News

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) once again are bringing their joint meeting to sunny Orlando and the beautiful Orange County Convention Center.

Antwerp, Belgium-Researchers in Belgium and The Netherlands have developed a new type of IOL that helps prevent secondary posterior capsular opacification (PCO), which is due to the proliferation of the remaining lens epithelial cells (LECs) in the lens bag after cataract extraction, according to Veva De Groot, MD.

Jackson, MI-The new AcrySof Natural IOL (Model SB30AL, Alcon, Fort Worth, TX), which has a light transmission spectrum similar to that of a 53-year-old human crystalline lens, is the first of its kind that has become commercially available. It effectively filters blue light between 400 and 500 nm and preserves contrast sensitivity and color perception, according to Paul Ernest, MD.

Pediatric refractive surgery is a pro-cedure whose time has come for a small group of children, but should not be considered the panacea for every child's refractive error.

Jundiai, Brazil-Residual refractive errors induced by RK can be treated successfully by hyperopic LASIK. This is of particular importance for patients who underwent RK because the procedure has proved to beunstable over the long term, with 25% to 43% progressing to hyperopia.

Toronto-Patients with highly aberrant corneas can benefit from the Tracey Visual Function Analyzer (Tracey Technologies, LLC, Houston) using refractive surgery complications software, because the system can accurately create a wavefront map and treatment ablation profile.

L'Aquila, Italy-Wavefront-supported customized ablation (WASCA) seems to enhance the qualitative outcome of excimer standard laser ablation, based on the results of a preliminary study presented by Leopoldo Spadea, MD.

Tijuana, Mexico-The Pulsion PS femtosecond laser keratome (IntraLase, Irvine, CA) provides uniform flap thickness that is reproducible and accurate between 100 and 180 ?m, according to Arturo Chayet, MD, who recounted his experience with the device.

Stanford, CA-The Artisan hyperopia lens (Ophtec BV, Groningen, The Netherlands) appears to provide good visual results for extreme hyperopia ranging from 3 to 12 D, according to phase III results reported by Edward E. Manche, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology and director of cornea and refractive surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA.

Orlando-The winner of the 2002 Trout-man Award is Yuval Domniz, MD.

Washington, DC-On behalf of the Amer-ican Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), President-Elect Michael Redmond, MD, was presented an Award of Apprecia-tion from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) at their annual convention here last month.

Fort Worth, TX-Alcon Research Ltd. is enrolling about 500 patients in a phase III study to compare the effects of anecortave acetate versus verteporfin (Visudyne, Novartis) photodynamic therapy for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration.

Irvine, CA-Refractec Inc. will expand the launch of its ViewPoint CK System, its non-laser conductive keratoplasty (CK) device to treat hyperopia, after it secured additional funding from investors.

Monrovia, CA-Twenty-four hours after he became the first patient to receive a Toric Implantable Contact Lens (TICL), Ron Nagel was able to see well enough to pass a driving test without glasses.

General anesthesia is usually required in pediatric refractive surgery because children cannot cooperate for an extended period of time, explained Evelyn A. Paysse, MD, assistant professor, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.

All eyes are focused on Orlando for this year's meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), Oct. 20 to 23. More than 500 exhibitors will showcase the latest ophthalmic technology in Halls A and B (Level 2) of the Orange County Convention Center.

Harrisburg, PA-Geoffrey Brent, MD, affiliated with Premier Eyecare Group in Harrisburg, PA, began competing in marathons and triathlons more than 10 years ago.

Norwich, England-A human monoclonal antibody, CAT-152, may help aid bleb survival in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma who are undergoing phacotrabeculectomy, said David C. Broadway, MD.

Augusta, GA-Findings from a variety of studies point to a link between sleep apnea and glaucoma, but carefully designed clinical trials are warranted, said Parag A. Gokhale, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta.

Santa Maria, CA-A new clinical trial is under way to compare the results of trabeculectomy versus nonpenetrating deep sclerectomy (NPDS) with a collagen glaucoma drainage device, noted Stephen Bylsma, MD.

Price wars are a no-win game for physicians contracting "for market share" with HMOs, IPAs, PPOs, and other managed-care organizations. That is because price is the easiest form of competition to beat. There is always someone around willing to treat the patients for a little bit less.

Fayetteville, NC-Presbyopic lens exchange (Prelex) with the ARRAY multifocal IOL (Allergan) is an excellent choice for correcting high degrees of hyperopia, according to Michael G. Woodcock, MD.

Salt Lake City-A "sandwich-like" pattern of capsular attachment of a new one-piece hydrophobic acrylic IOL (AcrySof SA30AL, Alcon, Fort Worth, TX) appears to prohibit epithelial ingrowth, according to Liliana Werner, MD, PhD.

San Francisco-A new type of accommodating IOL has been designed to fill the capsular bag and respond to ciliary body contraction and zonular relaxation, providing near vision. It also has been shown to be implantable through clear corneal wounds in cadaver eyes.

Salt Lake City-Researchers working with an animal model of retinal degenerative disease have demonstrated that a human-derived, extended-life retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell line can be successfully transplanted and that such treatment results in durable vision preservation.

Rochester, NY-Higher-order aberrations increase slightly after cutting a corneal flap with a microkeratome, there is minimal systematic change in the various modes of aberration with the exception of trefoil, and a slight hyperopic shift also occurs. However, after laser ablation there is a 40% to 60% increase in positive spherical aberration, according to Scott MacRae, MD.

New Orleans-Centration, registration, and tracking are even more important for customized ablations compared with standard procedures, especially when correction of complex higher-order aberrations is being undertaken.

Mesa, AZ-A study of the refractive performance of two IOL styles, namely, a three-piece acrylic IOL (MA60BM, Alcon, Fort Worth, TX) with polymethylmethacrylate haptics and a new single-piece acrylic IOL (SA60AT, Alcon), showed that both IOLs provided patients with excellent refractive outcomes when the capsulorhexis was constructed in such a way as to be round, centered, and smaller than the optic of the IOL. Implantation of the SA60AT resulted inexceptionally high refractive accuracy, according to Warren E. Hill, MD, a private practitioner in Mesa, AZ.