Novartis has announced a change to the licence of Lucentis® (ranibizumab), which means treatment can now be offered without the need for monthly monitoring in patients with stable disease…
Month: September 2014
Combining fixed combination glaucoma therapy shows promise
LONDON – Glaucoma Day preceding the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting featured a number of new combinations of previously fixed combinations of glaucoma medicine without the presence of a beta-blocker, according to Stefano Gandolfi, MD.Gandolfi said this allows glaucoma specialists to treat glaucoma more aggressively while maintaining safety.
Prevalence of Dry Eye Disease in Patients Diagnosed With Rheumatoid Arthritis
Status: Active, not recruiting,
Condition Summary: Dry Eye Syndromes; Rheumatoid Arthritis
Keratolimbal allograft may be used for ocular surface reconstruction in symblephara treatment
Symblepharon is adhesion of the eyelid palpebral conjunctiva to the bulbar conjunctiva. It may be partial or complete, affecting one or both eyelids, and can cause significant morbidity in affected individuals. Such an adhesion of subepithelial scarrin…
HARBOR study shows sustained visual gains at 2 years
Visual and anatomic outcomes from ranibizumab injection for subfoveal neovascular age-related macular degeneration were maintained between 12 months and 24 months, according to the HARBOR study.Monthly and as-needed injections of Lucentis (ranibizumab,…
Positioning important when implanting trabecular micro-bypass stent
Open-angle glaucoma currently affects 2.2 million people in the United States, and that number is expected to increase to 3.36 million by 2020. It can be treated with medications, laser or filtration surgeries, but most cases of mild to moderate glaucoma have been without a surgical option with an appropriate risk profile. Fortunately, technologies are arising to meet the demand. The new category of microinvasive glaucoma surgery groups together a variety of novel surgical options for the treatment of glaucoma that have significantly lower risk profiles than traditional glaucoma surgeries. (Read more...)
Intracameral antibiotics for cataract surgery
CEDARS Debates is a monthly feature in Ocular Surgery News. CEDARS — Cornea, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery Society — is a group of cornea, cataract and refractive surgery specialists, here to discuss some of the latest hot topics in ophthalmology.As the cost of perioperative medications continues to rise, along with the cost of premium IOLs and perhaps laser-assisted cataract surgery, as well as rapidly increasing medical insurance deductibles, there has been a tremendous financial burden placed on patients at the time of cataract surgery. In addition to the financial (Read more...)
Target specific focal points to optimize refractive outcomes of cataract surgery
When we perform cataract surgery, we can optimize refractive outcomes by targeting specific focal points. This allows our patients the benefit of reduced dependence on glasses as well as removal of the cataract. Where we target our patients’ postoperative refractions depends largely on their daily activities, with a distinction being made between distance vision vs. near and intermediate vision.In the young normal eye, the range of vision without glasses is fantastic due to the high degree of accommodation, which can be more than 10 D. This range decreases with age (Read more...)
‘Best Hospitals’ ranking for ophthalmology relies on subjective reputational scores
Whether U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Hospitals” ranking for ophthalmology as a specialty is a valid barometer or a beauty contest depends on who you ask.Whereas 12 of the 16 medical specialties are evaluated on structure, process and outcomes for treating the most challenging patients, ophthalmology is one of the four specialties judged by reputation-only (the other three being psychiatry, rehabilitation and rheumatology) by a limited number of board-certified ophthalmologists.
MEAD study: Corticosteroid implant improves BCVA at 3 years in eyes with DME
A steroid-eluting implant modestly increased IOP and cataract development but improved long-term best corrected visual acuity in patients with diabetic macular edema, according to the MEAD study.The study authors described 3-year results achieved with …
Eye drop may provide a pharmacological treatment for presbyopia
Ophthalmologists are currently well-equipped to address a variety of refractive errors with surgical remedies. Laser vision correction for myopia, astigmatism and hyperopia has arguably reached a relative plateau of high-quality visual correction. Incr…
Man presents with unilateral intermediate uveitis
A 55-year-old man with a medical history of hypertension and benign prostatic hypertrophy presented with 10 days of blurred vision in the right eye without associated pain or redness.Examination
Allergan lawsuit against Valeant, Pershing Square cites securities violations
On Aug. 1, Allergan filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California against Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Pershing Square Capital Management and its principal, William A. Ackman, citing violations to federal securities laws prohibiting insider trading, engagement in fraudulent practices and failure to disclose legally required information.A hearing on the case in a federal court in California was scheduled for Aug. 20. Neither Allergan nor Valeant had reported results of the hearing as of OSN press deadline, although an Allergan press release issued Aug. 27 (Read more...)
Visual field loss and gain comparable at 5 years in open-angle glaucoma patients
Rates of visual field loss and gain are comparable 5 years after baseline treatment in patients with open-angle glaucoma, according to an evaluation of the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study.Study authors compared visual field gains and los…
Physicians need to take care of themselves first
Here we are — the end of summer. Labor Day has come and gone. It is time to put away your sandals and white bucks and hang up your bathing suits for another year.Speaking of bathing suits, what have you been doing to not only keep yourself in bathing suit shape, but also to keep yourself healthy? There are an awful lot of patients out there who depend on you. In addition to setting a good example for your patients, if you are not taking care of your own health, (Read more...)
Allergan rejects Valeant reach out, Ackman threatens suit over Salix
Allergan has received letters from J. Michael Pearson, chairman and CEO of Valeant, and William A. Ackman, CEO of Perishing Square Capital Management, in response to recent events surrounding the proposed merger between the companies.“It may be too late, but we still have an opportunity to take the temperature down and come together to see if we can begin a conversation that could lead to even more value for your stockholders, while still being the right transaction for ours,” Pearson wrote in the letter from Valeant to Allergan.
Allergan rejects Valeant reach out, Ackman threatens suit over Salix
Allergan has received letters from J. Michael Pearson, chairman and CEO of Valeant, and William A. Ackman, CEO of Perishing Square Capital Management, in response to recent events surrounding the proposed merger between the companies.“It may be too late, but we still have an opportunity to take the temperature down and come together to see if we can begin a conversation that could lead to even more value for your stockholders, while still being the right transaction for ours,” Pearson wrote in the letter from Valeant to Allergan.
Diagnosing the Severity of Dry Eye
A new scoring algorithm may be a useful tool in determining the severity of dry eye disease. The British Journal of Ophthalmology
‘Refractive surprise’ calculator, femto LRI software developed
LONDON – From the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting here, Noel Alpins, MD, discusses various tools available at Assort.com.The latest addition to the website is a corneal coupling calculator. In addition, surgeons can find various other tools such as a refractive surprise calculator, femtosecond laser limbal relaxing incision calculator and other tools.
Novaliq announces positive phase 1 results for dry eye drops
Novaliq has announced positive phase 1 results for its dry eye agent, CyclASol, according to a press release.Eighteen healthy patients were included in the phase 1, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study that investigated the safe…