By: cmdoak
Month: February 2013
Medicare Pay Cut From Sequester to Go Into Effect March 1
Medscape Medical News
A Boy With a Right Orbital Mass
What condition do you suspect is present in this 4-year-old boy with swelling of the right orbit? Medscape Ophthalmology
Ocular Complications Following Bone Marrow Transplant Common In Study
JAMA Ophthalmology Study Highlights A study in the Netherlands by Viera Kalinina Ayuso, M.D., of the University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands, examined the development of eye complications among children within one year of hematopoietic stem …
AMD Update 23: DARPins, The Next “Game Changer” for Wet AMD?
New HIPAA/HITECH act omnibus rule: What must be done to comply?
Health care professionals and others working with personal medical information face considerable compliance risks and responsibilities under the omnibus final rule governing “protected health information” (PHI) that the Department of Health and Human Services issued in January 2013 (the Final Rule). The Final Rule sets standards and authorizes substantially increased penalties for violations of HHS’ regulations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. Particularly in light of those increased penalties, HIPAA covered entities (Read more...)
Long-term use of corticosteroids may be linked to infectious keratitis after PK
Infectious keratitis in eyes that have undergone penetrating keratoplasty may be related to extended use of corticosteroids, according to a study.The retrospective cohort study included 51 patients with infectious keratitis; 26 patients presented with …
Kala Pharmaceuticals raises $11.5 million to advance ophthalmic programs
Kala Pharmaceuticals has secured $11.5 million in Series A equity financing to help move two of its ophthalmic platforms through clinical proof of concept, according to a company news release.Kala focuses on products designed to penetrate the mucosal b…
STAAR Surgical reports net loss of $1.76 million in 2012
STAAR Surgical reported a net loss of $1.76 million in 2012 compared with a net income of $1.35 million in 2011, according to a company news release.There was a net loss of $1.41 million in the fourth quarter compared with a net income of $109,000 in t…
Ocular Therapeutix submits premarket approval application for hydrogel sealant
Ocular Therapeutix has submitted a premarket approval application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for ReSure sealant, according to a company news release.The sealant, which uses the company’s proprietary hydrogel technology, has the proposed indication of intraoperatively managing clear corneal incisions with a wound leak and preventing fluid egress after cataract surgery or IOL placement, the release said.
Experiments With Tadpoles Show Ectopic Eyes That ‘See’
For the first time, scientists have shown that transplanted eyes located far outside the head in a vertebrate animal model can confer vision without a direct neural connection to the brain…
Advances in the Surgical Correction of Presbyopia
What are some of the most current and advanced surgical procedures in place to correct presbyopia? International Ophthalmology Clinics
Cost-Effective Eye Care: Avoid These 5 Tests and Treatments
The American Academy of Ophthalmology has joined the Choosing Wisely campaign and identified 5 tests and treatments that should not be routinely used in eye care. Medscape Medical News
Racial Variations in the Prevalence of Refractive Errors in the United States: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis – Corrected Proof
Purpose: To describe racial variations in the prevalence of refractive errors among adult white, Chinese, Hispanic, and black subjects in the United States.Design: Cross-sectional data from a prospective cohort study—the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atheros…
Characterization of Ischemic Index Using Ultra-widefield Fluorescein Angiography in Patients With Focal and Diffuse Recalcitrant Diabetic Macular Edema – Corrected Proof
Purpose: To explore the association of angiographic nonperfusion in focal and diffuse recalcitrant diabetic macular edema (DME) in diabetic retinopathy (DR).Design: A retrospective, observational case series of patients with the diagnosis of recalcitra…
Subclinical inflammation predicts macular disease
Levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein predict the risk for age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema, show results of two independent studies published in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Medicare Pay to Shrink 2% as Sequester Looms on Friday
Leaders of organized medicine also worry about even bigger budget cuts ‘to the fundamental infrastructure of healthcare.’ Medscape Medical News
New Subretinal Implant Restores Functional Sight to Some
German scientists investigating a second device for restoring vision report that the retinal prosthesis has some advantages over an FDA-approved implant, but there were a few complications. Medscape Medical News
NICE issues final guidance supporting the use of ranibizumab for diabetic macular oedema (TA 274)
Source: NICE
Area: Evidence > Guidelines
NICE has issued final guidance (TA 274) supporting the use of ranibizumab for treating visual impairment due to diabetic macular oedema (DMO) only if:
. the eye has a central retinal thickness of 400 micrometres or more at the start of treatment and
. the manufacturer provides ranibizumab with the discount agreed in the patient access scheme (as revised in 2012).
NICE conducted a rapid review of the original guidance (TA 237; November 2011) because the manufacturer submitted a revised Patient Access Scheme, together (Read more...)
Commissioning guidance on glaucoma
Source: College of Optometrists
Area: News
The College of Optometrists and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists have developed joint commissioning guidance on glaucoma. See link below for further details.