News

In the first clinical trial of ALG-1001 in wet AMD, there was an apparent clinical benefit to patients, as evidenced by improvements from baseline visual acuity and macular anatomy.

The lesson of flight 214 for us in medicine is that we should be creating teams of people (physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists, technicians, etc.) who know each other, can anticipate what is coming next, and communicate well.

A new fixed-dose combination medication (Simbrinza, Alcon Laboratories) for the reduction of elevated IOP combines brinzolamide 1%, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, and brimonidine tartrate 0.2%, an alpha 2 adrenergic receptor agonist, in one multidose bottle. The drug is also the only available, fixed-dose combination therapy for glaucoma without a beta blocker in the United States, according to the manufacturer.

Since its founding by world-renown glaucoma specialist Robert Ritch, MD, in 1984, The Glaucoma Foundation has been funding groundbreaking glaucoma research, primarily in the areas of neuroprotection and genetics. Now, the foundation has sharpened its focus to finding a cure for exfoliation syndrome, the leading identifiable cause of open-angle glaucoma worldwide and the most important cause of complications during routine cataract surgery.

InSite Vision Inc. has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its next-generation, enhanced drug-delivery system (DuraSite 2) that provides a broad platform for developing topically delivered ocular drugs.

TearLab is partnering with the Sjögren’s Foundation to promote “Dry Eye Disease Awareness Month” this year. Throughout July, TearLab will raise awareness through professional communications and in-clinic materials delivered directly to customers.

Indications for riboflavin ultraviolet crosslinking have been expanding. As such, the technology may be useful for more than just treating keratoconus-by filling a gap in which other surface therapies sometimes cannot be effective.

Retina Implant AG, a developer of subretinal implants for patients blinded by retinitis pigmentosa (RP), has received the CE Mark for its wireless subretinal implant technology (Alpha IMS).

The discovery of a new layer in the cornea has many surgical and clinical implications. This layer can support the endothelium in the procedure of endothelial keratoplasty, making the handling of Descemet’s membrane transplant safer and technically simpler, according to its discoverer Harminder S. Dua, MD, PhD.

Results of a retrospective analysis of eyes undergoing cataract surgery with intraoperative guidance of IOL power selection using wavefront aberrometry (ORA System, WaveTec Vision) show it has value for improving refractive predictability, especially in long and short eyes.

Early FDA data with a femtosecond laser platform (VisuMax, Carl Zeiss Meditec) show positive results for corneal refractive surgery to treat uncomplicated myopia.

Initial FDA clinical trial outcomes of a femtosecond laser system (VisuMax, Carl Zeiss Meditec) to correct spherical myopia showed solid clinical and safety results.

Results from long-term follow-up support the use of a bifocal corneal inlay (Flexivue Microlens, Presbia) for presbyopia correction in emmetropic patients.

Outcomes for a cohort of patients with presbyopia with a small-aperture corneal inlay implanted find the device is well tolerated and patient satisfaction is high.

A new femtosecond laser system (Victus, Bausch + Lomb) is a reliable tool for creating high-quality LASIK flaps of intended dimensions.

An aspheric hydrogel corneal inlay (Raindrop Near Vision Inlay, ReVision Optics) appears very promising for presbyopia in emmetropic patients.

A femtosecond laser platform (IntraLase 150 kHz, Abbott Medical Optics) creates low-energy incisions that are safe, effective, accurate and reproducible for treating astigmatism associated with penetrating keratoplasty.

Cultural competency in medical care matters because it improves outcomes, is imperative because of demographic shifts, and is the law.

Postoperative hypotony is a problem not often seen by ophthalmologists, but when it occurs, elucidating its exact cause and treating it properly is imperative.

In a comparison study of elliptical and round femtosecond laser flaps created during myopic LASIK, both flap configurations provided excellent early results and patient satisfaction was very high.

Once again, Einstein’s theory of relativity gives rise

Be careful of what you ask; it may soon come true, relates columnist

Recurrent retinal detachments in children can develop months to years after the initial corrective surgery, making careful monitoring of patients imperative to identifying late re-detachments.

STAAR Surgical Co. has received regulatory approvals to market its Visian Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) with CentraFLOW technology from the KFDA in Korea and the ANMAT in Argentina.

Prevent Blindness America (PBA) officially has launched its “3rd Annual Most Beautiful Eyes Contest.” The contest allows children across the United States the chance to win a $10,000 educational scholarship.

The Macula Vision Research Foundation (MVRF) has announced its 2013-2014 grant recipients.

iCo Therapeutics Inc. announced it has completed enrollment of its phase II iDEAL Study, which will evaluate the efficacy and safety after repeated injections of iCo-007 in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME).

Extensive studies in animals and initial experience in human trials support interest in integrin peptide therapy as an emerging new class of treatment for vascular eye disease, according to Baruch Kuppermann, MD, PhD.

Nicox S.A. has entered into an exclusive agreement with Immco Diagnostics Inc., which manufactures autoimmune diagnostic products and services, to promote a proprietary laboratory test targeted at early detection and diagnosis of Sjögren’s syndrome.

Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals Inc. has launched cysteamine ophthalmic solution 0.44% (Cystaran), the first and only FDA-approved therapy for the treatment of corneal cystine crystal accumulation in patients with cystinosis.