News

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.

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.

The ophthalmologist may be the first medical encounter for a patient with an intracranial tumor. Localization of the lesion is critical, and "where the lesion is" at the diagnosis stage is more important sometimes than "what the lesion is."

Margate, FL-Two Florida ophthalmologists have successfully tested a new procedure called retinal endovascular surgery (REVS) to treat anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) in which there is poor blood circulation to the optic nerve, by injecting tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) into the retinal vasculature.

Wilkes-Barre, PA-An oral nutraceutical product (HydroEye, ScienceBased Health) appears to have significant potential for relieving dry eye associated with LASIK and other etiologies, said Frank A. Bucci Jr., MD.

There's nothing else like it in the world. The joint meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology is the best opportunity for you to meet your colleagues from around the globe and exchange information and skills for the advancement of the profession.

In January 2001, I was a guest lecturer at the Cuban Ophthalmological Society meeting. I was amazed to see how eager the surgeons were to learn anything that would help them take better care of their patients. In Cuba, ophthalmologists are paid $25 per month. It is true that all Cubans get a housing and food stipend in addition to their base salary, but the amount is meager compared with U.S. standards.

Irvine, CA-When Allergan announced in January that it planned to spin off its optical medical device business into a separate company called Advanced Medical Optics (AMO), David E.I. Pyott, chairman, president, and CEO of Allergan, said the company would evolve into a specialty pharmaceutical company.

Baltimore-The AcrySof single-piece acrylic IOLs (Alcon, Fort Worth, TX) provide good refractive correction, excellent stability, and a low incidence of posterior capsular opacification (PCO), said Richard A. Adler, MD.

New York-An anterior chamber phakic IOL for the treatment of high myopia combats the four major problems facing anterior chamber lenses, according to cataract sur-geon Charles D. Kelman, MD, who described the advantages of his invention.

Chicago-Strategies for maximizing visual outcomes of PRK while limiting potential complications are receiving increased attention coincident with a renaissance of interest in the procedure, according to Parag A. Majmudar, MD.

Mainz, Germany-A phakic toric IOL is beneficial in correcting myopia and hyperopia as well as regular astigmatism in the range of 2 to 7 D, according to H. Burkhard Dick, MD, one of the investigators who reported on the multicenter clinical trial of the lens.

Neuroprotection is a concept that originated in the CNS community with the development of therapies aimed at preventing or retarding the manifestations of disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, stroke, and head trauma. Less than 15 years ago, the ophthalmic community began to discuss this concept as a novel way to preserve vision in disorders of the retina.

Presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (POHS) is characterized by a classic triad of discrete atrophic choroidal scars in the macula or midperiphery, known as "histo spots"; peripapillary atrophy; and choroidal neovascularization (CNV). It occurs bilaterally in about 60% of patients.