ORLANDO, Fla. — Results from a study involving 4,000 children showed that spending at least 2 hours a day outside decreases axial length and that more than 1 hour a day of near work increases it.Jan Roelof Polling, of the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, reported the results of the Generation R Study here at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting.
Author: Healio ophthalmology
Femto LDV Z8 femtosecond laser receives CE approval
Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems received CE approval for the Femto LDV Z8 femtosecond laser, according to a news release.The low-energy femtosecond laser is approved for clear corneal and arcuate incisions, capsulotomy, lens fragmentation, and previously cov…
Elevated IOP more common after DSAEK in patients with pre-existing glaucoma
ORLANDO, Fla. — Patients with existing glaucoma who underwent Descemet’s stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty had higher postoperative IOP rates than patients without pre-existing glaucoma, a study found.Pre-existing glaucoma was defined as IOP greater than 22 mm Hg that required medical or surgical treatment.
Membrane peeling benefits patients with epiretinal membrane after retinal detachment surgery
ORLANDO, Fla. — Membrane peeling was beneficial to patients with epiretinal membrane after retinal detachment surgery, even in those with a macula-off retinal detachment, according to a poster presentation here. “Subgroup analysis found that although preoperative visual acuity was not different between patients with history of macula-on and macula-off RD, at postoperative month 1, 6 and 12, patients who had macula-on status had better BCVA after [epiretinal membrane] peeling,” Christina Y. Weng, MD, and colleagues said in the study presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting.
Anti-VEGF treatment improves macular sensitivity in diffuse DME
ORLANDO, Fla. — Anti-VEGF treatment improved macular sensitivity in patients with diffuse diabetic macular edema but not in patients with focal diabetic macular edema, according to a poster presentation here.The study included 59 eyes of 45 patients with center-involving DME that were randomized into two groups: 33 eyes received 1.5 mg/0.06 mL intravitreal Avastin (bevacizumab, Genentech) and 26 eyes received 0.5 mg/0.05 mL intravitreal Lucentis (ranibizumab, Genentech).
Regeneron, Avalanche Biotechnologies to collaborate on gene therapy products
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Avalanche Biotechnologies announced a collaboration agreement centered on the development of novel ophthalmic genetic therapy products, according to a press release. Avalanche’s AVA-101 is currently undergoing a phase 2a trial for wet age-related macular degeneration. Avalanche also has a proprietary adeno-associated virus-based gene therapy discovery and development technology called the Ocular BioFactory platform, according to the release.
Anti-VEGF superior to laser at 24 weeks for BRVO
ORLANDO, Fla. — A study here showed aflibercept to have superior efficacy and safety compared with grid laser photocoagulation at 24 weeks, according to the poster’s author. “The VIBRANT study showed the safety and efficacy of intravitreal aflibercept injections for the treatment of macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion,” David S. Boyer, MD, told Ocular Surgery News at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting.
Posterior vitreous detachment linked to fewer anti-VEGF injections for wet AMD
ORLANDO, Fla. — The presence of vitreous separation may play a role in ranibizumab therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration, according to a poster presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting here.Previous studies showed that bevacizumab injections in animal eyes had a slower rate of retinal penetration when the vitreous was attached to the anterior retina surface. The presence of vitreous separation may reduce the number of injections needed because of better retinal penetration or increase the number of injections needed because of less of the (Read more...)
Fluoroquinolone use reduces endophthalmitis risk after cataract surgery
Use of a fluoroquinolone antibiotic after cataract surgery was associated with a reduced rate of endophthalmitis, according to a large study. “In contrast, endophthalmitis was more likely to occur if timolol was used at the end of the procedure,” the study authors said. The retrospective case-control study included 75,318 eyes that underwent cataract surgery performed by 26 surgeons at four public hospitals and five surgical centers.
