News

Therapy for ocular allergy has shown significant progress in recent years.

Recent findings about uveal melanoma indicate that patients can be divided into high- and low-risk clasess, and that a mutation in one gene on chromosomes 3, BAP1, is closely associated with the high metastatic risk class 2 form of uveal melanoma.

Since the 2009 approval of bepotastine besilate ophthalmic solution 1.5% for ophthalmic use in the United States, further analysis of clinical trial data and new information from additional studies have revealed more about the drug's clinical utility.

Variety may be the key to selling sunwear successfully in your practice.

Ophthalmologists are not formally trained in the art of talking with patients about potentially stressful medical diagnoses; yet, this skill is important and can be the most challenging part of practice for glaucoma specialists.

Severe halos/glare was the issue most feared most by surgeons implanting diffractive multifocal IOLs, according to a survey.

In the movies "The Da Vinci Code" and "The Matrix Reloaded," evil gunmen who are albinos figure prominently.

When it comes to sunwear, frames get most of the attention.

The trabecular meshwork fails in glaucoma because of physical changes in the trabecular meshwork and altered signaling pathways.

The positive effects on vision health that have arisen from partnerships between Prevent Blindness America affiliates and their respective state public health entities are detailed in the organization’s latest report.

Blinding eye diseases will be the focus of $350,000 in research funded by Research to Prevent Blindness at the John A. Moran Eye Center of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.

Ruth D. Williams, MD, has begun her term as the 115th president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Private equity firm Candescent Partners has acquired vision services provider Koch Eye Associates.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery have issued guidelines to assist ophthalmologists in determining their ability to charge Medicare and/or its beneficiaries for use of a femtosecond laser during cataract surgery.

TearScience Inc. has received FDA clearance for a second-generation version of its proprietary device that treats evaporative dry eye by liquefying and evacuating obstructions in the meibomian glands (LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation System).

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. has withdrawn its offer to acquire ISTA Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $7.50 per share in cash.

PRK seems to be associated with better optical quality 3 months postoperatively compared with femto-LASIK. The factors leading to negative effects in femto-LASIK might be the creation of an interface and the potential for development of dry eye, said Eric Perez-Campagne, MD.

Ophthalmology Times welcomes attendees of this weekend’s Glaucoma 360 for a “full-compass view” of the cure, catalysts, and care of glaucoma, Feb. 2 to 4. Three separate events-uniting research, industry, and philanthropy to find a cure for glaucoma-are planned for this gathering, which is presented by the Glaucoma Research Foundation, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for glaucoma, in association with Ophthalmology Times. All activities for the meeting will be held at the Palace Hotel.

The first issue of the Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology (APJO), the official publication of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology, was formally released online Jan. 23, a date coinciding with the Chinese New Year.

February is Age-related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month, and Prevent Blindness America is offering a dedicated online resource for patients and caretakers to learn more about the retinal disease.

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals expects to enroll up to 450 patients in the second quarter of this year for its phase IIb clinical study of an anti-infective compound, NVC-422, for the treatment of adenoviral conjunctivitis.

Bausch + Lomb Japan and Topcon Medical Japan have announced a collaboration to co-promote their ophthalmic surgical products in Japan, including introduction of a proprietary microsurgery platform (Stellaris PC Vision Enhancement System).

TearLab Corp. announced that its proprietary tear osmolarity analysis test (TearLab Osmolarity System) has been granted FDA waiver categorization under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988.

Carl Zeiss Meditec has added new diagnostic tools for dry age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma to the software for its proprietary high-definition ocular coherence tomography (OCT) platform (Cirrus HD-OCT). The new software (Cirrus HD-OCT version 6.0) has received clearance from the FDA.

Preoperative evaluation of patients scheduled to undergo implantation of a refractive IOL is mandatory for obtaining the best postoperative results. Topography, optical coherence tomography of the macula, and fluorescein staining of the cornea are critical when evaluating patients before cataract surgery. William Trattler, MD, in private practice in Miami, described how he manages these patients.

Photocoagulation performed using a micropulse subthreshold diode laser (MicroPulse, Iridex) was superior to intravitreal injections of bevacizumab in the treatment of central serous chorioretinopathy, according to a comparative, controlled, prospective study.

The Ocular Surface, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal focusing on the external eye and vision, has been acquired by Elsevier.

The Wills Eye Institute has received institutional review board approval as a site for a phase I/II clinical trial for nonexudative (dry) age-related macular degeneration using human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells from Advanced Cell Technology Inc.

This year’s Operation Eyesight will find the surgeons, physicians, anesthesiologists, and clinic professionals of Minnesota Eye Consultants donating their time and skills to perform eye surgery, at no cost, to patients from Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN, greater Minnesota, and Wisconsin on Feb. 4 and March 10.

Paul P. Lee, MD, JD, has been appointed chairman of the ophthalmology and visual sciences department and holder of the F. Bruce Fralick Professorship at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.