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.
Category: Glaucoma
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.”
Daily IOP changes undermine measurement, medication
Day-to-day variability significantly undermines the precision of intraocular pressure measurement and the estimation of medication effectiveness in glaucoma patients, report researchers.Licensed from Medwire news with permission from Springer Healthcar…
EyeTechCare Announces Preliminary Clinical Trial Results of EyeMUST
EyeTechCare SA, a company developing non-invasive therapeutic medical devices using ultrasound technology for ophthalmology market, has announced the preliminary results of EyeMUST, a multicenter study of the use of its EyeOP1 device in glaucoma. The…
“Preservative Toxicity a Disease,” Reports Working Group on Glaucoma Medication Preservatives Toxicity
Valeant Ophthalmics, a division of Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC, announced that the Working Group on Preservatives Toxicity in Glaucoma Medications, an advisory panel of glaucoma treatment experts, was recently convened as an ongoing group…
Bevacizumab Prevents Posttrabeculectomy Complications
The antiangiogenesis agent bevacizumab had an 80% success rate in the maintenance of postoperative improvement in intraocular pressure (IOP) after trabeculectomy. In addition, the drug reduced the incidence of subconjunctival scarring, according to fin…
Intake of Calcium, Iron Supplement Associated With Glaucoma
Supplementary consumption of the oxidants calcium and iron may be a risk factor for the development of glaucomatous disease, according to a study in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. The investigators reviewed the 2007 to 2008 National He…
Outside temperatures, sun exposure and gender may trigger glaucoma
When it comes to whether or not you will develop exfoliation syndrome — an eye condition that is a leading cause of secondary open-angle glaucoma and increased risk of cataract as well as cataract surgery complications — age, gender and where you liv…
Two-At-Once Visual Field Testing: More Efficient, Equally Accurate
Ophthalmology practices could save time and money by performing visual field (VF) testing on more than one patient at a time, say researchers at the University of Michigan. Their study, published online November 23 in Ophthalmology, found no decrease i…
Ivantis Announces Results of Hydrus Implant Study
Last week, Ivantis announced the 6-month results from its multi-center, international Hydrus I study at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Meeting (ESCRS). The Hydrus(TM) Intracanalicular Implant, roughly the size of an eyelash, is placed through a minimally invasive, microsurgical procedure and is designed to reduce eye pressure by reestablishing the patient’s conventional […]
Canaloplasty an Option in Open-Angle Glaucoma
Canaloplasty works just as well as trabeculectomy in reducing intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma, according to a comparative case series in Ophthalmology.
Acucela and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Announce the Initiation of a Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial for OPA-6566 in Patients with Open-angle Glaucoma or Ocular Hypertension
SEATTLE & TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Acucela Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing new treatments for blinding eye diseases, and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., today announced the initiation of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for…
Transcend Medical Closes $51M Series B Financing
Transcend Medical, Inc., an ophthalmic device company dedicated to developing minimally invasive glaucoma therapies, announced the closure of its second tranche, bringing the total of Series B to $51M. Investor Growth Capital (IGC) joined this tranche,…
Oxidative Metabolism in the Eye Differs According to Race
Greater oxygen levels among people of African descent may help explain their higher risk for glaucoma. Medscape Medical News
CHIEF MEDICAL EDITOR’S PAGE: Carpe Diem
Economic discussions have dominated the
national conversation of the past few years.
The current health care system appears to
be unsustainable. Medicare A is projected
to go bankrupt in 2019, health insurance premiums
have doubled since 2001…
Reducing the Preservative Load in Glaucoma Therapy
Despite the many advances in our understanding
of glaucoma, the only available treatments
of the disease are aimed at lowering
IOP, and IOP-lowering medications are usually
our initial therapy. Consequently, unmet needs in glaucoma
treatment …
Why Do I Perform Research?
When my 2 1/2-year-old son asks, “Why are
trees green? Why did Mama sneeze? Why
did baby Alex spit up?” I smile. I smile
because I am amazed at how inquisitive
human beings are, even at such a young age. I smile
because others once had th…
The Ganglion Cell Complex
The measurement of the perifoveal ganglion cell
layer recently emerged as a new diagnostic
parameter in glaucoma. Various manufacturers
of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography
(SD-OCT) systems have released or will soon release
softwa…