News

Controversy flared over the outcome of the "Showdown at the Gables Corral: East versus West" debate during Bascom Palmer Eye Institute's Glaucoma Mid-Winter Symposium at the Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables, FL, Jan. 26 and 27, 2007.

A comparison of corneal wound architecture after bimanual and coaxial microincision cataract surgery indicated that the wound architecture varies with the procedure performed.

A preloaded single-use IOL implantation system (Advanced Medical Optics) currently in development seems to be easier for surgeons to learn to use compared with the current system for implanting acrylic IOLs.

An ultrasound alternative phacoemulsification system (Sonic Wave, STAAR Surgical) allows efficient lens removal in eyes undergoing refractive lens exchange with minimal trauma and per case cost.

The micro-coaxial technology of the tri-modal cataract removal surgical system (Infiniti Vision System, Alcon Laboratories) permits surgeons to perform less invasive cataract procedures without having to change their surgical technique.

The combination of twin-site microincision cataract surgery and trabeculectomy seems to be a viable alternative to twin-site coaxial phacoemulsification and trabeculectomy to treat cataract in the presence of medically uncontrolled glaucoma.

The severity of intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS) may be lessened in patients undergoing cataract extraction by imposing a 15-day washout period of tamsulosin (Flomax, Boehringer Ingelheim) before surgery in those patients being treated for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH).

A new speculum (Brown Triple-Post Speculum, Rhein Medical) can help make cataract and refractive surgery easier and safer to perform, said Reay H. Brown, MD, designer of the instrument.

The scleral pocket technique for scleral fixation allows for a larger surface area to be created for suture passes.

Potentia Pharmaceuticals said it would initiate phase I clinical trials to evaluate its drug POT-4, for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Newly formed Opko Corp. plans a phase III trial of bevasiranib (formerly Cand5) as maintenance therapy for wet AMD in combination with ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech).

Based on a planned, interim analysis of a phase II randomized study, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Bayer HealthCare said patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) who received just one dose of their vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drug (Trap-Eye) maintained or improved vision at 12 weeks.

NicOx and Pfizer will initiate a phase II, dose-finding study of its PF-03187207 compound for the treatment of patients with glaucoma and ocular hypertension. The 28-day trial is designed to compare the safety and efficacy of the drug with that of latanoprost (Xalatan, Pfizer Ophthalmics).

Favorable results were realized when the efficacy, safety, and predictability outcomes were analyzed in 707 consecutive eyes with a phakic lens, toric phakic lens, or foldable phakic lens implanted.

Surgeons should be vigilant for cases of pellucid marginal degeneration (PMD), which is difficult to detect and may result in ectasia after LASIK. Individuals with PMD who seek refractive surgery are at high risk for ectasia if not detected in preoperative screening.

A systematic, evidence-based review of prior randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of aqueous shunts found no clear evidence that long-term clinical outcomes of trabeculectomy differ substantially from those of aqueous shunts in similar patients with complicated glaucoma over similar follow-up.

Ophthalmology Times magazine earned two awards in the 53rd annual Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards competition recognizing editorial excellence.

Although technology has made significant improvements in today's phacoemulsification systems, the mature cataract with a hard nucleus continues to be problematic during surgery. Prior to the modern systems that are available today, surgeons were faced with an even more difficult task when dealing with mature cataracts because of the lack of power and the degree of difficulty when emulsifying the cataract.

Las Vegas-When considering the use of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME), ophthalmologists should be mindful that cataract is a common complication and is particularly challenging in young patients with clear lenses and still-useful accommodation, according to a study reported by Moncef Khairallah, MD, here at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Las Vegas-The BESSt formula allows pseudophakic IOL power calculation in postrefractive surgery eyes without any prerefractive surgery data and is significantly more accurate than a variety of other techniques, said Edmondo Borasio, MD, at the Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day during the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Las Vegas-The lack of highly effective treatments for macular edema associated with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO), coupled with conflicting studies on the safety and effectiveness of treatment with triamcinolone acetonide (Kenalog, Bristol-Myers), highlight the need for a definitive clinical study. Such a study is under way, with an enrollment of nearly 500 patients at more than 80 sites, said Ingrid U. Scott, MD, MPH.

Las Vegas-Off-axis ablations are rare with wavefront-guided LASIK procedures but still occur with conventional treatment. Although the consequences can be severe, good results eventually can be achieved through appropriate management strategies, said Robert K. Maloney, MD, speaking here during Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Monrovia, CA-Approval of its toric phakic implantable lens (Visian TICL) is unlikely to occur in 2007 as formerly anticipated, STAAR Surgical Co. has announced.

Durham, NC-Inspire Pharmaceuticals plans to commercialize InSite Vision Inc.’s 1% azithromycin topical anti-infective product (AzaSite) in the United States and Canada under the terms of a licensing agreement signed by the two companies. The product is under new device application review by the FDA for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis.

San Francisco-The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) is calling for Medicare and other insurers to emphasize preventive care after a study recently published in the AAO journal Ophthalmology (2007;114:238-245) found that poor vision is costing Medicare more than $2 billion annually in non-eye-related maladies and health-care needs.

Las Vegas-A pilot study of ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech), a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antagonist, showed that the drug has a biological effect in diabetic macular edema (DME), reported Peter Campochiaro, MD, who spoke at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Las Vegas-A pilot study of ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech), a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antagonist, showed that the drug has a biological effect in diabetic macular edema (DME), reported Peter Campochiaro, MD, who spoke at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Amarillo, TX-The introduction of a photocoagulator (Pascal [PAttern SCAn Laser Photocoagulator], OptiMedica) has had a positive impact on the speed and precision of the laser procedure, has increased patient comfort, and has changed the treatment approaches to laser photocoagulation, according to J. Edward Ysasaga, MD.

Upgrades to specific confocal laser scanning systems (Heidelberg Retina Tomograph [HRT] and Heidelberg Retina Angiograph 2 [HRA 2], Heidelberg Engineering) should increase the utility of the devices, according to two physicians who have evaluated the new technology.

Las Vegas-Intravitreal injection of bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech Inc.) to treat proliferative diabetic retinopathy, an off-label use of the drug, induces marked regression of neovascularization and may be a valuable adjunct to vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy because there is markedly reduced bleeding at vitrectomy, according to Robert Avery, MD, who spoke at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.