News

Levofloxacin is a viable treatment for endophthalmitis, according to a study published online ahead of print by the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

The addition of bevacizumab (Avastin) to trabeculectomy improves the success rate of IOP control, particularly in young diabetic patients with neovascular glaucoma (NVG), according to a study published online, ahead of print, by Eye.

The safety of endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation for the treatment of glaucoma is being investigated prospectively in a multicenter study.

IOP can be reduced significantly by an anterior juxtascleral depot of anecortave acetate, according to study results presented on a poster at this year's meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

PF-03187207, an experimental glaucoma treatment that was being developed by NicOx and Pfizer, has been shown in Phase II testing to be more effective in lowering IOP under certain circumstances than Pfizer's Xalatan (latanoprost) 0.005%, but it will not be advanced into Phase III testing, Pfizer has announced.

Three separate studies on eye health examine the role of antioxidant supplements, the relationship of visual acuity and mortality, and the causes of glaucoma in the May 2008 issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

A five-minute test in which a patient is tilted produces peak IOP detection levels comparable to standard water drinking tests, according to a poster presented at this year's meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Gene therapy has been used successfully to improve visual function in a patient with a genetic disorder of the retina, Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA), as reported in a study published online ahead of print by the New England Journal of Medicine.

VEGF Trap (Regeneron) maintains a significant improvement in the visual acuity of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) patients up to 32 weeks, according to a study presented at this year's Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

Xibrom (bromfenac 0.09 mg ophthalmic solution; ISTA Pharmaceuticals) significantly improves visual acuity outcomes and lowers retreatment rates when administered as an adjuvant to Lucentis (ranibizumab; Novartis) therapy in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients, when compared with Lucentis monotherapy, according to a poster presented at this year's Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

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.