News

Baltimore-Macular edema is the final common pathway for visual loss in many diseases, but so far, available treatments have not been effective in improving visual acuity to 20/20 in a significant percentage of patients, according to Julia A. Haller, MD, who spoke during the Current Concepts in Ophthalmology meeting, sponsored by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, here.

New York-Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide appears to be a useful adjunct to photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin (Visudyne, Novartis) in the treatment of eyes with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), said Richard F. Spaide, MD, at the Macula 2003 meeting here.

Orlando-Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide may be a therapeutic option for stabilizing or improving vision in eyes with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD), said Jost B. Jonas, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Treatment for presbyopia is on the horizon, with refractive surgeons comparing notes on their results with early studies of LASIK correction. Among them, Gustavo Tamayo, MD, scientific director of Bogota Laser Refractive Institute and Aruba Laser Refractive Institute, Bogota, Colombia, reported his results with the latest software in the VISX Star S3.

Orlando-LASIK alone or in combination with other procedures can be a safe and effective method for providing useful vision to eyes with post-penetrating keratoplasty (PK) ametropia, said William W. Culbertson, MD, at the refractive surgery subspecialty day meeting prior to the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.

Orlando-Posterior chamber phakic implants can offer safe and effective correction of moderate to high myopia with stable refractive outcomes, low risks of operative and postoperative complications, high patient satisfaction, and the benefit of less induction of optical aberrations relative to LASIK, according to James J. Salz, MD.

few decades from now, we may be teaching medical students and residents to ask this very question: "What is your individual genetic profile (IGP)?"

Orlando-If peripheral iridotomy and medication fail to lower IOP, lens extraction may be the initial therapy of choice for some cases of chronic angle-closure glaucoma, according to Erik L. Greve, MD, PhD.

Baltimore-Taking a firm stance against deceptive advertising for LASIK and other ophthalmic procedures, Matthew Daynard, Esq., outlined Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advertising requirements at the Current Concepts in Ophthalmology meeting, sponsored by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, here.

Editor's Note: Approximately 25% of all new cases of blindness are attributed to diabetes, and it is the second leading cause of blindness in people under the age of 65 in the United States.

Atlanta-For the third consecutive year, Emory Vision is the recipient of the Cons-umer's Choice Award. The state-of-the-art center in Atlanta is being honoredfor excellence in laser vision correction surgery.

Des Plaines, IL-Addition Technology Inc. will host a roundtable discussion regarding its micro-thin prescription inserts (Intacs) during the annual conference of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery to present case studies and promote their use.

Houston-Tracey Technologies and EyeDirecti will provide customers with bundled custom LASIK surgical trays and the Tracey Visual Function Analyzer under a new exclusive joint agreement.

Santa Barbara, CA-Miravant Medical Technologies will file its first new drug application for marketing approval of PhotoPoint SnET2, for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

British Columbia, Canada-Optos, an ophthalmic device company based in Marlborough, MA, is expanding into Canada with sales of its diagnostic exam for retinal disease.

Newton, MA-The Autoimmune Disease Research Foundation (ADRF) announces its Web site: www.cureautoimmunity.org.

Minneapolis-Neal A. Sher, MD, FACS, of Eye Care Associates here, is seeking candidates for a research study of an investigational drug for the treatment of dry eye after LASIK.

While twice as many people have open-angle glaucoma than angle-closure glaucoma worldwide, the latter is a more blinding disease, reported Erik L. Greve, MD, PhD.

Orlando-Synthetic keratophakia may offer a safe and effective method for refractive correction, according to the interim fol-low-up data from an FDA trial evaluating a hydrogel intrastromal corneal inlay (PermaVision, Anamed)-plus data on the procedure from outside the United States.

Orlando-Surgical monovision can be an effective treatment for presbyopia, offering high rates of patient satisfaction without compromising stereoacuity, said Steven E. Wilson, MD, at "Back to the Future," the refractive surgery subspecialty day meeting at the American Academy of Ophthalmol-ogy annual meeting.

Orlando-Correction of hyperopia promises to be a very exciting area of refractive surgery in the future, said Douglas D. Koch, MD, at "Back to the Future," the refractive surgery subspecialty day prior to the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.

Orlando-Endoscopy may be as important a tool for retinal surgery as the microscope and the vitrectomy machine, postulates Frank Koch, MD.

Orlando-Ultrasonography is an important imaging modality for all medical specialties. D. Jackson Coleman, MD, focused on the importance of ultrasonography in ophthalmology and described its capabilities at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Memphis-The Ophthalas EyeLite Photocoagulator (Alcon) features a 532-nm diode-pumped frequency-doubled YAG laser that makes it a powerful and reliable choice for endoscopic, laser indirect ophthalmoscope (LIO), and slit-lamp delivered photocoagulation procedures, said Steve Charles, MD.

Orlando-Telemedicine using digital photography could potentially lead to more timely diagnosis and management of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), according to Canadian ophthalmologist Anna L. Ells, MD, FRCS.

Orlando-Retinal translocation surgery may be an option to consider for some patients following unsuccessful photodynamic therapy (PDT). Eugene de Juan Jr., MD, explained why this treatment course may result in the best vis-ual acuity outcome, in selected patients, at the annual meeting of the American Acade-my of Ophthalmology.

Orlando-Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin (Visudyne, Novartis Ophthalmics) is used widely to treat predominantly classic choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The therapy, however, has met clinician resistance for treating occult CNV despite good visual results in the Treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration with Photodynamic Therapy (TAP) Study and the Verteporfin in Photodynamic Therapy (VIP) Trial, according to Joan W. Miller, MD.

Orlando-The involvement of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), also known as vascular permeability factor, in vascular permeability is a relatively newly recognized role. Blocking the up-regulation of VEGF seems to be a promising avenue of research in the prevention and treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME).

Padua, Italy-The MP-1 MicroPerimeter (Nidek Technologies) combines fundus perimetry and fundus imaging in one unit. The instrument enables the structures of the macula and retina to be observed by infrared light, and images are displayed in real time on a monitor.

Dallas-The PanOptic Ophthalmoscope (Welch Allyn) is a "significant technologic advance" in ophthalmoscopy because of the unparalleled views it provides of the retina, the rapid ease of entry into an undilated pupil, and the clarity of the view, according to Robert D. Gross, MD.