Loteprednol etabonate gel effectively treated pain and inflammation after cataract surgery, according to a study.The prospective study included 406 patients with anterior chamber cell grade 2 or higher after cataract surgery; 203 patients were randomiz…
Author: Healio ophthalmology
Novel technique shows promise for repair of recalcitrant macular holes
Arcuate retinotomy may prove beneficial in the repair of large macular holes that cannot be closed with conventional methods, according to a study.The retrospective case series included six phakic eyes of six patients with large macular holes and previ…
Patients prefer morning administration of glaucoma medication
Patients adhered to morning administration of once-daily glaucoma medication slightly better than evening administration, according to a study.The prospective, randomized study included 30 patients who were newly diagnosed with glaucoma or ocular hyper…
BLOG: Measuring cataract surgical density in your practice
BLOG: Reduced CBO estimate reignites debate over sustainable growth rate repeal
From international law firm Arnold & Porter LLP comes timely views on current regulatory and legislative topics that weigh on the minds of today’s physicians and health care executives.
FDA clears normative database for iVue SD-OCT
Optovue has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a normative database that functions as a clinical reference for the iVue spectral-domain optical coherence tomography system, according to a company news release.
New concept sulcus-implanted IOL may provide true accommodation in presbyopic eyes
A novel sulcus-implanted lens based on free-form optical surfaces showed promising results in providing patients with 2 D to 5 D of true accommodation. The AkkoLens Lumina is a hydrophilic acrylic IOL made of two optical surfaces that shift perpendicular to the optical axis thanks to vectorial forces generated by the ciliary body during the accommodation process, OSN Europe Edition Board Member Jorge L. Alió, MD, PhD, told Ocular Surgery News.
Subconjunctival anti-VEGF may stop progression of corneal neovascularization
Subconjunctival injections of bevacizumab induced regression of recent-onset corneal neovascularization, according to a study.The double-masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial included 30 patients with corneal neovascularization attributed to variou…
Novartis reports higher net income in 2012
Novartis reported a net income of $9.62 billion in 2012, up from $9.25 billion in 2011, an increase of 4%, according to a company news release.The company’s Alcon division had net sales of $10.23 billion in 2012, a 3% increase from $9.96 billion in 2011.
OCT imaging enables creation of RNFL, macular thickness norms for children
Optical coherence tomography images were used to generate measurement standards for macular thickness, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and retinal layer thickness in children, according to a study.The prospective study included 83 hea…
Merck reports increase in yearly net income
Merck reported an increase in net income from $6.27 billion in 2011 to $6.66 billion in 2012, an increase of 6%, according to a company news release.In the fourth quarter of 2012, net income was $1.44 billion, down from $1.51 billion in the same quarte…
BLOG: The value of educational meetings
I’ve just returned from the Hawaiian Eye meeting, an 18-hour door-to-door trek. As I unpack and organize for tomorrow’s return to ordinary work, still bleary, I ask myself, “Was the trip worth it?” For the third year in a row, the answer is, “Yes!”At Hawaiian Eye, the intimate size (less than a tenth the size of the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting) and proximity of the physician, administrative and allied health lecture halls encourage a blending of attendees that is not present at larger meetings.
Annual net earnings at Allergan up in 2012
Allergan reported net earnings of $1.1 billion in 2012, up from $934.5 million in 2011, according to a company news release.For the 3 months ended Dec. 31, the company reported net earnings of $324.2 million, up from $279.8 million in the same quarter …
Annual net earnings at Allergan up in 2012
Allergan reported net earnings of $1.1 billion in 2012, up from $934.5 million in 2011, according to a company news release.For the 3 months ended Dec. 31, the company reported net earnings of $324.2 million, up from $279.8 million in the same quarter …
BLOG: Let the sun shine down – CMS releases final reporting requirements for manufacturers and GPOs
On Feb. 1, 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its long-awaited final rule regarding the implementation of the physician payment sunshine provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The final rule does not create any new prohibitions on payments to physicians and teaching hospitals, but rather sets out new dates and requirements for manufacturers and other entities to collect data about their payments to physicians and other “covered recipients” and submit that information to CMS. Applicable manufacturers and group purchasing organizations (GPOs) must begin to collect this data on Aug. 1, 2013 and report the data to CMS by March 31, 2014.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery controls local tumors in choroidal melanoma
Gamma Knife radiosurgery for choroidal melanoma yielded visual outcomes similar to those of linear accelerator-based fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy, according to a study.The retrospective study included 177 patients with choroidal melanoma who …
Glaukos raises $30 million to fund iStent launch in US, further studies
Glaukos closed $30 million in Series F financing to pay for the commercial launch of the iStent trabecular micro-bypass device in the United States, according to a company news release.
PDT monotherapy effective in eyes with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy
Reduced-fluence photodynamic therapy monotherapy maintained or improved visual acuity in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy patients for 24 months, according to a study.The prospective interventional case series included 38 eyes of 38 patients who under…
BLOG: Raising your awareness of your interactions with lay staff
Doctors often ask me, “How tough should I be with my staff?” Consider America’s marsupial, the humble opossum. Biologists know that “playing possum” is not some coy act. The animals actually pass out from sheer terror. Do your staff members look similarly dazed when you approach them? Or, at the other end of the spectrum, are you ophthalmology’s Rodney Dangerfield, so meek that you get no respect?
Anterior segment OCT assesses conjunctivochalasis progression with age
Anterior segment optical coherence tomography was effective in evaluating the prevalence and severity of conjunctivochalasis according to age, a study found.The prospective clinical trial included 60 eyes of 30 healthy subjects ranging in age from 24 t…