is establishing a safe level of IOP, below which damage will not occur. But should this level be determined by a number or a percentage?

San Francisco—A drug commonly prescribed for older men suffering from prostate enlargement seems to cause a "floppy iris" that increases the risk of complications during cataract surgery.

Vienna, Austria—Until recently, there was little, if any, communication among regional and national glaucoma societies that might reveal greater insights or solutions for the management and treatment of the disease.

Recently, a chairperson of a prominent department of ophthalmology, and someone I admire tremendously, reminded me of a major issue facing our specialty. Academic ophthalmology is facing a shortage of department chairpersons. Approximately 25 departments are currently without a permanent chairperson. On average, after 2 years of search committee activity, 50% of these positions remain unfilled.

As the practice of ophthalmology continues to evolve, it is important for physicians to remain up to date with the latest advances and discoveries in ways to preserve and protect their patients' vision.

Baltimore—Innovative pharmaceutical delivery systems are showing promise for their potential to provide safe and effective "site-directed" therapy for retinal diseases, said Eugene de Juan Jr., MD, in the Ronald G. Michels Memorial Lecture at the Current Concepts of Ophthalmology meeting.

New Orleans—Cytoskeletal agents, which increase outflow facility in the trabecular meshwork, are one of the drug classes that could expand the pharmaceutical options available to reduce IOP, said Carl B. Camras, MD, professor, chairman, and director of the glaucoma service, department of ophthalmology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha.

Santa Clara, CA—CustomVue LASIK (VISX) performed with the WaveScan system and the STAR S4 excimer laser has become the first wavefront-guided laser treatment approved by the FDA for correction of hyperopia and hyperopic astigmatism.

Salt Lake City—Healon 5, used with the Sovereign cataract extraction system with WhiteStar technology (Advanced Medical Optics), can improve the odds of success in problematic situations where complete control of the anterior chamber is critical, according to Randall J. Olson, MD, the John A. Moran Presidential Chair and chairman of ophthalmology and visual sciences, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City.

Nuremberg, Germany—The latest refinements in the Dodick laser photolysis system (A.R.C. Laser GmbH)—a new handpiece design, shorter pulse laser, and power VAC tubing system and improved laser hardware—have resulted in what investigators believe is a procedure that is superior to conventional ultrasound phacoemulsification.

San Francisco—With the Cruise Control flow restriction device (STAAR Surgical), surgeons can perform bimanual microincisional phacoemulsification at the high vacuum settings normally used for coaxial phaco and still maintain excellent chamber stability, said David F. Chang, MD.

Los Alamitos, CA—A low-power divide-and-conquer technique using the Infiniti Vision System (Alcon Laboratories) in linear burst mode provided exceptional surgeon control and low ultrasound power in the eye compared with the Legacy system linear continuous mode (Alcon Laboratories).

New Orleans—Use of the Sovereign WhiteStar (AMO) phacoemulsification machine resulted in significantly less loss of endothelial cells compared with the Millennium (Bausch & Lomb) phacoemulsification machine. There was also less loss of endothelial cells associated with removal of dense cataracts, reported Chitra Sambare, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Los Angeles—Two recent upgrades to the Millennium microsurgical system (Bausch & Lomb)—the Advanced Flow System (AFS) and Custom Control Software (CCS)—make phacoemulsification cataract removal with that machine safer and more efficient than ever before, said Uday Devgan, MD, FACS.

Poughkeepsie, NY—DisCoVisc, a new viscous-dispersive ophthalmic viscosurgical device (OVD) from Alcon Laboratories, performed comparably to Healon in a randomized, FDA phase III clinical trial in key measurements such as endothelial cell density and IOP control, according to Satish Modi, MD.