News

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.

An intravitreal insert with sustained-release fluocinolone acetonide (Iluvien, Alimera Sciences) is approvable for use as a treatment for diabetic macular edema in Europe, according to the outcome of the decentralized procedure for multinational marketing there.

EyeGate Pharma has begun enrolling patients with anterior scleritis into a phase I study evaluating the safety and effectiveness of its lead product, dexamethasone phosphate ophthalmic solution 40 mg/ml (EGP-437), which the company believes has multiple indications for inflammatory ocular indications.

The University of Manitoba has initiated an ophthalmology residency program. The 5-year program, which will be sited at Misericordia Health Centre's Buhler Eye Care Centre, marks the first ophthalmology residency program in the province since 1982.

As part of Workplace Eye Wellness Month, Prevent Blindness America is providing employers with two programs to help protect their employees' vision: the Eye2Eye initiative and the Healthy Eyes Educational Series.

Nidek has granted Marco Ophthalmic exclusive rights to sell Nidek's newest fundus camera (AFC Non-mydriatic Retinal Camera) to the optometry market.

OptiMedica Corp. has launched its proprietary femtosecond laser platform (Catalys Precision Laser System) in the United States, with the first patient cases performed at the Mann Eye Institute and Laser Center in Houston.

Based on our experience over the years, we believe the rules of investing and planning for retirement that one can feel confident in have changed forever.

Cataract surgery can be beneficial in patients with low vision.

Nationally publicized outbreaks of Streptococcus endophthalmitis following intravitreal injection of bevacizumab resulted in a close look at the procedures used to prepare the drug.

Male gender and younger age were identified as risk factors for IOP elevation after dexamethasone implant treatment in retinal vein occlusion in a recent subset analysis, but the elevated IOP did not seem to affect improvement in visual acuity or anatomic outcomes evaluated with optical coherence tomography.

Infectious uveitis is usually diagnosed based on the clinical findings with consideration of the duration and progression of the disorder, the appearance of the inflammation, and the extent of the retinal involvement.

The HORIZON Retinal Vein Occlusion Study, an extension study of the BRAVO Study, found that long-term multiple intravitreal injections of ranibizumab were well-tolerated by patients with branch retinal vein occlusion and central retinal vein occlusion.

For corneal researchers, gaining access to any sizable amount of high quality tissue has long been a challenge.

Six years after OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. bought Eyetech Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $650 million on the promise of its treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. has announced it will acquire Eyetech for $22 million.

Ophthalmologists using a proprietary confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope with a fundus autofluorescence module can now quantify and track progression of geographic atrophy over time, thanks to the release of new software.

Results from an integrated analysis of data from 12 months of follow-up in the two similarly designed prospective, randomized studies comparing aflibercept and ranibizumab indicate that intravitreal injection of aflibercept every 2 months is safe, predictably effective therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration and comparable to monthly ranibizumab 0.5 mg.

The results of the direct comparison of ranibizumab and bevacizumab after 1 year of treatment showed that the two drugs adminisred according to monthly and as-needed protocols produced significant decreases in retinal fluid with small amounts of residual fluid in patients with AMD.

The use of laser to treat diabetic macular edema is often the topic of debate.

A multicolor pattern scan laser should help laser therapy maintain or potentially expand its role in the treatment of certain retinal diseases even with the availability of effective new injectable pharmaceutical products, according to retinal specialists.

New software (version 6.0) introduced for a proprietary high-definition ocular coherence tomography platform provides researchers and clinicians an expanded set of diagnostic tools to use in the evaluation and management of patients with AMD and glaucoma.

On Feb. 13, Merck announced that it received approval from the FDA to market its one-of-a-kind, preservative-free, prostaglandin analog, tafluprost ophthalmic solution 0.0015%, for lowering IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Ocriplasmin can eliminate the need for surgery to close macular holes in a substantial percentage of patients.

On Jan. 30, vismodegib became the first drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma.

The American Board of Opticianry review course will be provided at the annual meeting of the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators.

Questcor Pharmaceuticals Inc. has appointed Scott M. Whitcup, MD, to its board of directors.

J. Craig Venter, PhD, founder and chief executive officer of Synthetic Genomics Inc., will be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

The Museum of Vision, a public service program of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, marked Presidents’ Day by presenting a look at the vision problems of U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson.

Robert C. Welsh, MD, believed to be the first U.S. surgeon to limit his practice to cataract surgery, died Jan. 8. He was 89.

Does marketing one bottle of anti-inflammatory ophthalmic product for use in both eyes for post-surgical indications have an effect on the potential risk for infection? The FDA’s Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drugs Advisory Committee will address this issue when it meets Feb. 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Washington DC – Silver Spring, 8727 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, MD.