Insider secrets to improve value-based medicine
May 1st 2015: In this installment of Sight Lines, Gary Brown, MD, MBA, and Melissa Brown, MD, MN, MBA, discuss their work quantifying the value of ophthalmic care as it relates to the improvement of patients’ quality of life. Their use of Quality-Adjusted Life-Years methodology allows comparison of cost-effectiveness of medical, pharmacologic, and surgical interventions within and across specialties.
Femtosecond laser technology helps achieve ‘napkin’ capsulotomy
May 1st 2015When a capsulotomy is completely separated from the anterior capsule, or free floating, surgeons can simply grasp the capsule and lift it from the eye-literally as easy as lifting a napkin up from a table-thus the “napkin” capsulotomy.
Real-world experience: Positive DME treatment outcomes observed with FAc implant at UK centre
May 1st 2015Dr Mushtaq discusses one centre’s initial post-marketing experience with the fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant 0.19 mg. The implant demonstrated favourable outcomes and good patient acceptance.
Lasting effects of anti-VEGF/photodynamic therapy for AMD
May 1st 2015The authors present results from a retrospective chart review demonstrating effective management of exudative AMD using anti-VEGF/photodynamic combination therapy. Possible implications of these findings for clinical practice are also discussed.
Real-world experience: Case study shows maintained benefits with FAc in DME patient
May 1st 2015In the case study discussed in this article, a patient who was treated for DME with a fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant reported improved vision-related quality of life and the ability to perform daily routines without problems. These benefits persisted 12-months after treatment.
Improving the precision and consistency of scleral implant surgery
May 1st 2015Since scleral implant surgery for presbyopia correction was first introduced, numerous enhancements have standardized and simplified the procedure. In this article, Dr Cummings discusses binocular visual improvement outcomes observed with a new generation implant system, and explains which patients may benefit from the procedue.
New treatment reduces corneal oedema after cataract surgery
May 1st 2015Occasionally, post-cataract surgery endothelial cells don’t function well enough to keep the cornea clear, which can commonly cause corneal oedema. Here, Prof. Feinbaum describes a new treatment modality that has been designed to reduce and in most cases stop the oedema in 24–48 hours.
Study examines why second corneal transplants are rejected
April 29th 2015Corneal transplantations are successful in 90 percent of first-time procedures, but second allografts are rejected at three times the rate of the first surgeries. A new study published online by the American Journal of Transplantation sought to elucidate the reasons for these rejections.
New keratoprosthesis a viable alternative to corneal transplant
April 29th 2015A new epidescemetic keratoprosthesis implanted without total corneal trephination, is a viable alternative to corneal transplantation, according to researchers from Spain, Egypt, and Kuwait reporting in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.