InSite Vision reported revenue of $5.3 million in the third quarter compared with $12.1 million for the same period a year ago, according to a press release.Royalties from Merck on net sales of AzaSite (azithromycin ophthalmic solution) included an additional $3.7 million and $9.3 million in the third quarters of 2013 and 2012, respectively. The decrease in minimum royalty payments was attributed to an amendment in August 2012 to the Merck license regarding payment terms.
Author: Healio ophthalmology
Small-incision lenticule extraction largely predictable, speaker says
NEW ORLEANS — Patient- and surgery-related parameters had a minimal effect on the safety, efficacy and predictability of small-incision lenticule extraction for myopia, according to a study presented here.Jesper Hjortdal, MD, presented results during the Journal of Refractive Surgery’s Hot, Hotter and Hottest: Late Breaking News session on Refractive Subspecialty Day preceding the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.Hjortdal’s presentation was based on a paper that was awarded the Journal of Refractive Surgery’s annual Waring Medal.
Bio-Tissue introduces two new biologic corneal bandage devices
NEW ORLEANS — Bio-Tissue introduced two next-generation biologic corneal bandage devices, Prokera Slim and Prokera Plus, here.“Cryopreserved amniotic membranes really represent a game changer that many of us in our careers have only witnessed once, but in this era, we have actually witnessed it many times. This is changing everything that we know about treating ocular surface disease,” Neel Desai, MD, said at a Bio-Tissue symposium.
RIDE, RISE extension study shows stable visual outcomes
NEW ORLEANS — A long-term open-label extension of the RIDE and RISE trials showed sustained gains in visual acuity in patients receiving ranibizumab for diabetic macular edema, according to a poster presented here.“The safety profile of ranibizumab in the open-label extension appeared similar to that observed in the controlled core studies, based on the types of [adverse events] reported,” David S. Boyer, MD, and colleagues reported in the poster at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.The RIDE and RISE trials included 759 patients with DME who received intravitreal injections of (Read more...)
Femtosecond cataract surgery causes less capsular bag shrinkage than standard surgery
NEW ORLEANS — There was significantly less capsular bag shrinkage up to 12 weeks after femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery compared with standard cataract surgery, according to a poster presentation here.The prospective, randomized trial included 106 eyes of 53 patients who underwent either standard cataract surgery or laser cataract surgery with the Catalys (OptiMedica). Postoperative capsular bag diameter was the primary outcome measure. A capsular measuring ring was implanted in all eyes after anterior capsulotomy of 5 mm, the poster said at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.
Speaker: System helps guide placement of toric IOLs
NEW ORLEANS — A speaker here said that the ORA System can measure the true total of astigmatic error in the eye in guiding toric IOL placement. “What I saw is that my toric cases were really being accurately targeted, so I started doing torics on everybody, and since incorporating ORA, I’ve seen a dramatic improvement in my toric refractive result,” Tal Raviv, MD, said at the ORA System Symposium, sponsored by WaveTec Vision.
New bill mandates national requirements for drug compounding, distribution
On Nov. 18, after more than 1 year of debate sparked by a deadly 2012 meningitis outbreak tied to compounded injectable steroids, the Senate passed the bipartisan Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA), which will now go to President Barack Obama for signature.Title I of the legislation — the Compounding Quality Act — will create a new two-tier system for drug compounding regulation. While the legislation would largely maintain the current state-focused framework for regulating traditional pharmacy compounding of prescriptions written for individual patients, it also will create a new (Read more...)
Cross-linking shows early, transient results in children
NEW ORLEANS — Corneal cross-linking yielded early changes in children, but the changes were shorter lived than in adults, according to a study presented here.“On one hand, cross-linking seems to be efficient in pediatric and adolescent patients, but we have to pay particular attention to year 3 of the long-term follow-up,” Farhad Hafezi, MD, PhD, said during the Journal of Refractive Surgery’s Hot, Hotter and Hottest: Late Breaking News session on Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day preceding the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.Cross-linking should be performed in children and adolescents without (Read more...)
Ab interno trabeculotomy preferred for open-angle glaucoma, cataract
NEW ORLEANS — Ab interno trabeculotomy is preferable to other procedures in eyes with concurrent cataract and open-angle glaucoma, a speaker told colleagues here.Sameh Mosaed, MD, described the advantages of ab interno trabeculotomy with implantation of the Trabectome (NeoMedix). She also shared pearls on the procedure.First, the surgeon needs adequate visualization of the surgical field. Second, the patient’s head should be turned away from the surgeon, and the microscope should be tilted accordingly. Last, patient selection is critical for success, Mosaed said.
Speaker addresses billing of diagnostic system
NEW ORLEANS — A physician here discussed the precedence for billing at the ORA System Symposium, sponsored by WaveTec Vision.There is no specific ruling by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding the ORA System, so physicians should follow similar precedence, Robert Fintelmann, MD, FACS, said.Two key points to remember when billing are that refractions are not covered by Medicare and that practices should review the ruling for femtosecond lasers.
