Bilateral laser refractive surgery was most frequent among young, active and affluent women, according to a study conducted in the United Kingdom.The study included 2,441 patients who reported undergoing laser refractive surgery; 1,892 patients had bil…
Author: Healio ophthalmology
Publication Exclusive: Dry eye needs to be evaluated, managed before ocular surgery
Dry eye is a multifactorial disease of the tear film and ocular surface resulting in symptoms of discomfort, visual disturbance and tear film instability with potential ocular surface damage. It is accompanied by increased tear film osmolarity and ocular surface inflammation. This definition, given by the Dry Eye WorkShop in 2007, forms the basis of our understanding of dry eye. It also gives guidelines regarding grading of dry eye and treatment strategies for each grade of severity.When it comes to ocular surgeries, managing dry eye in the perioperative period plays (Read more...)
VIDEO: Scleral fixation with glued IOL technique
At the OSN New York 2015 meeting, Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, discusses scleral fixation with a glued IOL technique that he used on a patient during cataract surgery.
Baerveldt implantation, trabeculectomy yield similar results after primary glaucoma surgery
Baerveldt implantation and trabeculectomy with mitomycin C may have similar surgical success rates in primary incisional glaucoma surgery, according to a study.The retrospective, comparative case series reviewed 125 low-risk glaucoma cases with no prio…
Researchers identify genetic associations that influence primary open angle glaucoma
Investigators have identified three genetic associations – TXNRD2, ATXN2 and FOXC1 – that may influence susceptibility of primary open angle glaucoma, according to a press release from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.The findings, published in Nature Genetics, are intended to be used to develop gene-based testing and treatment strategies for glaucoma.
Clearside files registration statement for proposed IPO
Clearside Biomedical has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission concerning a proposed initial public offering of shares of common stock, the company announced in a press release.The number of shares to be offere…
Is OCT angiography going to change our lives?
OCT jumped into our lives in 1991 when Huang and colleagues published about a “noninvasive cross-sectional imaging technology in biological systems.” Since then, major advancements have been made. Spectral-domain and swept-source OCT platforms brought faster scans and higher resolution. Also, OCT technology has been proposed in conjunction with adaptive optics, which may allow further resolution, up to a single photoreceptor cell. Polarized light combined with high-resolution OCT scanning may improve characterization of the retinal pigment epithelium. No doubt, therefore, that with the introduction of OCT, assessment of fundus structure has (Read more...)
OCT angiography provides noninvasive close-up viewing of retinal vasculature
Over the past 20 years, OCT has developed rapidly as a noninvasive method of retinal imaging. OCT angiography, or OCTA, is the latest evolution of this technology, allowing extreme close-up imaging of the retinal vasculature for assessing retinal vascular diseases, and holds potential for guiding treatment decisions and monitoring patient responses to therapy.“The huge progress consists in having both functional and morphological assessment from a single dye-less examination. The rapid and noninvasive nature of the OCTA allows an easier follow-up of morphological and functional changes in prolonged, repetitive and even (Read more...)
VIDEO: Pros, cons of intracameral antibiotics
At OSN New York 2015, P. Dee Stephenson, MD, FACS, discusses the pros and cons of using intracameral antibiotics to treat endophthalmitis in cataract patients.
Vitamin A palmitate, carbomer gel may reduce dry eye symptoms from prostaglandin use
Vitamin A palmitate and carbomer eye gel can reduce dry eye symptoms resulting from long-term use of prostaglandin analogues for glaucoma, according to a study.Both agents increased goblet cell density and reduced toxicity to the conjunctiva.
Transscleral fixation technique may reduce intraoperative IOL placement time
A transscleral fixation technique using a foldable posterior chamber IOL and 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy may improve anatomic and visual outcomes while minimizing the risk of complications and reducing surgical times, according to a study.“The technique achieves the implantation of a posterior chamber IOL through a small incision in the absence of capsular support, which is applicable to a wide range of patients, whether aphakic, pseudophakic with IOL subluxation or dislocation, and/or dislocated cataract or cataract fragments,” study author Daniel A. Adelberg, MD, told Ocular Surgery News.
Trocar anterior chamber maintainer helps provide better wound closure
Anterior segment surgical procedures encompass, for the most part, the use of the anterior chamber space for various surgical manipulations, repair of traumatized ocular tissues, and the introduction of various prosthetic devices to restore anatomic in…
Study finds increased blink rate correlates with decreased corneal sensitivity
Classifying tear dysfunction groups is important because there are meaningful differences in corneal sensitivity and blink rate among several subcategories, according to a study.“We wanted to compare the standard method for checking corneal sensitivity, which is with a nylon thread (contact method), to a noncontact method (air jet esthesiometer),” co-author Stephen C. Pflugfelder, MD, a professor and director of the Ocular Surface Center in the Department of Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said.
SMILE yields stable visual, refractive outcomes at 3 years postop
Small-incision lenticule extraction for high myopia resulted in stable long-term visual and refractive outcomes, despite a minor myopic regression in total corneal refractive power, a study found.The procedure, known as SMILE, also yielded a significan…
Ocular surface disease: One physician’s approach to testing, examining and making a diagnosis
One or another form of ocular surface disease, usually dry eye syndrome, blepharitis, meibomian gland dysfunction, ocular allergy or conjunctivitis, accounts for nearly 40% of patient visits to a comprehensive ophthalmologist. DES and blepharitis/MGD w…
Persistent infectious keratitis in a contact lens wearer
A 21-year-old female nursing student was referred to Tufts New England Eye Center Cornea Service for a persistent infectious keratitis that was not responding to topical antibiotic therapy.She initially presented to an outside ophthalmologist with 5 da…
Marked suture aids gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy
Gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy performed with a thermally marked suture is a safe alternative to the same procedure with an illuminated microcatheter, according to a study.The modified gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GAT…
Top 12 mistakes in physician recruiting
“Never hire someone who knows less than you do about what he’s hired to do.”– Malcolm Forbes
Small-gauge vitreoretinal instrumentation can be used for scleral fixation of IOLs
Numerous innovative techniques have been developed for addressing dislocated IOLs in eyes without sufficient capsular support. Maggi and colleagues were one of the first to introduce the concept of sutureless scleral fixation of an IOL. Recently, the i…
Audits overly burdensome to physicians
Nothing in this act shall be construed to authorize any federal officer or employee to exercise any supervision or control over the practice of medicine or the manner in which medical services are provided …— Medicare and Medicaid Act of 1965, Section 1801