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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.

Gebauer has launched an extension to its single-use SL Keratome, enabling surgeons to perform corneal transplantation surgery with its new, combined single-use DSAEK/ALK set and reusable artificial anterior chamber.

Cataractogenesis may be the result of the interaction of crystallin-derived peptides with intact crystallins in the lens, according to a study published in the March 2008 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) showed that substantially lowering IOP, whether through medication or surgery, can prevent vision loss. One of the major trials of recent years, CIGTS also showed that surgery was an effective first-line treatment and had important findings on quality of life.

The iCare tonometer (Tiolat) has been approved for use in China by the country's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA); the tonometer is now approved in every major global market.

The presence of benzalkonium chloride (BAK) has no impact on the safety or efficacy of travoprost in lowering intraocular pressure (IOP), according to a study published in the April/May 2008 issue of the Journal of Glaucoma.

Paediatric cataract surgery, particularly when performed in patients under the age of nine months, entails a substantial risk of post-surgical glaucoma, according to a study published in the January 2008 issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.

Young male glaucoma sufferers are most likely to discontinue their treatment at a glaucoma clinic during the first year of follow-up, according to a study published in the April/May 2008 issue of the Journal of Glaucoma.

The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) survey results for 2008 pointed out some changing trends in infectious keratitis after LASIK and PRK compared with previous surveys conducted in 2002 and 2005, said Terry Kim, MD.

The author proposes a new method for the correction of refractive residual defects for eye with monofocal pseudophakia in order to achieve spectacle independence.

With the increasing number of multifocal and accommodative intraocular lens (IOL) implantations being carried out, cataract surgery is fast becoming another form of refractive surgery.

All of the excitement surrounding anti-VEGF therapy has been countered slightly by one major issue: the regular treatment and follow-up regimen associated with the new class of treatments.

Outcomes in a cohort including more than 5000 eyes support the conclusion that an implantable collamer lens (Visian ICL; STAAR Surgical) is a safe, predictable, and very effective method for correcting high-to-moderate myopia, said John R. Moran, MD, PhD.

The authors undertook a study based on their own patient records to elucidate whether Avastin does have a viable role to play in the treatment of neovascular glaucoma associated with retinal ischaemic disease.

At present, there is no effective early-stage treatment for AMD or for arresting its progression in the early phases.

Hypoesthesia is not the origin of post-LASIK punctuate epithelial keratopathy or the so-called dry eye syndrome. Rather, these sequelae may represent a phototoxic effect of treatment with the ultraviolet excimer laser, said Carmen Barraquer-Coll, MD.

Besides external magnifying glasses, certain intraocular lenses and devices have been proposed as feasible visual aids for AMD patients.

Highlights from the ASCRS meeting, held 4–8 April 2008, Chicago, US.

Early experience from a pilot study shows that spherocylindrical error after cataract surgery can be corrected with a proprietary light-adjustable lens (LAL; Calhoun Vision) to improve uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), said Arturo S. Chayet, MD.

The first World Glaucoma Day was held March 6. The World Glaucoma Association (WGA) and the World Glaucoma Patient Organization (WGPA) sponsored the observance. The Ophthalmology Times Group was the official news source of the event, providing e-newsletter coverage of the awareness and educational activities organized by glaucoma institutions and local patient support groups worldwide.

Lucentis (ranibizumab; Novartis) is to be made available to patients of the National Health Service (NHS) in England and Wales. The final appraisal document (FAD) has been published ahead of a final decision, expected in June 2008.

Providing patients with renewed hope and the chance of halting and maybe even reversing vision loss, the launch of this anti-VEGF therapy has signalled a permanent change in the way this debilitating disorder is treated worldwide.

Orbis International, an international nonprofit humanitarian organization which operates the world"s only Flying Eye Hospital, is to upgrade from a DC-10-10 to a DC-10 Series 30 freighter airline, giving the project an extra 20 years of flying time.

Sometimes I sit back and think about how this magazine has evolved over the years and, on a more regular basis, I think about where we can go from here.

A new lubricating eye drop (blink Tears, Advanced Medical Optics) with the active ingredient polyethylene glycol is designed to provide a balance between viscosity and retention without sacrificing a patient's visual quality. It can help optimize the ocular surface before and after refractive surgery, aiding postoperative visual outcomes and patient satisfaction.

Refractive surgeons should be aware of the possibility that a surgical marker pen (Codman; Johnson & Johnson) could be a cause of diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) after LASIK, said Wei-Han Chua, MD.

Canaloplasty with tensioning suture placement is growing in popularity owing to a combination of factors, including a successful training programme, an improved reimbursement picture, and favourable long-term data, said Richard A. Lewis, MD.

An aspheric IOL may be considered the implant design of choice for most patients with glaucoma who require cataract surgery, said Richard L. Lindstrom, MD.

The injection of DNA into the optic nerve resulted in light perception vision in patients with no light perception and very low vision, according to Sunita Agarwal, MD.

Nutritional supplements seem to make sense as a treatment of tear dysfunction, according to Marian Macsai, MD. Dr Macsai tempered her assertion with the observation that no objective trials have been performed to support the use of nutritional supplements in patients with tear deficiency.