News

San Francisco-Allan D. Jensen, MD, will serve as the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) president-elect in 2003 and president in 2004.

Mississauga, Ontario-Rheo Clinic, subsidiary of TLC Vision, will develop, own, and manage commercial facilities for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Hershey, PA-The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) has launched a $6.3-million Center for Mechanisms and Intervention of Diabetic Retinopathy at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Ophthalmology Times, a leading publication of Advanstar Healthcare Communications, announced today that it has been nominated for two awards in the 49th annual Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards competition.Ophthalmology Times is a finalist in the following categories: Best Single Issue of Newspaper/News Tabloid for the October 15, 2002 issue, and Best Regularly Featured Department or Column for the new InDispensable section. Neal Award winners will be revealed at the awards luncheon in New York City on March 12th.

New year begins with ophthalmic resolution to halt 4.4% cut in Medicare reimbursement

Micro-suction ring eases flap creation in deep-set eyes; fits in smaller fissures

Phase III studies for high myopia, hyperopia show stable refractions, few complications

Those with moderate myopia, hyperopia are potential candidates for vision correction surgery

Orlando-The MK-2000 (Nidek) is a one-piece automated microkeratome designed for ease of use and safety, reported Maria C. Arbelaez, MD, during the refractive surgery subspecialty day prior to the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Nice, France-The disposable Steritome microkeratome (Refractive Technologies) brings unparalleled safety and predictability to LASIK flap creation, according to Ronald Singal, MD.

Orlando-The Amadeus microkeratome (Advanced Medical Optics, AMO) combines the advantages of a pre-assembled microkeratome with a number of "bells and whistles" that further increase its ease of use and contribute to safe and reliable performance in creating lamellar flaps, according to Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD.

Orlando-The M2 (Moria) is an easy-to-assemble, automated microkeratome that allows customization of various flap features and offers an excellent safety profile, said Raymond M. Stein, MD.

Always measure corneal thickness to decrease the risk of ectasia, since various factors can affect final flap thickness, expert advises

Orlando-Laser vision correction can be an effective treatment for anisometropic amblyopia in children, according to Deepinder K. Dhaliwal, MD.

Waterjet deal dries up

Baltimore-Amblyopia is a relatively common problem in children, but there is no consensus on the best treatment. Recently, there has been increasing interest in using atropine drops instead of patching, but they are not FDA approved for that indication, said Michael X. Repka, MD.

Orlando-Recent advances in macular surgery are now making it possible to treat the various disorders associated with pathologic myopia, according to Yasuo Tano, MD, who delivered the Edward Jackson Memorial Lecture during the opening session of the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Orlando-Ophthalmologists should be aware of the risks to the ocular surface associated with long-term use of glaucoma medications, according to Robert J. Noecker, MD, MBA, who also spoke at the Cornea Health symposium during the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Orlando-Pay attention to the ocular surface before undertaking a cataract or refractive procedure, advised John D. Sheppard, MD, who outlined strategies in his practice for avoiding surgical complications at the Cornea Health symposium held during the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Needham, MA-Ruthanne B. Simmons, MD, who followed in her father's footsteps to make her mark in ophthalmology and laser surgery research, died Nov. 8 of breast cancer. She was 43.

Santa Barbara, CA-Volunteer ophthalmologists with Surgical Eye Expeditions International will visit 50 clinics in 32 developing countries to restore eyesight to disadvantaged patients with surgically correctable blindness during 2003.

Cleveland-Modified proteins found in drusen might play a role in the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a study by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute.

Los Angeles-Researchers are one step closer to restoring some level of usable vision to certain blind eyes.

Long-term results from the Multicenter Trial of Cryotherapy for Retinopathy of Prematurity (CRYO-ROP study) are showing continued advantages for treatment in preventing blindness and no long-term disadvantage with reference to acuity.

Pathology is the branch of medicine that deals with the nature of diseases, their cause and effect, particularly from the structural and functional changes that they cause. In its earliest forms, its origins date back to biblical times.

Asthenopia, blurred vision, and diplopia are classic symptoms of strabismus, which occasionally requires the use of prism or surgery to restore normal binocular vision. Ophthalmic prisms may be useful in the management of both tropias and phorias. In this column, we will discuss the management of prescriptions that contain prism.

New York-Obtaining corneal pachymetry readings and correcting IOP based on those data is key to improved evaluation and management of glaucoma, said James C. Tsai, MD.

Nice, France-The diffractive/refractive, fold-able, multifocal AcrySof IOL (study model MA60D3, Alcon, Fort Worth, TX) achieves similar mean distance vision and better near vision compared with the Array multifocal SA40N IOL (AMO, Santa Ana, CA), an FDA-approved IOL. Importantly, patients reported significantly fewer complaints of halos compared with the SA40N IOL, according to Philippe Dublineau, MD.