News

Vail, CO-Having an optical dispensary in a practice is an excellent way to provide full-service comprehensive eyecare for patients and has the potential to generate significant revenue for the practice, according to ophthalmic practice management specialist James Rienzo.

San Francisco-The euphoria associated with customized ablations has finally died down. Refractive surgeons are finding that there are limitations to wavefront technology, such as the cost of equipment, the additional time spent screening patients, and a learning curve for physicians and staff. But there also are limitations to the lasers and wavefront sensors.

San Francisco-Early LASIKdata for myopic astigmatism using Nidek's NAVEX platform, incorporating the OATz (Optimized Asphe-rical Transition Zone) ablation algorithm, results in exceptional treatment accuracy and quantitative and qualitative vision out-comes, said Arturo Chayet, MD, at the meet-ing of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Washington, DC-Patients can keep their health-care providers even if they have to change to a health maintenance organization (HMO) in which their provider is not currently included, according to a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.

San Francisco-CustomCornea wavefront-guided LASIK using the LADARWave aberrometer and the LADARVision 4000 exci- mer laser (Alcon) has produced excellent outcomes in treating myopia and myopic astigmatism.

San Francisco-Three-year FDA clinical trial outcome data support the safety, efficacy, and predictability of the Implantable Contact Lens (ICL, STAAR Surgical) for the treatment of moderate to high myopia, said Stephen G. Slade, MD, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

San Francisco-LASIK with the MEL 80 ex-cimer laser (Carl Zeiss Meditec) guided by Corneal Refractive Surgery Master (CRS-Master)-generated, prolate optimized "aberration-smart ablation profiles" yields out- comes that are better than those achieved with most wavefront-guided treatments, said Dan Z. Reinstein, MD, MA (Cantab), FRCSC, at the annual meeting of the American So-ciety of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

San Francisco-Could phakic IOLs some day emerge as the dominant refractive surgical approach, especially considering the past problems with early innovations?

San Francisco-In ongoing FDA clinical trial follow-up, the iris-claw myopic IOL (Artisan/Verisyse, Ophtec/AMO) continues to be associated with excellent refractive and visual outcomes along with outstanding safety and high patient satisfaction, said Elizabeth A. Davis, MD, FACS, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

San Francisco-Use of a larger ablation optical zone size in customized laser-vision correction procedures can minimize surgery- induced increases in higher-order aberrations as well as increases in higher-order aberrations that occur with increasing pupil size, said Scott M. MacRae, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. Furthermore, the relationship between pupil size and measured higher-order aberrations emphasizes the importance of performing wavefront measurements with an aperture diameter that is at least 6 mm and preferably greater than the mesopic pupil diameter in order to obtain relevant data, Dr. MacRae said.

San Francisco-Pediatric LASIK is an investigational procedure, but it can be a feasible and safe modality for young patients with anisometropic amblyopia who truly have no other option for improving best-corrected vision, said Jonathan M. Davidorf, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

"This is the paradox of vision: Sharp perception softens our existence in the world."

New York-Patients in need of treatment for retinal diseases and other maladies can now come to the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary's (NYEEI) state-of-the-art Retina Center.

Rochester, NY-Now that Bausch &Lomb has won its battle to release its generic version of brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution 0.2% (Alphagan, Allergan), the ophthalmic industry is waiting to see whether physicians will choose the generic version of the old standard or brimonidine tartrate 0.15% (Alphagan P, Allergan).

Spain-home of Toledo and some of the finest sword-makers in history, and home to the Alhambra and such people as Gaudi and Christopher Columbus-also lays claim to manyof history's most important ophthalmic families. The Barraquer family comes to mind, but there are others, including the Arruga family, which is the subject of this month's vignette.

San Francisco-Transepithelial surface ablation with adjunctive mitomycin-C (Mutamycin, Bristol-Myers Oncology) is a useful technique for achieving good visual outcomes and preventing haze in patients whose LASIK procedure was aborted because of a flap complication, said Laura T. Muller, MD, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

Cincinnati, OH-Releasable scleral-flap sutures reduce the incidence of a shallow and flat anterior chamber after trabeculectomy, without compromising long-term control of IOP, according to glaucoma specialist John S. Cohen, MD.

San Francisco-Patient noncompliance can be overcome with the delivery of medication to the eye with intraocular time-release systems, according to James P. Gills, MD, who spoke during the Innovator's Session at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

San Francisco-Wavefront-guided LASIK with the Allegretto Wave (WaveLight Laser Technologie AG, Erlangen, Germany) excimer laser appears to be safe and effective for correcting myopic astigmatism while reducing higher-order aberrations and improving quality of vision, said A. John Kanellopoulos, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Achievement award

Irvine, CA-Allergan Inc. plans to launch its ketorolac tromethamine ophthalmic solution 0.4% (Acular LS) this summer for the reduction of ocular pain and burning and stinging following corneal refractive surgery.

Beaverton, OR-PRIO Corp.'s Computer Lens and Browser Lens will be available through all 75 Essilor Labs of America under a new alliance between the companies.

Rochester, NY-Bausch & Lomb is launching a national television consumer advertising campaign promoting its SofLens multi-focal contact lens as an alternative to reading glasses for people with presbyopia.

Washington, DC-In an effort to curb the eye damage caused by teens who unwittingly buy and wear cosmetic contact lenses from unauthorized vendors, the House of Representatives will consider a bill that would recognize and regulate non-corrective contact lenses as medical devices, regardless of their intended use.

St. Louis, MO-A group of ophthalmologists, visual scientists, and individuals interested in the history of ophthalmology hosted the 16th annual meeting of the Cogan Ophthalmic History Society at the Washington University School of Medicine here.

New York, NY-ORBIS, the nonprofit global health-care organization dedicated to saving sight in developing countries, has introduced phacoemulsification to doctors in Ethiopia and distributed ocular antibiotics for 100,000 people.

Aliso Viejo, CA-The FDA's Ophthalmic Devices Advisory Panel is recommending approval of the first accommodating IOL in the United States.

The introduction of the Grieshaber Revolution DSP (Alcon) line of disposable intraocular instruments represents a true innovation in the evolution of vitreoretinal surgery, according to retinal specialists Peter Kaiser, MD, and Allen C. Ho, MD.