At Kiawah Eye, Kristiana D. Neff, MD, describes the components of and the steps for performing corneal collagen cross-linking, and she reviews the studies and protocols that were considered in the FDA’s rendered approval of the treatment in April 2016.
Author: Healio ophthalmology
India, US to fund collaborative grant for glaucoma research
The National Eye Institute and India’s Department of Biotechnology announced a new collaborative project to identify genetic risk factors and traits related to glaucoma. Grants from the two agencies stem from the U.S.-India Collaborative Vision Research Program, which is designed to advance knowledge in the biological mechanisms of ocular disease. The combined grants will be more than $1.3 million over 3 years, pending fund availability, according to an NEI press release.
Eylea co-formulated with rinucumab provided no more benefit than Eylea alone in wet AMD
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced that Eylea co-formulated with rinucumab provided no more benefit than Eylea alone in treating patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.In the phase 2 CAPELLA study, the combination therapy did not p…
Majority of adverse events in clinical trials remain unpublished
A lower number and smaller range of adverse events were reported in published studies compared with those unpublished, according to data published in PLoS Medicine.“We identified serious concerns about the substantial amount of unpublished adverse events data that may be difficult to access or ‘hidden’ from health care workers and members of the public,” Su Golder, PhD, in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York in the United Kingdom, and colleagues wrote. “Incomplete reporting of adverse events within published studies was a consistent finding across all the (Read more...)
FDA approves Tecnis toric calculator improvement
The FDA granted premarketing approval for a software update to Abbott’s Tecnis toric calculator, which will allow the option of adding the posterior corneal astigmatism factor into lens calculations, according to the FDA website.The addition of posterior corneal astigmatism compensation “eliminates the need for look-up tables and improves the predictability of residual astigmatism,” according to company correspondence.
Uveal melanoma treatment improving but metastasis persists
Despite improving treatment, the rate of metastasis of uveal melanoma is not decreasing, possibly due to early micrometastasis of the tumors when they are relatively small, according to J. William Harbour, MD, of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. At Retina …
IOL formula may increase accuracy of power calculations
At Kiawah Eye, Helga P. Sandoval, MD, of the Storm Eye Institute discusses the Hill-RBF formula for calculating IOL power, which she believes can increase the number of surgeons who achieve refractive results within 0.5 D of the intended target.
New analyses support blocking Anthem-Cigna and Aetna-Humana mergers
Two new American Medical Association analyses support the blocking of the Anthem-Cigna and Aetna-Humana mergers.“The [American Medical Association] AMA analyses show that Anthem-Cigna and Aetna-Humana mergers would significantly compromise market competition in the health insurance industry and threaten health care access, quality and affordability,” Andrew W. Gurman, MD, president of the AMA, said in a press release. “With existing competition in health insurance markets already at alarmingly low levels, federal and state antitrust officials have powerful reasons to block harmful mergers and foster a more competitive marketplace that will operate (Read more...)
Diagnosis of glaucoma may be associated with presence of erectile dysfunction
Glaucoma was found to be a significant risk factor for the presence of erectile dysfunction in a cross-sectional study of male patients older than 40 years of age. A patient questionnaire and retrospective chart review were used to assess 167 male pati…
Avedro shipping Photrexa Viscous and Photrexa for cross-linking procedures
Avedro announced the launch and shipment of Photrexa Viscous and Photrexa, two FDA-approved drugs used in corneal collagen cross-linking procedures with the KXL System. In April, the FDA approved Photrexa Viscous, Photrexa and the KXL System to be used…
Publication Exclusive: Man presents with headache, ptosis and abnormal eye movements
A 49-year-old Brazilian man with no known medical history was admitted to the hospital for headache, ptosis of the right upper eyelid and abnormal eye movements. He had been discharged from the hospital recently with a working diagnosis of migraine, on…
Head-mounted display did not have significant clinical effect on normal eyes
Volunteers who watched video using a head-mounted display for 30 minutes did not experience significant clinical effects in their normal adolescent eyes, according to a study. The study, completed at Korea University College of Medicine in Seoul, inclu…
Senate approves $1.1b in Zika funding as part of stopgap spending bill
The Senate on Wednesday passed a bill to keep the federal government running through Dec. 9, including $1.1 billion in long-awaited emergency funding for prevention and treatment of the Zika virus, according to reports.The 72-26 vote came just 2 days b…
Cellular Dynamics International launches Opsis Therapeutics to develop retinal disease treatments
Cellular Dynamics International has launched Opsis Therapeutics, a new project aimed at discovering and developing medicines for patients with retinal diseases, according to a company press release.CDI, which develops and manufactures induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) products, formed Opsis Therapeutics to focus on researching and manufacturing new retinal disease treatments with a “cross-disciplinary team of internationally recognized advisors and development partners,” the release said. These partners have experience in iPSC manufacture, iPSC differentiation into retinal lineages, retinal cell biology, preclinical modeling of retinal disease and subretinal surgery.
VIDEO: Hydroseparation provides faster, easier way to deal with DMEK graft
This video shows a technique that, according to Pavel Stodulka, MD, PhD, allows for faster and safer Descemet’s separation in Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty, with less risk of endothelial damage. The technique, named hydroseparation, uses balanced salt solution or Ringer’s solution to separate the membrane without touching the endothelial surface and can be performed on both the donor and recipient corneas.
VIDEO: DMEK patient receives hydroseparation procedure
This video shows a technique that, according to Pavel Stodulka, MD, PhD, allows for faster and safer Descemet’s separation in Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty, with less risk of endothelial damage. The technique, named hydroseparation, uses balanced salt solution or Ringer’s solution to separate the membrane without touching the endothelial surface and can be performed on both the donor and recipient corneas.
Emerging trends and hot topics in glaucoma from 2016 ARVO meeting
The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting can be overwhelming for a young ophthalmologist, with vast numbers of new studies presented in parallel sessions. On behalf of the International Glaucoma Panel, a young mentoring group, Marcos Muñoz, MD, and Karl Mercieca, MD, share with us their top glaucoma studies presented at ARVO 2016.Anthony Khawaja, PhD, FRCOphth
Pay careful attention regarding evaluation and management services and the global surgery period
From international law firm Arnold & Porter LLP comes a timely column that provides views on current regulatory and legislative topics that weigh on the minds of today’s physicians and health care executives.The global surgical payment, which applies to many surgical procedures, such as cataract surgery, includes all necessary services normally furnished by a surgeon before, during and after a procedure. The global surgery payment applies in any setting, including inpatient hospital, outpatient hospital, ambulatory surgical center and physician office. Although the 2015 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule would have (Read more...)
Speaker reviews advantages of latest generation fluoroquinolones
At the Hawaiian Eye meeting, James McCulley, MD, FRCOphth, talks about his preference for fourth generation topical fluoroquinolones as his approach to prophylaxis in cataract surgery.
Publication Exclusive: Phakic IOLs may make cataract surgery more challenging
For extremely nearsighted patients who are seeking independence from glasses and contact lenses, implantation of a phakic IOL can be a reasonable choice. In the U.S., we have access to two different types of phakic IOLs: anterior chamber iris-clip phakic IOLs and posterior chamber sulcus-fixated phakic IOLs. Both of these options can correct extreme degrees of myopia, as much as –20 D, and they are both designed to stay inside the eye for many years. At some point, however, when a cataract develops, the phakic IOL will need to be (Read more...)