News

The Cornea Society is hosting its fifth World Congress preceding the joint meeting of The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) and the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators (ASOA). The Congress is held only once every 10 years and will take place on Thursday, April 14, and Friday, April 15, at the Washington Convention Center.

Fort Lauderdale, FL—Three residents shared honors in the 2005 Bloomberg Memorial Videotape Competition for cataract and implant surgery.

Des Plaines, IL-A new Category III CPT code has been released by the American Medical Association (AMA) to cover the micro-thin prescription inserts (Intacs, Addition Technology) procedure for keratoconus.

Mountain View, CA—Patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) who were treated with a transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT) laser protocol showed a significant clinical benefit of improved vision versus those in a sham-treated control group, according to Iridex Corp.

Toronto—The FDA is allowing OccuLogix Inc. to initiate studies of its RHEO blood filtration system to treat dry age-related macular degeneration after reviewing the Long-term Efficacy in AMD from Rheopheresis in North America (LEARN) protocols.

Plymouth Meeting, PA—Six patients treated with 40 mg of Genaera Corp.'s squalamine lactate (Evizon) had preserved or improved vision in both eyes suffering from wet age-related macular degeneration through a 4-month study, according to the company, which released preliminary results of a phase II clinical trial.

Aliso Viejo, CA—Three years after implantation of the crystalens (eyeonics) accommodating IOL, 92% of patients achieved monocular near-vision acuity of J3 or better measured through the distance correction, according to follow-up results.

Boston—After nearly 5 years of research and product development for glaucoma treatment systems, SOLX has launched commercial operations.

Fort Worth, TX—The FDA has accepted the new drug application (NDA) for Alcon Inc.'s anecortave acetate for depot suspension (RETAANE) for controlling angiogenesis in wet age-related macular degeneration.

Santa Barbara, CA—Miravant Medical Technologies will conduct phase III clinical trials for rostaporfin (PHOTREX) at 50 investigational sites in central and eastern Europe and the United Kingdom to evaluate a range of patients with wet age-related macular degeneration.

Atlanta—Alimera Sciences Inc. and Control Delivery Systems Inc. (CDS) will work together to develop and market a pharmacologic treatment for diabetic macular edema (DME).

New York—Eyetech Pharmaceuticals Inc. is offering to help physicians and patients seeking Medicare reimbursement for pegaptanib sodium injection (Macugen) treatment.

Santa Ana, CA—The merger of Advanced Medical Optics Inc. (AMO) and VISX Inc. is taking a little longer to complete than anticipated, as auditors work to finish the companies' year-end financial statements.

With the push of a button, refractive surgeons now have the capability to align wavefront-guided customized ablations to the correct corneal site. Iris Registration (IR) technology from VISX for use with CustomVue treatment is the first and only FDA-approved, fully automated, non-contact method available to CustomVue surgeons in the United States. The technology is being regarded for its potential to enhance the further efficacy and safety of custom ablations with the VISX system.

Amiodarone was introduced in 1961 as an anti-anginal agent and was also found to be helpful in several cardiac arrhythmias.

Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico—Special situations sometimes arise in cataract surgery that call for the use of special measures.

Many a person looks forward to retirement when there is time to travel, relax, and enjoy life to its fullest.

Ophthalmologists can improve glaucoma care by employing a systematic approach to optic nerve evaluation to determine disease severity and risk of progression, according to speakers at a continuing medical education symposium held during the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.

Memphis—Switches within rather than between classes of glaucoma medications are less common but appropriate when likely to produce an improvement in efficacy, adverse effects, or compliance, said Peter Andreas Netland, MD, PhD, Siegal Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis.

Baltimore—Fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant (Retisert, Bausch & Lomb) is an effective treatment for non-infectious posterior uveitis, but may have potential side effects, according to the interim results of a multicenter trial that Quan Dong Nguyen, MD, MSc, described during the Current Concepts in Ophthalmology meeting.

Indianapolis—The investigational compound ruboxistaurin (Eli Lilly and Co.) may reduce the risk of vision loss associated with diabetic macular edema (DME), according to post hoc analysis of previously reported data. The new analysis also showed that the proximity of DME to the center of the macula was associated with visual acuity and that the severity of central macular involvement was associated with the severity of vision loss, according to Matthew J. Sheetz, MD, PhD, a clinical research physician at Eli Lilly.

Baltimore—A pilot investigation of a new mild macular grid photocoagulation treatment for diabetic macular edema (DME) and a study comparing intravitreal triamcinolone with laser photocoagulation are two ongoing trials being performed under the auspices of the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DRCR.net), and a number of other protocols are under way, will be launched soon, or are in development, said Sharon Solomon, MD, at Current Concepts in Ophthalmology.

Baltimore—A prospective study is now under way, designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of anecortave acetate for depot suspension (Retaane, Alcon Laboratories) for arresting the progression of "dry" age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in patients at risk for developing exudative disease, said Andrew P. Schachat, MD, at the Current Concepts in Ophthalmology meeting.

Baltimore—Prescribed weekend atropine sulfate 1% appears to be as effective as prescribed daily use for treating moderate amblyopia in young children, according to results from a study conducted by the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group.

A 65-year-old obese man with systemic lupus erythematosus presents to the ophthalmology clinic, referred from rheumatology for "toxicity screening" after starting therapy with hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ) 400 mg per day (Plaquenil Sulfate). He had prior lupus-related glomerulonephritis but has a stable serum creatinine level. There was no liver dysfunction.

Variable WhiteStar, the new Version 6 software upgrade for Sovereign with WhiteStar (AMO), affords enhanced intraoperative micropulse control and allows surgeons to titrate the ultrasound energy precisely according to the density of each lens fragment. This advanced technology allows for increased intraoperative control while minimizing energy utilization and further increasing procedural efficiency and safety, agree cataract surgeons using the new software.

Salt Lake City—Introduction of OptiEdge technology (AMO) into the design of the three-piece, hydrophobic acrylic AR40e (Sensar, AMO) has been a significant advance for reducing the risk of posterior capsule opacification (PCO), said David J. Apple, MD.

Rockville Centre, NY—Gatifloxacin 0.3% (Zymar, Allergan), a fourth-generation fluoroquinolone, achieved excellent penetration into the cornea, far exceeding the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for several ocular pathogens, according to John R. Wittpenn, MD.

Baltimore—Cataract surgery can be successful in patients with uveitis, although careful attention to controlling inflammation together with prompt identification and management of postoperative complications are critical for optimizing outcomes, said John H. Kempen, MD, PhD, at Current Concepts in Ophthalmology meeting, sponsored by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and Ophthalmology Times.

Salt Lake City—A few cases of dystrophic calcification have been reported that required explantation of the patients' silicone IOLs because of the opacified posterior surface of the IOLs. The phenomenon seems to be associated with asteroid hyalosis, according to Liliana Werner, MD, PhD.