Final visual acuity significantly improved after small-gauge vitrectomy in patients with epiretinal membrane and good preoperative visual acuity, according to a study.Compared with traditional 20-gauge vitrectomy, 25-gauge vitrectomy may be similarly e…
Author: Healio ophthalmology
Noninvasive OCT angiography allows for detailed visualization of retinal vasculature
September’s announcement by Carl Zeiss Meditec that its AngioPlex OCT angiography technology had received 510(k) clearance from the FDA set the stage for other systems to likely also soon become commercialized in the U.S. The technology allows 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.“Over the past 20 years, OCT has developed rapidly as a ‘noninvasive’ method of imaging for medical diagnosis and defining activity criteria, such as intra/subretinal fluid, hyper-reflective dots and (Read more...)
LASIK, SMILE and LASIK plus CXL produce varying corneal changes in low vs. high myopia
LASIK alone reduced biomechanics in the treatment of high myopia, whereas LASIK with concurrent corneal cross-linking increased corneal stromal rigidity, according to results of an ex vivo study presented at the European Society of Cataract and Refract…
Developing a dry eye clinic, part 2: The traditional dry eye practice
In order to build a true dry eye practice, it is first necessary to make an open commitment to care for the dry eye patient. As pointed out in part 1 of this series, if you build a dry eye practice, dry eye patients will find you and they will come to your practice. In part 2, I will explore how to develop a traditional dry eye practice. The protocols for this type of practice can easily be layered onto your existing exams and can be done so without making (Read more...)
Two iStents significantly reduce IOP in open-angle glaucoma patients over long term
Implantation of two trabecular micro-bypass stents yielded a significant, sustained reduction of IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma, according to a study.The prospective pilot study included 39 phakic and pseudophakic patients with open-angle gla…
Low-dose atropine eye drops slow progression of myopia in children
LAS VEGAS — A low-dose formulation of atropine slowed the progression of myopia in a 5-year clinical trial, a speaker told colleagues at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting here.“We think we can prevent myopic progression both safely and effectively in children for the first time. A 0.01% once-a-day [dose] appears to be able to reduce that amount of progression by about 50%,” Donald Tan, MD, said during a press briefing on “Innovations in vision: Nanotech, nearsightedness and neuro-ophthalmology imaging.”
VIDEO: Lipiview II identifies meibomian gland dysfuntion earlier in patients
LAS VEGAS — At the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting, Preeya K. Gupta, MD, talks about the use of LipiView II with dynamic meibomian imaging (TearScience) to identify meibomian gland dysfunction.
VIDEO: Surgeon emphasizes the importance of choosing ‘the right’ antibiotic
LAS VEGAS — At the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting, Penny A. Asbell, MD, report 5-year results from the ARMOR study.
Smartphone-based autorefractor found comparable to office-based testing
Smart Vision Labs announced that clinical testing results on its SVOne autorefractor were comparable with subjective refraction and an office-based autorefractor when measuring refractive error under cycloplegic and non-cycloplegic conditions in young …
Visunex receives FDA clearance for PanoCam LT imaging system
Visunex Medical Systems has received FDA clearance for the PanoCam LT wide-field digital imaging system for ocular imaging in newborns, the company announced in a press release.The PanoCam LT is a compact, wireless imaging system designed to identify e…
Seciera cyclosporine formulation for dry eye improves tear production in phase 2b/3 trial
Seciera significantly improved tear production and reduced ocular surface inflammation in a phase 2b/3 clinical trial, Auven Therapeutics announced in a press release.Seciera (OTX-101) is a nanomicellar formulation of cyclosporine that uses patent-prot…
VIDEO: Surgeon introduces a new technique to better predict lens positioning
LAS VEGAS — At the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting, Joseph J.K. Ma, MD, talks about using the femtosecond laser OCT intraoperatively to better predict effective lens positioning.
VIDEO: Surgeon discusses intense pulsed light system to treat meibomian gland disease
LAS VEGAS — At the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting, Sheila Barbarino, MD, FACS, discusses treating meibomian gland disease with the intense pulsed light system , which she is currently working to gain approval from the Institutional Review Board.
Complications persist after phaco in eyes with pseudoexfoliation and nonsutured CTR implantation
LAS VEGAS — Nonsutured capsular tension ring implantation after phacoemulsification did not prevent capsular or IOL complications in eyes with pseudoexfoliation, according to a study presented here.“Sadly, there is very scarce literature on the postoperative outcomes [of capsular tension rings (CTRs)],” Yan-Ning Neo, MBCHB, said at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting. “Therefore, we question whether nonsutured CTR implantations prevent postoperative complications in pseudoexfoliation eyes with zonular weakness that underwent phacoemulsification with IOL implantation.”
Treat-and-extend therapy with Eylea for AMD improves vision, reduces injections over 2 years
LAS VEGAS — Two-year results of the ATLAS study showed visual and anatomic improvements in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration treated with a treat-and-extend program using Eylea. “The treat-and-extend program has never been validated with aflibercept [Eylea, Regeneron] to date, and given the molecular differences of anti-VEGF drugs and the potential greater durability effect for aflibercept, my colleagues and I designed and conducted the ATLAS study,“ Carl D. Regillo, MD, FACS, said at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.
Consider age, residual stromal bed, percent tissue altered to improve accuracy of screening for ectasia risk
LAS VEGAS — Using the weighted equation of age, residual stromal bed and percent tissue altered may improve the efficacy of screening ectasia risk in patients with normal topography who undergo LASIK, according to a study presented here. “The purpose of this study was to specifically develop an ectasia risk equation considering percent tissue altered, flap percentage, residual stromal bed, ablation depth, and age all together to have a combination that would provide very high sensitivity, and with the other parameters, we would increase the specificity of our findings,” Marcony (Read more...)
Surgical, medical treatments for squamous neoplasia both have pros, cons
LAS VEGAS — Ocular surface squamous neoplasia is one of the most common nonpigmented tumors of the ocular surface, and there is much debate regarding which treatment to choose, according to a presentation here. At the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting, Carol L. Karp, MD, weighed the pros and cons of excision alone with a no-touch technique and of treatment with chemotherapeutic agents such as mitomycin C, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and interferon-alpha-2b.
Alphaeon acquires Lensar, partners with PhysIOL to commercialize trifocal IOL technology
LAS VEGAS — Alphaeon has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Lensar for an estimated $59 million in cash, stock and assumed debt, the company announced in a press release. “We’re excited with the chance to join Alphaeon, and together leverage our proprietary platform technology to develop new clinical innovations benefiting physicians and patients alike,” Nick Curtis, CEO of Lensar said in the release.
Speaker: Bilateral, same-day cataract surgery poses no additional risk to patients
LAS VEGAS — Bilateral, same-day cataract surgery should not pose any additional undue risks to the patient than sequential cataract surgery, according to a presentation here.“Bilateral, same-day cataract surgery offers convenience and time saving for patients through reduced time off work, fewer appointments, less travel and concurrent recovery of eyes. Costs savings may also be realized to payers, employers and employees,” Neal H. Shorstein, MD, said at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.
ENV515 appears safe in removal of cataracts in glaucoma patients
LAS VEGAS — ENV515 travoprost XR intracameral implant appeared to be safe when used during cataract removal in patients with glaucoma, according to phase 2a clinical trial findings presented here. “All patients completed the study per protocol with no early discontinuations,” Tom R. Walters, MD, said at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting. “One hundred percent of implants were safely removed and aqueous humor was sampled for drug level analysis.”