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The LADAR 6000 excimer laser with high-speed ablation (Alcon) offers excellent visual outcomes, according to Ángel López Castro of Spain, speaking at the Alcon symposium.

It is mandatory to develop precise , reproducible and accurate methodologies to obtain objective measurements of quality of vision, namely night vision, in order to create surgical techniques that will eliminate post-refractive vision disturbances, Joachim Murta said.

While smooth wavefronts are to be preferred, some abberations may be beneficial and further study is need to identify them, said Jos Rozema, MD, of University Hospital Antwerp, Belgium.

Phacoemulsification procedures consume significantly less fluid using torsional compared with longituinal ultrasound in hard cataract cases, according to Khiun Tjia of the Netherlands.

Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) announced the launch of the Tecnis CL intraocular lens (IOL) at the XXIV congress of the ESCRS.

The primary function of biomechanical measurements is to improve safety and doctors can readily use these metrics in clinical practice today through the use of proxies, said William J. Dupps, MD.

The age of refractive surgery has introduced new aberrations to the human eye that require a shift in how visual performance is evaluated, said Ray Applegate, MD. Mesopic low contrast acuity best quantifies vision quality; it overcomes the weaknesses of other metrics and it can predict visual function among individuals.

The new MICS lens (Ioltech-Zeiss) is appropriate for the correction of intermediate vision in pseudophakia, according to Carlos Verges, Jorge Cazal and Marc Menezo of the Department of Ophthalmology, Institut Universitari Dexeus, Barcelona, Spain.

The ophthalmic equipment manufacturer, bon optic, has unveiled its new topographer to the ophthalmic community.

Addition Technology Inc. has acquired CooperVision Surgical’s AlphaCor and AlphaSphere and plans to add these products to the Intacs line of corneal implants.

Athenagen Inc. began a phase I clinical trial of mecamylamine (ATG003), its eye drop therapy for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Animal models showed efficacy of ATG003 as an alternative to current AMD therapies, which require needle injections directly in the eye. The randomized, placebo-controlled, ascending dose clinical trial is designed to evaluate ocular tolerability and safety for up to 14 days.

The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), American Academy of Ophthalmology, and American Urological Association all encouraged cataract patients to talk about medications, mainly alpha-blockers, used for benign prostatic hyperplasia and certain types of lower urinary tract symptoms before undergoing cataract surgery.

The 164 confirmed cases of Fusarium keratitis in 33 states and one U.S. territory were due to the use of Bausch & Lomb Inc.’s ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution, according to a report by the Fusarium Keratits Investigation Team in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) (2006; 296:953-963). The team went on to discourage contact lens users from using that product.

STAAR Surgical Co. received approval by the People’s Republic of China’s State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) to market the STAAR Visian implantable collamer lens (ICL) as a treatment for myopia.

The FDA cleared Carl Zeiss Meditec’s MEL 80 excimer laser system for vision correction eye surgery. The company is currently finalizing preparations for the commercial launch of MEL 80.

The FDA sent an approval letter to Eli Lilly and Co. for ruboxistaurin mesylate (Arxxant), an investigational oral therapy for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy.

The FDA approved WaveLight’s wavefront-guided procedure, a LASIK treatment approach that combines the Allegro Analyzer with the 200-Hz Allegretto Wave excimer laser.

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Cannes, France-Multizone LASIK based on creating a central zone for far vision and treating the periphery for near is an effective technique for providing patients who have myopia and hyperopia with good near and distance vision without loss of contrast sensitivity, according to Alain Telandro, MD.

Wavefront preparation time plus the surgical time equals the actual time of the procedure. Different factors associated with each platform add to the preparation time for the procedure.

San Francisco-The AcrySof ReSTOR SA60D3 IOL (Alcon Laboratories) has provided good distance and near vision when used in the setting of bilateral simultaneous surgery, according to Richard B. Packard, FRCS.

San Francisco-Corneal transplantation has been evolving. Where once there was penetrating keratoplasty (PK), there is now a new alphabet of corneal transplantation procedures that are more advanced than their older relative. Michael W. Belin, MD, reviewed the major techniques, recounting their advantages and disadvantages at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

San Francisco-The pupil centroid shift feature of the VISX S4 laser CustomVue platform (Advanced Medical Optics) provides greater visual benefit than does compensation for cyclotorsional rotational registration in eyes with less than 2 D of astigmatism, according to Douglas D. Koch, MD.

Fort Lauderdale, FL-Significant differences in optic disc topography exist between ethnic groups, according to the results of a study analyzing parameters measured with confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (CSLO) among subjects with European, subcontinent Indian, and African-American ancestries.

Fort Lauderdale, FL-The B?rveldt-250 mm2 Glaucoma Implant (Advanced Medical Optics) seems to be more effective at lowering IOP than the Ahmed S2 Glaucoma Valve (New World Medical Inc.) in adult patients with refractory glaucoma. However, regardless of which of the devices is implanted, the preoperative IOP is a risk factor for eventual failure, according to Darrell WuDunn, MD, PhD, and colleagues, who presented their findings at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Fort Lauderdale, FL-Investigators have shown for the first time in nonhuman primates that, using lentiviral vectors, it is possible to achieve good gene marker expression that is sustained and that does not cause inflammation or other side effects. The most important factor in this research with lentiviral vectors is the longevity of the expression in contrast to adenoviral vectors, according to Eric Poeschla, MD.

Fort Lauderdale, FL-In individuals who have suffered an acute attack of primary angle closure (APAC), the contralateral eye appears to be at low risk for developing glaucoma, according to a study conducted in Singapore.

San Diego-Imaging instruments can be helpful for detection of glaucomatous damage even before the appearance of visual field loss. Further, the identification of covariates affecting diagnostic performance can help explain differences among the instruments and identify the subjects that will benefit most from different technologies, said Felipe A. Medeiros, MD, PhD, assistant professor of ophthalmology, University of California at San Diego.

Cincinnati-Entering its 22nd year, the 2006 Video Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (VJCRS) releases the next two issues in the quarterly published video presentations, "Challenging Cases in Cataract Surgery" and "Complication Management," respectively.

Yokneam, Isr?l-Lumenis Ltd. announced it has received exclusive worldwide licensing rights for SRT, a new laser therapy for selectively treating retinal diseases. These rights include licenses issued to Lumenis by Medizinisches Laserzentrum Lubeck GmbH, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Professor Reginald Birngruber.