News

Early results from a pilot study comparing wavefront-guided (WFG) and wavefront-optimized (WFO) techniques for hyperopic LASIK show excellent safety and predictability for both, but also some differences between groups that consistently favor the WFG procedure, reported co-investigators Anthony C. Liu, MD, and Edward E. Manche, MD.

The FDA has recalled Brilliant Blue G compounded by Franck's Labs Inc. of Ocala, FL, after receiving reports of fungal endophthalmitis. The ophthalmic solution is an unapproved drug used during eye surgeries.

Members of Ophthalmic Women Leaders (OWL) have until April 2 to vote for the winner of the group's 2012 Visionary Woman Award. Tamara Bogetti, MBA, Suzanne Bruno, MBA, COE, and Marguerite McDonald, MD, are the three finalists this year.

The FDA has cleared a new femtosecond laser platform (Femto LDV Z Models, Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems). The platform has been released globally.

Heidelberg Engineering GmbH has been granted FDA clearance for a module that enhances its proprietary spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) platform by providing a detailed, multi-modality view of the anterior segment (Spectralis Anterior Segment Module).

The FDA has granted orphan drug designation to verteporfin for injection (Visudyne, QLT) for the potential treatment of chronic or recurrent central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).

EMRlogic Systems and Kowa Optimed have released a new electronic health record (EHR) system (activEHR 2012.1)

Clarity Medical Systems Inc. has announced the implementation of a significant program using its proprietary pediatric wide-field digital imaging system (RetCam) in the Russian Federation. The digital imaging system is used to create high-quality digital images of the exterior and interior of infant eyes to determine if infants have pediatric ocular diseases.

Schwind eye-tech-solutions GmbH this month is celebrating the 1,000th installation of its proprietary laser system for refractive surgery (Schwind Aramis 750S).

Conventional LASIK and wavefront-guided PRK produced similar visual results compared with conventional PRK when performed to enhance RK procedures. LASIK, however, was associated with substantially more complications, said John Cason, MD, who presented the findings of the RK Re-treatment Study.

Alcon Laboratories plans to introduce ocriplasmin in more than 40 countries worldwide under the terms of a new agreement with ThromboGenics that lets it commercialize the truncated form of the human serine protease plasmin in all markets outside the United States.

Avedro Inc. has submitted a new drug application to the FDA for its riboflavin ophthalmic solution used with its ultraviolet irradiation system (VibeX/KXL) for the treatment of keratoconus and corneal ectasia following refractive surgery.

Bausch + Lomb and NicOx S.A. have announced positive top-line results from a phase IIb study conducted with BOL-303259-X, a nitric oxide-donating prostaglandin F2-alpha analog, in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

“Eye Health: Everyone's Business” will be the theme of the ninth general assembly of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, which will be held Sept. 17 to 20 in Hyderabad, India. All ophthalmologists, optometrists, and other eye-care service providers and health-care professionals are invited.

Remotes for the Nintendo Wii gaming system have been known to do everything from sharpen a player’s tennis skills to help rid the world of zombies. So perhaps it’s not surprising that they can also help identify children who have ocular torticollis.

Ophthalmology Times was awarded Best News Coverage status at the 58th annual Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards competition recognizing editorial excellence. The awards were announced and presented March 16 at a ceremony at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City.

OptiMedica Corp. has tripled its operation size by moving to a new 55,000-square-foot facility in Sunnyvale, CA.

Quantel Medical, which develops and markets diagnostic ocular ultrasound systems and surgical lasers, has expanded its U.S. operation.

Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Allergan Inc. will continue to collaborate on drug discovery and development of new therapeutics for glaucoma and other ophthalmic indications through March 2013 under the terms of an extension that adds a year to the research term originally established in March 2003.

The glaucomas continue to intrigue us with unsolved mysteries. Paul Palmberg, MD, PhD, enumerated several examples during Glaucoma Subspecialty Day at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He challenged investigators to find the answers.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology has issued recommendations to help ophthalmologists optimize the benefits and minimize the risks of genetic testing.

The Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation has honored Danny B. Jones, MD, chairman of ophthalmology at the Baylor College of Medicine, with a lead gift of $500,000 to establish an endowed chair in his name.

A new research paradigm may move glaucoma out of the realm of eye disease and characterize it as a neurologic disorder that causes nerve cells in the brain to degenerate and die, similar to what occurs in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

Scientists from the Schepens Eye Research Institute have discovered how a bacterial pathogen can break down the protective molecules on mucous membrane to enter and infect a part of the body.

SARcode Bioscience Inc. has completed patient enrollment in its first pivotal phase III clinical study (OPUS-1) of SAR 1118 ophthalmic solution for dry eye disease.

Bausch + Lomb has acquired the rights to a novel platform technology for treating posterior segment diseases of the eye.

A new supplement (Diabetic Vision Formula, EyeScience Labs) is designed to help protect against potential vision problems associated with diabetic retinopathy.

Bayer HealthCare plans to launch aflibercept injection (Eylea, also known as VEGF Trap-Eye) for the treatment of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration in Australia in the second half of this year after having received approval from the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Wavefront-guided ablation using either LASIK or PRK is a safe and effective therapeutic option for improving visual problems in patients with a history of radial keratotomy, according to Mounir A. Khalifa, MD.

A single bottle of anti-inflammatory eye drops cannot be labeled for use in two eyes postoperatively, voted the FDA's Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drugs Advisory Committee at a Feb. 27 meeting.