Articles

While there are extensive data supporting the concept that antiVEGF agents may have a role in the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME), emerging knowledge about DME pathogenesis is suggesting alternate therapeutic targets and new paradigms for multidrug treatment, said Lloyd P. Aiello, MD, PhD, director, Beetham Eye Institute, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston.

Drivers with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) who used a small, spectacle-mounted bioptic telescope reported fewer self-imposed driving restrictions when compared with drivers with AMD who did not use the telescope. Alex R. Bowers, PhD, MCOptom, of the Schepens Eye Research Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, noted that drivers with AMD who used the telescope drove greater distances and to more paces and reported fewer difficulties in potentially challenging situations, such as night driving, heavy traffic, or rain.

Ilene Gipson, PhD, received the Friedenwald Award for her seminal contributions to basic and clinical understanding of wound healing, epithelial anchorage and mucin biology in the areas of ocular surface and cornea research.

With proper technique, Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) with phacoemulsification is not any riskier than DSAEK alone, said Mark A. Terry, MD, director of cornea services, Devers Eye Institute, Portland, OR.

Data from the ongoing European Optic Disc Assessment Trial (EODAT) indicated that imaging techniques could be valuable assets to ophthalmologists in the diagnosis of glaucoma, according to Nic Reus, MD, from the Glaucoma Service of The Rotterdam Eye Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Topical latanoprost (Xalatan, Pfizer Ophthalmics) upregulates matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-3, MMP-9, and FP receptor gene expression in the mouse sclera. These responses are critically dependent on an intact FP receptor gene, said John Crowston, MD, University of Melbourne, Center for Eye Research Australia, East Melbourne, Australia.

Newly identified risk factors that increase the risk of development of persistent esotropic amblyopia are delay in referral and anisometropia in children with infantile or accommodative esotropia, said Eileen Birch, PhD, from the Pediatric Eye Research Laboratory, Retina Foundation of the Southwest, and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.

Treatment of bilateral refractive amblyopia, primarily with only spectacle correction, improves binocular visual acuity in children aged 3 to less than 10 years, with most achieving 20/25 acuity or better within 1 year, reported David Wallace, MD, for the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group. Dr. Wallace is from the Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University, Durham, NC.

Treatment of macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) with pegaptanib sodium (Macugen, OSI/Eyetech, Pfizer Ophthalmics) was associated with improved visual acuity in a comparison with patients receiving sham injections. This finding suggests that pegaptanib, which inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), may provide functional benefits to patients with CRVO, said John A. Wells III, MD, a private practitioner at the Palmetto Retina Center, Columbia, SC.

Rapid advances in technology and improved ablation algorithms for the femtosecond laser have enabled its use to dissect the donor corneal lamellae for Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), said Donald Tan, MD, professor of ophthalmology, National University of Singapore.

Researchers have discovered elevated expression of sFRP1, a WNT signaling inhibitor, in glaucomatous trabecular meshwork (TM) cells. They also observed that the TM has a functional signaling pathway in which elevated sFRP1 decreased outflow facility, according to one researcher.

Long-term daily supplementation with folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 may reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in women with established cardiovascular disease (CVD) or CVD risk factors, said William G. Christen, ScD, DO, associate professor in medicine, Harvard Medical School, and associate epidemiologist, Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston.

Americans turning 50 today have half their lives in front of them, but without a transformation of our health-care system, their medical care and that of younger generations will not be what they have come to expect, suggested William D. Novelli, chief executive officer of the AARP, during a keynote session Sunday night.

Accommodation is the result of changes in the optical power of the crystalline lens that results from change in the lens anterior and posterior surface curvatures and thickness. The ciliary muscle is the engine that drives the accommodative process, and the lens capsule and the lens are important components of accommodation, according to Adrian Glasser, MD, from the College of Optometry, University of Houston, Houston.

A 3-month regimen of topical treatment with cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion 0.05% (Restasis, Allergan) administered pre- and postoperatively significantly improves visual outcomes in cataract surgery patients with a multifocal IOL implanted, reported Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, a private practitioner in Rockville Centre, NY.

Ultra high-speed optical coherence tomography (OCT) offers the potential to follow minute changes in patients with various pathologies. Johannes de Boer, PhD, the Wellman Center of Photomedicine, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, reviewed the principles of OCT and the status of ultra high-speed OCT.

Stability of technology is important when dealing with patients who have a progressive disease, said Balwantray Chauhan, PhD, professor and director of research, Department of Ophthalmology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Second-harmonic signaling with the femtosecond laser (IntraLase, Advanced Medical Optics) can be used to probe corneal structure and function. In combination with laser-induced optical breakdown, it also can help create three-dimensional measures of elasticity as well as provide details on the biomechanical properties of the eye, according to James V. Jester, PhD, professor of ophthalmology, University of California, Irvine.

Mitochondrial oxidative stress induced by translocation of inducible nitric oxide synthetase (iNOS) from the cytosol into the photoreceptor mitochondria appears to be a primary event leading to photoreceptor damage in experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU), said Narsing A. Rao, MD, professor of ophthalmology, and director, ophthalmic pathology laboratory and uveitis service, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) continues to evolve and improve, offering clinicians more detailed information on the status of patients' eyes. Joel Shuman, MD, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center Eye Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and a co-inventor of OCT, reviewed the technology and contrasted the first-generation technology with spectral domain technology.

The "perfect storm" in health care is on its way, according to Paul Lee, MD, JD, Duke University, Durham, NC, as he described areas where research and potential paradigm changes can contribute to meeting society's needs to enhance vision, maintain wellness, and prevent vision loss. Dr. Lee delivered a keynote address entitled "Future challenges and opportunities in eye research and the aging population" during The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)/Alcon keynote session Sunday evening.

There is value in studying a model of human disease that is not a carbon copy, said Jayakrishna Ambati, MD, associate professor, School of Medicine, and vice chairman, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington.

Visual field screening is an indispensable tool and a prerequisite for proper disease management

Epi-LASIK is safer for patients; it offers a lower risk of ectasia, fewer serious complications and better contrast sensitivity, according to Robert J. Mitchell.

Canaloplasty can offer a number of advantages over other techniques... by enhancing aqueous outflow without creating a bleb

Identifying the bottlenecks that are preventing effective management of neovascular AMD.

In December 2006, the Swiss city of Geneva played host to the very first European glaucoma resident's course, designed for ophthalmic residents seeking the necessary skills for the diagnosis and therapy of glaucoma.

Stating the case for the use of preservative-free medications in glaucoma patients with ocular surface disease.

Welcome to this, the glaucoma special issue of Ophthalmology Times Europe. This month we aim to give you a taste of events from the International Glaucoma Society meeting, which was held in Athens in March. If you were not able to make it, we hope this section will allow you to feel as though you did not miss out on some of the important presentations.

Athens played host to the sixth annual International Glaucoma Society (IGS) congress, which ran from 28-31 March. Attended by more than 2,650 participants from around the world, the meeting earned the title of the most attended international glaucoma meeting ever held.