News

Del Mar, CA-Eyemakers Inc. has signed a letter of intent to acquire a public company that provides LASIK surgery to patients in the Southwest.

Cleveland-A protein produced by the body might help prevent abnormal blood vessel growth and treat diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and cancer.

Washington, DC-The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded the list of procedures it will cover, including several important ophthalmic procedures.

The FDA is looking for more analysis of data before deciding whether to approve ISTA Pharmaceuticals' ovine hyaluronidase compound for the treatment of vitreous hemorrhage.

Orlando-The key to success in today's competitive contact lens market is to offer complete service and a full array of specialty contact lenses, according to one expert.

Woburn, MA-Advanced Vision Research has joined the growing number of physicians who have concluded that the anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in flaxseed oil, can relieve dry eye. The company recently added a dietary supplement containing these acids, TheraTears Nutrition, to its line of dry eye products.

Baltimore-LASIK presents a challenge to normal tear film dynamics, and some patients may be affected by prolonged neurotrophic epitheliopathy.

The paradigm of dry eye treatment is the use of solutions and lubricants applied to the eye. That is, dry eyes require topical medication in the form of artificial tears to restore tear production and comfort. Anything other than this is contrary to belief and intuition and a paradigm shift.

Los Angeles-Insertion of the Herrick Lacrimal Plug (HLP, Lacrimedics, Eastsound, WA) appears to be trouble-free for the majority of patients, with significant complications wuch as pyogenic granuloma and probing occurring in less than 10% of cases, said John C. Affeldt, MD, MPH.

San Francisco-At 1-year follow-up, the majority of patients who received the hyperopic Implantable Contact Lens (ICL, STAAR Surgical, Monrovia, CA) for correction of moderate to high hyperopia were satisfied with an uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) of at least 20/40 or better, noted Paul J. Dougherty, MD, who spoke during the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Annual Meeting.

Montreal-In the clinical setting, night vision disturbances after LASIK cannot be predicted by pupil size, but rather are correlated with preoperative sphere and the photoablation optical zone size, said Mihai Pop, MD.

Columbus, OH-Age-adjusted approaches are needed for the evaluation and management of suspected orbital fracture in pediatric patients because children are different from adults, according to JDespite the introduction of more accurate IOL formulas and biometry instrumentation, cataract and refractive lens surgery have yet to achieve the ophthalmologist's ideal of perfect emmetropia in all cases.1-5 This limitation stems from occasional inaccuracies in keratometry and axial length measurements, an inability to assess the final position of the pseudophakic implant accurately in a fibrosing capsular bag, and the difficulty of completely eliminating pre-existing astigmatism despite the use of limbal relaxing incisions and toric IOLs.6,7 A new lens technology offers the hope of taking ophthalmologists one step closer to achieving emmetropia in all cases and also perhaps further improving the final result by addressing higher-order optical aberrations.

Columbus, OH-Age-adjusted approaches are needed for the evaluation and management of suspected orbital fracture in pediatric patients because children are different from adults, according to Jill A. Foster, MD.

San Francisco-Confocal microscopy is an excellent supplement to the slit-lamp examination for identifying suspected pathology by viewing specific layers of the anterior segment, according to Herbert E. Kaufman, MD, who spoke during the Innovator's Session at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Annual Meeting.

Salt Lake City-Patients with pseudoexfoliation who have undergone cataract surgery are at risk for spontaneous IOL dislocation years after the procedure, according to Alan S. Crandall, MD.

Special keynote speech to be delivered by Dr. Folkman of Harvard MedicalSchoolThe Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) turns75 years this year. To commemorate this major milestone, several specialevents are planned during the annual meeting from May 4 to 8 in Fort Lauderdale,FL.The anniversary celebration will officially open with a keynote symposiumon Sunday, May 4 at 5 p.m. during which Judah Folkman, MD, director of surgicalresearch, and the Andrus professor of pediatric surgery and professor ofcell biology, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, willdeliver the keynote address. The 75th Anniversary Celebration Social willfollow from 7 to 9 p.m.

CA-The FDA approval of gatifloxacin ophthalmic solution 0.3% (Zymar, Allergan) marks a milestone as the first fourth-generation fluoroquinolone to enter the ophthalmic market. The therapy for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis caused by susceptible strains of bacteria also has a unique mechanism to prevent development of antibiotic resistance, according to Allergan.

Taking outdoor activities to an extreme is a way of life for William L. Benedict, MD. Whether it's kayaking, mountain biking, or snow skiing, he is constantly pushing his skills to the limit.

S?o Paulo-A comparative study has demonstrated that the M2 130 Single-Use microkeratome (Moria, Antony, France) performs identically to its reusable counterpart, the conventional M2 110. In addition, the Single-Use microkeratome is significantly easier to use and allows greater visibility, according to Renato A. Neves, MD, director of Eye Care Oftalmologia LASER Vision Centers here.

Baltimore-All phakic IOLs are associated with potential problems, although evolution in implant design has been accompanied by declining complication rates, said Walter J. Stark, MD.

In the past decade, porous orbital implants have become the implant of choice for many surgeons managing the anophthalmic socket after enucleation or evisceration. By permitting fibrovascular ingrowth, these porous implants are better able to resist infection, migration, and extrusion when compared with acrylic or silicone implants.

A craniocervical arterial dissection usually results from a tear in the intimal arterial layer. This tear allows the formation of a false lumen containing a clot, which can lead to thromboembolic complications (stroke). If the dissection is subintimal, stenosis of the artery is the likely end result. If it is subadventitial, the result is a "pseudo-aneurysm" (Figure 1).

San Francisco-A few years have passed since Kentucky became the first state to pass a law mandating its children have comprehensive eye exams by an optometrist or ophthalmologist before entering kindergarten.

London-Routine testing for color vision deficiency is not a reliable method to detect digoxin toxicity in patients taking the drug for heart failure or other cardiac problems, said J.G. Lawrenson, PhD.

Niagara Falls, Ontario-Switching to once-daily instillation of nedocromil sodium 2% ophthalmic solution (Alocril, Allergan) is an effective alternative for maintaining control of ocular symptoms of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis after acute relief is obtained with twice-daily administration, according to an environmental study conducted by Michael Alexander, MD.

Wailea, HI-Olopatadine 0.2% (Patanol, Alcon) significantly reduced itching and redness for 24 hours, according to the results of a study presented at the annual meeting of the Western Society of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Boston-The mast-cell stabilizer pemirolast potassium 0.1% (Alamast, Santen) is a safe, comfortable, and effective agent for preventing and relieving ocular itching of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis throughout the allergy season, according to a pooled analysis of data from phase III trials.

Tampa, FL-Loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic suspension 0.2% (Alrex, Bausch & Lomb Pharmaceuticals and Pharmos Corp.), the first corticosteroid specifically designed for signs and symptoms of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis (SAC), is safe for long-term use, according to a recent multicenter study.