News

IVTA causes cataracts

The majority of patients with diabetic macular oedema (DME) who are given an injection of intravitreal triamcinolone (IVTA), will go on to develop cataract.

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 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.

Take time out

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.

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.

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.

DuoTrav a success

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.

IGS 2007

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.