News

Lucio Buratto, MD, of Milan, Italy, was the 2004 recipient of the Binkhorst Medal. In his address to the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, Dr. Buratto reviewed the history of phakic IOLs, the major designs, their indications, visual outcomes, and associated complications.

Conductive keratoplasty (CK) produced collagen shrinkage changes in human corneas that were localized to 80% of the stromal depth compared with normal control corneas, according to Tatiana Naoumidi, MD.

Lively and active discussion among some of the world's best refractive surgeons was the flavor of a refractive surgery panel discussion, held Sunday night following the day's sessions at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.

Iridex presented its IRIS Medical IQ 810, a state-of-the-art infrared photocoagulator, to attendees at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.

Bausch & Lomb has upgraded its Zyoptix 100 laser system by enhancing the safety and accuracy of the unit by introducing iris-recognition technology. The company also introduced an Advanced Flow System for its Millennium microsurgical system.

With some of the leading ophthalmic surgeons and researchers from Europe and the United States in attendance, NuLens Ltd. introduced a new concept of accommodative IOLs for the treatment of presbyopia during an off-site presentation at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.

The Tecnis Z9000 IOL (AMO) is effective in reducing spherical aberration following cataract surgery, but no improvement in contrast sensitivity function (CSF) was found related to this spherical aberration reduction, according to Gonzalo Munoz, MD, of Alicante, Spain.

Richard Tipperman, MD, presented how the multidirectional features of the AquaLase technology on the Infiniti phacoemulsification system (Alcon Laboratories) allow for an improved approach to cataract surgery.

The question of how to calculate IOL power in children has been an issue of debate among physicians for some time.

Conductive keratoplasty (CK) produced collagen shrinkage changes in human corneas that were localized to 80% of the stromal depth compared with normal control corneas, according to Tatiana Naoumidi, MD.

The U.S. Multicenter Trials of wavefront-guided treatment of hyperopia and mixed astigmatism with the CustomView Ablation System (VISX) indicated that 9 months after treatment both groups had similar good results and patients expressed high levels of satisfaction with the outcomes.

While millions of LASIK procedures have been performed worldwide, the long-term stability and efficacy of LASIK for the treatment of hyperopia remain uncertain.

Bimanual microincisional phacoemulsification is a safe, efficient, and effective technique for cataract removal in challenging cases, said Rosa Braga-Mele, MD, at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.

Rapid recovery of clear uncorrected vision is an important and valid goal of contemporary cataract surgery, said Robert Osher, MD, at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.

The interim results of the Alcon Study Group reported at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons indicate that the CustomCornea Wavefront System (Alcon Laboratories) produces favorable outcomes and greater reductions in higher-order aberrations compared with conventional LASIK.

A dual-optic accommodating IOL (Synchrony, Visiogen) is showing positive results and excellent best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) after 6 months, according to Gerd Auffarth, MD, during a clinical research symposium on accommodation and IOLs at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.

A dual-optic accommodating IOL (Synchrony, Visiogen) is showing positive results and excellent best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) after 6 months, according to Gerd Auffarth, MD, during a clinical research symposium on accommodation and IOLs at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.

Nidek Co., Gamagori, Japan, has introduced the NIDEK RKT-7700-an all-in-one auto-refractometer, keratometer, and tonometer unit-at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting in Paris. The new unit brings together advanced and innovative technologies and solutions into one diagnostic platform, offering the first combination unit of its type in the industry, the company reported.

The U.S. FDA has granted WaveLight Laser Technologie AG, an investigational device exemption that allows the company, based in Erlangen, Germany, to conduct additional clinical studies in the United States for its Allegretto Wave excimer laser system.

Oertli Instruments AG, Berneck, Switzerland, introduces the SwissTech phaco machine, the successor to its well-established CataRhex phacoemulsification machine, at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) meeting.

Bausch & Lomb and Orbis raised an estimated $24,000 at a charitable auction and gala event Friday evening to generate funds for Orbis' efforts to eliminate avoidable blindness worldwide. The event, attended by more than 300 delegates, was held prior to the start of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) meeting.

Contrary to usual thinking, the ablation profile used during refractive surgery is programmed with shape, rather than visual acuity, refractive error, or wavefront error. The latter two are converted to a depth profile that is imposed on the cornea by the laser and the end target is shape.

The ACMaster (Carl Zeiss Meditec), a new type of biometry instrument using partial coherence interferometry, offers a precise, easy, and convenient method for measuring intraocular distances in the anterior segment, said Wolfgang Haigis, MD, at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.

Some patients who undergo refractive procedures have a good refractive outcome but still complain of halos and starbursts at night, said Christoph Lohmann, MD, at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.

Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) is associated with favorable anatomic and functional outcomes that make it an interesting alternative to penetrating keratoplasty (PK) for the surgical treatment of keratoconus, said Pierre Fournie, MD, at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.

Contrast sensitivity has been neglected as an important aspect of visual function and should be measured routinely, said William Jory, MD, at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting. Because of the nature of excimer laser treatment, which affects the central cornea, contrast sensitivity may be impaired in these patients.

A new anterior chamber optical coherence tomography (OCT) device (Visante, Carl Zeiss Meditec) is expected to play a major role in enabling safer refractive surgery, said Georges Baikoff, MD, at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.

Because complaints about night vision are common after LASIK, there is a need to develop methods to accurately and reproducibly measure patient complaints, said Pedro Faria, MD, at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.

Welcome to Ophthalmology Times E-News, which will provide daily coverage of the 2004 European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) meeting in Paris, Sept. 18 to 22.

San Diego-A new ultrathin IOL available in extremely high refractive powers offers distinct advantages over traditional thicker lenses or piggyback lenses for correction of hyperopia in patients with microphthalmos, according to Jochen Kammann, MD.