News

Miami?Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be a valuable tool for evaluating the status of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), particularly when new drugs are being used to treat the disease, said Philip J. Rosenfeld, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami.

Madison, WI?The intravitreal injection of triamcinolone as a treatment for retinal vascular disease may be an effective treatment for diabetic macular edema and retinal vein occlusions, according to Michael S. Ip, MD.

New York?Anecortave acetate (Retaane 15 mg suspension, Alcon Laboratories) seems to be safe and effective for the treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) compared with photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin for injection (Visudyne, Novartis Ophthal-mics/QLT Inc.).

Memphis, TN?Twenty-five-gauge vitrectomy has become his preferred method for most vitrectomy applications, according to Steven T. Charles, MD, who described how he uses this new technology.

Frankfurt, Germany?Twenty-three gauge vitrectomy instrumentation has become available and offers surgeons an alternative to 25-gauge instruments. Claus Eckardt, MD, looked at the pros and cons of these smaller instruments.

Durham, NC?The Retisert implant (Bausch & Lomb), a nonbiogradable device containing fluocinolone acetonide, is approved for the treatment of posterior uveitis and seems promising in the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME) and vein occlusion in clinical trials, according to Glenn Jaffe, MD.

Royal Oak, MI?Vitrectomy should be considered for some eyes withdiffuse diabetic macular edema (DME). The procedure seems to be along-term efficacious treatment in some eyes, according to Tarek S.Hassan, MD.

Winter Haven, FL?A number of new pharmacologic options for exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD), mostly designed to block different steps in the angiogenic cascade, are in various stages of development and testing, and some may one day be shown to improve outcomes, said Michael J. Tolentino, MD, director of clinical research, Center for Retina and Macular Disease, Winter Haven, FL.

Kyoto, Japan?Seasonal variation in IOP is important to take into account when evaluating those patients with glaucoma and particularly those with steroid-induced ocular hypertension, according to Kazuhiko Mori, MD, PhD.

Minneapolis?Refractive surgeons should incorporate rather than dismiss corneal refractive therapy (orthokeratology) and contact lens fitting because those techniques can have a synergistic benefit rather than play a competitive role in a refractive surgery practice, according to David R. Hardten, MD.

Oklahoma City, OK?A state bill requiring children entering kindergarten, first, and third grades to receive vision screenings has passed the Senate and is being considered in the House.

Mentor, OH?To meet the needs of a growing global customer base, Volk Optical has appointed Tim Warrell to the newly created position of marketing and customer service manager.

Irvine, CA?3D Vision Systems Inc., a digital imaging technology developer, has added industry veteran John Gilbert to its medical advisory board.

Washington?New York State's Department of Health will include new questions about visual impairment and access to eyecare in its annual 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System program.

The settlement grants Alcon the right to introduce its brimonidine 0.15% product on Sept. 30, 2009, or earlier if "certain market conditions" are met.

Be honest. Has this ever happened to you? You are about to get out of the shower in the morning and suddenly ask yourself the question: "Did I shampoo my hair?" And you're not sure of the answer?

Portland, OR?Mass vision screening of school-age children was first recommended in 1983. At that time there was not a large population of children of preschool age, a situation that has changed markedly since then because today many more 3- and 4-year-olds are in a preschool setting. However, there is still no standardization in vision screening.

Cleveland?Gene therapy and pharmacologic therapy, administered separately and combined, rescued retinal function in blind mice that were bred without an enzyme crucial to the detection of light.

Dorado, Puerto Rico?Torsional phacoemulsification offers cataract surgeons a new way to remove nucleus material more efficiently and safely than traditional longitudinal ultrasound, reported Richard J. Mackool, MD, who spoke during the Current Concepts in Ophthalmology meeting here.

Madison, WI - Uniform testing and reporting criteria are needed toidentify amblyogenic risk factors in children and prevent thedevelopment of amblyopia. Leslie W. France, CO, described theevidence base for the guidelines to detect amblyogenic riskfactors.

During resident clinic recently, I met an elderly woman suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Upset with 20/300 vision in her left eye, she was desperate to maintain her right eye's 20/25 vision.

Calgary, Alberta, Canada?In a single-surgeon study of glaucoma patients with uncontrolled IOP on maximally tolerated medical therapy, argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT) was associated with a greater IOP-lowering effect than selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT), reported Bryce Ford, MD.

Baltimore?The problem of an increasingly large population of patients with diabetes has spawned a novel and sometimes controversial approach to management: consultation via telemedicine assessment. Ingrid Zimmer-Galler, MD, discussed this high-tech approach to care at the recent Current Concepts in Ophthalmology meeting.

Los Angeles?Building on results of a study demonstrating that treatment with pegaptanib sodium (Macugen, OSI/Eyetech Pharmaceuticals) helps preserve vision and limit progression in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a retrospective subgroup analysis has shown that early treatment may produce even better outcomes, according to Christine R. Gonzales, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology, Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of Los Angeles.

Jackson, MS?A study that compared the outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy performed to treat complications of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) based on racial differences among Caucasians, Choctaw Indians, and African Americans found that race might affect outcomes.

An investigational ophthalmic combination product containing tobramycin 0.3% and prednisolone acetate 1% seems to be bioequivalent to a marketed preparation of prednisolone acetate 1%, according to recently released results from a phase III trial.

During resident clinic recently, I met an elderly woman suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Upset with 20/300 vision in her left eye, she was desperate to maintain her right eye's 20/25 vision.

Carlsbad, CA?In his private practice here, Bill G. Bell, MD, has established a system by which he matches patients with what he hopes is the optimum ocular allergy therapy?especially important in southern California where "every month is allergy month."

Kansas City, MO?Olopatadine HCl (Patanol, Alcon Laboratories) offers a unique pharmacologic profile of activity that corresponds to its unsurpassed efficacy in the management of allergic conjunctivitis, according to the results from comparative studies published in the peer-reviewed literature, said Lanny J. Rosenwasser, MD.

Experience from clinical trials and daily clinical practice indicate that loteprednol etabonate 0.2% (Alrex, Bausch & Lomb) is a valuable therapeutic option for both short- and longer-term management of allergic conjunctivitis, according to ophthalmologists who have studied and used this novel anti-inflammatory corticosteroid agent.