News

San Francisco-A discussion of medical policy in the United States and around the world by the administrator and chief executive officer for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services will highlight the joint meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the European Society of Ophthalmology meeting next month.

Santa Ana, CA-Advanced Medical Optics Inc.'s (AMO) Silver Series Unfolder can be used successfully with the Tecnis and CeeOn IOLs, which the company recently acquired from Pfizer Ophthalmics.

Santa Monica, CA-The first three U.S. cataract patients to receive the ThinOptX lens have achieved 20/20 uncorrected visual acuity 4 days after implantation.

Los Angeles-Like that twinkle in her eye? It might not be there just for you.

Dallas-Refocus Group Inc., a medical device company engaged in the research and development of treatments for eye disorders, announced promising preliminary data from the company's ongoing phase II clinical trials for the treatment of presbyopia.

Rochester, NY-The FDA has issued approvable letters to Bausch & Lomb for loteprednol etabonate and tobramycin ophthalmic suspension (ZyLET), and Allergan Inc. for its bimatoprost 0.03%/timolol 0.05% solution (Lumigan).

Los Angeles-A 5-year, multipart study of Latino eye health shows that open-angle glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy pose significant risks to this population.

Mississauga, Ontario-OccuLogix, an ophthalmic therapeutic company working on treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), plans to hold an initial public offering of its stock.

Des Plaines, IL-Physicians treating advanced keratoconus may find a new standard of care now that the FDA has approved a Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) for micro-thin prescription inserts (Intacs).

San Diego-The M2 130-?m disposable head (Moria) performed well in a small series of patients who underwent LASIK for the treatment of myopia and myopic astigmatism. The faster surgical path used with this device may be responsible for induction of less higher-order aberration.

Tokyo-Dry eye is a well-known complication of LASIK, but what may be less widely recognized is that it can be a cause of visual dysfunction in addition to a source of discomfort, said Kazuo Tsubota, MD.

Fort Lauderdale, FL-Two pilot studies have shown that single doses of olopatadine HCl ophthalmic solution 0.1% (Patanol, Alcon Laboratories) and pemirolast potassium ophthalmic solution 0.1% (Alamast, Santen Inc./Johnson and Johnson) were comparable in reducing and controlling ocular itching in cat-sensitive individuals, according to Jason S. Rothman, MD, Cornea fellow, New England Eye Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston.

Fort Lauderdale, FL-A new formulation of an anti-allergy medication, olopatadine HCl ophthalmic solution 0.2% (Patanol II, Alcon Laboratories), provides two important advantages. It allows once-daily dosing, which increases patient compliance, and maintains the level of effectiveness of the original formulation, olopatadine 0.1%, during peak pollen seasons for an extended period up to 24 hours, according to Jack Greiner, DO, PhD.

Topical anti-allergic medications do not induce the ocular drying characteristic of systemic antihistamines.

Ancillary testing prior to vitreoretinal surgery is one of the components of a successful outcome.

Santa Ana, CA-Advanced Medical Optics Inc. (AMO) has completed its $450 million cash acquisition of Pfizer Ophthalmics' surgical business.

New Orleans-Transvitreal optic neurotomy, a space-creating procedure, may be a beneficial treatment for patients with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) because it reduces constriction of ocular tissue and prevents necrosis of functioning nerve fibers.

Boston-Optical coherence tomography (OCT), a relatively new technology introduced in 1995, has been getting increasingly greater attention as its usefulness is better appreciated in the areas of retina and glaucoma. Joseph F. Rizzo III, MD, discussed the technology as it applies to neuro-ophthalmic practice.

Los Angeles-"An assessment of ocular motility is a component of a comprehensive ophthalmologic examination. Therefore, it should be carried out even in the absence of complaints referable to the ocular motor system," said Howard R. Krauss, MD, clinical professor of ophthalmology, Jules Stein Eye Institute, and clinical professor of neurosurgery, UCLA, Los Angeles. "More detailed ocular motor tests can be performed when clinically indicated."

New York-Differentiating the classic embolic visual loss of amaurosis fugax from the numerous other causes of transient visual loss involves careful evaluation. Mark J. Kupersmith, MD, described how to differentiate among the various causes of transient visual disturbance and target the necessary diagnostic procedures.

Philadelphia-Cerebrovascular dissection represents a life-and-death situation for the patient. Ophthalmologists should be able to recognize this potentially catastrophic diagnosis and initiate emergent treatment, said Nicholas Volpe, MD.

Dallas-A sleep study should be performed in patients who have an elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) level and biopsy-negative ischemic optic neuropathy. Elevated CRP may be a marker for sleep apnea-associated optic neuropathy, according to John G. McHenry, MD.

Monterey Park, CA-Latanoprost (Xalatan, Pfizer) may be an alternative treatment for blepharospasm. Ted C. Wei Jr., MD, reported that 75% of his patients had moderate to complete resolution of symptoms after latanoprost was prescribed.

St. Louis-When the rule of the pupil was first described in 1958 by Wilbur Rucker, MD, there were specific guidelines to follow if the pupillary reaction was normal and if it was not; in the first case, paralysis is likely due to occlusive vascular disease and in the second case to aneurysm.

Rockville Center, NY-Nedocromil sodium is the mainstay of therapy for patients who need chronic medication because it offers continued relief without the development of tolerance.

Fort Lauderdale, FL-Ophthalmic epinastine HCl is a new therapy for symptomatic relief of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis that is at least as effective and well tolerated as ketotifen fumarate (Zaditor, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Duluth, GA), reported Stefano Bonini, MD, at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Cleveland-A series of ongoing clinical trials helps the clinician better understand the proper timing and selection of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin (Visudyne, QLT Phototherapeutics/Novartis Ophthalmics) for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), said Peter K. Kaiser, MD, staff physician at the Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Baltimore-A dexamethasone posterior segment drug delivery system (Posurdex, Allergan), developed by Oculex Pharmaceu- ticals, performed well in a phase II trial in patients with macular edema, with a 700-?g dose achieving statistically significant results when compared with an observation-only control group, according to Julia A. Haller, MD.

Des Plaines, IL-Second-quarter sales for Addition Technology Inc.'s Intacs micro-thin prescription inserts for surgical vision correction increased 51% over the same quarter last year and 7% over the first quarter of 2004.

Irvine, CA-Refractec Inc. is reporting record sales and procedures performed with its ViewPoint CK System, which performs conductive keratoplasty (CK) to treat presbyopia.