News

Minneapolis-As refractive surgery gains in popularity, it is imperative that an IOP measurement not be the sole criterion for glaucoma screening, said Minneapolis ophthalmologist Thomas W. Samuelson, MD.

Forli, Italy-Automated anterior lamellar keratoplasty offers a number of advantages over other therapeutic approaches in the treatment of keratoconus, according to Massimo Busin, MD. Importantly, patients experience rapid visual recovery and achieve exceptionally good visual acuity (VA) results.

Little Silver, NJ-LASIK monovision is a viable choice for both myopia and hyperopia, but careful patient selection is crucial for best results, particularly among patients with hyperopia, said Daniel B. Goldberg, MD, FACS, Atlantic Laser Center, Little Silver, NJ.

Baltimore-Use caution when re-treating a patient who has had refractive surgery, advised Nada S. Jabbur, MD. Just as care should be taken in performing initial LASIK procedures, re-treatments require special care and should not be trivialized, according to Dr. Jabbur.

Andover, MA-The antibiotic ISV-401 (InSite Vision, Alameda, CA) in development to treat acute bacterial conjunctivitis has achieved a bacterial eradication rate of 85% by the third day of treatment and 90% by 7 to 9 days, according to a phase II clinical trial.

Orlando-Children with moderate amblyopia may be successfully treated with patching or atropine drops, regardless of age less than 7 years or depth of amblyopia for the most common causes of amblyopia, according to Michael X. Repka, MD, at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Sydney-Smoking is the principal known, preventable risk factor associated with any form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to analyses of combined data from population-based eye disease studies conducted on three continents, said Paul Mitchell, MD, PhD.

Restoration of accommodation and elimination of aberration arebecoming the standards by which we evaluate the results of cataract andrefractive surgery today.

Rochester, NY-On the same day Bausch & Lomb celebrated FDA approval of a larger treatment range for its Technolas 217A excimer laser system, it said it would delay a year before asking the FDA to approve its Retisert drug-delivery implant.

The Steinert II LASIK speculum (Rhein Medical) helps to increase ocular surface exposure for the positioning of a microkeratome, according to refractive and anterior segment surgeon Roger F. Steinert, MD, who was involved in its design.

Atlanta-CIBA Vision will purchase the posterior-chamber phakic refractive lens (PRL) from Medennium.

The creation of a mobile ophthalmologic aid service in Russia has enabled elderly and disabled patients access to desperately needed eye care.

Irvine, CA-Refractec Inc. has completed patient enrollment for its phase III clinical trial for conductive keratoplasty (CK) as a treatment for presbyopia.

Greensboro, NC-Nidek will introduce the MP-1 Micro Perimeter in the United States and globally following FDA approval of its combined perimetry and fundus imaging instrument.

Approximately 30 million people are afflicted with chronic sinusitis annually. Many can be successfully treated with antibiotics but for those who cannot, surgery is often recommended.

Baltimore-Treatment of people with ocular hypertension without a diagnosis of glau-coma has been poorly understood, but there is no doubt that the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) has brought the field a lot farther.

New Orleans-The AcrySof ReSTOR IOL (Alcon), with apodized diffractive optic technology, is providing good near vision and good distance vision under all lighting conditions, based on early results in U.S. clinical trials. In addition, the lens is producing few unwanted visual phenomena, according to Stephen Brint, MD.

Baltimore-Recent studies have found that the effectiveness of surgical treatment for glaucoma varies by race.

Not long after topical timolol was introduced in 1978, it became one of the most widely prescribed glaucoma medications in the world. Although timolol is considered to be the most significant therapeutic advance in the medical treatment of glaucoma in the 20th century, the 1994 introduction of prostaglandin analogs for glaucoma treatment in Japan marked the end of timolol's domination.

When trauma or pathology necessitate removal of the eye, evisceration can be a successful solution and alternative to enucleation when applied in properly selected patients, said John W. Shore, MD.

Baltimore-Ophthalmologists can be comfortable identifying and managing certain eyelid lesions in their offices if they pay attention to a few basic principles. A working knowledge of common benign and malignant lesions is the key to managing these lesions, according to Shannath L. Merbs, MD, PhD, who spoke at the Current Concepts in Ophthalmology meeting here.

Iowa City, IA-Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a common ocular affliction, but because it is generally a late-onset disease, it is difficult to study molecularly, according to Wallace L.M. Alward, MD.

Omaha, NE-The Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) clearly demonstrat-ed that topical IOP-lowering medications can delay the onset of primary open-angle glaucoma. In addition, the OHTS study also revealed two very important secondary messages, which may be as important as the primary finding, according to M. Roy Wilson, MD.

Jacksonville, FL-Wavefront technology is the tool of the future to determine the total optical system of the eye, according to Arun Gulani, MD.

Refractive surgery in the next few years will be dominated by the intellectually and, we hope, clinically exciting introduction of wavefront-guided surgery. Both from the viewpoint of improving our current results and for the treatment of the patient suffering adverse optical sequelae after LASIK, wavefront technology offers a novel and promising diagnostic and surgical approach. Indeed, refractive surgery today-borrowing from optics, astronomy, physics, engineering, and biology-represents the ultimate fusion of science, technology, and medicine.

Jacksonville, FL-Mastering the lamellar corneal surgery technique may extend the benefits to both physician and patient well beyond LASIK, according to Arun C. Gulani, MD. In the technically demanding surgery, a partial-thickness cornea is replaced with donor tissue of the same size and thickness.

Do you remember not long ago that a trip overseas meant virtually losing contact with home? Even a simple task such as making a phone call became an adventure- looking for the correct change with foreign coins, placing them in the appropriate slots, and then, of course, figuring out the time back home.

Editors Note: Birdshot chorioretinopathy (BSCR) is an uncommon, but potentially serious, inflammatory disorder that involves both the choroid and retina. No systemic associations have been observed consistently to date. While a strong association with the HLA-A29 class I antigen suggests a genetic predisposition, the vast majority of HLA-A29-positive patients never develop BSCR, and the trigger in that small proportion of HLA-A29-positive patients that does develop the disease is unknown.

Editor's Note: I developed myectomy surgery more than 25 years ago, and this procedure has been confirmed to be the best surgical treatment for blepharospasm. I have performed more than 1,000 myectomy procedures, and while functional results (reduction in spasm) have not changed greatly in the past few years, cosmetic results have improved greatly and negative side effects and healing time have been reduced.

Tokyo-A new instrument designed for prechopping reduces phacoemulsification time by 50% and is ideal for high-vacuum and laser phaco.