News

The use of antiproliferative agents has helped increase thelikelihood of successful filtering surgery by inhibiting the wound healingresponse. The problem is that these agents also contribute to the risk ofbleb leak and bleb-associated infection, reported Paul J. Lama, MD, of theUniversity of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, and the Veterans'Administration Medical Center, East Orange, NJ.

What are the best approaches to the glaucoma suspect, establishedglaucoma patient, and the patient with low-tension glaucoma? Those weresome of the topics covered in the afternoon session on Friday, June 4.

Global risk assessment is a relatively new concept in ophthalmology.In the field of cardiology, risk factors to aid in treatment decisions havebeen used for 50 years. Cardiologists and internists document such factorsas blood pressure and serum lipid profiles in all patients to determinethose who are at risk and need treatment.

Automated perimetry is an important tool for the diagnosis andmanagement of glaucoma. Using this tool, clinicians can identify the abnormalvisual field and then monitor for ongoing visual field deterioration, saidJody R. Piltz-Seymour, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania, and the ScheieEye Institute, Philadelphia. She described the strengths and weaknessesof three systems currently used by clinicians.

Clinicians need to recognize the fundamental characteristicsof the glaucomatous optic nerve in daily practice. While understanding cup-to-discratio is important, it is also important to recognize other structural characteristics.

Baltimore-Peripheral iris fixation of a foldable posterior chamber IOL using a modified McCannel suture appears to be a useful technique for the management of delayed-onset within-the-bag IOL subluxation in eyes with pseudoexfoliation syndrome, said Aruoriwo M. Oboh-Weilke, MD

Des Plaines, IL-First-quarter 2004 sales of Addition Technology Inc.'s micro-thin prescription inserts (Intacs) increased 57% over the same period a year ago and 93% over the previous quarter, according to the company.

Irvine, CA-Medennium Inc. is working with GD Services Inc. of Newport Beach, CA, to help raise money for its SmartIOL, an injectable, full-sized, accommodating IOL under development.

Fort Lauderdale, FL-The ARVO Foundation, the non-profit research support group for the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), received a $500,000 grant from Pfizer Ophthalmics, New York, to fund in partnership interdisciplinary research conferences and awards to promote research related to preventing blindness.