Articles

Cataract patients who have astigmatism of greater than 2.5 D are likely to benefit more from the implantation of a high-cylinder toric intraocular lens (IOL) than from the implantation of a low-cylinder toric IOL combined with limbal relaxing incision (LRI), according to research conducted at the Ouchi Eye Clinic and Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan

Central visual field (VF) progression is faster in patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) and lower heart-rate variability than it is in NTG patients with higher heart-rate variability, according to recently published research.

Patients receiving anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) exhibit a distinct response pattern and time course of certain retinal morphologic changes.

Lens geometry and gradient refractive index (GRIN) can be reconstructed in isolated human lenses by using 3D optical coherence tomography and laser ray tracing, and both geometrical changes and the increase in the meridional power of GRIN play a role in lens spherical aberration caused by age, according to researchers in Madrid.

Commercially available scleral lenses can help manage moderate to severe ocular surface disease (OSD), according to new research out of the Mayo Clinic. As a bonus, the lenses can improve visual acuity (VA) in those whose vision has been negatively affected by the disease.

Peripheral iris thickness is associated with iridotrabecular contact (ITC) in those who have angle closure, according to new research out of Japan.

Internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling surgery causes significant modification of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness, according to researchers at the Ophthalmology Units of the University of Bologna and the Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic.

Implantation of an intracorneal inlay (Kamra, AcuFocus) modified the normal structure of the corneal layer of the eye but did not cause severe complications in a recent small study.

Bruch's membrane thickness is not related to axial length in highly myopic eyes, and axially elongated eyes - despite having thinning of the sclera and choroid - have a normal Bruch's membrane thickness.

Physical activity and the occasional alcoholic libation may help decrease the risk of developing visual impairment, according to researchers from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Urgent vitrectomy/phacovitrectomy to treat retinal detachment will produce the best postoperative visual acuity when it is conducted within 2 days or less of the detachment, according to a recent study.

When predicting topographical change in corneal remodelling, the new curvature gradient map, acquired immediately after surgery, predicted change in tangential curvature over the subsequent 12 months in areas where initial tangential curvature was greatest.

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome is a significant risk factor for normal-tension glaucoma (NTG), according to a newly published research article.

Temperatures measured by a newly developed non-contact ocular surface thermographer (OST) can be used to evaluate the efficacy of topical anti-allergic agents because of the significant correlation of the conjunctival surface temperature and the severity of conjunctival allergic reaction, according to recently published data.

Vitamin D deficiency may be a potential risk factor in the development of open-angle glaucoma (OAG), according to a recent study.

Both toric IOLs and peripheral corneal relaxing incisions (PCRIs) reduce astigmatism, but toric IOLs do so to a greater extent as well as being more predictable, according to results of a recently published study.

For the calculation of corneal power, using a single value for a keratometric index (nk) is imprecise and may lead to significant clinical errors, warn researchers of a recent study.

Thickness of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) correlates with the bicaudate ratio (BCR) and with subtypes of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to results from a recently published study.

Repetitive activation of residual vision with training of the visual field borders and areas of residual vision can improve visual field defects caused by glaucoma and increase detection sensitivity, according to results from a randomized clinical trial.

In comparing conventional slit lamp photography with iPhone images, it was found the smartphone produces higher-quality pictures and in a more economical way.

A round-up of the latest ophthalmic products

Treatment of diabetic macular oedema (DME) with ranibizumab may improve retinal function and structure, according to researchers from the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital and University College, London Institute of Ophthalmology.

The microbiological spectrum in patients with post-traumatic endophthalmitis has remained unchanged over the past 14 years, with Bacillus spp. still the most commonly found infecting organism, and vancomycin remaining the drug of choice for empiric coverage of gram-positive bacteria.

Researchers at University of California, Los Angeles, USA, have developed a new delivery system for treating patients with glaucoma. They have combined nanodiamonds - a by-product of conventional mining and refining processes - with timolol maleate into contact lenses that deliver sustained doses.

The SMC has accepted fluocinolone acetonide (Iluvien, Alimera Sciences Inc.) - the only sustained-release treatment for chronic DME - for restricted use within the NHS Scotland after completing an assessment and review of a simple patient access scheme.

The new layer in the cornea plays an important role in the structure of the tissue that controls the flow of fluid from the eye, according to recent findings.

Diquafosol may have a role in the management of dry eye disease (DED), according to a recently published review.

High-density radial scanning provides superior detection of small full-thickness macular holes (FTMHs) compared with standard raster volume scanning, according to recent data.

Trabeculectomy with mitomycin C is less effective in maintaining reductions in IOP in eyes with uveitic glaucoma (UG) compared with eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), according to a recent study.

For the management of keratoconus, diamond-knife?assisted DALK is effective and predictable in patients with keratoconus, and may offer visual and refractive outcomes that are similar to those achieved with big-bubble DALK, according to a recently published study.