With Bausch + Lomb’s completion of its acquisition of Technolas Perfect Vision, the new entity will be known as Bausch + Lomb Technolas, according to a company news release.“The Technolas Perfect Vision team, led by CEO Dr. Kristian Hohla, has built a ‘best in class’ femtosecond laser platform and other exciting ophthalmic products that round out Bausch + Lomb’s surgical product portfolio and position us to become a ‘one-stop shop’ for ophthalmic surgeons,” Brent Saunders, president and CEO of Bausch + Lomb, said in the release.
Author: Healio ophthalmology
Plaque radiotherapy effective in managing iris melanoma
Plaque radiotherapy proved effective in managing patients with iris melanoma with a low risk for metastasis, according to a study.The retrospective case series included 144 patients with iris melanoma; 58 patients had secondary glaucoma at baseline exa…
BLOG: Sarcoidosis diagnosis and treatment
I have always been interested in sarcoidosis in the way it presents and its diagnostic dilemma, so I would like to pose three test questions and follow up with a discussion to build upon the questions.
Speaker: Corneal inlays moving closer to approval in US
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Two intracorneal inlays for the treatment of presbyopia may be nearing approval in the U.S., according to a speaker here.The ReVision Optics Raindrop inlay, composed of a disc of hydrogel that is implanted under a LASIK flap, is now completing its phase 3 U.S. Food and Drug Administration trial, OSN Cataract Surgery Section Editor John A. Hovanesian, MD, FACS, said at Hawaiian Eye 2013.
Bandage contact lenses under development as drug delivery vehicles
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Bandage contact lenses, which provide pain relief and comfort from exposed nerve endings that occur with corneal maladies such as corneal abrasions from corneal dystrophies, neurotrophic keratopathy, bullous keratopathy and postsurgical states, may also be developed into drug delivery vehicles, a speaker said here. “The motivating factor for this development is that the eye, the cornea in particular, has a very strong bioprotective mechanism. It allows low permeability of medicine to get into the eye. We know that the tear fluid that drains into the nasal cavity (Read more...)
Submacular hemorrhages may be managed with anti-VEGF
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Intravitreal injections may successfully help manage submacular hemorrhages, according to a speaker here.“We know that submacular hemorrhages have a significant variability in their clinical course,” Mark W. Johnson, MD, said at Retina 2013. “But it does seem that poor prognostic factors include thick blood under the fovea and the presence of AMD. And we know that when an eye has both of these factors, the final visual outcome if you don’t treat these is rarely better than 20/200.”
Pathoanatomy of trauma-induced ocular injuries aids in diagnosis
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Ocular trauma has multiple presentations, a speaker said here.“Understanding the pathoanatomy of trauma-induced injuries aids in diagnosis,” Suber Huang, MD, said at Retina 2013. “The first look at the injury is often the best and most helpful.”
Recognizing conjunctival chalasis avoids dry eye misdiagnosis
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Recognizing conjunctival chalasis depends on listening to the patient’s symptoms and investigating any report of a specific site of discomfort or foreign body sensation, a speaker said.“Conjunctival chalasis occurs when there is a degeneration of Tenon’s fascia that ordinarily tethers the bulbar conjunctiva to the globe,” OSN Cataract Surgery Section Editor John A. Hovanesian, MD, FACS, said at Hawaiian Eye 2013. “This allows stretching and redundancy of the conjunctiva, which bunches up at the inferior lid margin, and sometimes elsewhere, and causes a foreign body sensation especially when (Read more...)
DMEK minimizes drawbacks of PK
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Endothelial keratoplasty procedures only replace the part of the cornea that is dysfunctional, making them potentially safer and yielding better visual results compared with penetrating keratoplasty, a speaker said here.“As we get more experience, we are becoming more exact in the way that we do the tissue replacement,” Francis W. Price Jr., MD, said at Hawaiian Eye 2013.
Various treatments available for myopic traction maculopathy
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Multiple options are available to treat myopic traction maculopathy, a speaker said here.“The pathogenesis of myopic traction maculopathy is not completely understood, but I think it’s a very important clue that this virtually always occurs within a posterior staphyloma,” Mark W. Johnson, MD, said at Retina 2013.
