Ibopamine instillation increased IOP in subjects who had at least one parent with primary open-angle glaucoma, according to a study.The study authors said this signifies “an impaired function of outflow structures and, therefore, a predisposition to intraocular hypertension and possible glaucoma.”
Author: Healio ophthalmology
PRK plus cross-linking stabilizes corneas, reduces aberrations in keratoconus
PRK plus cross-linking may be an alternative method in stabilizing corneas and reducing higher-order aberrations while enhancing visual acuity in eyes with keratoconus, according to a study.The prospective, interventional, nonrandomized clinical trial …
Anti-VEGF offers comparable benefits in phakic, pseudophakic eyes with AMD
Intravitreal ranibizumab injections for neovascular age-related macular degeneration yielded similar outcomes in phakic and pseudophakic eyes, according to a study.The retrospective review included 120 eyes of 110 patients with neovascular AMD; 75 eyes…
EyeTechCare raises €10 million to advance trial of ultrasound glaucoma device
EyeTechCare has completed a third round of funding, raising €10 million for an international clinical trial and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration registration process, according to a company news release.After the EyeMUST 1 trial on the EyeOP1 device, which involved about 60 glaucoma patients in France, EyeTechCare received a CE mark in May 2011 to begin marketing, sales and distribution activities for the noninvasive, ultrasound device, the release said.
High congenital esotropia a risk factor for reoperation
In children with congenital esotropia, risk factors for potential reoperation include congenital esotropia of 30 ∆D or greater and lateral rectus muscle underaction, according to a study.The retrospective review included 157 children with congenital esotropia. After at least one operation, patients were divided into two groups. A success group, defined as those with deviation within 10 ∆D, contained 89 patients, and a failure group, defined as those with deviation greater than 10 ∆D or a history of reoperation, contained 68 patients.
AcuFocus submits premarket approval application for corneal inlay
AcuFocus has completed submission of its premarket approval application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the Kamra corneal inlay, according to a news release.The device has a 1.6-mm aperture to allow only focused light to enter the eye, imp…
DSAEK more cost-effective than PK
Descemet’s stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty was found to be better than penetrating keratoplasty in terms of cost-effectiveness and utility benefits in treating corneal endothelial disease, according to a study.The retrospective study analyzed the cost-effectiveness of each technique through calculations of probable outcomes and complications based on published peer-reviewed literature. The analysis was administered from a third-party payer perspective over a 5-year time frame, the study authors said.
NSAID drug delivery system reduces inflammation, pain in phase 3 trial
BromSite demonstrated statistically significant superiority compared with vehicle in a phase 3 clinical trial that evaluated the reduction of pain and inflammation after cataract surgery, according to a press release from InSite Vision. InSite intends …
Staging system, response evaluation criteria anticipate survival in retinoblastoma patients
A proposed staging system and response evaluation criteria helped to predict event-free-survival and overall survival at baseline and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced retinoblastoma.The study included 28 patients with stage 3 retinoblastoma w…
BLOG: Is my practice overstaffed? Part 2
In my last blog, I discussed a gross screening ratio you can employ to begin to understand if your staffing costs are too high. In part 2 of this same subject, let’s review another common, very simple ratio that will help you begin to understand if you have too many or too few staff. This second way to evaluate staffing efficiency is to add up the number of support staff full-time equivalents, or FTEs (a technician working 40 hours per week is 1.0 FTE; a clerk working 30 hours per week is 0.75 FTE), and divide this figure into the practice’s annual collections. Normal limits for this ratio are $110,000 to $150,000 in annual collections per FTE in a typical general ophthalmology practice, with many variations depending on your circumstances.
Anti-VEGF improves vision up to 1 year in patients with macular edema due to CRVO
Monthly intravitreal aflibercept injections significantly improved visual acuity in patients with macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion at 24 weeks, according to a study. As-needed dosing then extended the improvement through 52 wee…
Ocriplasmin approved for treatment of vitreomacular traction in European Union
The European Commission approved ocriplasmin to treat vitreomacular traction in the European Union, according to a press release from ThromboGenics.The approval, which includes cases in which vitreomacular traction is associated with a macular hole with a diameter of 400 µm or less, results in Alcon making a €45 million milestone payment to ThromboGenics. Another €45 million milestone payment will be made upon the first sale of Jetrea (ocriplasmin, ThromboGenics) in the EU, the release said.
Synergetics reports quarterly net loss of $1.38 million
Synergetics reported a net loss of $1.38 million in the second quarter ended Jan. 31, compared with a net income of $1.87 million in the same quarter last year, according to a company news release.Quarterly net sales dropped to $14.1 million from $15.1…
IOL implantation more expensive than contact lens correction in infants with cataracts
Cataract surgery paired with IOL implantation and spectacle correction in infants cost more when compared with cataract surgery with contact lens treatment, according to a study.The Infant Aphakia Treatment Study included 114 infants with unilateral co…
OCT shows high reproducibility in pediatric measurements
Optical coherence tomography had high reproducibility with reliable measurements in healthy children, according to a study.The prospective, cross-sectional study included 100 healthy children with a mean age of 9.15 years who underwent a series of scan…
Inferior parafoveal scotomas progress away from point of fixation
Superior and inferior initial parafoveal scotomas showed similar patterns of progression, but inferior scotomas migrated farther from fixation, according to a study.The retrospective, observational study included 80 eyes of 80 patients with initial par…
Central fixation stable in eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membrane
Central fixation was unimpaired in eyes with untreated idiopathic epiretinal membrane even though they had diminished visual acuity, according to a study.The prospective study included 14 patients who were diagnosed with unilateral epiretinal membrane …
BLOG: Interesting presentations highlight Oregon meeting
I had the pleasure of recently attending the Oregon Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting in Portland. I enjoyed connecting with many colleagues and friends, including Devin Gattey, MD, with whom I did a charity trip to Vietnam, and Yujen Wang, MD, w…
BLOG: Some providers notified of ‘random’ EHR prepayment audits
This week some providers participating in the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program began receiving emails notifying them that they have been selected for an EHR Pre-Payment Audit.According to CMS, these prepayment audits, which sti…
DSAEK and PK graft survival, endothelial cell density rates similar at 3 years
Descemet’s stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty and penetrating keratoplasty had similar graft survival and endothelial cell loss rates at 3 years, according to a study. The prospective clinical trial included 173 subjects who underwent DSAEK and 1,101 subjects who underwent PK. DSAEK was performed by two surgeons at two centers, and PK data were culled from the Cornea Donor Study and the Specular Microscopy Ancillary Study.