News

Washington, DC-Ophthalmologists whose patients choose a presbyopia-correcting IOL following cataract surgery do not need to have the Medicare beneficiary sign a waiver or advanced beneficiary notice (ABN) prior to surgery.

Des Plaines, IL-Sales of corneal implants (Intacs, Addition Technology Inc.) for the treatment of keratoconus and myopia increased 75% in the first quarter of 2006 compared with the same quarter in 2005, according to the manufacturer. Compared with Q4 2005, corneal implants sales increased 12%.

Toronto-OccuLogix Inc. said it will acquire Boston-based SOLX Inc. in a deal aimed at diversifying OccuLogix's offerings while it awaits further study of its treatment for the dry form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Cleveland-Andrew P. Schachat, MD, joins the Cleveland Clinic Foundation's Cole Eye Institute as vice chairman for clinical affairs for the division of ophthalmology. He will focus on clinical affairs and their contribution to the overall success of the Cole Eye Institute program.

Washington-Sixty-two percent of meno-pausal and perimenopausal women reported dry eye symptoms, yet only 16% of women experiencing dry eye symptoms realized dry eye was a symptom of meno-pause, according to a recent survey sponsored by the Society of Women's Health Research (SWHR). The survey polled 304 women in menopause and perimenopause.

Indianapolis-Eli Lilly & Co.'s ruboxistaurin mesylate (proposed brand name Arxxant), a possible treatment for diabetic retinopathy, has received priority review status by the FDA.

San Francisco-The American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, and American Academy of Pediatrics released a series of recommendations on which to base effective detection and treatment of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). The groups discuss improvements in the possible treatment of ROP and the importance of carefully timed retinal exams by an ophthalmologist for at-risk premature infants.

Albuquerque, NM-While vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and steroids are garnering most of the attention as new therapies for ocular neovascularization and vascular permeability, many other agents show potential as well, according to Arup Das, MD, PhD.

After weeks of enduring a mysterious onslaught of Fusarium keratitis cases that appeared to be associated with ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens cleaning solution, Bausch & Lomb has discontinued the product worldwide.

The European Commission (EC) granted Allergan a license to market bimatoprost/timolol ophthalmic solution (Ganfort) in the European Union. The once-daily combination product is indicated for the reduction of IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension whose disease is insufficiently responsive to topical beta-blockers or prostaglandin analogues.

The University of California-Irvine's department of ophthalmology received $2 million from the philanthropic arm of Allergan Inc., The Allergan Foundation. The donation will further strengthen the department's research agenda and clinical care. The gift was "the largest donation ever to ophthalmology," according to a joint press release from the university and Allergan.

The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) formed a Comprehensive Ophthalmology Clinical Committee to "stay abreast of the latest advances in technology, as well as diagnosis and treatment options for various issues that are seen daily in the comprehensive clinic," said ASCRS President Samuel Masket, MD.

STAAR Surgical Co. received CE mark approval for its KS-3Ai preloaded IOL injection system with an aspheric optic design. The company will now be allowed to market this IOL for use in cataract surgery in 21 countries. STAAR will begin shipments to distributors this month.

The FDA approved WaveLight Inc.'s wavefront-optimized Allegretto Wave excimer laser system for the treatment of mixed astigmatism. The indication is to reduce or eliminate naturally occurring mixed astigmatism of up to 6 D at the spectacle plane.

june images

Seeing may be believing, but in the world of eye care,ophthalmologists have for years relied on charts andthree-dimensional (3-D) models in an attempt to explain conceptsthat are rather hard for patients to visualize.

San Francisco-Inferior placement of a single intrastromalcorneal ring segment (Intacs, Addition Technology) appears toafford better outcomes than double-segment placement when treatingkeratoconus and ectasia in eyes with peripheral (paracentral)cones, said Colin C.K. Chan, MD, at the annual meeting of theAmerican Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) added the AcrySof IQ IOL (Alcon Laboratories) to the New Technology Intraocular Lens (NTIOL) classification of Reduced Spherical Aberration. Effective May 19, ambulatory surgery centers using the AcrySof IQ IOL for cataract surgery will receive an additional $50 from Medicare. The IOL gained inclusion by proving the same or greater clinical benefit as the lens that established the NTIOL subset. The NTIOL subset and adjusted payment will remain in effect until Feb. 27, 2011.

Advances in instrumentation also produced superior light probeswith improved illumination angles and the amount of illumination.

San Francisco-Significant progress has been made in theability to predict progression from ocular hypertension toglaucoma, but the same cannot be said for predicting whetherpatients with detectable disease will have progression to severevisual impairment or blindness, said Kuldev Singh, MD, MPH, atASCRS Glaucoma Day 2006.

S?o Paulo, Brazil Brazil-Deep sclerectomy is not the "holygrail" of glaucoma surgery, but available evidence indicates thatit is definitively safer than trabeculectomy, according to Tarek M.Shaarawy, MD. Deep sclerectomy can also result in long-term successrates comparable with those of trabeculectomy when performed withproper technique by experienced hands, he added.

The likelihood of detecting change increases as the frequency offollow-up imaging increases.

Seeing may be believing, but in the world of eye care,ophthalmologists have for years relied on charts andthree-dimensional (3-D) models in an attempt to explain conceptsthat are rather hard for patients to visualize.

San Francisco-The crystalens accommodating IOL (eyeonics)improved visual outcomes "dramatically" in a study of patients withhigh myopia or high hyperopia. The IOL achieved similar near visualacuity levels in both patient groups, reported Harvey Carter, MD,at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract andRefractive Surgery.

San Francisco-The new LADAR 6000 excimer laser (AlconLaboratories) is a technologically advanced system with numeroushardware and software improvements that together should furtheroptimize clinical outcomes of laser vision correction, said StephenF. Brint, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society ofCataract and Refractive Surgery.

Overall, acute endothelial cell loss rates were about 6% for boththe central and peripheral cornea.

San Francisco-A study of the repeatability and accuracy ofthe iris registration capture function in the VISX STAR excimerlaser (Advanced Medical Optics [AMO]) indicated that there islittle variability in the measurement of the rotational change andpupil centroid shift between consecutive iris registrationcaptures. There is, however, significant variability of themeasurements in different eyes. Iris registration technology allowsfor a more precise alignment and placement of wavefront treatment,Louis Probst, MD, reported at the annual meeting of the AmericanSociety of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

San Francisco-Initial experience with a small-diameter,intracorneal lens (PresbyLens, ReVision Optics) suggests it is asafe and effective method for treating presbyopia and that itoffers the potential to expand the LASIK market, said Arturo S.Chayet, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society ofCataract and Refractive Surgery.

San Francisco-A comparison of wavefront-guided andwavefront-optimized treatments performed using the WaveLightAllegretto laser (WaveLight Laser Technologie AG) and the IntraLasefemtosecond laser system (IntraLase Corp.) indicates excellentrefractive predictability and visual outcomes can be obtained usingboth treatments, Karl G. Stonecipher, MD, reported at the annualmeeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

San Francisco-Although approved for initial hyperopic andpresbyopic correction, conductive keratoplasty (CK, Refractec) isan excellent tool for enhancement in cases of residual refractiveerror after myopic or hyperopic LASIK and in cases of patientsrequiring better near vision correction after crystalens (eyeonics)implantation, according to G. Peyton Neatrour, MD, who spoke aboutCK enhancement during the American Society of Cataract andRefractive Surgery annual meeting.