Rate of endophthalmitis after cataract surgery remains low
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Endophthalmitis after cataract surgery is uncommon, but it does happen, according to a speaker, with reported rates varying from 0.03% to 0.15%.When looking back at a single institution’s experience over a 15-year period during which nearly 60,000 cataract surgeries were performed, only 16 cases (0.03%) were identified, OSN Retina/Vitreous Board Member Andrew A. Moshfeghi, MD, MBA, said at Hawaiian Eye 2013.
Intraocular lymphoma has many clinical implications
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — The rarity of intraocular lymphoma causes concern and has many clinical implications for physicians, a speaker said here.According to Janet L. Davis, MD, the largest clinical implication of intraocular lymphoma is that the disease is rare.
Genetic testing identifies mutations known to cause inherited glaucoma
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Genetic testing is available to identify mutations in genes known to cause dominant and recessive forms of inherited glaucoma, a speaker said here.According to Janey L. Wiggs, MD, PhD, genetic testing for early-onset forms of glaucoma can provide valuable diagnostic and prognostic information.
Study: Pseudophakic dysphotopsia impedes function
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Researchers have found a correlation between pseudophakic dysphotopsia and impeded function, suggesting that the unwanted images are more than just an annoyance, according to a speaker here.Of 2,953 pseudophakic candidates considered for a visual quality study, only 70 met the criteria of having uncomplicated surgery, 20/20 results and no obvious ocular disease — no dry eye, no posterior capsule opacification (PCO), no blepharitis and no ocular complaint.
OCT may detect pre-perimetric changes in glaucomatous eyes
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Optic nerve head microcirculation is reduced in glaucoma patients, a speaker said here.“Conventionally, OCT is used to measure structure with micron precision, and that has been very useful in terms of characterizing the structure of the optic nerve head, the nerve fiber layer and the ganglion cell complex,” David Huang, MD, PhD, said at Hawaiian Eye 2013. “We developed a technique where we decomposed the OCT image into several spectral bands and analyzed them separately and recombined them to enhance a signal of flow.”
Individualized glaucoma surgery offers effective results
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Glaucoma surgery should be individualized to each patient’s specific needs and form of glaucoma, a speaker said here.According to Thomas W. Samuelson, MD, OSN Glaucoma Section Editor, reducing glaucoma surgical complications is now easier for physicians due to the availability of the correct surgical tools.
Goniotomy, trabeculotomy produce most successful results in pediatric glaucoma
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Goniotomy and trabeculotomy are the most effective surgical methods for infantile glaucoma, a speaker said here.“The first thing that’s most important in these surgeries is visualization,” Ken K. Nischal, MD, FRCOphth, said at Hawaiian Eye 2013. “It’s really important to understand that the goniolens you use will affect how easy or how difficult the procedure becomes.”
Diagnostic vitrectomy for uveitis indicated to obtain tissue for biopsy
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — The need for a biopsy specimen in a patient with uveitis is an indication for diagnostic vitrectomy, a somewhat technique-based but mostly disease-based procedure, according to a speaker.“Figuring out the disease and what you need to do to control it is an essential part of the surgery, because the disease, in many cases, is going to be ongoing even after the surgical procedure,” Janet L. Davis, MD, told colleagues at Retina 2013.
Trypan blue staining aids in performing proliferative vitreoretinopathy surgery
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Despite advances in vitreoretinal surgical techniques, proliferative vitreoretinopathy remains an obstacle to successful surgical repair. “It’s actually responsible for 75% of all primary surgical failures,” Sophie J. Bakri, MD, said at Retina 2013.
Small globe size, high concentration of VEGF in vitreous may be risk factor for early AMD
HYDERABAD, India — Small globe size, possibly in correlation with a thicker vitreous and a higher concentration of VEGF, may be a major risk factor for early age-related macular degeneration, according to a speaker here. “In the Beijing Eye Study, hyperopia, short interscleral spur distance and small optic disc size, besides older age, were found to be the main risk factors associated with early AMD. This points to a small globe size, and we may speculate that the vitreous plays a role,” Jost B. Jonas, MD, said at the joint (Read more...)