News

Washington, DC &#8212 Conventional LASIK for moderate myopia generally reduces night-driving performance, but the frequency of that effect differs between laser platforms, said Steve C. Schallhorn, MD.

Washington, DC &#8212 The topic of healthcare continues to garner much debate on Capitol Hill. Former congressman and practicing physician Sen. Tom A. Coburn, MD (R-OK) kicked off the Government Relations General Session at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting.

Washington, DC &#8212 phthalmologists discovered something "new" and something "old" Sunday evening during the "Innovations in Cataract and Refractive Surgery" symposium, sponsored by the Dulaney Foundation and supported by an educational grant from Alcon Laboratories.

Washington, DC &#8212 Attendees of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting enjoyed a festive evening of Australian wines, hors d'oeuvres, and music at a Sunday evening reception sponsored by Norwood EyeCare, a subsidiary of Norwood Abbey Ltd. The Australian-based company has much to celebrate.

Washington, DC &#8212 Preliminary results from the ongoing FDA clinical trials of the Allegretto Wave wavefront-guided excimer laser (WaveLight Laser Technologie AG) demonstrate the safety and efficacy of this new platform, when compared with the approved wavefront-optimized platform, reported Steven Brint, MD, medical monitor for the FDA study, during a Sunday evening presentation at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

Washington, DC &#8212 As refractive surgeons are revisiting surface ablation, the EpiLift System (Advanced Refractive Technologies/VisiJet) offers an advanced approach incorporating safe, simple, and precise mechanical epithelial separation.

Washington, DC &#8212 WaveLight Inc. and SurgiVision Consultants Inc. of Scottsdale, AZ, introduce an exclusive new service for users of the Allegretto Wave excimer laser system.

Washington, DC &#8212 Could laser vision correction be a safer alternative to IOL exchange in patients with ametropia after cataract surgery? That is the question that Irene C. Kuo, MD, and her colleagues tried to answer in a small study of patients who underwent LASIK or PRK to correct this problem.

Washington, DC &#8212 Conventional LASIK for moderate myopia generally reduces night-driving performance, but the frequency of that effect differs between laser platforms, said Steve C. Schallhorn, MD.

Washington, DC &#8212 Laser vision correction and refractive lens exchange (RLE) with a multifocal IOL may offer hope for hyperopic eyes with large amounts of astigmatism or residual astigmatism or eyes with presbyopia, according to Kevin L. Waltz, MD, who spoke about the results of retrospective chart review during a cataract/refractive symposium during the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

Washington, DC &#8212 Clear lens replacement is considered a good option for patients who are well-educated about the risk factors pertaining to retinal detachment, explained J. Pitzer Gills III, MD, who spoke during a cataract/refractive symposium on refractive lens exchange, bioptics, and intracorneal lenses during the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

Washington, DC &#8212 A good visual outcome is often achieved following primary IOL placement in pediatric eyes undergoing removal of traumatic cataract, said Richard Golub, MD.

Washington, DC &#8212 Growing the refractive surgery market relies on educating potential candidates about the benefits of the procedure and allaying irrational conclusions about risks, reported Shareef Mahdavi, MD.

Washington, DC &#8212 If capsule bag fixation is not possible, cataract surgeons may want to consider options for optic capture depending on the particular problems that present, according to Howard V. Gimbel, MD.

Washington, DC &#8212 With the recent acquisition of VISX and last month's FDA approval of its ReZoom multifocal refractive lens, Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) appears to be experiencing "some exciting times" in ophthalmology.

Washington, DC &#8212 An international panel of clinicians and visual science researchers concur that there is profound existing evidence and continually accumulating data supporting the use of blue light-filtering IOL technology.

Washington, DC &#8212 Bausch & Lomb announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the single-indication orphan drug Retisert (fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant), 0.59 mg, for the treatment of chronic non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment of the eye.

Washington, DC &#8212 Initial results from a prospective, parallel group comparison trial slightly favor use of the femtosecond microkeratome (IntraLase) compared with two mechanical microkeratomes for performing wavefront-guided LASIK.However, they point to no benefits when performing the procedures using a staged approach that takes into account the potential for flap creation to affect higher order aberrations compared with standard immediate ablation, reported David Tanzer, MD, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting.

Washington, DC &#8212 Wavefront-guided myopic LASIK performed with the CustomCornea (Alcon) and CustomVue (VISX) platforms both result in excellent outcomes when measured by traditional metrics at 3 months, although CustomCornea treatment was associated with a trend for lower higher-order aberrations, reported Stephen G. Slade, MD, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting.

Washington, DC &#8212 The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) issued a paper last year regarding the mission to deliver safe and effective cataract surgery services to all Medicare patients and that all beneficiaries have the right to "essential services," explained Priscilla P. Arnold, MD, immediate past president of ASCRS and the chairman of the government relations committee.

Washington, DC &#8212 Simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery offers increased efficiency over unilateral cataract surgery by as much as 15%. However, practitioners are slow to adopt this procedure because of low reimbursements, explained Steve A. Arshinoff, MD, a practitioner based in Toronto, during the refractive/cataract socioeconomic symposium held at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

Washington, DC &#8212 Growing the refractive surgery market relies on educating potential candidates about the benefits of the procedure and allaying irrational conclusions about risks, reported Shareef Mahdavi, MD.

Washington, DC &#8212 The ophthalmic industry was given a sound bill of health in an independent analysis of the market. Kenneth P. Taylor, OD, provided an overview of the ophthalmic market in terms of trends, growth, and the view from Wall Street in a presentation at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

Washington, DC &#8212 LASIK remains the refractive procedure of choice for the majority of refractive surgeons and patients worldwide. However, surface ablation is a reasonable alternative that may even offer some advantages overall and be a preferred technique in select patients, said Helen K. Wu, MD, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting.

Washington, DC &#8212 It's an annual rite of spring: each year the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) passes the baton from one leader to another. Roger Steinert, MD, assumed the presidency of the society during its general session Saturday morning.

Washington, DC &#8212 Cataract surgery has improved in terms of safety and efficacy with the introduction of phacoemulsification, foldable IOLs, and the use of smaller incisions.

Panama City, Panama—An artificial iris dia-phragm implant (NewIris, Kahn Medical Devices) that changes the color of the eyes is safe, easy to implant, well tolerated, and has a more natural appearance than contact lenses, said Delary A. Kahn, MD.

Cardiovascular medicine has provided a road map that ophthalmology can follow in risk assessment.

It may be a little harsh to say that battle lines are drawn, but it is not stretching the imagination any to see that there are distinctly different opinions being debated on eye examinations for preschool children.

When I was a boy, my father mentioned several times how he might have purchased IBM stock decades earlier, and how much such an investment would have been worth at the time. Often, people tell me how they refrained from purchasing a waterfront home because the price seemed way too steep, only to have the value subsequently shoot up 10-fold. Perhaps we all regret not making certain purchases long ago.