Despite current beliefs, the degenerative eye condition age-related macular degeneration is a common cause of vision impairment and blindness in sub-Saharan Africa, requiring an urgent review of vision services, according to a study by international r…
Month: February 2013
Sucampo launches RESCULA Eye Drops in the U.S.
Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that RESCULA Eye Drops had been launched in the U.S. market.
Reading Impairments In Schizophrenia Revealed By Eye Movements
A study of eye movements in schizophrenia patients provides new evidence of impaired reading fluency in individuals with the mental illness. The findings, by researchers at McGill University in Montreal, could open avenues to earlier detection and int…
Hollenhorst Plaques in Diabetic Retinopathy Screening
Are cholesterol emboli being misdiagnosed as Hollenhorst plaques? The British Journal of Diabetes and Vascular Disease
Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems International Tobacco Control Four-Country Survey
By: anthonywbrown
Retinal Implant Now FDA Approved
FDA approves a new artificial retinal implant to restore limited vision in blinded patients.
AMD risk alleles fail to predict treatment response
The major risk alleles that influence the development of age-related macular degeneration do not predict response to therapy for the condition, a substudy of the CATT trial indicates.
New aberration-optimized algorithm leads to good results in hyperopic patients
WARSAW, Poland — A new aberration-optimized SupraCor algorithm leads to good results in hyperopic patients, according to one surgeon. A prospective study of 46 patients with refraction between +0.5 D and +4 D and astigmatism up to 3 D was presented at the winter meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. A near addition of +2 D or more was needed. Patients underwent LASIK with the Femto LDV Crystal line (Ziemer) for flap creation. “In the hyperopic patient, you initially perform the correction for far, and in (Read more...)
Useful vision restored in retinitis pigmentosa patients who received subretinal implant
More than half of patients with severe retinitis pigmentosa who received the Alpha IMS subretinal implant recovered functional vision, according to results from a second human clinical trial of the device. The trial examined nine patients for a 3- to 9-month period after subretinal implantation of the Alpha IMS (Retina Implant), a 3 mm × 3 mm, 1,500-pixel device designed to restore vision without externally visible equipment.
Study: Low-price strategy in refractive surgery has no benefits, large profit losses
WARSAW, Poland — A low-price strategy in refractive surgery leads to no benefits and large profit losses for health care providers, according to a study carried out at the Bellevue Eye Clinic in Kiel, Germany. “We found that the level of price sensitivity is low amongst candidates for refractive surgery. About 12% of LASIK patients and 20% of refractive lens patients paid less than patient-related maximum willingness to pay,” Tim Herbst, project manager, said at the winter meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.
AS-OCT facilitates decision making regarding surgical re-intervention after DMEK
WARSAW, Poland — Anterior segment optical coherence tomography showed high predictive value in evaluating graft adherence status and may facilitate decision making regarding surgical re-intervention after Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty.“Graft detachment is the most frequent complication in endothelial keratoplasty, occurring in about 10% of our cases at the NIIOS clinic in Rotterdam,” Marina Rodríguez Calvo de Mora, MD, said at the winter meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.
High nutritional quality is not associated with low greenhouse gas emissions in self-selected diets of French adults
By: Nicole Darmon
News From The Annals Of Internal Medicine: Feb. 19, 2013
1. Acupuncture May be an Effective Alternative for Treating Seasonal Allergies Patients receiving acupuncture treatments for seasonal allergic rhinitis reported statistically significant improvements in symptoms and decreased use of medication compare…
Electronic Eye Implant Gives Hope To The Blind
Promising results have shown that blind patients have regained their sight with a sub-retinal microchip, according to the first part of the second clinical trial for the device taking place in Germany. The patients involved in the study, published in…
Topical Treatment Of Dry Eye Disease
Eleven Biotherapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company creating novel and differentiated protein-based biotherapeutics, has published preclinical data in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) showing beneficial effects of EBI-005, the fi…
AMD Risk Genes Do Not Predict Response to Therapy
Although certain genetic risk alleles are strong predictors for the development of neovascular AMD, they do not affect the response to anti-VEGF drug therapy, researchers report. Medscape Medical News
Sucampo’s RESCULA 0.15% now available by prescription across the U.S.
Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that RESCULA (unoprostone isopropyl ophthalmic solution) 0.15% is now available by prescription across the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a sNDA for RESCULA for the lowe…
Posterior Corneal Astigmatism: Not to Be Ignored!
Dr. William Culbertson explains why ignoring posterior corneal astigmatism may yield incorrect estimation of total corneal astigmatism and less-than-satisfactory surgical results. Medscape Ophthalmology
Systematic Review: Comparative effectiveness of treatments for open-angle glaucoma
Source: Ann Intern Med
Area: News
The Annals of Internal Medicine has featured a systematic review comparing the effectiveness of medical, laser, and surgical treatments in adults with open-angle glaucoma with regard to decreasing intraocular pressure and preventing optic nerve damage, vision loss, and visual impairment.
Data from a total of 23 randomised trials, observational studies and systematic reviews were included in this analysis.
The researchers reported that high-level evidence suggests that medical, laser, and surgical treatments decrease intraocular pressure and that medical treatment and trabeculectomy reduce the (Read more...)
Enhanced surgical technique optimizes safety and efficacy of corneal inlay
WARSAW, Poland — A new surgical technique for insertion of the Icolens corneal inlay proved safe and effective in a series of patients, according to one speaker.“The procedure is performed under topical anesthesia and involves two stages. Stage one is creation of the corneal pocket using the Femto LDV laser (Ziemer Ophthalmics), and stage two involves insertion of the hydrogel inlay using a unique preloaded deployment device,” Sarah Moran, MD, said at the winter meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.