BOSTON — When dealing with large choroidal detachments, draining the choroidal fluid is a simple, low-risk way to stabilize the eye, a speaker here said. “Drainage of choroidal fluid will definitely re-establish the anatomy of the eye,” Marlene R. Moster, MD, told attendees at Glaucoma Day preceding the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting. “It will preserve the bleb as aqueous formation will resume almost immediately to restore good vision, all with the minimal trauma of a 3-mm incision.”
Month: April 2014
New manual trabeculotome may improve outcomes for ab interno trabeculotomy
BOSTON — A new single-handed trabeculotome, the Trab 360, can manually cut up to 360° of meshwork through a single corneal incision, a speaker here said. “The entire trabecular meshwork is removed from the eye; nothing is left behind. There’s often some microscopic bleeding associated with this, which may remain there for a week or so,” John A. Hovanesian, MD, FACS, told attendees during Glaucoma Day preceding the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting. “The instrument has been used as a standalone and combined with phacoemulsification in (Read more...)
MOC Deadline Looms Anew, as Resistance Mushrooms
April 30 is the last day physicians can register for the controversial maintenance of certification. In the meantime, almost 8500 physicians have signed a cardiologist-led petition protesting the new requirements. Heartwire
Photobiomodulation in Diabetic Macular Edema
Patients with non-center-involving diabetic macular edema (NCDME) may benefit from photobiomodulation, a new case series suggests. Reuters Health Information
A Mobile Phone-Based Retinal Camera for Wide Field Imaging
A novel smartphone-based retinal camera, capable of remotely capturing wide field fundus images, could play an important role in the diagnosis of retinal diseases. The British Journal of Ophthalmology
Speaker describes new device for measuring corneal biomechanical strength
BOSTON — Avedro is developing a new initiative, Brillouin spectroscopy, which would enable surgeons to create a 3-D strength map of the cornea, a speaker here said. “What we want this for is treatment planning for corneal collagen cross-linking,” David Muller, PhD, president and CEO of Avedro, told attendees at the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit. “It’s built to take information from other mapping systems, combine them and filter them through a computational engine to pump out a map that a surgeon can use to assess an eye’s corneal biomechanical strength.” Muller (Read more...)
Speaker describes nanostructured sustained-release drug delivery system
BOSTON — A new device in development for the sustained release of ocular therapies is nanostructured to optimize drug delivery, is completely bioerodible and can be administered intraocularly intramuscularly or subcutaneously, a speaker here said. Focusing on long-term sustained delivery, the delivery system, called Tethadur, is designed for the release of large molecules, including antibodies to the eye, according to Paul Ashton, president and CEO of pSivida.
Early critique of projects can help determine viability, increase potential for success
BOSTON — Being critical of a project or venture early in the innovation cycle is crucial to determining its success, according to a panel here. “Having an incubator team is really great,” K. Angela Macfarlane, president and CEO of ForSight Labs, said during a panel discussion concerning the innovation cycle at the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit. “Someone arguing for a project one day, against it the next. It forces you to look candidly at a project’s merits and how they measure up in clinic, against the competition, in the current marketplace. (Read more...)
Private ophthalmic companies showcase innovative new IOLs
BOSTON — At the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit here, officials from several ophthalmic companies touted innovative new products currently under development. Anew Optics is developing the Zephyr, an IOL design based on maintaining an open capsule and allowing circulation of the aqueous humor, according to CEO Anna Hayes. The Zephyr is an 8.8-mm fully circular lens that keeps the capsule open and impedes lens epithelial migration, and the posterior ring keeps the optical zone clear, Hayes said.
Are your sunglasses protecting your eyes from UV?
Most people check the SPF number of sunscreen to protect themselves from sunburn, but few of us know for sure if our sunglasses are shielding our eyes from harmful UV radiation.
Roche’s cobas HPV Test gets FDA approval for first-line primary screening for cervical cancer
Roche announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the cobas HPV (Human Papillomavirus) Test for use as a first-line primary screening test for cervical cancer in women 25 and older. The approval follows the March 12 unanimous re…
Keratoconus: Effect on Cataract Surgery Outcomes
This review has lessons for when to use actual keratometry values and when to use standard keratometry values in the refractive correction of eyes with keratoconus. Medscape Ophthalmology
Drug Improves Vision in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension
This is the first strong evidence that acetazolamide works in this condition, lead author of the NORDIC IIH study says. Medscape Medical News
BLOG: Unilateral spherophakic wandering lens
A unilateral spherophakic crystalline lens that randomly and uninhibitedly moves across the anterior and posterior chambers in a pediatric patient is a rare entity. I came across a 5-year-old girl who had this clinical condition in her left eye. A deta…
Device for photorefractive intrastromal cross-linking approved in Canada
The KXL II system, used to perform photorefractive intrastromal cross-linking, received regulatory approval in Canada, according to a press release from Avedro. The cross-linking procedure, called PiXL, has the potential to deliver nonsurgical correcti…
Kala Pharmaceuticals completes $22.5 million Series B financing
Kala Pharmaceuticals completed a $22.5 million Series B financing, according to a press release. The funding was led by Ysios Capital and also included Crown Venture Fund, Lux Capital, Polaris Partners and Third Rock Ventures.
COPERNICUS study: Loss of visual, anatomic improvements seen after long-term anti-VEGF use
Patients who received intravitreal aflibercept injections as needed for macular edema due to central retinal vein occlusion showed loss of visual and anatomic improvements at 100 weeks, according to the COPERNICUS study. The study is an ongoing investi…
New law will modernize Medicare lab payments: What physicians need to know
Medicare will make sweeping changes in how it pays for clinical laboratory tests starting in 2017. The Protecting Access to Medicare Act, enacted April 1, will make the most significant reform of Medicare’s Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) since its introduction in 1984, by setting CLFS payment amounts based on rates paid for laboratory tests in the private sector.Medicare’s payment amounts for pathology laboratory services paid under Medicare’s physician fee schedule (PFS) will be unchanged by the new law. Also unchanged will be Medicare’s policy of not imposing coinsurance on (Read more...)
Normal-Tension Glaucoma and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome
What does obstructive sleep apnea have to do with glaucoma? This new study investigates the possible connection. BMC Ophthalmology
The US Healthcare System vs The US Postal Service
George Lundberg uses an 11-item scorecard to compare the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and populism of US healthcare and the US Postal Service. Medscape Internal Medicine