News

images

A CME Breakfast Symposium

A CME Breakfast Symposium

A CME Breakfast Symposium

images

Joseph L. Demer, MD, PhD, acknowledges that stunt flying makes even the pilot flying the plane sick. But for part of his 22 years of flying, Dr. Demer did stunts in the skies over California.

Editor's Note: When it comes to high-end elective refractive surgery procedures, what happens outside the surgery suite can be just as important as what happens inside. Physicians and practice staff must be attuned to patients' fears and meet their expectations before surgery, rather than focus solely on postoperative visual outcomes as a measure of quality, said Shareef Mahdavi, president, SM2 Consulting, Pleasanton, CA, who regularly works with ophthalmology practices and companies on marketing issues.

The use of botulinum toxin by ophthalmologists to treat a variety of disorders has exploded over the past several years. It has highlighted many issues of interest, including off-label use, supply charges, and cosmetic indications. All of these have important implications for coding, billing, and reimbursement.

San Francisco-Treatment of low-to-high myopia with transepithelial PRK (tPRK) has poorer predictability and results in greater induction of corneal spherical aberration compared with epi-LASIK, reported Osamu Hieda, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

San Francisco-The quest for relief of visual dysfunction for presbyopic patients continues with the design of a new accommodating lens-the OPAL posterior chamber accommodating IOL (Bausch & Lomb).

San Francisco-In an initial analysis, the Synchrony dual-optic single-piece IOL (Visiogen) performed well. The visual results were good, there were no major complications and no glare or halos after implantation, and patient satisfaction was high, according to George Beiko, BM, BCh, FRCS.

Manchester, England-Retinal detachment (RD) is a significant risk in refractive lens exchange (RLE) surgery for high myopia, said Emanuel S. Rosen, MD.

With so many refractive options available now, many surgeons are focused on fine-tuning their refractive results to get the best visual results for their patients.

Cape Coral, FL-New-generation refractive IOLs that provide a range of vision are valuable additions for a standard cataract practice, said Farrell C. Tyson II, MD.

San Francisco-In a study that quantified the anterior movement of an accommodative IOL (HumanOptics 1CU lens), the investigators reported an anterior shift of less than 0.5 D of accommodation, which was disappointing in that patients were not spectacle-independent, according to Eduardo Marques, MD, who spoke here at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

The Anecortave Acetate Risk Reduction Trial (AART) recently completed enrollment of 2,596 patients worldwide. The study is being conducted in the United States, Europe, Australia, and South America. Sites have also been added in India and Singapore under a different protocol number. AART is investigating the ability of anecortave acetate 15 mg or 30 mg to prevent sight-threatening choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in high-risk eyes when compared with a sham procedure.

Palo Alto, CA-Darius Moshfeghi, MD, pediatric retina specialist at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Palo Alto, CA, and one of just a few physicians in California's Bay Area trained to diagnose retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), is using technology to bring his expertise to premature babies without having to travel to see them.

San Francisco-Both the SA60AT (AcrySof, Alcon Laboratories) and the SN60WF (AcrySof IQ, Alcon) IOLs are associated with excellent visual acuity outcomes after cataract surgery. However, with its aspheric optic, the SN60WF significantly reduces higher-order aberrations (HOAs) and results in greater improvement in contrast sensitivity as well as patient satisfaction with visual function, said Helga P. Sandoval, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Throughout my years of dispensing optical products as an optician/dispenser, I have developed techniques that enable me to build patients? confidence while saving time and money. These helpful hints have proven invaluable to me when I troubleshoot an optical challenge.

San Francisco-In the ongoing debate over the superiority of refractive procedures, phakic lenses are receiving increasing attention because they preserve and improve the quality of vision, according to Jos? L. Guell, MD, PhD.

San Francisco-"The choice of corneal procedure that the surgeon will perform to correct astigmatism after corneal transplantation depends on the corneal shape," said Sheraz Daya, MD, FACS, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

San Francisco-Early treatment at high-risk threshold reduces the rate of unfavorable acuity and structural outcomes in infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), according to William V. Good, MD. Reporting new findings from the Early Treatment for Retinopathy of Prematurity Study (ETROP), Dr. Good added that systemic side effects are more common with earlier treatment but can be managed in the nursery.

Baltimore-The political realities of implementing mandatory vision-screening programs offer hard lessons for the dedicated individuals involved in the process. Small victories have been scored, but enormous efforts still need to be made to meet the goal of vision screening for all pre-kindergarten children with follow-up care for those identified as needing it, according to Mary Louise Collins, MD.

Nashville, TN-There are no simple answers to the most fundamental questions about children's eye screening, such as who should be screened, at what age, what should be screened for, and how.

La Jolla, CA-Screening for problems that affect school performance can be a challenge, according to David B. Granet, MD, who posed the question: "Who evaluates whether patients understand what they see?" Dr. Granet explained the task of pediatric ophthalmologists.

Chest and joint radiographs, CT, MRI, and other extraocular imaging modalities must be tailored to each patient and not ordered routinely.

The Laurence-Moon/Biedl-Bardet syndrome is an autosomal-recessive disorder with various findings.

Wilmington, DE-Alcon Laboratories paid Advanced Medical Optics Inc. (AMO) $121 million as part of a global settlement agreement that resolves four patent lawsuits between the companies. The companies also agreed to work together in the future to resolve patent issues relating to new technology before heading to court.

Several options are available to cataract surgeons to manage anticipated IFIS. In the multicenter prospective trial, surgeons could use a mechanical restraining device (iris expansion ring or iris retractors) to enlarge the pupil and keep the iris from prolapsing, viscodilation with Healon 5 (Advanced Medical Optics), or pharmacologic intervention with atropine administered three times daily beginning 2 days before surgery.

Miami-Hypotony maculopathy is a fixable problem if it is repaired within 6 months, according to Paul F. Palmberg, MD, PhD.