Diabetic donor tissue viable for DMEK with proper surgeon training

Special training in graft preparation is critical when using tissue from diabetic donors in Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty, a speaker said at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting in Barcelona. Francis W. Price Jr., MD, OSN Cornea/External Disease Board Member, described challenges involved when using diabetic donor tissue in DMEK, Descemet’s stripping endothelial keratoplasty and penetrating keratoplasty.

Intraoperative aberrometry enhances IOL power calculation in astigmatic eyes

With careful use, intraoperative aberrometry provides valuable and otherwise unattainable data to improve refractive outcomes in cataract surgery, according to one surgeon.“We don’t know what the surgically induced astigmatism is going to be until we make our incision, and although there are devices out there that are starting to measure posterior corneal curvature better, I think aberrometry combines those two hard-to-obtain pieces of information the best,” John P. Berdahl, MD, said at OSN New York 2015.

Micropulse transscleral diode laser cyclophotocoagulation an option for refractory glaucoma

Glaucoma can be a difficult management problem in a subset of patients, even for the most experienced glaucoma specialists. The treatment spectrum includes drugs, trabeculoplasty, microincision glaucoma surgery and traditional glaucoma surgery.While many use glaucoma medications as their initial treatment modality, others use selective laser trabeculoplasty for the initial IOP control. The majority of glaucoma patients’ IOPs may be controlled with one or more topical medications, but there is a subset of patients whose IOPs are not adequately controlled even on maximum medical therapy. Additionally, some patients have limited choice of glaucoma medications due to allergy to glaucoma medications, and others may have compliance issues, all of which may contribute to elevated IOPs and progressive visual field loss. This subset of patients with uncontrolled IOP and/or progressive visual loss often requires surgical intervention.