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EVER traces back its roots to the late 1980s when, following a decision made during the Association for Eye Research (AER) meeting in Granada, Spain, the AER and the European Community Ophthalmic Research Association (ECORA) joined forces to create JERMOV (Joint Meetings in Ophthalmology and Vision), headquartered in Montpelier, France. The idea behind the amalgamation was to unite societies with a common interest and to create a larger, stronger, European society, dedicated to innovation in vision and eye research. By 1997, JERMOV had evolved, the society was reformed, its headquarters moved to Belgium and the name EVER was born to better reflect the society's mission ? to advocate and support research, development and innovation in vision and eye research. The society's offices are, today, housed alongside those of the Belgian Ophthalmological Society in Leuven.

PR Pharmaceuticals and OSI Pharmaceuticals have entered into an exclusive agreement to develop a sustained release formulation of the neovascular AMD treatment Macugen (pegaptanib sodium injection).

The month of February witnessed the first approval of an anti-angiogenesis therapy for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Europe. The European Commission granted marketing authorisation for Macugen (pegaptanib sodium injection) for the treatment of neovascular AMD.

It was a real pleasure to meet with some of you at the ESCRS Winter Meeting in Monte Carlo last month. The event was a great success for me; not only was I able to escape the miserable climate afforded by the typical English Winter, but I got to see some wonderful people there who, not only were a joy to meet and speak with, but who also provided me with extremely valuable feedback and support. Thank you!

Brown syndrome is defined as an ocular motility disorder, characterized by an inability to elevate the adducted eye actively or passively. The causes can be congenital or acquired, and the problem can be permanent or transient. Clinically, Brown syndrome is characterized by a significant limitation of elevation in the adducting position that occurs in the majority of cases and improved elevation is usually apparent in the midline, with generally normal elevation in abduction. Exodeviation (V pattern) can occur on elevation in the midline. Many patients are orthophoric in the primary position, although sometimes hypotropia can develop with a compensatory face turn towards the opposite eye. A positive forced duction test is usually the hallmark of Brown syndrome.

The impotence drugs Viagra (sildenafil) and Cialis (tadalafil) may increase the risk of developing non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION), according to a study published in the February 2006 issue of the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

This month we had the pleasure of speaking with Zdenek Gregor, FRCS, FRCOphth, President of the European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE). You can read what he had to say in our interview with Dr Gregor. Just as a taster, here is some background information on the society.

Novartis Ophthalmics' and Genentech's investigational treatment for AMD has again delighted its developers by meeting its one-year primary efficacy endpoint of maintaining vision in patients with wet AMD during the first year of the two-year ANCHOR study.

Since its inception in 1956, the European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE) has grown from a small entity into a conglomerate of national ophthalmological societies from all 40 European countries, representing more than 40,000 European ophthalmologists. We speak with President Zdenek Gregor about the changing face of the society, the importance of collaboration and the way the society has adapted to an ever-evolving Europe.

Happy New Year to you all and welcome to the second edition of Ophthalmology Times Europe.

Published in the September/October 2005 edition of Journal of Refractive Surgery, Thomas Hammer and colleagues compared the quality and reproducibility of cuts produced by four automatic microkeratomes, and found that each performed similarly on overall quality of cut surface, with one out of the four, performing exceptionally better than the rest on quality of cut edge.

The 2005 annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) saw the event record the third highest attendance figures in its history.

In a bid to enter the growing area of angiogenesis inhibition, Bausch & Lomb has announced the formation of two collaborations, both involving they licensing of anti-angiogenesis compounds for possible ophthalmic use.

I often feel that the European ophthalmology industry is becoming the victim of its own success. With the half-life value of ophthalmic knowledge on the continent now set at less than five years, compared with 30 years in 1960, innovation in Europe is not showing any signs of slowing down. Ophthalmologists in Europe are continuously required to update and broaden their specialist knowledge with the advent of new techniques, treatments, instruments and devices. With meetings every few weeks, around the globe, on all branches of ophthalmic science and clinical practice, how is it possible to keep up?

Are you aware of all of the ophthalmology societies that operate around Europe? Do you know what they strive to achieve, how they came to be, who their key figureheads are, for example? You are probably familiar with some of the ophthalmology societies that are out there in Europe, but maybe not so familiar with what they're up to.

1991 witnessed the birth of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS); a new kind of society aimed at unifying specialists and societies across a number of disciplines throughout the continent. Society President, Professor Marie José Tassignon talks to OTE about her vision for the future.

The FDA has denied Genentech's request to fast-track the application for its age-related macular degeneration (AMD) agent, Lucentis (ranibizumab). In response, Genentech announced it plans to file a complete Biologics License Application (BLA) for Lucentis for the treatment of neovascular AMD in December 2005, in a bid to speed up the process. Although the FDA rejected Genentech's request for fast-track designation, this should not affect the timing for BLA submission or the potential to obtain priority review.

Coaxial microphacoemulsification performed through a 2.2 mm incision is a new technique available to cataract surgeons skilled in phacoemulsification. The technique affords patients the combined benefits of ultra-small incision surgery and conventional foldable IOLs, announced Robert H. Osher, MD, professor of ophthalmology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and medical director emeritus, Cincinnati Eye Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

"Smoking increases your risk of developing blindness" is the shocking message being transmitted across the UK in a bid to raise awareness.

The FDA has given its approval for Advanced Medical Optics' (AMO) Tecnis foldable acrylic intraocular lens (IOL) for reduced spherical aberration and improved functional vision in cataract patients.