News

Where can one preview the latest products from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), get answers to specific coding questions, talk to Washington insiders about reimbursement, personalize patient-education DVDs, get a first look at the academy's new Maintenance of Certification (MOC) products, and learn the ins and outs of acquiring and installing an electronic medical records system? There's only one place and it happens only once a year—the annual meeting, where all these resources and much more can be found at the academy resource center and technology pavilion.

Montr?al—Physicians might have the ability to predict improvement in visual acuity (VA) in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) who undergo treatment with intravitreal triamcinolone (Kenalog, Bristol-Myers Squibb).

Fort Lauderdale, FL—The thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) is strongly associated with the preservation of the visual fields and less so with the final visual acuity in patients with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy, reported one surgeon.

La Jolla, CA—A self-management program for elderly patients with advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has benefits lasting at least 6 months past the intervention, including improvements in mood and function and prevention of depression. The incidence of depression was significantly lower in the self-management group (p = 0.05) than in the control group at the 6-month follow-up, said Barbara L. Brody, MPH, director, Center for Community Ophthalmology, University of California, San Diego Shiley Eye Center.

The complement factor H gene was recently identified by four separate groups as associated with the risk of the development of AMD.

Montr?al—The exploratory phase II trial of pegaptanib sodium (Macugen, OSI/Eyetech Pharmaceuticals/Pfizer) for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME) showed that the drug is safe, effective, and well tolerated. The patients who received the 0.3-mg dose of pegaptanib sodium achieved a better visual acuity level than those who received sham treatment, and they had more of a reduction in the central retinal thickness.

Montr?al—The future of retina specialists relies heavily on the efforts of two important organizations—the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), as both share a number of the same objectives, programs, and policies, David W. Parke II, MD, stated at the ASRS annual meeting here.

What began as a bit of an adventure for three ophthalmology residents holed up for the weekend shift at Charity Hospital in New Orleans turned into a nightmare in the days that followed Hurricane Katrina.

IntraLASIK as a one-step procedure is safe and effective for correction of ametropia after penetrating keratoplasty (PK), although the best refractive results may be achieved in eyes with only mild-to-moderate astigmatism, said Irina S. Barequet, MD, at the refractive surgery subspecialty day meeting sponsored by the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Refractec Inc. announces the promotion of Thomas G. Frinzi to the newly created position of chief operating officer to oversee the company?s growing global operations. Frinzi, formerly senior vice president of sales and marketing, will add clinical, regulatory affairs, and quality assurance to his sales and marketing responsibilities. He continues to report directly to President and CEO Mitchell B. Campbell.

Lumenis, which celebrates 40 years of ophthalmic laser innovation this year, offered ophthalmologists a ?Passport to Adventure? at The Field Museum in downtown Chicago on Friday evening.

Implantation of micro-thin prescription inserts (Intacs, Addition Technology) in eyes with keratoconus appears to result in better refractive and visual outcomes when the femtosecond laser (IntraLase FS, IntraLase) is used for channel creation instead of a mechanical device, said Yaron Rabinowitz, MD, at the refractive surgery subspecialty day meeting sponsored by the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

IntraLASIK as a one-step procedure is safe and effective for correction of ametropia after penetrating keratoplasty (PK), although the best refractive results may be achieved in eyes with only mild-to-moderate astigmatism, said Irina S. Barequet, MD, at the refractive surgery subspecialty day meeting sponsored by the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

The Retisert implant (Bausch & Lomb), a nonbiogradable device containing fluocinolone acetonide, is approved for the treatment of uveitis and seems promising in diabetic macular edema (DME) and vein occlusion, according to Glenn Jaffe, MD. He reported his experience with the implant on Friday during retina subspecialty day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

The 12-month results of two randomized clinical trials of ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) indicate that the drug shows encouraging signs of activity against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), reported Jeffrey Heier, MD, Friday at the retina subspecialty day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology

CE approval has been granted for SOLX?s 24-karat DeepLight Gold Micro-Shunt (GMS), which is available for sale outside the United States for the first time.

Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc. announces that the FDA has granted 510(k) clearance for its Visante OCT. The device is a stand-alone, high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging system for the anterior segment of the eye, including the cornea, iris, angle, and the lens.

Eyeonics has developed the crystalens SE System (Square Edge System), a modified design of the original crystalens accommodating IOL, which offers a 360? square-edge optic to help prevent posterior capsule opacification (PCO).

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy has been validated as the foundation treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), evidence-based medicine should drive practice patterns, combination therapies should improve results, early treatment of early disease is a better approach, and anti-VEGF therapies will have a wider role to play than solely in AMD, stated Lawrence Singerman, MD, Friday during the retina subspecialty day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Preliminary results from small studies suggest Fourier-based wavefront LASEK may provide a safe and effective method for enhancing highly aberrated eyes that have had previous RK or LASIK, said Marguerite B. McDonald, MD, clinical professor of ophthalmology, Tulane University, and director, Southern Vision Institute, New Orleans.

A number of incremental advances that have occurred in wavefront-guided treatment during the past year have added up to significantly enhanced outcomes of these customized procedures, said Capt. Steven C. Schallhorn, MD, director, cornea and refractive surgery, Naval Medical Center, San Diego.

Cataract surgery does not seem to accelerate progression to neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in those patients who are at low-to-moderate risk for progression, reported Frederick Ferris III, MD, Friday during the retina subspecialty day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.

The Age-Related Eye Disease Study II (AREDS II) will begin soon after the AREDS ends in December 2005. The study aims to refine the findings of AREDS, which demonstrated that oral supplementation with high-dose antioxidant vitamin and minerals (vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc, and copper) reduced the risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by 25%.

Participants in a Friday evening CME Symposium at The Fairmount Chicago received an update on factors that influence early diagnosis and detection of progression and therefore are crucial to effective patient management. Moderator Robert N. Weinreb, MD, University of California, San Diego, and other speakers discussed recent advances in optic nerve evaluation and the impact of central corneal thickness (CCT) and other factors on IOP measurement.

Some eye movements are mediated through the temporal lobe for target position; the saccades and pursuits are initiated in the posterior parietal lobe.

Increased intracranial pressure is associated with extraocular motility disturbances.

Nashville, TN—Knowledge of skew deviations and their management has changed dramatically in recent years. Skew deviations occur more commonly than previously suspected and result from lesions in the vertical vestibular ocular reflex pathway.

Editor's Note: Howard Pomeranz, MD, describes a possible association of sildenafil and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). There are several compelling parts of the argument, including temporal relationship of symptoms to drug delivery, a suggestive rechallenge history, a biologically plausible mechanism of effect, and analogy from other cases.