News

Multiplex ligation probe amplification (MLPA), a relatively new technique for detecting copy number variations in genomic sequences, has been used to study the pathomechanism of autosomal dominant optic neuropathy.

Research using a conditional knockout mouse model of the mitofusin 2 gene are providing insights into the optic nerve damage sometimes associated with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Results to date show degenerative changes in the retrobulbar optic nerve suggesting a response to a neurodegenerative injury.

Twenty-five-gauge sutureless vitrectomy is has gained a respectable niche among retinal surgeons, with a dramatic increase in use over the previous 4 years.

Twenty-three gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy performed in pseudophakic eyes offers faster recovery times and increased patient comfort regarding suture-related and sclerotomy-related complications, according to one surgeon.

Cryotherapy applied to treat retinal holes may be associated with the development of sympathetic ophthalmia.

Improvements in visual outcomes remained stable in a group of patients with age-related macular degeneration who were switched from therapy with intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) to intravitreal ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech).

Up to 90% of children with fetal alcohol syndrome have eye abnormalities such as optic nerve hypoplasia and tortuosity of the retinal blood vessels. Because ocular findings are so common, an eye examination can be useful in helping diagnose fetal alcohol syndrome.

Occluding the sound eye in amblyopic patients provides rapid and lasting visual acuity improvement.

Once thought to be a disease characterized solely by elevated IOP, the definition of glaucoma has been evolving to more accurately portray the disease's true nature.

Current IOP measurement techniques have limited accuracy and do not allow for 24-hour monitoring. A system based on a small, implantable passive transducer and external probe is being developed to address these limitations.

Implantation of a miniature glaucoma device (Ex-PRESS R-50, Optonol) under a scleral flap is a modification of trabeculectomy that appears to provide similar IOP-lowering efficacy but with fewer complications.

A trabecular bypass micro stent (iStent, Glaukos) was developed to restore fully natural physiologic outflow in glaucomatous eyes by allowing flow of aqueous from the anterior chamber into Schlemm's canal.

Biosyntrx Corp. is partnering with Wellosophy Corp. to include a professional-strength version of a proprietary hydrogel gastric bulking technology (Swell) into Biosyntrx's new mealtime portion-control product (Avantrx).

Bausch & Lomb introduced the fourth generation of the only FDA-approved accommodating IOL (Crystalens HD) in Europe at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.

Alcon Inc. announced the commercial launch outside the United States of its new +3 add power aspheric lens (AcrySof ReSTOR) during the annual meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. has launched the Patient Assistance Now Web site and telephone service to integrate company programs and other resources to help uninsured Americans pay for their Novartis medicines and find health-care information.

iScience Interventional has received expanded 510(k) clearance from the FDA to allow ophthalmic surgeons to use its microcatheters to enlarge outflow passages to reduce IOP in the treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma.

A moderate correlation has been found between optical coherence tomography and fundus photo measurements as well as between those measures and visual acuity in the assessment of diabetic macular edema.

Currently, surgeons are employing combination techniques of bone and fat decompression to treat thyroid eye disorders, depending on the clinical situation. Prospective studies are needed to establish the ideal operative approach to minimize postoperative complications with the best cosmetic outcome in mind. Despite the multiple options available, it is most important to tailor the surgical approach to meet the individual needs of the patient.

Allergan Inc. has launched a new national dry eye campaign with the Red Hot Mamas, a menopause education provider.

Othera Pharmaceuticals Inc. has begun dosing in a phase I/II multicenter, investigator-masked clinical trial of the safety and efficacy of a topical drug (OT-730) in reducing IOP in subjects with ocular hypertension or open-angle glaucoma

Acucela Inc. and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. have entered into agreements to co-develop Otsuka?s proprietary compound for the treatment of dry eye.

Merck & Co. Inc. will pay SurModics Inc. $9 million after deciding to end the license and research collaboration agreement the companies signed in June 2007, according to SurModics.

Alcon Inc. broke ground on an expansion of its medical device manufacturing facility in Huntington, WV, Sept. 19.

All patients presenting with open-globe injuries should be treated as aggressively as possible, but a recent study shows that the presence of an afferent pupillary defect is the best indicator of permanent visual loss in these patients.

Drugs are under development and in clinical trials that can complement anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs (VEGF) and attack age-related macular degeneration in ways that differ from the anti-VEGF approach. If these prove successful, many more patients can benefit from therapy for AMD.

A retrospective study including 45 eyes that underwent Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) found an average refractive change of +0.88 D after surgery. That hyperopic shift after DSAEK has implications for management of patients undergoing cataract surgery simultaneously with or after DSAEK and for anticipating refractive outcomes in pseudophakic patients undergoing DSAEK.

In response to a complaint filed in July by Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., a U.S. district court in New York has ordered Ocular Insight Inc. to discontinue permanently stating or communicating in its advertising, promotional materials, or activities for the company's contact lenses (Clear 58) in the United States any of the following claims:

In today's podcast, Rudy M.M.A. Nuijts, MD, PhD, compares DSEK with PK and discusses the future of therapeutic corneal surgery. Also, James McCulley, MD, discusses the newest generation of a fully pre-loaded IOL delivery system, and Günther Grabner, talks about whether the differences in femtosecond lasers have any clinical significance.

Haag-Streit has taken the opportunity of the ESCRS meeting to unveil its innovative non-contact optical biometer, the LENSTAR LS900.