News

Rochester, NY-Bausch &Lomb is looking to the future and the past as it celebrates the FDA acceptance of a new drug application for its new anti-inflammatory/antibiotic combination product while marking the company's 150 years in business.

As the growth of MD dispensing has been steadily increasing within the past few years, the American Association of Dispensing Ophthalmologists Inc. (AADO) has seen a parallel rise in the growth of the organization.

Boston-A recent study found that optical coherence tomography (OCT) seems to be more sensitive to changes in the retinal nerve fiber layer over time compared with standard visual field testing in patients with glaucoma, according to Gadi Wollstein, MD.

Parma, Italy-YAG laser iridotomy has a protective effect in patients with pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS) who are at high risk of developing pigmentary glaucoma, according to the results of a 10-year follow-up study from the Institute of Ophthalmology in Parma, Italy.

Cincinnati, OH-Early results from an FDA clinical trial suggest that the toric implantable contact lens (ICL, STAAR Surgical) is extremely promising as a safe and effective alternative to LASIK for the correction of myopia with astigmatism, reported David Schneider, MD.

New Orleans-Cyclosporine 0.05% ophthalmic emulsion (Restasis, Allergan) appears to be safe and effective in enhancing clinical outcomes in patients with dry eye who wish to undergo LASIK, said George M. Salib, MD.

Wayne, PA-Use of a simple tool allowing objective determination of glare can lead LASIK candidates to appreciate existing problems preoperatively and through that awareness, potentially reduce the likelihood of complaints about new or exacerbated glare postoperatively, said Steven B. Siepser, MD, a private practitioner in Wayne, PA.

Heidelberg, Germany-The aspherical Tecnis Z9000 IOL (Pfizer) achieves good centration and maintains a stable position in the capsular bag to provide continued good refractive reliability and favorable functional results, said Klio A. Becker, MD, who is a member of the Heidelberg IOL and refractive surgery research group, department of ophthalmology, University of Heidelberg.

Elmhurst, IL-The design of the Tracey-Visual Function Analyzer (Tracey-VFA, Tracey Technologies) makes it a rapid, efficient tool for evaluating preoperative and postoperative LASIK patients, said Donald Sanders, MD, PhD, Center for Clinical Research, University of Illinois-Chicago, Elmhurst, IL, who has conducted research on the Tracey-VFA.

Greenwich, CT-As a child and Azerbaijani immigrant, Vadim Filatov, MD, was a victorious chess champion. He rose from poverty, studied at Yale and Harvard, and became an enterprising ophthalmologist who was among the first to offer LASIK in the Greenwich area.

Bethesda, MD- Ten patients with late-stage retinitis pigmentosa (RP) will be the first humans to receive intraocular, polymer implants containing genetically modified human retinal epithelial cells that researchers hope will prevent further vision loss.

Yokneam, Israel-The FDA has given marketing clearance to Lumenis for its Novus TTx, its 810-nm infrared diode photocoagulator.

Atlanta-CIBA Vision Corp. has received CE Mark approval to market its Centurion SES EpiEdge epikeratome for use in Epi-LASIK procedures.

Fort Lauderdale, FL-The FDA has given GMP Companies Inc. its approval to expand a phase III clinical trial of its Eyepass glaucoma implant.

Apathy is defined in Webster's unabridged dictionary as "a lack of interest, or indifference." Apathy, coupled with an unwillingness to get involved or to speak out on issues, is endemic among the medical profession.

The year 2003 has been one of solid progress in glaucoma research and management, agree experts in the field.

Retinal specialists have reason to be excited this year, especially in the arena of developing treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In contrast to roughly 5 years ago, when only laser was available to arrest progression of extrafoveal vessels, now an array of approaches is on the horizon.

Refractive lens exchange is a safe and effective procedure for providing multifocal vision, and will ultimately become the treatment of choice for presbyopia, said Stephen F. Brint, MD.

The future of refractive lens exchange is quite promising, according to refractive guru I. Howard Fine, MD, who spoke during the AAO's refractive subspecialty day meeting. He predicted that refractive lens exchange will some day become the dominant refractive procedure because it is able "to address all components of patients' refractive errors, including presbyopia."

The recent FDA approvals of two laser eye surgery systems could significantly change the face of ophthalmology, according to several surgeons.

Chicago-IOP control remains the basis for primary treatment of glaucoma, but there have been some recent changes in the medical and surgical arenas. Now, a prostaglandin analogue is often used instead of a beta-blocker as first-line therapy, selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) has emerged as another option for primary laser surgery, and meanwhile, there is growing patient interest in complementary medicine alternatives.

Lubbock, TX-A special coating developed by Texas researchers may eventually save the nearly 35 million American contact lens wearers the hassle of removing and cleaning their contacts every night, or even every month.

Rochester, NY-For pediatric ophthalmologist Gary D. Markowitz, MD, having an ophthalmic dispensary has been a positive experience in terms of patient service as well as practice growth.

Patients considering refractive surgery are understandably nervous about undergoing procedures on their eyes. A physician who can listen to their concerns and address them all will gain their trust and their business.

For clinicians, the Internet can become a valuable tool for disseminating information on their practices and, ultimately, in attracting new patients.

A sign of an excellent company is one that capitalizes on its strengths, minimizes its weaknesses, takes advantage of its opportunities, and recognizes its threats, according to James V. Mazzo, president and chief executive officer of Advanced Medical Optics (AMO).

Chicago-Bleb leaks occur in 2% to 7% of eyes after filtering surgery and are important to recognize and treat because they can be a precursor to other complications, including ocular hypotony, blebitis, and endophthalmitis.

With the change in the weather, kids have settled back into the school routine and many fall sports have started up again. Unfortunately, along with the increase in organized and pick-up sports, more sports-related eye injuries are possible. More than 40,000 eye injuries each year are attributed to sports trauma.