Bausch + Lomb enters license agreement for Cirle Surgical Navigation System
Bausch + Lomb entered an exclusive license agreement with Cirle Inc. for the three-dimensional Cirle Surgical Navigation System, the company announced in a news release. Bausch + Lomb is licensing the Cirle system for use in cataract surgery; the syste…
BLOG: Outlook for Allergan destined to change
Admit it. You went to ASCRS expecting to join your colleagues in the act of righteous indignation at the CMS data dump of physician Medicare income. I sure did. Boy, did THAT change fast when the news of Valeant and William Ackman teaming up to make a play for Allergan hit the front page of The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday before the meeting! I don’t know about you, but the only time the whole CMS nonsense came up was when another doc made the same observation that I just did. What do (Read more...)
Nanotechnology to play large role in future of ophthalmology
Robert Langer, ScD, discusses the role nanotechnology may come to play in treating ophthalmic disease during a Kala Pharmaceuticals-sponsored symposium at the ASCRS in Boston.
LPI in temporal iris yields less linear dysphotopsia than in superior iris
Laser peripheral iridotomy performed in the temporal iris resulted in less linear dysphotopsia than in the superior iris, according to a study. The prospective, randomized clinical trial included 338 eyes of 169 patients with primary angle-closure glau…
Many Americans unaware of photosensitivity due to light-colored eyes, common drugs
Many Americans with light-colored eyes and those who take common drugs are unaware they are more vulnerable to UV exposure, which can be a factor in some eye conditions and diseases, according to the results of a poll released by the American Academy o…
Alphaeon names Bob Rhatigan chief operating officer
Bob Rhatigan has joined Alphaeon as its chief operating officer, the company announced in a news release. In his position as COO, Rhatigan will play a prominent role in the development of Alphaeon’s commercial execution and future growth. “Bob has an outstanding track record of successful business leadership in medical aesthetics and will add tremendous value as Alphaeon continues its rapid expansion to become the leader in providing innovative products and services in the lifestyle health care market,” Robert E. Grant, CEO of Alphaeon, said in the release.
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Is your IRA trust beneficiary a tax trap?
From Ken Rudzinski, Five-Star Wealth Manager, comes valuable insights and practical, timely strategies on a wide range of financial planning topics, including investments, retirement, insurance, taxes and estate planning.It is not unusual for one or more IRAs to be the largest asset in a person’s retirement portfolio. Is this you? It is also commonplace for people to name a revocable trust as the primary beneficiary of the IRA. If this is you, then you need to make sure your trust is a properly-established “see-through” trust. Otherwise, you will be dooming (Read more...)
Active fluidics allows high vacuum and reduces phaco energy, lens removal time
BOSTON — A phacoemulsification machine with active fluidics enabled surgeons to use high vacuum while reducing cumulative dissipated energy and lens removal time, a clinician told colleagues here. At the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting, David Allen, FRCOphth, discussed a study of the Centurion Vision System (Alcon). “The problem with a traditional system is that if you’re going to use a high vacuum, you need to have a high bottle height,” Allen said.
Small-incision lenticule extraction safely corrects spherical myopia
BOSTON — Small-incision lenticule extraction safely and predictably corrected vision in patients with spherical myopia, according to a study here. At the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting, John F. Doane, MD, elucidated preliminary clinical trial results with the ReLEx femtosecond laser-assisted small-incision lenticule extraction (smile) procedure with the VisuMax femtosecond laser (Carl Zeiss Meditec). “It’s incredibly predictable,” Doane said.
Intravitreal steroid-antibiotic a possible alternative to drops after cataract surgery
BOSTON — Despite diminished visual acuity immediately after surgery, intravitreal placement of combined triamcinolone acetonide and moxifloxacin proved effective in preventing inflammation and cystoid macular edema after cataract surgery, according to a study. Intravitreal delivery of the drug may be a viable alternative to eye drops, M. Stewart Galloway, MD, said at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting. “We know that patient drop compliance is less than optimal.