News

A special session on age-related macular degeneration (AMD) sponsored by Novartis Ophthalmics was held at the W New Orleans Hotel to spotlight the direction research is taking with the disease.

Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) utilizing a short-pulse, low-energy (532 nm) laser (Selecta Duet, Lumenis) is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with open-angle glaucoma. This approach offers good IOP lowering and control while preserving the trabecular meshwork architecture, said its developer, Mark A. Latina, MD.

Although amblyopia has been recognized for a long time, patching has been the primary treatment and the cause is unknown., according to Creig Hoyt, MD of San Francisco during the William F. Hoyt Lecture at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Dermis fat grafts have become "overlooked" as orbital implants in favor of newer alternatives but deserve to maintain a role in primary and secondary socket implant procedures, and more complex socket problems, said James A. Katowitz, MD, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK) should be considered first for patients with endothelial dysfunction requiring corneal transplant surgery, said Mark A. Terry, MD.

The accommodating IOL (Crystalens, eyeonics) appears promising in providing pseudophakic patients with enough pseudoaccommodation to function without near glasses, said George I. Papastergiou, MD.

An implantable miniature telescope (IMT, VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies Inc.) may help improve visual acuity in patients with bilateral, end-stage macular degeneration, according to the phase II/III results at 6 months.

Stuart L. Fine, MD, covered the evolution of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) over the last 35 years in his Jackson Memorial Lecture during the opening session of the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Laserex held a breakfast symposium Sunday morning to address the merits and mechanisms of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) and to provide a forum to discuss the efficacy of SLT in the treatment of open-angle glaucoma.

FCI Ophthalmics (Booth 5339) announces that it has been awarded distribution rights for the Mackool Cataract Support System (CSS).

The tenets of evidence-based medicine, rather than anecdotal evidence, can be used to improve cataract and refractive surgery outcomes, concluded panelists at a breakfast CME symposium on Sunday.

Perhaps more valuable if less provocative than clues to the "Da Vinci Code," as set out in the bestselling thriller, are the keys to the glaucoma code, which could lead to improvements in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.

NuLens Ltd., a company formed 2 years ago in Herzliya Pituach, Israel, has developed a new accommodative IOL technology that offers more than 10 D of accommodative power, according to Joshua Ben-Nun, MD, chief scientific officer, NuLens, who spoke at a breakfast session during the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Eyeonics announces that it has received FDA approval to market its accommodating IOL (Crystalens) in 0.25-D steps.