By: mosenson
Month: February 2012
Sprint Launches Code Factory Mobile Accessibility Application for Free to Android Users Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision
SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Free app is now available, making Android smartphones more accessible for postpaid and no-contract Sprint customers
Femtolaser Technology Improves Accuracy of Cataract Surgery
With femtosecond-LASIK now in routine use for refractive surgery, this technology is poised to become the new standard of care for cataract removal — or will the price be too high? Medscape Medical News
Costs Related to Vision Loss to Exceed $3.5 Trillion by 2020
Costs related to vision loss are expected to skyrocket in the next 10 years as the global population ages. In particular, ocular morbidity related to the diabetes epidemic will increase, according to a study presented here at the World Ophthalmology Co…
FDA Panel Votes No to Single Bottle of Drops for Both Eyes
A US Food and Drug Administration panel has recommended against labeling that would make it appropriate to use 1 bottle of drops for 2 eyes postoperatively. Medscape Medical News
Potential Major Breakthrough in Treatment of Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration
A single injection of a new gene therapy treatment from Avalanche Biotech could possibly stop the advance of neovascularization in the wet form of AMD for several years. Human clinical trials are currently underway. Here is how I commented about this breakthrough in my writeup: “If this approach is successful, it could result in a […]
Bevacizumab Prevents Posttrabeculectomy Complications
The antiangiogenesis agent bevacizumab had an 80% success rate in the maintenance of postoperative improvement in intraocular pressure (IOP) after trabeculectomy. In addition, the drug reduced the incidence of subconjunctival scarring, according to fin…
pSivida Corp. Announces Positive Outcome to European Decentralized Procedure for Approval of ILUVIEN® for the Treatment of Chronic Diabetic Macular Edema
WATERTOWN, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–pSivida announces positive outcome to European Decentralized procedure for approval for ILUVIEN for treatment of chronic diabetic macular edema
Dompé enters definitive agreement to acquire Anabasis
Dompé, one of Italy’s leading biopharmaceutical companies, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of Anabasis Srl, a privately held Italian research and development biopharmaceutical company, focused on ocular …
Top 4 Features of EMR Software for an Ophthalmology Practice
With CMS providing financial incentives to physicians who make “meaningful use” of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology, the American Academy of Ophthalmology has already published a checklist of essential, and desirable features in EHR (a/k/a EMR) software for ophthalmology practices. More recently, on the Software Advice blog, Katie Matlack, an EMR software specialist, identified […]
In Retinoblastoma, Orbit Vascular Anatomy May Affect Outcome
Whether intra-arterial chemotherapy can salvage eyes with retinoblastoma may be affected by the anatomy of orbital blood vessels, according to a new report. “Because of the small volume of drug used (0.50-1.25 mL per treatment) and the selectivity of c…
OptiMedica Begins U.S. Shipments of the Catalys™ Precision Laser System; First U.S. Patients Treated at Mann Eye Institute, Houston
SANTA CLARA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–OptiMedica begins shipping the Catalys Precision Laser System for cataract surgery in the U.S. First U.S. patients have been treated at Mann Eye Institute in Houston.
A Novel Gene Therapy Approach to Treating the Wet Form of AMD: The BioFactoryTM From Avalanche Biotech
I originally contacted this company in November 2010, when they were still in “stealth mode” and weren’t able to share details about what they were doing. Recently, the company got back in touch to provide an update, having announced, in December 2…
Extend-and-Treat Bevacizumab Regimen Ups Vision in Wet AMD
Patients with wet age-related macular degeneration who received bevacizumab on an extend-and-treat regimen had significantly improved vision, as well as fewer office visits, tests, and injections. Medscape Medical News
Genes That Enable Diagnosis Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, especially in developed countries, and there is currently no known treatment or cure or for the vast majority of AMD patients…
Intake of Calcium, Iron Supplement Associated With Glaucoma
Supplementary consumption of the oxidants calcium and iron may be a risk factor for the development of glaucomatous disease, according to a study in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. The investigators reviewed the 2007 to 2008 National He…
Menu 21: A List of Writeups on Gene Therapy Used in Ophthalmology
As with my menu on stem cells used in ophthalmology (Menu 20), here is one for the current articles on the use of gene therapy in ophthalmology, with links to the full writeups.I have repeated the offer for my tables showing the companies and instituti…
Menu 20: A List of Writeups on Stem Cells Used in Ophthalmology
I realized that I’ve put posted nearly 20 articles on the subject of using stem cells in ophthalmology, and thought interested readers might like to see a compilation in one place, with links to the full writeups, so here it is. I intend to follow th…
‘The Roadmap To Close The Gap For Vision’ – $70 Million Could Save The Sight Of Indigenous Australians
Presently Indigenous Australians suffer six times the blindness of mainstream Australians and 94 percent of vision loss in Indigenous Australians is unnecessary, preventable or treatable. ‘The Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision’ is the first comprehen…
Wolters Kluwer, APAO launch Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology
Wolters Kluwer Health and the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) are pleased to announce the launch of the Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology.