Cataract surgery significantly improved visual acuity in patients with all levels of age-related macular degeneration severity. Medscape Medical News
Tag: News
For Ocular Melanoma Mets to Liver, Fotemustine Disappoints
For patients with uveal melanoma (UM) metastases in the liver, response rates and progression-free survival are only slightly better if fotemustine is given through the hepatic artery rather then intravenously, new data show. Reuters Health Information
Blindness Down 50% in High-Income Countries, Causes Shifting
Rates of blindness have fallen sharply in high-income countries, but the main cause has changed from cataract to macular degeneration. Medscape Medical News
New Smartphone Devices Open the Door to Teleophthalmology
Researchers have developed low-cost smartphone-based devices that can obtain high-quality images of the retina and anterior segment of the eye. Medscape Medical News
FDA Wants More Info on Avedro’s Corneal Cross-Linking NDA
Company chief executive officer is ‘confident’ the issues surrounding riboflavin ophthalmic solution/KXL System for keratoconus and corneal ectasia after refractive surgery can be resolved. Medscape Medical News
Early Lens Implants May Be Inadvisable for Babies With Cataracts
For children with a congenital cataract, replacing the intraocular lens in infancy leads to more adverse events and a greater number of surgeries than using a contact initially and implanting a permanent lens later. Reuters Health Information
FDA Panel Recommends Intraocular Lens for Astigmatism
An FDA panel has recommended approval for Staar’s Visian toric lens for treatment of astigmatism, with reservations. Medscape Medical News
Lifestyle Choices May Affect Vision Down the Road
Smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity may be associated with vision changes over the course of a 20-year period. Medscape Medical News
Low-Dose Doxycycline May Slow Diabetic Retinopathy
Researchers say the observation suggests a link between a low-dose oral anti-inflammatory agent and subclinical improvement in inner retinal function. Medscape Medical News
Bipartisan Bill to Repeal SGR Hits Partisan Rocks
House Republicans want to pay for SGR repeal by delaying the ACA’s individual mandate for 5 years, which the Democrat-controlled Senate is likely to reject. Gridlock sets the stage for another temporary “patch.”
Medscape Medical News
Video Simulation Tool Might Help Prevent Diabetic Retinopathy
A Moroccan ophthalmologist has developed a video tool depicting what life might look like with diabetic retinopathy, in the hope that its use will encourage diabetes patients to better self-care. Medscape Medical News
Vision Loss Reported After Cosmetic Facial Injections
Dermal filler injections in the forehead led to vision loss, a rare but devastating event, in 3 patients. Medscape Medical News
Italian Watchdog Says Novartis, Roche Colluded Over Eye Drug
Italy’s antitrust authorities said Novartis and Roche colluded to try to stop cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) from being used to treat a serious eye disease, and fined the Swiss drugmakers 182.5 million euros ($251 million). Reuters Health Information
Ocriplasmin Injection Linked to Impaired Vision
Two case reports add to previous reports and link ocriplasmin for the treatment of symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion with impaired vision and panretinal changes. Medscape Medical News
Dry Eye Syndrome Linked to Poor Air Quality, Weather
A new report has demonstrated a link between living in an area with poor air quality and the risk of developing dry eye disease. Medscape Medical News
Medicare Advantage Cuts May Shrink Physician Networks
Meanwhile, Connecticut physicians who were bounced from Medicare Advantage networks by United Healthcare in the name of high quality and low cost are pursuing arbitration. Medscape Medical News
High Court to Hear Case on Medical, Dental Board Powers
The case is about whether a state dental board can stop nondentists from whitening teeth. The AMA fears that medical boards could lose the ability to decide who does what in the exam room. Medscape Medical News
Expensive Tube-Shunt Surgery Cost-Effective in Glaucoma
Lower rates of failure and reoperation make the Baerveldt tube shunt cost-effective, despite being more expensive than trabeculectomy, a new study shows. Medscape Medical News
New ACA Insurance Causes Headaches in Some Doctors’ Offices
Sheila Lawless is the office manager at a small rheumatology practice in Wichita Falls, Texas, about two hours outside of Dallas. Kaiser Health News
Bowman Layer Graft Strengthens Eyes With Keratoconus
Surgeons say they were able to lengthen the time that patients with keratoconus could wear contact lenses by grafting donor Bowman layers into the patients’ corneas. Medscape Medical News