News

The Epi-LASIK technique is a relatively new addition to the menu of refractive procedures from which patients can choose, and its results are beginning to be appreciated by surgeons.

With the FDA's recent approval of expanded indications for Alcon's LADARVision system, I can now treat up to 93% of my myopic LASIK candidates with a customized wavefront-guided procedure.

Mainz, Germany—The first clinical results from the European Multicenter Trial of the Artiflex foldable iris-claw phakic IOL (Ophtec, Groningen, the Netherlands) indicated that the implant is safe and effective for treating myopia after a 6-month follow-up period.

Los Angeles—Symptomatic refractive surgery re-treatment using CustomCornea wavefront-guided LASIK (Alcon Laboratories Inc.) dramatically reduces higher-order aberrations, with an accompanying improvement in visual symptoms, according to James J. Salz, MD.

Brest, France—The initial results from implantation of the NewLife multifocal anterior chamber phakic IOL (GBR lens, IOLTech, LaRochelle, France) to treat presbyopia indicate that it is safe and effective. However, refinements in the design of the IOL are needed, as are longer follow-up periods, according to Beatrice Cochener, MD.

Athens, Greece—Topography-guided LASIK enhancement using the Allegretto Wave system (WaveLight Laser Technologie AG, Erlangen, Germany) appears to be safe and effective for improving poor quality of vision associated with small, eccentric ablations and irregular astigmatism after previous refractive surgery, said A. John Kanellopoulos, MD.

Frustrated with not being able to see well enough even to gauge how much salt and pepper she was pouring into her cooking, Sarah Polsfuss of Alabama went to a drawer in search of an old article she hoped she had saved.

Antibiotic resistance is a growing challenge, especially in ophthalmic surgery, and clinicians must remain vigilant and well informed to reduce the risk of infection in their patients, said Michael B. Raizman, MD, a cornea specialist with Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston.

Atlanta—Up-to-date results from participants in the FDA clinical trial of the recently approved Verisyse phakic myopic IOL (Advanced Medical Optics) demonstrate that implant provides excellent refractive outcomes with a good safety profile, according to R. Doyle Stulting, MD, PhD.

Free-form technology virtually eliminates unwanted radial astigmatic error, the most common cause of non-adaptation in patients with presbyopia.

New Orleans—Posterior subtenon triamcinolone injection (PSTI) combined with focal laser improves the clinical outcome in diabetic macular edema (DME), according to results of a small, single-center, randomized prospective study, said Murat Tunc, MD, during the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Coronado, CA—Transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT) alone and combined with a single pretreatment intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide 4 mg are similarly associated with vision stabilization over a 6-month follow-up period in eyes with large complicated choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), reported Jans Fromow-Guerra, MD, PhD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Retinal Specialists.

Antibiotic resistance is a growing challenge, especially in ophthalmic surgery, and clinicians must remain vigilant and well informed to reduce the risk of infection in their patients, said Michael B. Raizman, MD, a cornea specialist with Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston.

The endothelial cell count had to be at least 2,500 cells/mm2 if the patient was over 45 years.

New Orleans—Results from continued follow-up of myopic eyes enrolled in the FDA clinical trial of the Verisyse phakic lens (Advanced Medical Optics) support the conclusion that the iris-fixated implant is a safe, effective, and very useful adjunct in a refractive surgery practice, said Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, at a session during the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

New Orleans—The dermis fat graft is an overlooked procedure that merits consideration as a primary or secondary ocular implant and for complex socket reconstruction, suggested James Katowitz, MD.

Accommodation ranged from 0.75to 2 D and did not change significantly throughout thefollow-up period.

Jackson, MI—The patient-reported quality of life is high with the AcrySof IOLs (Alcon Laboratories), according to Paul Ernest, MD, who reported a significant improvement in the quality of life after cataract surgery with implantation of either a conventional AcrySof IOL or the AcrySof Natural lens.

New Orleans—The modified prolate anterior surface IOL (Tecnis, AMO) is creating a new standard for visual performance after cataract surgery, according to Robert M. Kershner, MD, MS, FACS, at the Spotlight on Cataracts 2004: Cataract Controversies Symposium, held during the joint meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and European Society of Ophthalmology.

New Orleans—The condition of the anterior segment will determine the outcome of secondary IOL implantation in children, according to Edward G. Buckley, MD, chief, divisions of pediatrics and neuro-ophthalmology, Duke University Eye Center, Durham, NC.

New Orleans—Refractive lens exchange (RLE) with implantation of the Acrysof SA 60D3 ReSTOR IOL (Alcon Laboratories) is an effective method for treating myopia and hyperopia in presbyopic age patients, said Francesco Carones, MD, at the American Academy of Ophthalmology's refractive surgery subspecialty day meeting.

The lens is unique in that it is designed to change its true power during accommodation rather than changing its position in the eye.

Brookville, PA—The new aberration-free aspheric IOL (SofPort Advanced Optics, Bausch & Lomb) is an exciting advance in implant technology because of its potential to offer better quality of vision to all patients, said Louis D. "Skip" Nichamin, MD.

San Diego—With data available from up to 1 year of follow-up in an ongoing FDA multicenter clinical trial, the toric ICL (STAAR Surgical) is demonstrating favorable efficacy, safety, and predictability for the correction of myopic astigmatism, said Capt. Steven C. Schallhorn, MD.

Chicago—Although the introduction of aphakic IOLs led to a 50-year epidemic of pseudophakic corneal edema, it is unlikely that the advent of phakic IOLs will cause history to repeat itself, said Joel Sugar, MD.

Washington, DC—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced that as of Jan. 1, 2005, the Medicare Part B allowable for pegaptanib sodium (Macugen, Eyetech Pharmaceuticals) is 106% of average sales price (ASP), or $1,054.70 per injection.

Kingston, NH—The FDA has approved D.O.R.C. International/Dutch Ophthalmic USA's New Drug Application for its patented VisionBlue staining solution for use in cataract surgery.

Fairfax, VA—The FDA is asking cataract surgeons to report any incidents of intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS) that they have experienced on the agency's MedWatch Web site.

Two of the most critical and foundational elements in the diagnosis of glaucoma—consistent examination of the optic nerve and aggressively lowering IOP—are one step closer to reality.

Newark, NJ—Conductive keratoplasty (CK) is a safe and effective procedure to treat patients with LASIK complications, an off-label application of the procedure, in whom an additional laser procedure is contraindicated, said Peter Hersh, MD.