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Children in North Carolina now must undergo vision screening before entering kindergarten, due to a law signed this past September by Mike Easley, the state's governor.

The IntraLase femtosecond laser (IntraLase Corp.) has been approved for sale in Taiwan. Taiwan Hwa-In, IntraLase’s distributor in Hong Kong and Mainland China, will offer the company’s products immediately.

Talecris Biotherapeutics granted Bausch & Lomb the exclusive license to recombinant plasmin technology for use in ophthalmology. Bausch & Lomb and Talecris Biotherapeutics co-developed rPlasmin, a recombinant derivative of the human blood component plasmin. The enzyme degrades many blood plasma proteins, including fibrin clots.

Advanced Medical Optics Inc. (AMO) launched its Tecnis CL silicone IOL, which reduces spherical aberrations, improves functional vision, and improves night-driving simulator performance. This IOL replaces the company’s Z9000 and Z9001 Tecnis silicone IOL models.

The FDA approved Alcon Laboratories’ travoprost ophthalmic solution 0.004% (Travatan Z) for the reduction of elevated IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, who are intolerant of, or have insufficient response to other IOP-lowering medication.

The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) released a final report regarding the toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS) outbreak, which began in early 2006. The final report addressed the findings and recommendations of the ASCRS TASS Task Force, led by Nick Mamalis, MD.

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The Tecnis multifocal IOL (Advanced Medical Optics) has been shown to be highly effective for patients with different clinical needs, such as in patients undergoing cataract surgery and IOL implantation, those with presbyopia, and in those with hyperopia. Three studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery reported the results with this IOL.

Philadelphia-Changes in the way ophthalmology is practiced have led Wills Eye Hospital to transfer its inpatient and ophthalmology residency programs to Thomas Jefferson University and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

With the FDA approval of WaveLight AG's wavefront-guided LASIK treatment using the Allegro Analyzer for wavefront analysis in conjunction with the company's 200-Hz Allegretto Wave excimer laser, U.S. refractive surgeons now have another choice for their patients. The indication is for the reduction or elimination of up to –7 D of spherical equivalent myopia or myopia with astigmatism, with up to –7 D of spherical component and up to 3 D of astigmatic component at the spectacle plane.

Like many of us, Vance Thompson, MD, loves wine. For Dr. Thompson, director of refractive surgery for Sioux Valley Clinic in Sioux Falls, SD, vacations to California's Napa Valley led to a business opportunity that teaches him much about wine, people, and business.

Pleasanton, CA-Certain elements are key to building a successful lenticular refractive practice, according to Shareef Mahdavi, BA. While technology will continue to evolve, success with implants will likewise require physicians to evolve their approaches to the business side of refractive surgery, namely, upgrading their customer service.

Editor's Note: Part 1 of this two-part feature (see Ophthalmology Times, Sept. 15, 2006) presented a customer-focused approach for persuading patients to undergo LASIK or a premium cataract procedure. At the heart of this method is training staff to concentrate on identifying patients' needs and how to meet their expectations, rather than jumping to the cost or postsurgical outcomes.

Irvine, CA-Intravitreous dexamethasone in a biodegradable, extended-release implant (Posurdex, Allergan) produced significant improvements in visual acuity and was well tolerated in recent studies. Additional investigation comparing applicator versus incisional placement suggests that the applicator approach is quicker, is at least as safe, and results in similar outcomes, according to Baruch D. Kuppermann, MD, PhD.

Madison, WI-Results from a recent study have shown for the first time the potential of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy to improve features of diabetic retinopathy, according to Micheal M. Altaweel, MD.

About one-third of patients displayed improvement in visual acuity at 1, 2, and 3 months after injection.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates-A new treatment strategy consisting of oral doxycycline and topical sodium citrate 10% may have a positive role in the treatment of post-LASIK inflammatory conditions characterized by increased collagenolytic activities, said Elias F. Jarade, MD.

Minneapolis, MN-Early results are promising regarding the potential role of conductive keratoplasty (CK, Refractec) as an additional tool to improve vision outcomes in eyes with keratoconus or post-LASIK ectasia treated with corneal implants (Intacs, Addition Technology), said Jason K. Darlington, MD.

San Francisco-Cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion 0.05% (Restasis, Allergan) does not seem to provide a benefit for patients with a normal ocular surface when the drug is started postoperatively for either dryness or photophobia during the first month following LASIK. The light sensitivity in patients using topical cyclosporine was slightly higher 5 weeks after LASIK compared with the control patients randomly assigned to carboxymethylcellulose sodium 1.0% (Celluvisc, Allergan).

Cincinnati-"Regardless of whether we are talking about full-thickness transplants or endothelial transplants, corneal transplant rejection is the leading cause of graft failure," said Edward J. Holland, MD, director, Cornea and External Diseases, Cincinnati Eye Institute, Cincinnati.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates-The use of topical peripheral annular application of mitomycin-C (MMC) 0.02% for 2 minutes is safe and effective in preventing corneal scarring after PRK with more predictable refractive outcomes. In addition, it decreases the potential for side effects, especially damage to the corneal endothelium, associated with topical MMC disc application and central corneal exposure to MMC, according to Elias F. Jarade, MD.

The Tecnis multifocal IOL (Advanced Medical Optics) has been shown to be highly effective for patients with different clinical needs, such as in patients undergoing cataract surgery and IOL implantation, those with presbyopia, and in those with hyperopia. Three studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery reported the results with this IOL.

When choosing an aspheric IOL, aiming for an overall postoperative spherical aberration of +0.10 ?m provides better patient outcomes based on the latest research.

Marseille, France-Anterior chamber OCT (Visante, Carl Zeiss Meditec) is new and powerful technology with important applications in research and clinical practice, said Georges D. Baikoff, MD.

Charleston, SC-Torsional phacoemulsification, which is accomplished with the OZil handpiece (Alcon Laboratories), is the newest incarnation of a phacoemulsification process that has remained virtually unchanged for 4 decades, since Charles Kelman, MD, introduced ultrasonic phacoemulsification. The improvements promised by this torsional technology include less dispersion of nuclear fragments, improved cutting performance, and improved thermal safety profile.

Somain, France-The new Akreos microincision IOL (Bausch & Lomb) with its new haptic design can be implanted without difficulty through a 1.8-mm incision, combining all the benefits of the Akreos design with those of smaller corneal incisions. The IOL provides good-quality vision and intracapsular stability, according to Thierry Amzallag, MD, who reported the 6-month results of a pilot study.

Los Angeles-Preliminary results from a prospective study of patients with the crystalens square edge (SE) accommodating IOL (eyeonics) implanted suggest modification of the original optic edge design has been effective for reducing the development of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) and without causing an increase in visual quality-related complaints, according to D. Michael Colvard, MD.

Baltimore-Surgical results for patients requesting a blepharoplasty can be improved if the surgeon carefully examines individuals for coexisting diagnoses, pre-existing asymmetries, brow position, and lower eyelid malposition, explained Shannath L. Merbs, MD, PhD, FACS.

Rochester, NY-The Rochester nomogram for custom LASIK provided significantly better postoperative visual acuity, better predictability, and reduced range of postoperative spherical equivalent compared with the previous FDA study in eyes with greater degrees of myopia, according to Manoj Subbaram, PhD.

Houston-Hyperopia treated with the wavefront-optimized Allegretto Wave excimer laser (WaveLight) achieved good long-term stability, even in patients with 4 to 6 D of hyperopia. The wavefront-optimized platform also achieved excellent outcomes for hyperopia up to 6 D with 5 D of cylinder, reported Charles R. Moore, MD.