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Below is a partial list of the contributions made by researchers at the Jules Stein Eye Institute and the University of California, Los Angeles, over the past 40 years.

Los Angeles-As the Jules Stein Eye Institute (JSEI) celebrates 40 years of contributions to research, education, and patient care this month, construction is approaching for a major new building that will help carry the institution into future decades.

Exhibit Hall Highlights

Bayer Healthcare and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. have agreed to collaborate on the development of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) Trap through a global plan that encompasses the neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic eye diseases, and other eye diseases and disorders. The companies jointly will commercialize the VEGF Trap-Eye outside the United States and will share equally in profits from ex-U.S. sales. Within the United States, Regeneron has exclusive commercialization rights in all indications and will retain 100% of profits from any such sales.

eyeonics, manufacturer of crystalens, placed 45th in technology for Deloitte’s prestigious Technology Fast 500. The list ranks the top technology, media, telecommunications, and life sciences companies in North America, based on the percentage revenue growth from 2001 to 2005. The company experienced 5,596% revenue growth during that time.

PBA accepting

VISX University

The FDA approved the over-the-counter use of ketotifen fumarate ophthalmic solution 0.025% (Zaditor) for the temporary prevention of itchy eyes due to allergic conjunctivitis. The drops treat eye itch associated with pollen, ragweed, grass, animal hair, and dander without the potentially negative effects of a decongestant.

Miami-Although post-LASIK diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) typically develops in the early postoperative period, it is important to be aware that late-onset DLK can occur, said William B. Trattler, MD.

The problem of tissue drag, which once plagued ophthalmic surgeons, is largely a thing of the past?thanks to groundbreaking work conducted several decades ago by Leonard Apt, MD, currently professor of ophthalmology at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Online information

ISTA Pharmaceuticals acquired from Senju Pharmaceuticals an exclusive North American license to an eye-drop formulation containing bepotastine, an investigational ophthalmic treatment for allergic conjunctivitis. This is ISTA Pharmaceuticals' first license for the ophthalmic allergy field.

Ophthalmic Imaging Systems (OIS) will serve as the exclusive vendor to the International Vision Networks (IVN), the only specialty group purchasing program for ophthalmologist offices and ambulatory surgery centers, for new digital imaging system units used in the ophthalmic setting. Systems include ophthalmic PACS, fundus cameras, and slit lamps.

The 2006 Joint Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology in Las Vegas will feature two acclaimed physicians at the opening session on Sunday, Nov. 12 from 8:30 to 10 a.m.

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The National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health has awarded a 5-year, $14.6 million grant to fund a study of age-related macular degeneration.

Theatre schedule

Stephen D. McLeod, MD, is the new chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

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Editor's Note: In a recent column we covered lumps and bumps on the surface of the iris and some of the men associated with their descriptions (Ophthalmology Times, June 15, 2006). Now we turn our attention to some lumps and bumps discovered on the conjunctiva, the surface of the globe, and the lids; their pathology; and those individuals who are credited with the findings.

The floor tiles have not changed in 56 years. As soon as I see the brick-red, black, and green-grey pattern of the 3/4-inch squares, recollections of a time long past rise to the surface. Even before I walk up the steps in the small lobby, my legs remember that there will be six risers to the landing in front of the elevator.

For K. Bailey Freund, MD, the magic of science and the science of magic are overlapping and, sometimes, ambiguous. Dr. Freund, a retina specialist with Vitreous-Retina-Macula Consultants of New York, is a magician and a collector of vintage magic props.

There is increasing interest in using the femtosecond laser to perform penetrating keratoplasty, according to two corneal experts.

Philadelphia-Corneal transplantation requires a rigorous preoperative assessment that includes consideration of numerous factors before the surgery can be undertaken. Christopher Rapuano, MD, explained how to look in all segments of the eye and how to counsel the patient to get the best postoperative results.