In Focus, April 2008
A round up of April's In Focus news
Please click on any of the headlines below to read the full story.
Ophthalmologists should encourage smoking cessationThere is a need to introduce smoking cessation support into routine ophthalmic practice, according to a report published in the February issue of Eye.
Vitreoretinal procedures should be treated as day casesPatients who are currently hospitalized overnight for vitreoretinal surgery could safely be treated as day cases, thus providing significant improvements in efficiency
Computer model provides vital information about lens accommodationDuring accommodation, changes in lens thickness are mainly caused by deformation of the nucleus
UK cataract dataset audit reveals medications more likely to cause complications during surgeryClopidogrel and warfarin are associated with a significant increase in minor complications of sharp needle and subtenon?s cannula local anaesthesia but are not associated with sight-threatening complications
Corneal grafts from cancer patients more likely to cause infectionCorneal grafts obtained from cancer patients may be associated with an increased risk of infection for the recipient
MICS in the Headlines
MICS safer and more effective than torsional phacoThe new Custom Control Software on the MICS Millennium platform (Bausch & Lomb) results in less endothelial cell loss than torsional phacoemulsification performed on the Infiniti System (Alcon)
MICS IOLs better than conventional IOLsMicroincision cataract surgery (MICS) intraocular lenses (IOLs) provide better patient outcomes, which are more like refractive surgery in terms of reduced postoperative astigmatism and minimal induced aberrations
Whitestar can deal with even the hardest nucleiMicroincision cataract surgery (MICS) with the Whitestar ICE and CASE systems (AMO) can be performed safely and effectively even in the hardest nuclei
Bimanual just as safe as coaxial surgeryRemoving cataracts using a bimanual microincision technique and implanting a traditional foldable intraocular lens (IOL) through a separate incision causes no more corneal astigmatism compared with a traditional coaxial technique using the same lens
MICS and non-penetrating glaucoma surgery combination okayMicroincisional bimanual phacoemulsification and non-penetrating glaucoma surgery appears to be a safe option for patients with glaucoma and co-existing cataract
MICS does not degrade optical quality of corneaMicroincision cataract surgery (MICS) does not degrade the optical quality of the cornea, however, it does introduce changes in coma and higher order aberrations
Square incisions offer good stabilityA Czech study has found that 2.2 mm square clear corneal incisions for microcoaxial phacoemulsification are very stable and provide adequate postoperative sealing
MICS+aspheric IOL = fewer corneal changesMicroincision cataract surgery (MICS) with implantation of an aspheric intraocular lens (IOL) through a 1.8 mm incision can minimize surgically-induced corneal and ocular aberrations and improve optical performance
