News

Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico—Newer techniques for managing the small pupil are effective, thus enabling safer phacoemulsification. Stephen Obstbaum, MD, reviewed the techniques that are available and demonstrated their use at the Current Concepts in Ophthalmology meeting.

Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico—Along with povidone-iodine, perioperative use of a topical fourth-generation fluoroquinolone, either gatifloxacin 0.3% (Zymar, Allergan) or moxifloxacin 0.5% (Vigamox, Alcon Laboratories), should now be considered standard of care for chemoprophylaxis in cataract surgery, said Francis S. Mah, MD, at the Current Concepts in Ophthalmology meeting.

Proponents of bimanual microincision phacoemulsification (BMP) are discovering that the technique offers unique advantages over standard coaxial phaco in not only routine cases but also particular difficult and challenging procedures. In a previous article we covered the advantage of BMP in eyes that had undergone previous radial keratotomy. In this article, we will discuss the advantages in eyes with zonular laxity or frank zonular dehiscence.

Philadelphia—Fibrin tissue adhesive (Tisseel VH Fibrin Sealant, Baxter) is a safe and effective modality for securing autologous conjunctival grafts during pterygium surgery and offers many advantages for the surgeon and patient compared with suturing, said Sadeer B. Hannush, MD, attending surgeon, Cornea Service, Wills Eye Hospital, and assistant professor of ophthalmology, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia.

New York—Patients undergoing primary trabeculectomy who are at high risk for bleb failure should be treated with either a single application of mitomycin-C (MMC; Mutamycin, Bristol-Myers Oncology) or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) intraoperatively followed by subconjunctival injection of 5-FU later, reported glaucoma specialist Celso Tello, MD.

German excimer laser systems manufacturer Schwind eye-tech-solutions announced the FDA has approved the sale of its Carriazo-Pendular microkeratome in the United States.

The FDA has issued an approvable letter for the fixed combination of travoprost 0.004% and timolol 0.5% ophthalmic solution (Extravan) for the treatment of glaucoma, according to Alcon Laboratories, its manufacturer.

Dunfermline, Scotland—Scottish Enterprise, which honors companies and individuals in Scotland who contribute to the global life sciences community, has honored Optos Inc. founder Douglas Anderson.

Paris—Yaron S. Rabinowitz, MD, became the third American ophthalmologist to address the Soci?t? Fran?aise d'Ophtalmologie (SFO) annual meeting in the organization's 111-year history when he spoke here May 8 about his keratoconus research.

Orlando—The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus recently honored Leonard Apt, MD, professor of ophthalmology and founding director of the division of pediatric ophthalmology at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA, at the group's annual meeting here.

Duluth, GA—Norwood EyeCare has appointed distributors for its Centurion SES System with EpiEdge in Japan, Thailand, and Russia.

When are dry eyes not dry? Fairly often, in my clinical practice.

Patients, especially those over age 40, are more educated about LASIK and often are seeking alternatives.

Durham, NC—While there is widespread agreement on the importance of optic disc examination in the care of glaucoma patients, studies suggest there is considerable opportunity for improvement in documentation as well as in the accuracy and reproducibility of assessments, reported Paul P. Lee, MD, JD, professor of ophthalmology, Duke University, Durham, NC.

Accumulating data indicate that deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK) is an excellent alternative to penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) as a corneal transplant procedure in eyes with endothelial dysfunction, according to Mark A. Terry, MD.

At this time there is no therapy that can restore vision after retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death in patients with glaucoma. However, stem cell-based treatments do have the potential to restore function in individuals with various neurodegenerative diseases, reported Keith R. Martin, MD, of Cambridge University, Cambridge, England, at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Most corneal subbasal nerves disappear immediately following PRK and LASIK and take several years to return to near preoperative densities, according to William M. Bourne, MD, who presented the effects of refractive surgery and topical glaucoma therapy on corneal nerve morphology during the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting.

The quality of life in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is coming under increasing scrutiny in recent years compared with previous studies which focused primarily on intraocular pressure and visual field changes.

HMGCoA reductase inhibitors (statins) have been evaluated in a small study with the hope that the agents will slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Results between the medication and placebo group were not significant at 12 months, but there were too few patients to reach definitive conclusions.

The Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) addressed two primary issues: is early treatment safe and effective to treat patients with ocular hypertension and what are the baseline demographic and clinical factors that might be predictive of which patients will develop glaucoma.

At this time there is no therapy that can restore vision after retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death in patients with glaucoma. However, stem cell-based treatments do have the potential to restore function in individuals with various neurodegenerative diseases, reported Keith R. Martin, MD, of Cambridge University, Cambridge, England, at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

A subgroup analysis from the Transpupillary Thermotherapy of Occult Subfoveal Choroidal Neovascular Membranes in patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration (TTT4CNV) study shows an increasingly beneficial effect of TTT over time in eyes with BCVA of 20/100 or worse, said Elias Reichel, MD.

There is a low rate of recurrent choroidal neovascularization (CNV) over 2 years in eyes that undergo macular translocation surgery with 360-degree peripheral retinectomy (MT-360) for exudative age-related macular degeneration, said Claxton A Baer, MD.

Systemic bevacizumab (Avastin) therapy in patients with subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration has been associated with functional and anatomic improvements, according to early results from an open-label, uncontrolled clinical study undertaken at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami, FL.

Pegaptanib sodium (Macugen, Eyetech) is well tolerated in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). No systemic side effects developed and any adverse events were mild, according to Anthony Capone, MD, of Royal Oak, MI. He reported the safety results of the Macugen AMD Study Group at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Research in retinoblastoma and uveal melanoma, two rare ocular cancers, extends beyond ocular oncology to all areas of oncology. Discoveries concerning the mechanisms in those two cancers are shedding light on how other tumors function and may aid in the development of therapies and means of predicting metastasis, according to J. William Harbour, MD, who delivered the Cogan Lecture at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Ronald Klein, MD, MPH, and his wife Barbara E. K. Klein, MD, MPH, received the Friedenwald Award at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting for their contributions in the area of ophthalmic epidemiological research in studies of diabetes, glaucoma, age-related eye diseases and eye diseases in systemic disorders.

Young school children living in Sydney, Australia, were found to have a low prevalence of visual impairment, according to the results of a population-based, cross-sectional study, reported by Dana Robaei, MD.

Although trabeculectomy and deep sclerectomy provide long-term IOP reduction in patients with open-angle glaucoma, trabeculectomy is more effective than deep sclerectomy in achieving IOP less than or equal to 16 mm Hg with or without goniopuncture, reported Stefano A. Gandolfi, MD.

A technique has been developed that allows acquisition of a scanning laser ophthalmoscopy-quality fundus intensity image from raw spectra measured with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT), which is the same spectra used to generate a three-dimensional OCT data set. Retinal thickness and volume maps were generated for normal eyes and those with disease.