News

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.

Irvine, CA—The viscoelastic Vitrax (Advanced Medical Optics) is ideal for creating a wall or protective barrier for safety when removing dense nuclei during phacoemulsification, said Roger F. Steinert, MD, professor of ophthalmology and of bioengineering at the University of California, Irvine.

Norristown, PA—The Fugo Blade is proving itself to be a new technology that can be used in a range of applications to enable safer and more sophisticated surgery, according to its inventor, Richard J. Fugo, MD, PhD.

Twenty-five percent of the population in the United States is under the age of 14. What’s more, one-quarter of these children have some type of visual need.

Residents in cataract and implant surgery are vying for prizes for the quality of their surgeries in the Bloomberg Videotape Competition at this year's ACES/SEE meeting.

Fort Lauderdale, FL—This year's meeting of the American College of Eye Surgeons (ACES) may be going to the dogs, but it is not because the association is joining for the second year with the Society for Excellence in Eyecare (SEE).

On Dec. 17, Eyetech Pharmaceuticals (EYET) announced FDA approval of pegaptanib sodium injection (Macugen) for the treatment of neovascular ("wet") age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The FDA approved pegaptanib sodium injection (Macugen, Eyetech Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer Ophthalmics) for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) on Dec. 17.

Coronado, CA—Transvitreal limited arteriovenous manipulation (LAM) without vitrectomy appears to be safe and effective for resolving hemorrhage and improving vision in carefully selected eyes with complicated branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO), said Rohit R. Lakhanpal, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Retinal Specialists.

Paris-The Schwind microkeratome (Schwind Technologies) is a safe instrument and allows creation of flaps with predictable thickness, according to Ioannis Aslanides, MD, and Vinod Kumar, MD.

Waltham, MA-OXiGENE Inc. is launching a phase II clinical trial of its lead compound, Combretastatin A4 Prodrug (CA4P), in patients with myopic macular degeneration (MMD) under an investigational new drug application (NDA) submitted to the FDA.

Epi-LASIK is a promising new refractive procedure that potentially offers the visual recovery and minimal pain of LASIK without some of the well-known stromal flap complications.

For many American children, especially boys, the toys most cherished on Christmas morning were model trains. For Robert Laird, MD, Portland, OR, the love continued to flourish right into adulthood. His fascination with whistles, smoking engines, and painstaking detail continues.

New Orleans-Lowering IOP in patients with ocular hypertension or early glaucoma does help delay or prevent further damage. However, does every 1 mm Hg of pressure reduction really affect patient outcomes?

Paris-The Schwind microkeratome (Schwind Technologies) is a safe instrument and allows creation of flaps with predictable thickness, according to Ioannis Aslanides, MD, and Vinod Kumar, MD.

Los Angeles-The BD K-3000 (BD Ophthalmics) is an easy-to-use microkeratome that surgeons can rely on for safe and predictable performance in LASIK flap creation, said Jonathan M. Davidorf, MD.

Paris-The Amadeus II microkeratome (Advanced Medical Optics) builds on the advantages of its predecessor with new features that enhance safety, efficiency, and ease of use, said Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, at the XXII Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.Dr. Donnenfeld presented a study in which he evaluated the Amadeus II in a series of 100 eyes of 50 patients.

Houston-A new federal grant focusing on painful inherited visual disorders that scar the cornea will allow researchers to narrow the genetic cause of one type of corneal dystrophy and to offer improved diagnosis of this family of diseases.

The keratome features a 19-mm suction ring that fits well into small eyes.

New Orleans-Six-month follow-up results from a randomized, prospective, contralateral eye comparison study confirm findings from earlier visits showing all-laser LASIK performed with the femtosecond laser microkeratome (IntraLase FS, IntraLase) yields superior vision outcomes compared with the same ablation procedure performed in eyes with a mechanical microkeratome-created flap, reported Daniel S. Durrie, MD, at the 2004 ISRS/AAO refractive surgery subspecialty day meeting.

Paris-The performance of the new Zyoptix XP microkeratome (Bausch & Lomb) is comparable to that of the Hansatome microkeratome (Bausch & Lomb), according to Wing Kwong Chan, MD.

Salt Lake City-Researchers at the University of Utah's Moran Eye Center have identified gene mutations that impair the ability of the photoreceptor cells to dispose of waste properly and as a result cause retinitis pigmentosa.

New Orleans-Findings of a retrospective study of ocular sequelae in baby-boomers born prematurely and who developed retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) reinforces the concept that ROP is a lifetime disease requiring ongoing, careful surveillance, said William S. Tasman, MD, at the American Academy of Ophthalmology retina subspecialty day meeting.