News

The incidence of capsular block syndrome (CBS), although rare, can be increased by design features of lenses implanted during cataract surgery, according to a study published in the March 2008 issue of the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.

Refractive surgery in children with severe anisometropia or ametropia produces relatively stable results, according to a study published in the American Orthoptic Journal.

The FDA has cleared the iFS Advanced Femtosecond Laser (AMO), which is now available for order.

Patients with a positive family history of glaucoma are 10 times as likely to have visual field (VF) defects at the time of their diagnosis, according to a study published in the April issue of Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology, the official Journal of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

Taflotan (tafluprost; Santen Oy), a benzalkonium chloride (BAK)-free prostaglandin analogue for the treatment of glaucoma, has received marketing authorization in Denmark and Germany, making it the first preservative-free prostaglandin eye drop to be approved.

The World Glaucoma Day inspired glaucoma specialists around the world to rally local support in order to undertake an enormous task: to reduce the number of people who are unnecessarily going blind from a treatable condition.

QLT Plug Delivery, Inc. has demonstrated proof of concept of its punctal plug drug delivery technology, showing that it is both well tolerated and effective at lowering intraocular pressure (IOP).

Vidus Ocular, Inc, the developer of the Aquashunt device for glaucoma, has been acquired by OPKO Health, Inc.

The European Commission and the European Patent Office (EPO) have named Optos plc as European Inventor of the Year in the SME and Research category.

VIEW 2, a Phase III trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of VEGF Trap (afilbercept; Regeneron) versus Lucentis (ranibizumab; Novartis) administered by intravitreal injection for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), has dosed its first patient.

A pilot study evaluating the safety and efficacy of Medidur FA (fluocinolone acetonide; Alimera) with Lucentis (ranibizumab; Novartis) against exudative age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) has begun patient enrolment.

Vitamin E supplements do not help to prevent cataract, according to a study published in the May 2008 issue of Ophthalmology.

A hybrid contact lens designed for eyes that have suffered corneal trauma or undergone either refractive surgery or penetrating keratoplasty has been launched by SynergEyes Inc, US. The SynergEyes PS lens can also be used in eyes with degenerative corneal conditions.

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.