RestorGenex Corporation announced it has closed its private placement, which raised an estimated $35.6 million in gross proceeds.After accounting for agent fees and other offering expenses, the company netted approximately $31.3 million, according to a…
Author: Healio ophthalmology
BLOG: Health care IT decision-making
Between increasingly picky payers and voracious electronic health record demands, your practice’s information technology department is becoming the beating heart of your practice, with zero tolerance for downtime, delays or false starts.However, unlike your clinic, optical or ASC, your IT department is a cost center, not a profit center. As a result, you may delay hardware and software updates as you prioritize the budget for new clinic equipment that generates revenue, or shift budget dollars to salary increases to retain and attract the best employees. This can be a short-sighted.
Alcon, Google enter into agreement for smart lens technology
Alcon has entered into an agreement with a division of Google to in-license its smart lens technology for all ocular medical uses, according to an Alcon press release. The company stated that the transaction will remain subject to anti-trust approvals….
<em>U.S. News & World Report</em>: Bascom Palmer best in ophthalmology
For the eleventh consecutive year, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has been ranked the nation’s best in ophthalmology by U.S. News & World Report. “We are honored to be recognized for this important effort and to be highlighted as the leader in the life-changing and dynamic field of ophthalmology,” Eduardo C. Alfonso, MD, professor and chairman of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, said in an institutional press release. “The well-being of our patients inspires us to continually reach higher and excel in areas (Read more...)
LASIK outcomes not significantly affected by seasonality
No clinically relevant association was found between seasonality and LASIK outcomes, demonstrating the standardized reliability of the procedure, according to researchers.A retrospective, cross-sectional data analysis included 1,052 eyes of 1,052 patie…
Long-term DMEK-associated endothelial cell loss lower than in DSEK, PK
Endothelial cell loss associated with Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty compared favorably with that of Descemet’s stripping endothelial keratoplasty and penetrating keratoplasty at 5 years, according to a study.Additionally, endothelial cell loss did not increase significantly when a single air reinjection was used with DMEK.
Matrix metalloproteinase-9 test enables reliable dry eye diagnosis
A matrix metalloproteinase-9 test showed high positive and negative agreement in confirming dry eye disease diagnoses, according to a study.The prospective, masked, multicenter study compared the InflammaDry test (Rapid Pathogen Screening) with other c…
Hoya, i-Optics partner for optical retail contract
Hoya has signed a multiple-year contract with i-Optics to provide opticians access to EasyScan 3-minute eye care test services.By combining optical retail markets, i-Optics — creator of the EasyScan retinal imaging device — and Hoya Vision Care will provide opticians worldwide access to a new way of working that focuses on affordable eye examinations and customized advice for best lens selection practices, according to a press release from Hoya.
VIDEO: Glued IOL live surgery from IIRSI in Chennai
Amar Agarwal, MS, FRCS, FRCOphth, performs a glued IOL procedure during the live surgery event at the Intraocular Implant and Refractive Society meeting in Chennai, India, on July 5, 2014.Following conjunctival peritomy, two partial thickness scleral f…
Top 5 cataract surgery videos
Cataract surgery continues to evolve with the introduction of new technologies and surgical techniques. Toric and accommodating IOLs, the glued IOL procedure and femtosecond laser surgery have taken the spotlight in recent Ocular Surgery News videos. Here are the editor’s top five cataract surgery videos recently published on Healio.com:
Eye scanner accurately identifies strabismus, amblyopia in preschool children
A new eye scanner identified strabismus and/or amblyopia in preschool-aged children more accurately than a widely-used autorefractor, according to study findings.The study included 300 children who underwent screening with the Pediatric Vision Scanner …
Global endoscopy device market poised to reach $36.9 billion by 2019
A new market report valued the 2012 global endoscopy device market at $24.9 billion and predicted it would grow to an estimated $36.9 billion in 2019, according to a press release. These projections were substantiated by several major drivers, the rele…
Monovision implantation corrects postop presbyopia with less dysphotopsia
Pseudophakic mini-monovision compared favorably with multifocal IOL implantation in the correction of presbyopia after cataract surgery, according to a study.The prospective, randomized trial included 38 patients who underwent monovision correction and…
Neovascular glaucoma, certain medications linked to hyphema after trabeculectomy with MMC
Neovascular glaucoma and anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications were independently linked to an increased risk for developing hyphema after trabeculectomy with mitomycin C, according to study findings.The retrospective review included 420 patients …
BLOG: Managing associate optometrists in your practice, part 1
If you are like the typical ophthalmologist reading this, you’ll see 100 to 200 patients in clinic this week. Unless you’re in an obscure subspecialty niche, or very old-school, chances are you could delegate about a third or more of those patients to an optometrist working on your staff. Yet fewer than half of the new client practices I serve employ optometrists — although this is up sharply from several years ago when only the busiest, vanguard surgeons were willing to work alongside ODs. If your practice has more patients (Read more...)
Partnership formed to increase latex allergy awareness
The Allergy & Asthma Network announced that its Anaphylaxis Community Expert volunteer program has joined with the American Latex Allergy Association to increase awareness of life-threatening latex allergies, according to a press release.“This partnership is a natural alliance, blending the necessary information on latex allergy in the context of identifying and managing anaphylaxis,” Michael Zacharisen, MD, allergist, ACE (Anaphylaxis Community Expert) volunteer and ALAA (American Latex Allergy Association) board member from Bozeman, Mont., said in the release. “I’m confident the awareness raised will benefit the public and medical community alike.”
Accommodative bioanalogic IOL provides good range of vision, long-term stability
A new-generation IOL yielded satisfactory near, intermediate and distance visual acuity with high stability, according to study findings.The prospective study included 50 eyes of 25 patients. All patients underwent phacoemulsification with bilateral im…
OCT-guided postoperative posturing protocol improves macular hole closure rate
A personalized protocol with a shorter duration of posturing after vitrectomy yielded a high rate of macular hole closure, especially in pseudophakic eyes, according to study findings.“The overall success rate of macular hole closure with pro re nata posturing was comparable with that of the traditional 7 days of prone positioning. This suggests that immediate posturing after surgery is not required, and posturing may be imposed when needed as determined by the [spectral-domain optical coherence tomography] images,” the authors wrote.
RPS restructures AdenoPlus licensing agreement
Rapid Pathogen Screening has announced the restructuring of the North American licensing rights to the AdenoPlus test, as well as two diagnostic tests in development.The AdenoPlus test is used to rapidly diagnose adenoviral conjunctivitis to primary and urgent care professionals in the U.S. and is already manufactured and marketed by RPS, according to a company press release.
Point-of-care tests for ocular surface disease gaining acceptance as diagnostic tools
Ocular surface disease has various causes, and in-office testing is one means to define those causes. Red eye: There is a test for that. Meibomian gland dysfunction: There is a test for that. Allergy: There is a test for that. Dry eye: There is a test for that — more than one.Point-of-care testing (POCT) is a growing area in ophthalmology in which clinicians obtain immediate results that enhance the accuracy of a diagnosis or help rule one out during one clinic visit. The most common testing done in an ophthalmologist’s (Read more...)