News

iPhot, the collaborative project for continuing the development of Imagine Eyes' rtx1 Adaptive Optics Retinal Camera has received a 940K€ (approximately $US1.35M) grant from France's National Research Agency (ANR) TecSan programme.

The Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) awarded the 2010 Shaffer Prize for Innovative Glaucoma Research to Kate Keller, PhD. Dr Keller is Research Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology at Casey Eye Institute in Portland, Oregon.

More than 150 participants from 27 countries attended this year's SCHWIND User Meeting in Muscat, Oman.

Retinitis pigmentosa and AMD may be the beneficiaries of a new tool for gene therapy that significantly increases gene delivery to cells in the retina.

Australia's Centre for Eye Research has discovered a hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene, which it hopes will provide important insights into biological mechanisms involved in ocular development.

Hans Werquin will become CEO of Hoya Vision Care Europe from the beginning of April 2010. He will report to Gerald Bottero, who has been leading the European branch for the past five years. Bottero remains CEO of Hoya Vision Care globally.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is being put to a secondary use by scientists in Poland

Novartis plans to assume complete control over Alcon Laboratories Inc. in a two-step process that some analysts and some members of Alcon?s board of directors are challenging for its fairness under Swiss and US merger laws.

A Kaiser Permanents Southern California study published in this month?s Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, compares ranibizumab (Lucentis) and bevacizumab (Avastin) and found them to be equally effective in halting vision loss.

Presbia , which develops and markets a surgical solution for presbyopia has appointed ophthalmic surgeons Dr Jorge L. Alio of Madrid, Spain (an OTEurope editorial advisory board member) and Dr Kerry K. Assil of California, have agreed to serve on its Medical Advisory Board.

Alcon is to buy the rights in the United States for two FDA-approved topical eye care products from Sirion Therapeutics, Inc Durezol, a marketed ophthalmic corticosteroid approved for the treatment of inflammation and pain associated with eye surgery, and Zirgan, a recently approved antiviral for the treatment of acute herpetic keratitis (corneal ulcers).

Research published in the journal Cell Death and Disease by University College of London scientists indicates that a simple eye test may, in future, be able to detect Alzheimer's, amongst other diseases.

The Glaucoma Research Foundation?s highest honour, the Catalyst Award, has been given to Jeffrey B. Kindler, chief executive officer and chairman of the Board of Pfizer Inc. The award recognizes outstanding accomplishments in research and education in support of those affected by glaucoma.

Alcon has entered into the surgical glaucoma market by acquiring Optonol, a manufacturer and marketer of novel minature surgical implants used to reduce IOP.

Alcon's formal response to Novartis' s proposal to acquire the minority publicly traded shares of Alcon. In a letter to the CEO of Novartis the Alcon Committee said that the terms proposed were “grossly inadequate.”

Carl Zeiss's current CEO, Dr Michael Kaschke, has resigned his position on the company?s Management Board.

Successful limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) treatment in eight patients using their own stem cells without immunity suppression has been reported by scientists at the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI).

Researchers in The Netherlands have concluded that dietary intake or plasma levels of vitamins C and E and magnesium do not seem to be associated with diabetic retinopathy.

Research claims that imaging devices can effectively support ophthalmologists with glaucoma diagnosis

)? Oraya Therapeutics, Inc., announced today that enrollment is now underway for the first ever masked and sham-controlled study to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of radiation therapy for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The groundbreaking clinical trial is being conducted at seven European sites, and will include a minimum of 150 patients, with approximately one third of those receiving a sham exposure and the remainder receiving radiation dosing of either 16 or 24 Gray (GY).

Heidelberg Engineering has launched an informative microsite about BluePeak blue laser autofluorescence.

Combination bevacizumab and 25?J/cm2 or 12?J/cm2 PDT significantly reduced the number of bevacizumab treatments required over six months. This study aimed at examining number of treatments, but not visual acuities. However, visual acuities responded favourably in all three groups.

The full scientific programme for the March Congress is now available.

Novartis is to exercise its option to purchase the remaining shares in Alcon, Inc., owned by Nestle S.A. at a weighted average price of US$180 per share in cash following the agreement between Nestle and Novartis in April 2008.

A 13-year-old boy was referred because of visual deterioration in his right eye. The visual acuity was two metres of counting fingers. Indirect ophthalmoscopy and biomicroscopy revealed exudative macular oedema as well as tumour-like telangiectatic vessels and exudation in temporal periphery.

In this article R.V. Agrawal et al., assist ophthalmologists in accurately diagnosing anterior uveitis.

A recent study, published in the Archives of Ophthalmology found that injections of a corticosteroid, triamcinolone directly into the eye may slow progression of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (DR).

A comparative evaluation of local anaesthesia for cataract surgery, published in The Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery says that randomized clinical trials are needed to facilitate statistical methods of metaanalysis to establish convincingly the overall benefits and efficacy of the various local anesthesia procedures in cataract surgery.

The President of the Macular Disease Society (MDS), Gwyneth Dickinson, has been awarded the MBE in the UK's New Year's Honours. Mrs Dickinson, a former nurse, is honoured for her voluntary work as a trustee, Chairman and now President of the Society.

Crystalens AO is the first aberration-free accommodating IOL