It was more than one hundred years ago when the world's first successful human corneal transplant was performed by Dr Eduard Zirm. Since then, corneal surgery has evolved dramatically through the refinement of techniques and instruments and the discovery and development of antibiotics and corticosteroids.
The simplest approach to caring for the corneal surface, which can be responsible for 50% of graft failures, is the application of non-preserved ointment for at least the first month after surgery.
It is fast becoming a more standard procedure for the surgical treatment of irregular astigmatism
The economical cost [of blindness] to society is extremely significant, with the annual financial cost estimated at €1.5 billion in France, €3.3 billion in Germany, €0.7 billion in Spain and €1 billion in the UK
Recognising the harmful effects of various light rays on the retina, manufacturers have set about developing IOLs with various light filtering properties. Here, Boris Malyugin and Tatiana Fadeeva put the YellowFlex lens to the test.
Intracorneal rings (Intacs, Addition Technology) to correct keratoconus appear to yield better results when only one ring segment is implanted inferiorly rather than two segments implanted, one superiorly and one inferiorly, explains Joaquim N. Murta, MD, PhD.
The last few months have been particularly busy ones for me; we've reached April already and I really don't know where the first three months of 2007 have disappeared to. However, one thing that always gets me through particularly busy or stressful times is the great sense of achievement I feel when something is completed and also, a holiday, which I shall be spending this year with my husband in beautiful Italy.
A study reveals that the negative spherical aberration-inducing quality of the aspheric Tecnis Z9000 results in reduced ocular spherical aberration and improved mesopic contrast sensitivity.
Eyemaginations has been selected by Carl Zeiss Meditec to release two new patient education animations.
Visual results reported by 60 kHz users in the US and Europe show that all-laser LASIK patients have better visual results in the first three months following surgery
The annual cumulative cell loss in eyes implanted with toric iris-fixated phakic intraocular lenses (IOLs) is two to three times greater than in normal eyes without surgery, according to the results of a study published in the February issue of the Journal of Refractive Surgery.
A Phase I clinical study of Athenagen's topical eye drop therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), ATG3, has found it to be safe and well tolerated.
In patients with manifest glaucoma, refractive surgery should be performed with extreme caution, if performed at all, according to a paper presented by Andreas Petounis from the Patission General Hospital, Greece.
Scanning laser polarimetry with customized cornea compensation (GDx-VCC) and Matrix Frequency Doubling Technology (M-FDT) are more accurate than intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements when employed for mass glaucoma screening, according to Dr Toth and co-workers from the Semmelweis University, Hungary.
Glaucoma is an important public-health problem in Europe, yet no public health approach exists for its detection and control, according to Tarek Shaarawy and K. Mansouri from the Hopitaux Universitaires de Genève, Switzerland.
The IOP-lowering effect of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) does weaken with time but, unlike argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT), it is a repeatable procedure and offers a better risk/benefit ratio than other glaucoma treatments, according to Madhu Nagar from the Clayton Eye Centre, UK.
Glaucoma drainage implant surgery is a safe and effective treatment for primary and secondary paediatric glaucoma in addition to initial surgical and medical therapy, according to Inka Helmanova and colleagues from the Masaryk University Hospital, Czech Republic.
The introduction of DuoTrav (travoprost 0.004%/timolol 0.5%) offers a greater probability of success in reaching target intraocular pressure (IOP) with a single drop, according to Dr Raber, an Alcon consultant from Freiburg, Germany.
The use of travoprost 0.004% and bimatoprost 0.03% can have adverse effects on the ocular surface and can result in dry eye symptoms, according to Samet Ermis and co-workers from the Kocatepe University School of Medicine, Turkey.
All the news from the sixth annual meeting of the International Glaucoma Society
Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) can result in significant decreases in mean diurnal intraocular pressure (IOP) and diurnal IOP fluctuation, according to Gábor Holló and colleagues from the University of Budapest, Hungary.
Although almost a third of patients referred by optometrists do not have glaucoma, optometrists are still best placed to screen the UK population for glaucoma, according to Dr Aye and colleagues from Northampton General Hospital, UK.
Glaucoma is a serious complication following transplantation, with about 50% of eyes requiring further surgery. According to Justyna Izdebska and colleagues from the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland, trabeculectomy seems to be the most effective surgical treatment.
Microincision cataract surgery (MICS) combined with trabeculectomy provides a one-year intraocular pressure (IOP) control comparable to that found with trabeculectomy and separate temporal clear corneal phaco, according to the results of a study by Dr Bayer and colleagues from the Ankara School of Medicine, Turkey.
Two-year follow-up data from patients treated with either latanoprost, travoprost or bimatoprost demonstrates that similar resource consumption outcomes are achieved by all three, as reported by Dr Kobalt and colleagues from European Health Economics in France.
Intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) may be an important additional treatment option for the rapid resolution of neovascular glaucoma (NVG), according to the results of a study conducted by Maia Kalev-Landoy and colleagues from the Wolfson Medical Center, Israel.
The use of implants in deep sclerectomy enhances success rates and lowers the need for postoperative medications, according to Petr Strnad, MD and colleagues from the Masaryk University, Czech Republic.
Ocular blood flow alterations and previous visual field damage may play an important role in visual field progression in open angle glaucoma (OAG), according to Antonio Martinez and colleagues from the Instituto Gallego de Oftalmologia, Spain.
To help improve compliance, patients should be made aware of what a normal intraocular pressure (IOP) is and be informed of their own at each visit to their ophthalmologist, according to Rohit Arora and colleagues from the North Middlesex Hospital, UK.
Dorzolamide/timolol fixed combinations (DTFC) and latanoprost achieve consistent 24-hour intraocular pressure (IOP) control and obtain a significant increase in 24-hour diastolic ocular perfusion pressure over a six-month treatment period, according to Anastasios Konstas from the AHEPA Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
