News

London: A survey by the International Glaucoma Association (IGA) of 243 European patients and 250 physicians found that a significant number of patients with glaucoma experienced difficulties taking multiple medications, indicating a need for better education about the disease and its treatment options.

A CME Symposium at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Annual Meeting, October 20, 2002.

Philadelphia-The clinical results with a new, single-piece Blue Blocking AcrySof IOL (SB30, Alcon) that mimics the light transmission spectrum of a human natural crystalline lens indicate that it is safe and effective. The visual results were comparable to those obtained with the SA30 lens (Alcon) that served as a control.

Philadelphia-Ultrasound energy and time are eliminated with the development of Aqualase technology (Alcon) for small-incision cataract surgery. Robert Lehmann, MD, reported on the advancement of this liquefaction technology here at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cata-ract and Refractive Surgery.

Philadelphia-A new silicone IOL and a new hydrophobic acrylate lens are both easy and safe to implant, offering reliable refraction for patients with high myopia and high hyperopia, said Gerd U. Auffarth, MD, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting here.

Philadelphia-The Sovereign WhiteStar system is a revolutionary "cold" phaco technology that is unique in its ability to emulsify the most brunescent nuclei without any risk of a wound burn, according to David F. Chang, MD, who reported on his experience with WhiteStar (AMO, Irvine, CA) here at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Philadelphia-The Tecnis Z9000 IOL (Pharmacia) performed well in a clinical trial by providing improved contrast sensitivity compared with a conventional IOL. In addition, in a model eye the Tecnis IOL also improved the optical performance by compensating for corneal aberrations.

Philadelphia-The CV232 Square-Round-Edge (SRE) IOL, the newest-generation pre-rolled implant from CIBA Vision, combines all of the advantages of its predecessor model (MemoryLens) with the best of both worlds in optic-edge design, said Matteo Piovella, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS).

Editor's Note: About 100 years ago, Louis Emile Javal, MD (1839-1907), suffered blindness as a result of glaucoma. Thebest medical minds of the day could not stave off these results. Medicine and surgery were used in vain. The accomplishments of this great ophthalmologist both before and after his blindness are discussed in this month's column.

Philadelphia-Incorrect lens power continues to top the list as the most common reason for IOL explantation, followed by dislocation/decentration, reported Nick Mamalis, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) here.

There is no shortage of reasons why dispensing eyewear for children has been relegated to "back burner" status compared with the larger adult market. Who has not heard one or more of the following common excuses?

Fort Lauderdale, FL-The use of an enzyme to liquefy the vitreous can induce posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) and could potentially halt the progression of diabetic retinopathy, reported Baruch D. Kuppermann, MD, PhD, during of the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology here.

New York-Pfizer's acquisition of Pharmacia Corp. in a stock-for-stock agreement poises both companies for growth and leadership in the pharmaceutical industry.

Philadelphia-Conductive keratoplasty (CK), a collagen shrinking procedure, has produced good visual results for patients treated for hyperopia and presbyopia, according to researchers at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) or pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) is a disease that typically affects young, obese females.

When he was 16, Charles Kelman, MD, was caught by his father sneaking out of their home to seek fame and fortune as a saxophone player. His dad gave him a response Dr. Kelman has not forgotten.

Fort Lauderdale, FL-Differences in local capillary blood speed characteristics in patients who have unilateral nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) and optic neuritis (ON) may help in the differential diagnosis of these two most common nonglaucomatous optic neuropathies, said Nathalie Collignon, MD, at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Philadelphia-Fibrin glue, approved by the FDA to seal blood vessels, can be used for lamellar keratoplasty to keep the donor cornea in place until it is completely healed 2 to 3 weeks postoperatively, according to Herbert E. Kaufman, MD, who spoke during the Innovator's Session at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting here.

Philadelphia-Improved visual outcomes were seen with wavefront-guided laser ablations because both lower- and higher-order aberrations were reduced. The residual higher-order aberrations were lower than those found in conventionally treated eyes, according to Stephen Brint, MD, who reported results from the CustomCornea study group here at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Philadelphia-Excimer laser treatment using the Custom Cap (VISX, Sunnyvale, CA) method seems to be a promising therapeutic approach for reducing optical aberrations in eyes with less than satisfactory visual outcomes after refractive surgery.

Philadelphia-The Allegretto Wave excimer laser (WaveLight Laser Technologie AG, Erlangen, Germany) appears to be safe and effective when used for LASIK to correct myopia and myopic astigmatism. Ablations performed using this laser also seem to produce very little high-order aberration and coma after treatment, even when treatment is not guided by wavefront technology.

Philadelphia-High astigmatism is often more difficult to manage because these patients may have various corneal problems, such as keratoconus, previous RK, or corneal grafts. Multiple strategies should be considered for providing maximal correction and protecting the corneal integrity, explained James P. Gills, MD, during the Innovator's Session at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

Philadelphia-Patients with high myopia and high hyperopia seemed to have a good response to the implantation of the Phakic Refractive Lens (PRL, Medennium Inc.), according to Kenneth J. Hoffer, MD, who reported on the phase III trial for myopia and the phase II trial for hyperopia during the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting here.

Philadelphia-LASIK is still a popular procedure although PRK and LASEK are gaining interest, according to the results of the 2nd annual world-wide refractive surgery survey conducted through the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) and the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Santa Ana, CA-A brand new company (albeit with a long history) with a brand new headquarters and a brand new management team and board of directors. It's the stuff of which success is made.

San Francisco-The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has available a new patient education eye fact sheet on ocular rosacea. This one-page handout explains the condition's causes and outlines treatment options. Eye fact sheets on this and other topics are available at www.aao.org.store.

Philadelphia-Most of the patients treated for high myopia with the Implantable Contact Lens (ICL, STAAR Surgical) were satisfied with their vision at the 2-year follow-up, said John A. Vukich, MD, who reported the interim results of the FDA clinical trial during the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

Seattle-The body's natural wound-healing processes that repair a cornea scraped by a tree branch might interfere with the outcome of a LASIK procedure, according to Steven E. Wilson, MD.

Philadelphia-The K-TOME microkeratome offers a range of desirable characteristics that make it an excellent choice for refractive surgeons, but unsurpassed control tops that feature list, said J. Charles Casebeer, MD. He spoke about the instrument, introduced in 1997 by Innovative Optics. Paradigm Medical Industries acquired that company last January and launched the K-TOME at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) here.

Progressive lenses have become the lens of choice to correct presbyopia. Although the demand and popularity of progressive lenses have increased, some doctors avoid prescribing these lenses because of past negative experiences with early lens designs and common axioms.