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Warner Robins, GA-Diagnosis and treatment of late-onset microbacterial infections with amikacin after LASIK results in good visual recoveries. However, other refractive procedures, such as PRK or LASEK, will decrease the incidence of these types of infections, most of which result from creation of the flap, according to Johnny L. Gayton, MD.

Baltimore-Race, that ever-sensitive subject in American culture, was the focus of a day-long meeting, "Ethnicity & Glaucoma: The Past, Present, and Future," at Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Fremont, CA-Nidek Inc. has submitted its hyperopia PMA clinical module to the FDA for review and approval of its EC-5000 Excimer Laser System for hyperopia, hyperopic astigmatism, and mixed astigmatism. This marks the final step in gaining commercialization approval by the FDA to market and treat indications of hyperopia with the Nidek system.

Nice, France-Preliminary data suggest that visual outcomes are excellent with the VISX WavePrint ablation method (VISX) for custom laser vision correction. At the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting, Douglas D. Koch, MD, described results of the VISX Study Group with 171 patients. He is professor of ophthalmology, The Allen, Mosbacher, and Law Chair in Ophthalmology, Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.

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Washington, DC-Co-management of cataract and refractive surgery patients may seem like a risky endeavor for ophthalmologists, exposing them to liability under the anti-kickback law. However, this doesn't have to be the case, noted Michael A. Romansky, JD.

Citrus Heights, CA-The LADARVision system (Alcon, Fort Worth, TX) performed well with improved outcomes in the first 90 days in a study conducted to determine the effect on outcomes of incorporation of a new laser platform into a refractive practice.

Alicante, Spain-Wavefront-guided LASIK followed 3 months later with a refinement procedure seems to be an effective method for correcting residual refractive error, according to Jorge Alio, MD, PhD, professor and chairman, department of ophthalmology, University Miguel Hernandez, Alicante, Spain.

Minneapolis-Patients with lower amounts of myopia benefit from LASIK using the Technolas 217A laser (Bausch & Lomb Surgical, San Dimas, CA), according to refractive surgeon Richard L. Lindstrom, MD.

Sydney, Australia-Wavefront-guided ablations using the LADARWave CustomCornea Wavefront System (Alcon Surgical, Fort Worth, TX) produced fewer spherical aberrations than seen in conventionally treated eyes, according to an updated report of the FDA clinical trials at the International Congress of Ophthalmology meeting here.

Vancouver, British Columbia-Bacterial endotoxin is not susceptible to short-cycle (3-minute) sterilization during LASIK, but dry heat or endotoxin-free water during steam sterilization may help prevent diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) when short-cycle sterilization is used, according to Simon P. Holland, MD.

We have been hearing about wavefront technology and its potential for a year or more, with escalating expectations, as well as considerable promotion about the capabilities of this technology-some even rising to the level of hype. Wavefront's true potential, however, is just beginning to be explored.

Chicago-The results of two studies using the VISX PreVue Method (Santa Clara, CA) showed very good visual outcomes after1 year in patients with low myopia andcomparable results in patients with moderate myopia, according to Colman R. Kraff, MD, director of the Kraff Eye Institute, and a clinical instructor at Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago.

Bethesda, MD-Clinicians can feel confident in prescribing nutritional supplements for patients who are at risk of developing advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to Emily Y. Chew, MD.

The management of refractory and complex glaucoma is a challenging and often humbling undertaking. These difficult-to-treat glaucomas include neovascular, traumatic, uveitic, secondary angle closure, postsurgical, and refractory open-angle glaucoma (OAG).

Rockville Centre, NY-Phacoemulsification can safely be performed through a 1.2-mmincision using WhiteStar technology (Advanced Medical Optics, Santa Ana, CA). This new technology delivers bursts of energy hundreds of times per second that disperses rapidly in the eye, according to Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD.

New York-The incidence of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) was found to be significantly lower following cataract extraction with the Nd:YAG laser (Dodick photolysis system, ARC Laser Corp.) than with conventional phaco, according to a study performed at the Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital (MEETH), New York.