News

San Diego-The M2 single-use microkeratome with a 130-?m head (Moria, Antony, France) appears to produce predictable flap thickness without causing any significant complications during or after LASIK, according to Richard A. Norden, MD, FACS, who spoke during the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS).

San Diego-"The pursuit of perfect vision is analogous to the pursuit for the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail is the symbol for a large and mysterious power, closely guarded, concealed, and protected. Like the Holy Grail, perfect vision is the ultimate prize, but it is elusive," Roger F. Steinert, MD, said when he delivered the Binkhorst Lecture, "The Pursuit of 'Perfect' Vision: Ophthalmology's Holy Grail?" at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

San Diego-A safety and reliability study of the redesigned BD Beaver microkeratome blade (Becton, Dickinson and Co.) in LASIK indicates that the blade results in uniformly consistent flap thickness and is unlikely to cause any intraoperative complications, said Paul J. Dougherty, MD, who presented his findings at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

San Diego-The shape of the cornea, prolate or oblate, does not seem to affect the visual acuity or the quality of visual outcomes following wavefront-guided refractive surgery. The spherical aberration seems to be the most important element, based on the results of the VISX mul- ticenter FDA trial.

San Diego-The Carriazo-Pendular Microkeratome (Schwind Eye-Tech-Solutions, Kleinostheim, Germany) uses a thin head to cut thin, predictable flaps, which can widen the range of patients who are candidates for LASIK.

San Diego-Patients with the zonal progressive multifocal IOL (Array, AMO) report implanted improved depth of field at all levels of vision, which translates into enhanced quality of life, according to Guy E. Knolle Jr., MD, who spoke at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

Vancouver, British Columbia-An $855 million deal will unite verteporfin (Visudyne) developer QLT Inc. and Atrix Laboratories Inc. to build QLT's business and accelerate strategic initiatives.

San Diego-Lens-based surgery with an accommodating IOL (Crystalens, eyeonics) offers advantages for treatment of aging patients with hyperopic presbyopia that make it likely to replace laser keratorefractive procedures as the procedure of choice for the management of that patient population, ex- plained D. Michael Colvard, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Half of cataract surgeons only wait 2 weeks between the time of the first and second eye surgery.

Euclid Systems Corp. has won FDA approval for the overnight wear of its Emerald orthokeratology (Ortho-k) lens.

New York-Standard textbook descriptions about early detection of glaucoma underestimate the prevalence of glaucoma, said Robert N. Weinreb, MD.

New York-Glaucoma specialists considering the future of the disease and its prevention and treatment should look to cardiovascular disease as a model, attendees at "Glaucoma 2004: Mastering Tools and Techniques for the 21st Century" here were told.

Ormond Beach, FL-The Costa Del Mar 2004 Dealer Catalog was picked for a Gold ADDY award at the American Advertising Federation's annual ADDY awards event.

San Diego-Presence of the blue light-filtering pseudophakic IOL (AcrySof Natural, Alcon) has no adverse effect on the surgeon's ability to perform vitreoretinal procedures following cataract extraction and IOL implantation, said David L. Parver, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery

The new Restor IOL (Alcon, Fort Worth, TX), a single-piece refractive/diffractive implant, achieved good uncorrected distance and near visual acuity levels in a trial of initial results. There were few complaints of unwanted visual images.

San Diego-The AcrySof Natural IOL (SA60AT, Alcon Laboratories, Fort Worth, TX) that filters blue light does not negatively affect patients’ color perception. The IOL more closely mimics the human crystalline lens and scotopic vision is excellent in these patients, Robert Cionni, MD, stated..

San Diego-Blocking light from the blue portion of the spectrum is thought to be advantageous to the eye, and IOL manufacturers have developed IOLs with this feature. However, aging eyes may be negatively affected by filtering out blue light, according to Randall J. Olson, MD

San Diego-High speed video photography and 2-dimensional laser visualization have helped researchers better understand the dynamic characteristics of the fluid pulses from the AquaLase liquefaction device (Alcon Laboratories). This information is beneficial for surgeons as they develop and refine their cataract removal technique using this new technology, said Ramon C. Dimalanta, PhD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

San Diego - Based on a computer-generated model of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the anterior segment, intracameral antibiotic use appears to be a rational approach to endophthalmitis prophylaxis after cataract surgery, reported Randal Peterson, MD, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

San Diego - The AcrySof Toric IOL (Alcon Laboratories, Fort Worth, TX) is outperforming a comparable spherical IOL in uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) levels and the low level of residual astigmatism. The interim safety and efficacy results of the FDA clinical trial of the AcrySof Toric IOL were presented here at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

San Diego - Bimanual microincision phacoemulsification with the Millennium System (Bausch & Lomb) is safe and associated with excellent visual acuity results, said Mark Packer, MD, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

San Diego - Two-year follow-up of eyes with the ClariFlex with OptiEdge silicone IOL (AMO) implanted show that the second-generation silicone IOL with its novel edge design is performing well. Furthermore, risk of posterior capsular opacification (PCO) and glare was minimal, according to the results of a study presented by Elizabeth A. Davis, MD, FACS, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

San Diego-A newly identified biomicroscopic sign, the sharkfin sign, seems to indicate that focal thermal damage to the stroma has occurred during phacoemulsification. The sharkfin sign seems to be a curvilinear lucency in the corneal incision.

San Diego-Now that capsular tension rings (CTRs) from both AMO/Ophtec and Morcher have been approved, surgeons need to know which eyes can best benefit and which eyes should not receive CTRs.

San Diego-Experiments in model eyes that examined the patterns of light transmittance and image quality point out the differences in how various multifocal IOLs work and how some designs may have advantages over others.

San Diego - Despite the doubts of some investigators, cavitation is a real, measurable phenomenon in phacoemulsification with the Sovereign phaco instrument (AMO, Santa Ana, CA), according to Mark E. Schafer, PhD.

Lenticular foreign bodies are not commonly encountered, accounting for 7% to 10% of all intraocular foreign bodies.

Washington, DC-As a 31-year-old doctor fresh out of residency, Arnall Patz, MD, suggested a connection between high levels of oxygen and premature infants' blindness, and the medical community reacted with near hostility.