Cornea

Interim results from a Phase II study by Gene Signal suggest that antisense oligonucleotide GS-101 is safe and effective at inhibiting abnormal corneal new blood vessel growth.

A new technique of intraductal meibomian gland probing using disposable cannulas of various lengths appears highly effective in providing quick and lasting relief from inflammatory sysmptoms of obstructive meibomian gland disease.

An oil-in-water and a corticosteroid were both effective in eliminating the signs and symptoms of lid wiper epitheliopathy after a 1-month active treatment phase in a recent study. Improvement was effectively maintained with the emollient eye drops in all patients over a 12-month period.

The use of hydroxypropyl cellulose can significantly improve the symptoms of dry eye, resulting in increased quality of life.

A recent study showed that moderate to sever dry eye disease can be best treated with anti-inflammatory medications such as topical cyclosporine. According to one ophthalmologist, cyclosporine can significantly limit progression of dry eye disease and should be considered a 'go-to' therapy for this patient population.

Drs Belin and Ambrosio's Enhanced Ectasia module is a keratoconus index, based on pachy

A comparison of an older nanoliter osometer and a newer osometer shows that both devices are effective in measuring tear osmolarity and produce comparable measurements.

Dr Mustafa Guzey and colleagues have found topical cyclosporine A to be effective in treating severe trachomatous dry eye in a recent study published in Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology.

CSO, which has a background in measuring and analysing the anterior corneal surface has extended its research to the posterior surface with its new device SIRIUS.

A further study in the July issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, investigated inflammation biomarkers in relation to corneal transplant rejection in herpes simplex patients. Its results have shown that inflammation thwarts corneal transplants.

Can BAK be used in corneal cross linking?

High molecular weight increases blink rate and helps eye drops retain moisture on the ocular surface according to Professor Giancarlo Montani an optometrist FIACLE and a professor of optometry at the Universita del Salento in Italy.

Nerve damage associated ocular dryness improved dramatically with hyaluronic acid-based lubricating eye drops explains Claes Feinbaum M.Sc. Professor Emeritus Optometry, Vision4You, Lund, Sweden.

Producing 3D human corneal tissue using corneal limbal stem cells with a view to developing and commercialising novel technology has potential to transform drug discovery and regenerative medicine.

In a dry eye Phase II clinical trial EyeGate Pharma reports that EGP-437, a corticosteroid solution administered by a non-invasive ocular drug delivery system, improved signs and symptoms in patients with dry eye syndrome (DES).

Harvested stem cells from patients' own eyes to rehabilitate damaged cornea in just ten days may prove to be a world-first breakthrough in restoring sight.

Can topical bevacizumab be used to treat corneal neovascularisation.

The TearLab Osmolarity System is intended to measure the osmolarity of human tears to aid in the diagnosis of patients with signs or symptoms of Dry Eye Disease (DED) in conjunction with other methods of clinical evaluation. It is now in a position to be marketed to clinincal facilities in the United States, having received its FDA 510(k) clearance.

The world's largest eye bank, The Tampa Lions Eye Institute for Transplant and Research, Inc. in Florida, which has supplied over 30,000 corneas for transplant and 50,000 eyes for research worldwide over the past 30 years, is to open a state-of-the-art research facility.

An OTEurope story we ran a couple of weeks ago clearly resonated with reader, Peter Raus in Belgium. Read on to see what he thought.

Significant improvement in signs and symptoms in patients suffering from moderate-to-severe dry eye syndrome have been found following the Phase II trial of Cyclokat, the formulation of cyclosporine by French pharmaceutical ophthalmic company Novagali Pharma.

The side effects of an experimental 'gene-silencing' treatment that is currently being investigated for a variety of diseases could be useful in corneal transplantation, where growth of new blood and lymph vessels is believed to be a major cause of graft failure.

The first ophthalmic surgery in Europe using the CE mark approved I-SIPxAE Adherent Ocular Bandage was conducted in the UK by Dr Daniel Calladine and Mr Richard Packard.

A new method for corneal transplantation developed by Dr Cesar Carriazo, Centro Oftalmológico Carriazo, Colombia was presented at the recent ASCRS 2009 in San Francisco.

Dr Sami El Hage outlines a technique for early detection of corneal ectasia using four different displays: the normal average cornea, Zernike polynomials, Fourier harmonics and elevation plots.

BD OcuSeal Liquid Ocular Bandage, a fully synthetic protective barrier to be used for post-surgical, post-traumatic and non-traumatic ocular conditions, has been launched in Europe by BD Medical?Ophthalmic Systems.

Lux Biosciences has just completed its enrolment in the company's Phase III LUCIDA (LUx Corneal Transplant Implant Development and Advancement of Therapy) clinical trial programme for LUMITECT (LX201), a silicone matrix ocular (episcleral) implant designed to provide the continuous release for one year of therapeutic levels of cyclosporine A locally to the eye to prevent corneal transplant rejection.

The TearLab Osmolarity Core Validation Study, a multicentre international clinical study assessing the efficacy of the TearLab Osmolarity System for the diagnosis of dry eye disease, has been launched by the system's maker, OccuLogix Inc, and sponsored by Alcon.

There is an association between uveal and a variety of skin melanomas, according to study results published in the March issue of Ophthalmology.

Aylin Kilic Ertan explores which keratoconus patients are most suitable for treatment with Intacs intracorneal rings.