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Are you considering adding pediatric optical dispensing to your practice?

Scientific publications represent a special form of communication. They are the forum for new research and the basis for our therapies.

The FDA has given Bausch & Lomb approval to market its Active EyetrackingSystem in the United States.

Ophthalmologists continue to be concerned about decreasing reimbursement for cataract surgery and the increasing nonreimbursed costs of utilizing new technology. I believe, however, that the future for lens and implant surgery is rosy.

Rochester, NY-Cylinder coupling effects are significant and vary for optical zones of different sizes, said Scott MacRae, MD, who presented results from the Oregon Kansas Optical Zone Study.

Houston-An artificial retina could be the answer for an estimated 1 million Americans with retinal blindness by conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, said Alex Ignatiev, PhD, professor of physics, chemistry, and electrical and computer engineering at the University of Houston.

Irvine, CA-When David E.I. Pyott became president and CEO of Allergan Inc. in January 1998, the company was evaluating its position in the eye-care market.

Almost all ophthalmic medications contain preservatives, which inhibit bacterial growth. The use of preservatives allows for the use of multidose bottles, which are the most cost-effective and user-friendly packaging for ophthalmic medications. However, some of the preservatives present in commonly used eye drops today have been shown to be disruptive to the cornea surface.1-5

he American Academy ofOphthalmology and its members are to be commended for the immediate response to the need at New York's World Trade Center tragedy of Sept. 11. We have heard from many physicians who volunteered their services both at ground zero and emergency rooms in the area. Their stories have unified us and made us proud to be Americans. We will be hearing stories of selfless acts for months, perhaps years. They, and all the groups who volunteered their services, deserve all the praise and recognition they have received.

Epithelial ingrowth is the migration of epithelial cells from outside the flap-bed interface into the interface postoperatively. Epithelial implantation is the placement of epithelial cells into the interface during the procedure. The incidence of epithelial ingrowth and implantation has been reported as high as 10%, although it can be as low as 0.2%1 to 0.4%2 if meticulous surgical technique is employed.

Los Angeles-The Amadeus Microkeratome (Allergan Surgical) offers advantages in both speed and safety in performing LASIK, said Lee Nordan, MD.

Surgical maneuvers used to treat pseudotumor cerebri include some formof shunt procedure, such as a lumboperitoneal shunt, a ventriculoperitonealshunt, or optic nerve sheath decompression (ONSD). Shunting procedures areultimately designed to divert the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that is underpressure away from the neuro-ocular junction, where hydrodynamic forcescompress ganglion cells and their blood supply, leading to injury and/ordeath of these cells.

Most ophthalmologists agree that the Internet is a valuable resourcefor provider education. In addition to e-mail, physicians probably mostfrequently use the Internet to access information on diseases and medications.Increasingly they are also using it to access major medical journals andonline continuing medical education programs.

As a result of efforts by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO),the proposed Medicare fee schedule for 2002 includes new coverage for glaucomascreening, as well as increases in two ophthalmic services.

The FDA has given pre-marketapproval to STAAR Surgical Co. for its AquaFlow collagen glaucoma drainagedevice for use in the correction of open-angle glaucoma.

The FDA has approved phase I clinicaltrials on Medical Developmental Research Inc.'s Hydroflex II Advanced SeriesHydrophilic Acrylic IOL.

The FDA has approved Visudyne (verteporfinfor injection) therapy for the treatment of predominantly classic subfovealchoroidal neovascularization (CNV) caused by pathologic myopia and presumedocular histoplasmosis.

Every comprehensive ophthalmologist performs anterior vitrectomy in association with cataract surgery complicated by vitreous prolapse. Even in the best of hands, rupture of the posterior capsule and vitreous prolapse occur in 1% to 2% of cataract operations.

Allowing patients to listen to the music of their choiceduring cataract or glaucoma surgery can help reduce the cardiovascular effectscaused by both pre- and peri-operative feelings of stress, according toKaren Allen, PhD.

Leading refractive experts discuss the possible events that lead tomicro and macro striae and how they handle them

Ophthalmic Women Leaders (OWL) will hold a networking reception and meeting Monday, April 12, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel. The event will take place during the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Washington, DC &#8212 Patients who do not have glaucoma and those with glaucoma should be carefully monitored in the immediate postoperative period following phacoemulsification and at postoperative day 1 for low and high IOPs, according to Bradford J. Shingleton, MD.

As the understanding of the genetics of glaucoma advances, it may one day be possible for people to obtain a cheek swab that will determine their risk of developing glaucoma.

Washington, DC &#8212 Carmen A. Puliafito, MD, was chosen to present the Charles D. Kelman Innovator's Lecture at the 2005 ASCRS Symposium on Cataract, IOL, and Refractive Surgery in recognition of his work as the co-inventor of optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Today, when patients come for a visit, ophthalmologists have the discretionof using either the eye codes (92002 to 92014) or the E/M codes in billing.But, when is it truly appropriate to use a certain set of codes for a givenvisit? Unfortunately, there's no one standard. It all depends on the rulesset by the carriers in your state.

Augusta, GA-Despite negative results in an early trial, effortsare continuing to determine whether external-beam irradiation can slow visionloss caused by subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in age-relatedmacular degeneration (AMD), said Dennis M. Marcus, MD.