Study: VMA resolved in more patients who received ocriplasmin than sham treatment
NEW ORLEANS — A greater proportion of patients receiving ocriplasmin achieved vitreomacular adhesion resolution at day 28, the primary endpoint of the MIVI-005 study, compared with patients receiving sham injections, a presenter said here. Of the 100 patients in the double-masked multicenter study, 24.3% in the ocriplasmin group achieved VMA resolution compared with 12% in the sham group, Roger L. Novack, MD, PhD, FACS, said at Retina Subspecialty Day preceding the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting. “This was not statistically significant, but it’s important to note that this was a (Read more...)
Study: Laser treatment of ROP has high unfavorable outcome rate
NEW ORLEANS — Laser treatment demonstrated a high unfavorable outcome rate in eyes with posterior zone 1 retinopathy of prematurity, a poster presentation said here.The retrospective chart review included 46 eyes of 23 infants. Mean birth weight was 2.543 lbs, and mean gestational age was 28.65 weeks. Of the 46 eyes, 29 had flat neovascularization, 10 had nasal tractional retinal detachment, five had hybrid ROP and two had stage 3 ROP, according to the poster at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.
Femtosecond laser significantly reduces ultrasound in phaco
NEW ORLEANS — Femtosecond laser pretreatment significantly reduced the need for ultrasound in lens fragmentation before phacoemulsification, a speaker told colleagues here. “We are very close to our final goal to treat all patients without ultrasound ,” Tim Schultz, MD, said at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting. “Our analysis shows many new possibilities for new techniques.” Schultz presented for H. Burkhard Dick, MD, who was unable to attend.
Study: Accelerated cross-linking procedure safe
NEW ORLEANS — One-year results of accelerated corneal cross-linking in keratoconus patients determined the procedure to be safe, according to a poster presentation here at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting. “Accelerated corneal cross-linking appears to be a safe procedure, according to the [keratometry] values decreasing, no harmful damage to the endothelium and increases in visual acuity,” the study authors said in the poster.
AS-OCT can help fine-tune surgical maneuvers, modifications for repeat keratoplasty
NEW ORLEANS — A study evaluating an optical coherence tomography-based protocol for the management of failed penetrating keratoplasty determined that imaging of the anterior segment after failure improves planning for repeat surgery, according to a poster presentation here. Fifty-five patients with a failed graft were included in the study, with their primary inclusion factor being corneal scar. In total, 440 graft-host junctions were analyzed using the Visante AS-OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec) for anterior/posterior malapposition, according to the poster at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.
Speaker: Incidence of atypical organisms increasing
NEW ORLEANS — The incidence of atypical organisms is on the rise, and the organisms are likely to appear in ophthalmologists’ offices, Kristin M. Hammersmith, MD, said here at Cornea Subspecialty Day preceding the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.Hammersmith referred to Acanthamoeba keratitis as a “particularly pesky” organism. There was a marked increase in incidence starting in 2004 and peaking in 2007 with the outbreak related to Complete MoisturePlus (Abbott Medical Optics), she said.The incidence of fungal keratitis also began increasing in 2004, peaking with the outbreak linked to Renu (Read more...)
Speaker: 2014 will be ‘rocky’ year for ACA
NEW ORLEANS — The Affordable Care Act will have less impact on ophthalmology practices next year than anticipated, William L. Rich III, MD, said here at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting. Rich, the medical director of health policy for the AAO, said he strongly supported the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the goals of which are broader coverage, lower cost, new payment models, value-based payments and comparative effectiveness.
Early CNV detection with home monitoring yields better visual acuity outcomes
NEW ORLEANS — Patients at high risk for progression of age-related macular degeneration would benefit from using a home monitoring device strategy to detect early development of choroidal neovascularization, according to a presenter here. Earlier detection would increase the likelihood of maximizing visual acuity after later intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy, Susan B. Bressler, MD, said at Retina Subspecialty Day preceding the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.
Prostaglandin analogue punctum plug potential alternative to drops
NEW ORLEANS — A study evaluating the efficacy of a punctum plug containing travoprost showed that it provided therapeutic benefit lasting at least 60 days, according to a poster presented here at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting. Robert J. Noecker, MD, and colleagues sought to evaluate plug retention and mean IOP change from baseline in 36 eyes of 20 patients at two sites in South Africa, according to the poster.
Optovue launches Avanti widefield enface OCT
Optovue launched the Avanti widefield enface OCT at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting, according to a press release. The diagnostic device for posterior and anterior high-speed, high-resolution optical coherence tomography imaging offers 70,000 A-scans per second, widefield 3-D motion correction and 3 µm digital resolution.