News

Spectral (fourier domain) optical coherence tomography (SOCT) represents a significant development in the field of retinal imaging.

Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) has entered into a US patent license agreement with Carl Zeiss Meditec.

Alimera Sciences and pSivida have completed enrolment for the FAME (Fluocinolone Acetonide in diabetic Macular Edema) study of Medidur.

Randomized data from a large cohort of women with cardiovascular disease or at a high risk of it indicate that seven years of daily supplementation with folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 may reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to William G. Christen, ScD, PhD.

Researchers have identified the gene responsible for binocular vision.

A new pressure-to-cornea index (PCI) has been created in an attempt to integrate intraocular pressure (IOP) and central corneal thickness (CCT) into a unified risk factor.

Aspheric intraocular lenses induce less wavefront aberrations and perform better in photopic and mesopic conditions than spherical IOLs.

A new preloaded disposable intraocular lens (IOL) injector that uses no viscoelastic was unveiled at the Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting held, this year, in Vietnam.

A study published in the September issue of the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery suggests that a laser welding technique could offer a good alternative to suturing for closing corneal wounds following phaco or extracapsular cataract extraction.

A variant form of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been discovered to be responsible for the inflammation and altered retinal vascularization that occurs in conditions such as diabetic retinopathy.

An artificial cornea based on a commercially available polymer, may be ready for clinical testing early in 2008.

The National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) has approved AMO's LASIK technologies for use on US astronauts.

The glaucoma-specific health-related quality of life questionnaire, Glau-Qol, demonstrates good correlations with disease progression in patients with glaucoma and ocular hypertension.

Carl Zeiss Meditec has now completed its acquisition of Acri.Tec AG.

25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) appears to be safe and effective for the treatment of epiretinal membranes.

The majority of vitreoretinal surgeons use dyes to stain the internal limiting membrane (ILM) and/or epiretinal membranes.1Dyes are mostly used to assist surgeons during macular hole and pucker surgery, with the gold standard for such procedures being indocyanine green (ICG).

Bausch & Lomb's shareholders have voted to approve a merger with Warburg Pincus.

Austrian pharmaceutical firm Croma-Pharma has acquired two companies, thus strengthening its cataract surgery portfolio and, according to the firm, moving it into the top five list of companies operating in the European ophthalmic market.

A chloramphenicol 0.25%-betamethasone 0.13% (C&B) gel combination has comparable efficacy and tolerance and better acceptance by patients than an aqueous tobramycin 0.3%-dexamethasone 0.1% (T&D) preparation for controlling inflammation and prophylaxis of endophthalmitis following cataract surgery.

The field of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) research continues to experience exciting and fascinating times, with the recent launches of new therapeutics and several others on the horizon giving hope to more patients than ever before. Coupled with advances in imaging and diagnostic technology, retina specialists now face AMD with fresh optimism - treatments and technologies are available that will help them to delay or maybe even halt disease progression in their patients.

Retinal detachment is still the most common serious complication of macular surgery.

In a review of culture-positive fungal keratitis seen at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK, over a 13-year period, Candida has been identified as the principal isolate.

Alcon has received an approvable letter from the FDA for RETAANE 15 mg (anecortave acetate depot suspension) for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), however the letter advised that an additional clinical study would be required before approval is given.

The use of dexamethasone eye drops following cataract surgery has a greater effect on the blood glucose profile of diabetic subjects than in diabetic subjects treated with diclofenac.

A UK team reports how they achieved significant reductions in macular thickness by using intravitreal bevacizumab.

Performing 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy with oblique parallel incisions rather than with standard straight incisions, may allow for more complete postoperative wound sealing.

Genentech is seeking to restrict the use of its anti-VEGF drug Avastin by ophthalmologists in the US.

By 2010, glaucoma will affect 60 million people worldwide and cause blindness in more than 8 million.1 Despite the availability of effective treatments that delay or halt progression of the disease, an unacceptable number of people with glaucoma remain undiagnosed and untreated. Strategies for achieving earlier and more accurate diagnosis of glaucoma are therefore urgently needed to combat the rising burden of this disease in an ageing European population.

Alimera Sciences has entered into an exclusive worldwide agreement with Emory University, USA to explore oxidative stress management as a treatment for ophthalmic diseases.

Surface ablation provides an opportunity to reduce the biomechanical weakening of the cornea. The downsides have always been pain and the relatively slow pace of visual recovery, but with Epi-LASIK, we are now able to manage those factors much more effectively