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Iowa City-Over a long term, researchers found that in a group of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), the average rate of visual field decline (based on the Goldmann I4e isopter) was -1.3% per year.

Salt Lake City-The Photon Laser and Phaco Workstation (Paradigm Medical Industries, Salt Lake City) lets surgeons use either laser or ultrasound to remove a cataract, with the ability of switching back and forth between the two modalities.

New Orleans-WhiteStar, the new power modulation technology for the Sovereign System (Allergan), affords phacoemulsification surgeons improved intraoperative control and optimizes outcomes for patients, with clearer corneas on postoperative day 1, said Lisa Brothers Arbisser, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology here last fall.

Los Angeles-Sonic energy (The Wave) offers an efficient and safer alternative to traditional ultrasound phacoemulsification for clear lens extraction, said Stephen S. Bylsma, MD.

Athens, Greece-A novel technique can remove any type of cataract through two small paracenteses, using almost half the energy necessary in traditional phacoemulsification techniques.

Editor's Note: James A. Davison, MD, is associate clinical professor, department of ophthalmology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City. His practice is the Wolfe Clinic, Marshalltown, IA. He discusses his cataract technique with Ophthalmology Times Senior Editor Julia Talsma.

If you knew syphilis, you knew medicine! So was the thought of the medical community for more than 500 years.

In spirit of cooperation, ophthalmologists, optometrists, opticians canparticipate in all topics

Phakic, aphakic IOLs, bioptics, wavefront-guided correction are all undercurrent study

Sales presentation for BD Ophthalmics

Inflammatory signs of the orbit (e.g., proptosis, chemosis, injection) are rarely the presenting findings in giant cell arteritis (GCA). These patients may be misdiagnosed as having orbital inflammatory pseudotumor when the process is really an underlying orbital ischemic or orbital infarction syndrome.

Editor's Note: Randall J. Olson, MD, is the John A. Moran presidential professor and chair of ophthalmology, and director of the John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City. He recently spoke with Ophthalmology Times on his approach to cataract surgery.

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Samples of buttons, banners and skyscrapers

Blepharospasm is a condition of uncontrolled squeezing of the eyelid protractors (orbicularis oculi, corrugator supercilii, and procerus). Untreated, the disease can vary from being a mere annoyance to complete visual disability.

Are you considering adding pediatric optical dispensing to your practice?

Scientific publications represent a special form of communication. They are the forum for new research and the basis for our therapies.

The FDA has given Bausch & Lomb approval to market its Active EyetrackingSystem in the United States.

Ophthalmologists continue to be concerned about decreasing reimbursement for cataract surgery and the increasing nonreimbursed costs of utilizing new technology. I believe, however, that the future for lens and implant surgery is rosy.

Rochester, NY-Cylinder coupling effects are significant and vary for optical zones of different sizes, said Scott MacRae, MD, who presented results from the Oregon Kansas Optical Zone Study.

Houston-An artificial retina could be the answer for an estimated 1 million Americans with retinal blindness by conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, said Alex Ignatiev, PhD, professor of physics, chemistry, and electrical and computer engineering at the University of Houston.

Irvine, CA-When David E.I. Pyott became president and CEO of Allergan Inc. in January 1998, the company was evaluating its position in the eye-care market.

Almost all ophthalmic medications contain preservatives, which inhibit bacterial growth. The use of preservatives allows for the use of multidose bottles, which are the most cost-effective and user-friendly packaging for ophthalmic medications. However, some of the preservatives present in commonly used eye drops today have been shown to be disruptive to the cornea surface.1-5

he American Academy ofOphthalmology and its members are to be commended for the immediate response to the need at New York's World Trade Center tragedy of Sept. 11. We have heard from many physicians who volunteered their services both at ground zero and emergency rooms in the area. Their stories have unified us and made us proud to be Americans. We will be hearing stories of selfless acts for months, perhaps years. They, and all the groups who volunteered their services, deserve all the praise and recognition they have received.

Overland Park, KS-Taking small, specific precautions throughout LASIK and adhering to proven techniques should help refractive surgeons eliminate most flap and other complications while improving visual outcomes, according to Dan Durrie, MD.

Epithelial ingrowth is the migration of epithelial cells from outside the flap-bed interface into the interface postoperatively. Epithelial implantation is the placement of epithelial cells into the interface during the procedure. The incidence of epithelial ingrowth and implantation has been reported as high as 10%, although it can be as low as 0.2%1 to 0.4%2 if meticulous surgical technique is employed.

Los Angeles-The Amadeus Microkeratome (Allergan Surgical) offers advantages in both speed and safety in performing LASIK, said Lee Nordan, MD.

Surgical maneuvers used to treat pseudotumor cerebri include some formof shunt procedure, such as a lumboperitoneal shunt, a ventriculoperitonealshunt, or optic nerve sheath decompression (ONSD). Shunting procedures areultimately designed to divert the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that is underpressure away from the neuro-ocular junction, where hydrodynamic forcescompress ganglion cells and their blood supply, leading to injury and/ordeath of these cells.

Most ophthalmologists agree that the Internet is a valuable resourcefor provider education. In addition to e-mail, physicians probably mostfrequently use the Internet to access information on diseases and medications.Increasingly they are also using it to access major medical journals andonline continuing medical education programs.

As a result of efforts by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO),the proposed Medicare fee schedule for 2002 includes new coverage for glaucomascreening, as well as increases in two ophthalmic services.