Articles

The World Glaucoma Day inspired glaucoma specialists around the world to rally local support in order to undertake an enormous task: to reduce the number of people who are unnecessarily going blind from a treatable condition.

The current gold standard for measuring intraocular pressure (IOP), the Goldmann tonometer (GAT), has considerable flaws. Dr Goldmann designed his tonometer to provide accurate measurements in eyes with average corneas, but we now know that many corneas vary significantly from the "average".

It is clear that the previously underappreciated condition of dry eye disease should now be regarded as a serious public health problem that is worthy of diagnosis and effective treatment.

The medical treatment of glaucoma is limited by patient adherence to medications. By the end of a year, approximately half of patients are not refilling their medications as directed, and physicians are not able to tell those who are from those who are not.

Studies have demonstrated that SLT is a safe and effective means of treatment, and comparable in these respects to ALT, but how does SLT fare against ALT in the long-term? It was our mission to establish this.

Corneas from donors up to the age of 75 are suitable for transplantation, according to a study published in the April 2008 issue of Ophthalmology.

Martine J. Jager, MD, PhD, outgoing president of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), called for greater international expansion and involvement during her keynote speech at this year's meeting.

The inadequate refrigeration of chloramphenicol generics in India could be contributing to the evolution of resistant organisms and impacting the quality of Indian-made products available in Europe, according to a study published in the May 2008 issue of the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Table 2: Additional interventions required during follow-up.

News In Focus for June 2008

Table 1: Mean IOP over time.

Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) has been used for over 10 years to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open angle glaucoma (OAG) as well as ocular hypertension (OHT). Studies have demonstrated that SLT is a safe and effective means of treatment, and comparable in these respects to Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty (ALT), but how does SLT fare against ALT in the long-term? It was our mission to establish this.

On April 28, a meeting of the FDA Ophthalmic Devices Panel confirmed that a study investigating patient satisfaction and quality of life post-LASIK is to be conducted in the US by a Joint LASIK Study Task Force.

Taflotan (tafluprost; Santen Oy), a benzalkonium chloride (BAK)-free prostaglandin analogue for the treatment of glaucoma, has received marketing authorization in Denmark and Germany, making it the first preservative-free prostaglandin eye drop to be approved.

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Moria's new microkeratome, One Use-Plus SBK, outperforms Femto-LASIK, it was announced at this year's meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS).

Methods of attempting to prevent postoperative endophthalmitis vary widely across the United Kingdom, according to a study published in the May 2008 issue of Eye.

Study of the use of collagen crosslinking with riboflavin has been limited. Early experience with this technique, however, suggests it safely increases corneal rigidity and limits ectasia progression.

Phakic intraocular lenses (IOLs) have failed to live up to their promise, according to an opinion expressed at this year's meeting of the French Society of Ophthalmology (SFO).

Poor health literacy is contributing to disease progression among glaucoma patients, according to a study published in the May 2008 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.

Using a microcatheter to perform 360° trabeculectomy is a safer and more consistent way to treat congenital glaucoma than traditional trabeculectomy, according to information presented at this year's meeting of the American Glaucoma Society (AGS).

Extraction of cataracts lowers intraocular pressure (IOP) to normal levels in glaucoma patients, and may in fact be a better treatment option than combined surgery, according to a study presented at this year's meeting of the Italian Society of Ophthalmology.

V2 Vantage DX, a new generation of retinal imaging software, has been released by Optos plc, UK.

The use of green gold nanoparticles may have a place in the therapy of cancer and ophthalmic diseases, according to a study presented at this year's meeting of the Association for Research in Vision & Ophthalmology (ARVO).

Attend the Heidelberg symposium, Next Generation Retinal Imaging: Multi-Modality Tracking Laser Tomography, at the 8th Euretina meeting in Vienna

The incidence of suspected endophthalmitis in patients who have received intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatments in a community setting is very low, according to a study published in the May 2008 issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology.

Diabetes-induced changes to 37 separate proteins of the vitreous may be the key to understanding the mechanisms of diabetic retinopathy (DR), according to a study to be published in the June issue of the Journal of Proteome Research.

Clinical doses of Avastin (bevacizumab; Genentech) and Lucentis (ranibizumab; Novartis) are equally effective in neutralizing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), while Macugen (pegaptanib; Pfizer) has no effect, according to a study published online ahead of print by the Journal of Investigative Ophthalmology.

Wavefront-guided LASIK is safe and effective in correcting residual refractive error after diffractive multifocal IOL implantation, according to a study published in the March 2008 issue of the Journal of Refractive Surgery.

Diagnoses using digital slit-lamp images are comparable to diagnoses using 35 mm photographic slides for some anterior segment abnormalities, according to a study published online ahead of print in Eye.