News

Washington, DC-A congressional briefing held recently at the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health has highlighted the need for research partnerships to fight diabetic retinopathy effectively.

Las Vegas-Leaders of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) touted strength in numbers in remarks at the opening session of the first joint meeting of the two organizations in November.

Philadelphia-After cataract surgery, patients with mild keratoconus may not need rigid gas-permeable (RGP) contact lenses for optimal vision, whereas those with moderate or severe disease might require these lenses, according to Nuthida Thebpatiphat, MD.

Coimbra, Portugal-Intracorneal rings (Intacs, Addition Technology) to correct keratoconus appear to produce better results when one ring segment is implanted inferiorly instead of having two segments implanted, one superiorly and one inferiorly, reported Joaquim N. Murta, MD, PhD.

Houston-Detecting corneal ectatic disorders has become easier because of new technology-such as the Pentacam (Oculus)-that removes artefacts and compensates for asphericity, and various topography and tomography maps that better pinpoint cases of keratoconus, according to Jack T. Holladay, MD, MSEE, FACS.

A range of corneal pathologies and their treatment-including Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), Descemet's stripping with endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK), and preventing dislocations after endothelial keratoplasty (EK)-recently has captured the interests of ophthalmologists.

Santa Ana, CA-Advanced Medical Optics Inc. (AMO) is voluntarily recalling 18 lots of its Complete MoisturePLUS multipurpose contact lens care solution distributed in the United States after water-borne bacteria were discovered in a small number of bottles, the company said.

OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. officials plan to exit the eye treatment business with the sale of their most recent acquisition, Eyetech Pharmaceuticals.

Santa Ana, CA-Advanced Medical Optics Inc. (AMO) has announced a voluntary recall of 18 lots of its 12-ounce Complete MoisturePLUS multipurpose contact lens care solution and Active Packs distributed in the United States, because of an issue on two of four production lines at its manufacturing plant in China, the company said.

Boston-SOLX, the glaucoma division of OccuLogix Inc., has begun an international program to train and certify ophthalmologists in Europe and the Middle East in surgical implantation procedures using the company’s Gold Micro-Shunt (GMS) products to treat patients with glaucoma.

Towson, MD-Eyemaginations Inc. has formed a strategic marketing alliance with eyeonics inc., Aliso Viejo, CA, focusing on education and marketing for patients with cataract.

Vista, CA, and Heidelberg, Germany-The FDA has granted clearance for Heidelberg Engineering GmbH’s Spectralis HRA+OCT, said to be the first commercially available spectral domain (sometimes called Fourier domain) optical coherence tomograph (OCT) combined with laser angiography. The company expects to begin shipping the product in mid-2007.

Monrovia, CA-The FDA Office of Device Evaluation has requested that STAAR Surgical Co. amend its submission for approval of its Visian TICL (toric implantable Collamer lens) to enable the agency to complete its review of the lens’ safety and effectiveness. The FDA indicated Nov. 20 that its evaluation of the amendment could extend the review period by up to 180 days after the information is submitted.

Jersey City, NJ-Now that the 30-day waiting period has ended for the investigational new drug application filed by Lux Biosciences Inc. for the development of LX211 in uveitis, the company will begin three controlled, double-masked clinical trials of the next-generation calcineurin inhibitor in early 2007. The studies collectively will enroll more than 500 patients in North America and Europe.

New York-Pfizer Ophthalmics has awarded an $800,000 grant to EyeCare America’s Glaucoma EyeCare Program, which promotes the early detection and treatment of glaucoma by raising awareness of risk factors and providing free access to glaucoma eye exams. The grant will support the program for 2 years.

Irvine, CA-Allergan Inc. has announced the recipients of its first Allergan Horizon Grant Program awards. The company will contribute $1 million over 2 years to academic medical institutions to support fellows conducting clinical research in the diagnosis or pharmacologic treatment of glaucoma and corneal and retinal diseases.

Rochester, MN-Transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT) caused small choroidal melanoma tumors to regress in most of the patients who were treated with this diode laser therapy. In a study of 40 patients, almost 80% of patients were successfully treated with one application of TTT. Additional therapy with TTT and other modalities was needed to treat some cases of small choroidal melanomas.

It is clear that there is insufficient evidence to recommend corticosteroids as a 'standard of care' for TON.

Denver-Intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) proved to be a successful treatment in a patient with neovascular glaucoma.

Denver-Intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) proved to be a successful treatment in a patient with neovascular glaucoma.

I recall a case during residency when I was chopping quadrants of a dense cataract in a short eye with poor dilation and pseudoexfoliation. For medical reasons, the anesthesiologist kept the sedation light. That, combined with topical anesthesia, made this patient very awake and very able to move his eye all over the field.

London-Chronic ingestion of aspirin does not seem to have any effect on the intraoperative and postoperative bleeding associated with phacoemulsification, reported Partha Biswas, MS.

Vancouver, British Columbia-iCo Therapeutics Inc. announced that David S. Boyer, MD, will join its strategic advisory team.

Sarasota, FL-RefractivePartners has named Kristen Meister as director, vision correction consulting services.

Leverkusen, Germany, and Tarrytown, NY-Bayer Healthcare and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. have entered into a collaboration agreement for the global development of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) Trap for possible treatment of the neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic eye diseases, and other eye diseases and disorders.

Grand Rapids, MI-Just as the preoperative evaluation of patients about to undergo corneal transplantations involves numerous factors, so does the postoperative management of patients who have undergone these procedures, especially penetrating keratoplasty (PK). David D. Verdier, MD, outlined how to care for these patients with special emphasis on corneal surface problems, which he believes are responsible for a high percentage of graft failures.

Baltimore-Results of a prospective randomized trial conducted in Ethiopia demonstrated that a single dose of oral azithromycin (Zithromax, Pfizer) after trichiasis surgery safely and significantly reduced trichiasis recurrence compared with a 6-week course of topical treatment with tetracycline ointment, reported Sheila K. West, PhD, and colleagues.

Loma Linda, CA-Recovery of full visual function is possible in eyes with stage IV diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) using a novel management paradigm that is based on a new pathophysiologic model of the disorder, said Brian R. Will, MD, assistant clinical professor of ophthalmology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA.

New options for patients, such as multifocal IOLs; refinements in surgery, such as Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratopathy (DSAEK); and encouraging results from technology in the pipeline, such as intracorneal inlays, which would provide another new avenue for patients with presbyopia; as well as high marks received by the femtosecond laser (IntraLase FS, IntraLase Corp.) for cutting flaps-these are but a few of the refractive surgery high points of 2006 cited by ophthalmic surgeons.

The year 2006 may be characterized as an interesting one in cataract surgery, according to ophthalmologists who are opinion leaders in the field.