Author: Healio ophthalmology

Woman presents with bilateral progressive ptosis

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A 72-year-old Armenian woman was referred to the oculoplastics clinic at the New England Eye Center for evaluation of bilateral ptosis. She noticed gradual onset of drooping eyelids over the course of many years.The patient’s medical history was significant only for medically well controlled hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. She was pseudophakic and had lattice corneal dystrophy. Of note, two of her children had lattice corneal dystrophy. Her brother and two children also had similar ptosis. She denied trauma, eye rubbing or chronic contact lens wear. She had no other infectious, neoplastic (Read more...)

Now is the time to prepare for possible introduction of lifitegrast

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Summer is over, even for empty nesters like yours truly. It is “back to school” for all of us in the office, too, as many of us enter our busy seasons. Along with the usual sense of excitement in the air that comes with cooler nights and the sights and sounds of activity on the gridiron, we are on the edge of an exciting new age in the treatment of dry eye. Or maybe not. Or only sort of. I am talking, of course, of the impending FDA decision due (Read more...)

Cataract surgery can be performed in pseudoexfoliation cases without expansion devices

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Patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome pose significant challenges during cataract surgery: The zonular apparatus is often weak with some degree of phacodonesis, and the pupil tends not to dilate well, limiting access to the cataract. These eyes are at a higher risk of both intraoperative and postoperative complications, which can result in compromises in visual recovery. The technique of cataract surgery in these eyes with small pupils has traditionally involved the use of mechanical pupil expanders such as iris hooks or rings, but there is an alternate method to achieve an (Read more...)

After decades of research, Kamra inlay offers cornea-based treatment for presbyopia

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We now have our first FDA-approved intracorneal inlay for the surgical treatment of presbyopia, the AcuFocus Kamra inlay. I have been involved with research in the field of intracorneal lenses for the treatment of refractive errors for more than 30 years, and the journey to approval of the Kamra inlay is an enlightening example of the trials and tribulations of the innovation cycle.My first introduction to intracorneal lenses for the treatment of refractive error was at Southend-on-Sea in England in the clinic of Mr. Peter Choyce. Choyce was implanting polysulfone (Read more...)

LUMINOUS interim analysis shows high intercountry variability of baseline characteristics

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NICE, France — The second interim analysis at 3 years of the LUMINOUS study showed high diversity of baseline characteristics across distinct geographies in terms of patient age, interval from diagnosis to treatment, and prevalence of pigment epithelium detachment and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. “The LUMINOUS study has now reached the target enrollment of 30,000 patients. The purpose of this analysis was to describe the baseline characteristics of 17,546 patients with neovascular AMD across multiple countries recruited prior to March 2014,” Paul Mitchell, MD, said at the Euretina meeting.

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Euretina Lecture focuses on cystoid maculopathies and role of OCT

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NICE, France — The Euretina Lecture this year focused on cystoid maculopathies and the revolution that OCT has brought into the understanding of cystoid macular changes.The history of cystoid macular edema is closely linked to blood-retinal barrier (BRB) studies and the advent of fluorescein angiography at the end of the 1960s, Alain Gaudric, MD, emeritus professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Lariboisière Hospital, University of Paris 7, said.

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Ophthalmology in need of antimicrobial stewardship

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SAN DIEGO — Data recently presented at ICAAC 2015 suggest slower recovery and higher culture rates among microbial keratitis patients receiving antibiotic therapy. These outcomes indicate areas in which antibiotic stewardship may benefit ophthalmologic practice, according to Darlene Miller, DHSc, MPH, research associate professor of ophthalmology and scientific director of the Ocular Microbiology Laboratory at the University of Miami. 

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