News

Green Bay, WI-The recently introduced miniature glaucoma shunt (Ex-Press) is an exciting modality with a lot of potential, but this new IOP-lowering treatment still requires further study to define its long-term efficacy and place in the armamentarium of glaucoma management options, said James E. Memmen, MD.

Newark, NJ-Timolol hemihydrate (Betimol, Santen Inc.) is an excellent choice when a beta-blocker is indicated for IOP-lowering in patients with ocular hypertension or glaucoma, said Paul J. Lama, MD.

Los Angeles-A randomized, controlled trial comparing the combination therapy dorzolamide-timolol (Cosopt, Merck) with concomitant administration of 2% dorzolamide (Trusopt, Merck) and 0.5% timolol showed that the IOP lowering is equally effective if the drugs are given either in combination or individually.

Houston-In patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) or ocular hypertension (OH), once-daily treatment with fixed-combination latanoprost/timolol (Xalacom, Pharmacia, Peapack, NJ) is well tolerated and lowers IOP more effectively than twice-daily dorzolamide/timolol (Cosopt, Merck), according to a recent multicenter U.S. study.

Baltimore-Latanoprost 0.005% (Xalatan, Pharmacia) taken once daily is more effective in lowering IOP than unoprostone 0.15% (Rescula, Novartis) taken twice daily, according to a recent multicenter study, reported Henry D. Jampel, MD, MHS.

Los Angeles-While little is fully understood about the actual mechanisms of neuronal damage in glaucoma, a variety of IOP-independent factors seem likely to play a role, said Joseph Caprioli, MD.

Houston-Once-daily bimatoprost 0.03% (Lumigan, Allergan) is a highly effective, safe, and well-accepted IOP-lowering medication across the di-verse population of patients encountered in daily practice, according to the results of a large-scale, com-munity-based, pro-spective, open-label study.

Tucson, AZ-Topical beta-blockers have been a mainstay of ongoing treatment for glaucoma for more than 20 years, but a new study adds to the evidence that they may not be the best option for long-term control of IOP for elderly patients.

Editor's note: This is the second story in a three-part series covering a forum on "Ethnicity and Glaucoma" at Johns Hopkins University to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Baltimore Eye Study. The meeting was sponsored by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Ophthalmology Times and supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Alcon Laboratories Inc.

Hyogo, Japan-The risk of posterior capsule rupture can be reduced and the posterior capsule stabilized by increasing the infusion volume.

La Jolla, CA-Results from murine studies indicate that a population of adult bone marrow-derived hematopoietic stem cells injected intravitreally will selectively target activated astrocytes, become incorporated into blood vessels, and promote or inhibit retinal angiogenesis, reported Martin Friedlander, MD, PhD.

Nice, France-With the introduction of new implantation devices, the AcrySof IOL (Alcon, Fort Worth, TX) is now much easier to manipulate compared with previously. Takayuki Akahoshi, MD, director of ophthalmology, Mitsui Memorial Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, introduced the new implantation devices here at the XX Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.

The new LASIK Certification Program developed by the American Board of Eye Surgery (ABES) is seen as being a long time coming and an important step in the right direction for the entire field of medicine.

Nice, France-Computer-simulated phaco takes advantage of the advances in computer power and graphics to develop simulators to train surgeons in cataract surgery. This technology might serve as a tool for surgical training or be used by medical students during basic medical education to stimulate student interest in surgery and to test their skills.

Nice, France-Intracapsular cataract emulsification (ICCEM) is a promising method that simplifies and shortens cataract removal compared with phacoemulsification or extracapsular cataract extraction.

Pittsburgh-IOP-lowering products evaluated in the "real-world" setting of a clinical practice can provide valuable information for practitioners, according to Evan B. Dreyer, MD, PhD.

New York-Glaucoma therapy of 10 years ago has no application today, according to Robert D. Fechtner, MD, who opened a session on glaucoma and cataract surgery at the Glaucoma 2002 meeting here.

Los Angeles-Considering the limited availability of published randomized trials, glaucoma surgeons should remain skeptical about the safety and efficacy of viscocanalostomy and deep sclerectomy with collagen wick, said Donald S. Minckler, MD.

Napa, CA-Santen Inc. has promoted two former product directors to its executive team.

Boston-Nidek Co. is asking a federal court to review a verdict by its jury that determined Nidek's EC-5000 Excimer Laser infringes on two patents now owned by Alcon.

Rome, Italy-The implantation of the AT-45 CrystaLens accommodating IOL (C & C Vision, Aliso Viejo, CA) through a corneal tunnel resulted in disappointing outcomes in patients with 2 D or more of astigmatism. The outcomes differed for patients with against-the-rule astigmatism compared with those who had with-the-rule astigmatism, and there was no predictability in the procedure, according to Scipione Rossi, MD.

San Francisco-The Viscoat (Alcon, Fort Worth, TX) posterior-assisted levitation (PAL) technique can be used to rescue nuclei that have partially descended into the anterior vitreous after posterior capsular rupture, according to David F. Chang, MD.

Editor's Note: It has been a great pleasure and an honor to have been able to work with the editorial staff of Ophthalmology Times in creating the Cataract Corner column over the past 5 years. However, at this time I take equal pleasure in turning over the column to my two associates, Dr. Richard Hoffman and Dr. Mark Packer, both of whom are superb surgeons, excellent clinicians, great speakers, and experienced researchers. They represent the next generation of leadership in cataract and refractive surgery, and I'm sure the readers of this column will enjoy their perspective and input as they

Barcelona-Dissecting Schlemm's canal is the basis of every type of non-penetrating filtering glaucoma surgery, but the procedure can be technically challenging at first.

Mexico City-Surgical treatment of central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) by the creation of retinochoroidal anastomosis (RCA) may become an effective therapy for some patients with CRVO, according to Hugo Quiroz-Mercado, MD.

Ann Arbor, MI-Results from gene microarray studies by researchers at the University of Michigan reveal there are highly specific, age-related changes in retinal gene expression. Those findings are described in the August issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science [Yoshida S, et al. IVOS 2002; 43:2554-2560].

Fort Myers, FL-A comparison of two laser systems, the STAR S2 (VISX, Santa Clara, CA) and the LadarVision (Alcon, Fort Worth, TX), used to treat low to moderate levels of myopia indicated that the visual results after LASIK were similar between the two but that visual recovery appeared to be faster with the STAR S2.

A 42-year-old Hispanic male presented complaining of decreased vision in his left eye. He noted that his vision in that eye had decreased suddenly three weeks earlier. The patient had low hyperopia. His medical, surgical, and family histories were unremarkable. He was using no medications and had no known drug allergies. Although he initially reported no significant social history, after more extensive questioning he admitted to the occasional inhalational use of cocaine. His most recent use was on the day prior to the onset of his visual disturbance.

San Diego-Several higher-order aberrations have been correlated with patients' visual complaints after LASIK. Because wavefront technology appears to reduce the induction of higher-order aberrations after LASIK, wavefront-guided ablations may improve the visual outcomes after LASIK, according to Steven C. Schallhorn, MD.

Bucaramanga, Colombia-A study that compared traditional Planoscan ablations with Zyoptix (Bausch & Lomb, San Dimas, CA) wavefront-guided LASIK for myopia indicated that the two treatment approaches provide similar visual results.