News

Evaluation and management of penetrating orbital injuries is largely guided by knowledge about the foreign body and is improving with advances in imaging technology.

Analyses of data from large clinical trials have been undertaken to determine how patient age and treatment-specific variables may influence the systemic safety of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment.

The surgical procedures and botulinum toxin A injections widely used today to treat strabismus may be supplanted within a decade or two by new drugs and devices that are more effective.

A new algorithm for the management of allergic conjunctivitis encourages collaboration and consensus among colleagues with different expertise as well as greater emphasis on ocular signs and symptoms by physicians who are not eye-care specialists.

Surgeons with experience using the femtosecond laser for refractive lens surgery discuss the safety benefits and challenges accompanying its use.

A recent article in The New York Times1 suggests that physicians-because we understand the implications of a serious illness diagnosis and the implications of treatment and the associated morbidity-die “better” than do non-physicians.

Vision health disparities are a serious issue in the United States among minorities, and many are hoping provisions in the Affordable Care Act will be able to alleviate the issue.

Arun C. Gulani, MD, explains his concept of addressing anterior corneal scars with laser PRK (not PTK) straight to 20/20. In the next article, he will explain how to build the cornea with various modalities in presenting it for laser PRK.

Optical dispensary designers discuss what they have seen this year as far as lighting, fixture plans, visual merchandising, and color scheme trends.

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care is offering an educational brochure, “Eye Health and Allergies.” The complimentary brochure is designed to provide patients with useful information on how eye allergies occur, common signs and symptoms, and practical advice on how to treat eye allergies.

A phase III VISTA-DME trial of aflibercept (Eylea) injection-a treatment for diabetic macular edema (DME)-showed a sustained improvement from baseline in the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at week 100, compared with laser photocoagulation.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was designed to provide health insurance for millions of uninsured citizens with no exclusions for pre-existing conditions, expanded services like screening and preventive health coverage, and be less costly for patients and the government.

The probability of blindness due to glaucoma has decreased by nearly half since 1980, according to a study published this month in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) has named one of its own-Rohit Varma, MD, MPH-to become chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and director of the USC Eye Institute, as well as to serve as professor of ophthalmology and preventive medicine and hold the Grace and Emery Beardsley Chair in Ophthalmology.

Studies evaluating treatment of progressive keratoconus with corneal crosslinking (CXL) show greater benefit using an epithelium-off versus epithelium-on technique. However, epithelial removal by laser-assisted phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) may give better results than manual debridement, according to a study presented by Ronald N. Gaster, MD.

Aerie Pharmaceuticals Inc. has announced dosing of the first patients enrolled in its phase IIb study of PG324, a novel fixed-combination treatment for glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

The FDA has issued 510(k) Clearance for Nidek’s new CEM-530 specular microscope.

Prevent Blindness is now accepting applications for its 2014 Joanne Angle Investigator Award.

Is it practical for medical practices to retain only stellar employees and pay them well above other practices, while letting one-fourth to one-fifth of their workforce go every year, to be replaced by new workers who will hopefully prove to be stellar? Would it be consistent with the culture of medical practices to reproduce the Netflix system of “high performance”?

The Affordable Care Act will affect ophthalmologists and their patients in the upcoming years.

Several new refractive surgical platforms have been introduced recently, and many ophthalmologists are discovering they find the new technologies to be more efficient and produce better results.

The goal of restoring accommodation in presbyopic eyes with femtosecond laser treatment seems to be getting closer.

The future of treatment for diabetic macular edema is likely to include a wider range of treatment options, improved efficacy, and the possibility of disease prevention.

With modern techniques and recent innovations, adjustable suture strabismus surgery can be performed in nearly all pediatric and adult cases, provided that ophthalmologists have had sufficient training.

Ocular oncologists are using enhanced depth imaging-optical coherence tomography to identify and learn about choroidal tumors.

Nowhere does it state in staff contracts that they have to like everyone, but they will work together professionally and kindly.

The 2014 version of Current Procedural Terminology contains two important changes for ophthalmologists who provide glaucoma services.

According to recent study results, transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy is a better alternative procedure than other refractive methods when treating myopia that involves epithelium mechanical manipulation.

Corneal astigmatism may be reduced or nearly eliminated after intrastromal femtosecond laser astigmatic keratotomy.

The natural history of diabetic retinopathy is modified by long-term treatment with intravitreal ranibizumab, relates one ophthalmologist.