News

Spring has finally sprung, although I have a feeling that the pleasant weather associated with this season has decided to give England a miss this year! Indeed, we are already into the month of May and with several big ophthalmology meetings already behind us, we still have many others to look forward to, particularly this month, which sees, amongst others, the DOC, EURETINA, and the Turkish, French and Italian ophthalmology societies taking centre stage for their annual meetings. Hopefully we will get the chance to meet some of you there.

The DOG (Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft) was founded in 1857 when a group of like-minded ophthalmologists, brought together by Albrecht von Greafe, met in Heidelberg to discuss the latest developments in their profession. This first meeting was organized to take place a few days before the international ophthalmology conference in Brussels with the idea that they would then travel on together to attend. In all, twelve people arrived in Heidleberg, where discussion topics ranged from the use of compression bandages to glaucoma treatment. It was considered such a success that they agreed to meet again the following year.

In answer to the question: "What specifically makes SLT different from ALT in its action?" we offer the following response:

What tasks are more important for the ophthalmologist than dealing with a disease that is the second most common cause of blindness overall and the number one blinding disease in the working population?

Research, development, innovation and the quest for excellence go hand in hand with the evolution of the ophthalmology industry. With the new wave of phakic IOLs entering the market, each with its own unique offering and capabilities, it's hard to know which lenses will suit you and your patient best. Furthermore, does the introduction of these new refractive correctors threaten the position of the lasers that we have all come to grow to love? It seems that the laser refractive surgery industry is still going from strength to strength.

With the world's population getting older and the rate of blindness increasing, cataract surgeons worldwide are facing some clinical challenges in the years ahead, according to Stephen A. Obstbaum, MD, of the United States.

Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) has pledged $1 million to support the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery's (ASCRS) foundation sponsored research in the field of refractive lenticular science.

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IOL implantation in older, cataract patients often fails to enhance vision to a level that is greater than that of the average non-cataractous lens of a similar age.

Allergan and Alcon have settled Allergan's patent infringement lawsuit, contending that Alcon's proposed brimonidine 0.15% product infringed two brimonidine-related patents owned by Allergan.

Errors in the measurement of retinal thickness are a frequent occurrence with optical coherence tomography (OCT) segmentation and analysis algorithms, according to a study published in the February 2006 issue of Ophthalmology.

A high dietary intake of vitamin E and zinc reduced the risk of AMD.

We need stronger evidence to support the combination of PDT with anti-VEGF therapy or corticosteroids before combination therapy becomes standard care for many of these lesions.

Earlier this year, Ophthalmology Times Europe caught up with two admirable people: the President of SICR, Roberto Pinelli and his friend and SICR colleague, Paolo Fazio. We spoke about refractive surgery practice, education and patient management and heard how both men plan to change the way that their industry is perceived and the way that it is practiced through their new society. Please go to page 19 to find out exactly what they are planning. Meanwhile, here's a snippet of information on the society to get you started.

Novartis has announced the submission of Lucentis (ranibizumab) for European Union approval, for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Surgeons should not feel ashamed if they only manage to see a few patients, devotion to the patient and then to your practice is of paramount importance. Then, and only then, will you be doing your job well.

In an exciting time for the treatment of patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration, several new pharmaceutical options are being tested. Most compounds target vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is implicated in the proliferation of choroidal neovascularization. However, the effects of VEGF can be blocked at different levels.

Results of a study evaluating post-cataract surgery endophthalmitis at a regional tertiary referral centre in England show no evidence of an increase in incidence over a recent period of almost eight years, reported Omar M. Durrani, FRCS.

The corneal endothelium is able to function adequately, even after losing a large number of endothelial cells.

Ever wondered what it must be like for today's refractive surgeon, having to perform a job to the best of their ability whilst sometimes facing criticism for being "too commercial"? The refractive surgery industry has suffered its fair share of setbacks over recent years and certainly, some clinics have deservedly earned this criticism for not performing the job adequately.

The techniques and materials employed for cataract surgery have improved significantly over recent years, resulting in enhanced functional surgical outcomes, smaller incision sizes and reduced incidences of astigmatism and endophthalmitis. Consequently, cataract surgery has become the most frequently performed surgery in Germany, with around 600,000 conducted each year.

I embarked on a memorable trip to Africa recently and, along with a wonderful team of skilled ophthalmologists and nurses, we set up two eye camps in Namibia and Zambia. Our mission was to study corneal thickness in native Africans so that we could, in the future, establish the relationship between corneal thickness and glaucoma in this population.

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May 2005 saw the birth of the term Microphakonit, when Agarwal removed cataracts using a 0.7 mm phaco needle tip with a 0.7 mm irrigating chopper, through the smallest incision ever documented.

Twenty-five years ago, our algorithm for glaucoma treatment was drop, drop, drop, pill, laser, surgery

EVER traces back its roots to the late 1980s when, following a decision made during the Association for Eye Research (AER) meeting in Granada, Spain, the AER and the European Community Ophthalmic Research Association (ECORA) joined forces to create JERMOV (Joint Meetings in Ophthalmology and Vision), headquartered in Montpelier, France. The idea behind the amalgamation was to unite societies with a common interest and to create a larger, stronger, European society, dedicated to innovation in vision and eye research. By 1997, JERMOV had evolved, the society was reformed, its headquarters moved to Belgium and the name EVER was born to better reflect the society's mission ? to advocate and support research, development and innovation in vision and eye research. The society's offices are, today, housed alongside those of the Belgian Ophthalmological Society in Leuven.

New technologies, advances in phacoemulsification and better instruments have improved outcomes and reduced complications in cataract surgery. However, a similar advance has not been achieved in the same manner with intraocular lens (IOL) development.

Meticulous wound closure is key to success with this implant, as well as patients having realistic expectations about visual acuity outcomes after implantation

Conventional trabeculectomy aims to control IOP by way of a guarded fistula between the anterior chamber and sub-conjunctival space via leakage past the scleral flap. The resulting bleb is often seen to form under the anterior conjunctiva, where Tenon's layer and the conjunctival tissue are thinnest, predisposing patients to bleb-related complications at or near the limbus. Complications include cystic bleb formation, blebitis, endophthalmitis, dellen ulcer and bleb dysaesthesia, the use of anti-metabolites often compounding these problems.