News

Valhalla, NY—The management of endophthalmitis has progressed in leaps and bounds over the past 4 decades. Immediate treatment, however, is vision-saving, with many patients achieving 20/40 vision.

Chicago-A number of advances have been made in the ability to diagnose and manage optic nerve sheath meningiomas. Neil R. Miller, MD, described how best to handle these tumors during the William F. Hoyt Lecture at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

With cataract and refractive procedures, ocular comfort and inflammation management are highly relevant to the patient's impression of a successful procedure. Add to that an expectation that an increase in visual acuity will follow closely on the heels of surgery, and the standards are set very high.

Glaucoma presents a significant challenge for researchers seeking to adapt what is learned about genetics in labs to strategies that can be used in patient care.

Following are some software products available for evaluation.

Montr?al—Oral moxifloxacin (Avelox, Bayer) can penetrate into the vitreous at a level that can kill most common pathogens in the eye. This drug, a fluoroquinolone, may play a role in the treatment or prevention of endophthalmitis.

A new and promising therapeutic approach to treating diseases in which abnormal protein production is a problem, including AMD, is known as RNA interference (RNAi). RNAi is a biological method of turning off specific disease-causing genes and is being tested in at least two trials involving patients with AMD.

Chicago—The Age-Related Eye Disease Study II (AREDS II) will begin soon after the initial AREDS concludes next month.

La Jolla, CA—Many optic disc measurements obtained using confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (CSLO) can help predict the development of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in patients with ocular hypertension, according to the recently published results of an ancillary study to the National Eye Institute (NEI)-sponsored Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS).

Washington, DC—Legislators on Capitol Hill heard first-hand how their funding of National Eye Institute (NEI) research is advancing the understanding of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

La Jolla, CA—Many optic disc measurements obtained using confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (CSLO) can help predict the development of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in patients with ocular hypertension, according to the recently published results of an ancillary study to the National Eye Institute (NEI)-sponsored Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS).

Montr?al—A visual prosthetic device used to treat visual loss resulting from end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is providing patients with clinically meaningful increases in vision and quality of life.

Newport Beach, CA—Imaging technology for quantitative assessment of the optic nerve and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) can be a useful supplemental tool to clinicians, especially when the diagnosis of glaucoma is uncertain based on other clinical information, said Donald L. Budenz, MD, MPH, at Innovations in Glaucoma.

While fluorescein angiograms and optical coherence tomography can assess structure, the retinal acuity meter looks at function.

Nidek has released new diagnostic software called the OPD-Station that lets clinicians use data from its OPD-Scan device to perform a variety of corneal, total eye, and internal eye analyses using several sophisticated new functions.

Newport Beach, CA—White-on-white perimetry remains the gold standard for functional testing in glaucoma management, but that methodology has been improved by some recent software developments, and other new functional tests can be useful supplements for patient evaluation, said Donald L. Budenz, MD, MPH.

Rockville, MD—A researcher who has worked to determine the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration will receive the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology's (ARVO) 2006 Cogan Award.

Washington, DC—Legislators on Capitol Hill heard first-hand how their funding of National Eye Institute (NEI) research is advancing the understanding of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Dossenheim, Germany—The Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT) can help predict the development of glaucoma in eyes that appear otherwise normal, by standard clinical exam, according to one published study.

Fairfax, VA—Stephen S. Lane, MD, will receive the Cornelius D. Binkhorst Medal of Honor and deliver the Binkhorst Lecture at the 32nd annual symposium of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery in March.

Gamagori, Japan—Nidek has received CE Mark approvals to market its EC-5000 CXIII laser system and CV-7000 phaco system in the European market.

San Clemente, CA—Biolase Technology Inc. says the FDA is reviewing its 510(k) regulatory submission to obtain marketing clearance for the Oculase MD laser for use in ophthalmology and oculoplasty.

Irvine, CA—Allergan Inc. announces it has received FDA approval to market its brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution 0.1% (Alphagan P) for the lowering of IOP in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Fort Worth, TX—The FDA has given Alcon Laboratories Inc. its approval to market the AcrySof toric IOL for use in cataract patients with pre-existing corneal astigmatism.

An ophthalmologist-friend in West Virginia, who endowed a new lectureship at The Wilmer Eye Institute, recently stressed his commitment to teaching and learning. My friend said, "I have always said there are three solutions to every problem: education, education, and education."

American Journal of Ophthalmology

Siena, Italy—Corneal collagen cross-linking—induced by topical treatment with riboflavin and exposure to ultraviolet A light—appears to be a safe and effective, minimally invasive procedure both to reduce disease pro- gression and improve upon the cornea's optical properties in eyes with early keratoconus, said Aldo Caporossi, MD.

Ophthalmologists who are clinical investigators will likely be affected by new trial registration policies if they intend to publish research in top-tier journals.

Research into the genetics of ocular disease is paying off with discoveries of new genes associated with both common and rare eye conditions. Gene therapy, however, could be 5 to 10 years away for many eye diseases. In this first of a two-part series, researchers explain the progress in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Leber's congenital amaurosis, and familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR). In the second half of the series, gains in glaucoma, myopia, and retinitis pigmentosa will be covered as well as a promising therapy for AMD—RNA interference.

While considered by many to be a technique ahead of its time, the benefits of bimanual microincision phacoemulsification make it a better method of lens removal and an especially advantageous technique to use in complicated and challenging cases, said I. Howard Fine, MD, Eugene, OR, in his delivery of the inaugural Charles D. Kelman Lecture to conclude the ?Spotlight on Cataract Surgery 2005? session during the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.