Purpose: To determine efficacy and safety of intravitreal aflibercept in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) during a second year of variable dosing after a first-year fixed-dosing period.Design: Two randomized, double-masked, active-controlled, phase 3 trials.Participants: Two thousand four hundred fifty-seven patients with neovascular AMD.Methods: From baseline to week 52, patients received 0.5 mg intravitreal ranibizumab every 4 weeks (Rq4), 2 mg aflibercept every 4 weeks (2q4), 0.5 mg aflibercept every 4 weeks (0.5q4), or 2 mg aflibercept every 8 weeks (2q8) after 3 monthly injections. During weeks 52 through 96, patients received their original dosing assignment using an as-needed (Read more...)
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Physicians prepare to answer patient questions about new insurance marketplaces
Physicians may find themselves in the unfamiliar role of health insurance advisors when the new insurance marketplaces open Tuesday for business.The exchanges — key components of the — are Internet-based portals for patients to compare the costs and benefits of health coverage available in their state. But physicians, regardless of their own views on the contentious issues of health care reform, will likely be seen as trusted sources of guidance as so-called Obamacare unfolds.
Cost-Effectiveness of Osteo-Odonto Keratoprosthesis in Singapore – Corrected Proof
Purpose: To determine the long-term cost-effectiveness of osteo-odonto keratoprosthesis (OOKP) relative to no treatment among patients with end-stage corneal and ocular surface diseases in Singapore.Design: Cost-effectiveness analysis based on data fro…
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Parallel trials show aflibercept superior to laser in DME treatment
HAMBURG — Results of two phase III multicentered trials, first disclosed here at the Euretina meeting, showed superior efficacy of aflibercept compared to conventional laser photocoagulation in the treatment of diabetic macular edema. The two studies, VISTA-DME and VIVID-DME, involved 54 centers in the United States and 73 centers in Europe, Japan and Australia and included 865 patients.
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Euretina Medal Lecturer lauds proton beam irradiation
HAMBURG — Proton beam irradiation has been a major breakthrough in the treatment of uveal melanoma, overcoming several limitations of previous systems and providing tumor control over 10 years in 98% of cases, a speaker said here.Leonidas Zografos, MD, this year’s Euretina Medal Lecturer, said that since the introduction of proton beam irradiation in the United States in 1975 and in Europe in 1984, about 25,000 to 30,000 uveal melanoma cases have been treated in more than 10 major units worldwide with this modality.
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Retrospective analysis gives insights on natural history of vitreomacular traction
HAMBURG — Retrospective analysis of patient records carried out at the Department of Ophthalmology of Leuven, Belgium, provided information on the natural history of untreated vitreomacular traction with or without macular hole.“We looked back at our records between 2009 and 2012 when ocriplasmin was not yet available and ‘wait and see’ was the primary strategy. We found 509 patients with vitreomacular interface diseases, including vitreomacular adhesion, VMT and macular hole with or without traction,” Peter Stalmans, MD, said at the Euretina meeting here.