Vol. VII, No. 19
May 7, 2008
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CONTENTS
New Journal Studies
Academy News
Industry News
NEW JOURNAL STUDIES
Thicker corneas of DSEK patients don’t produce unreliable IOP measurements
Researchers measured IOP by GAT, pneumatonometry and dynamic contour tonometry in 38 patients (50 eyes) who had successful Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) at least three months before the study. They observed no falsely elevated GAT measurements, and conclude that high GAT readings following DSEK should raise suspicion of a truly elevated IOP. They also did not detect any statistically significant correlations between IOP assessed with the three techniques and the total corneal thickness, the graft thickness, or the recipient corneal thickness. American Journal of Ophthalmology, May 2008
Could low intracranial pressure be linked to primary open-angle glaucoma?
This large retrospective review of patients with and without POAG who had undergone lumbar puncture shows that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure is significantly lower in POAG patients compared with nonglaucomatous controls. The authors suggest that low CSF pressure may work in concert with IOP to produce an unacceptably high translaminar pressure gradient, disrupting retinal ganglion cell axoplasmic flow, ultimately leading to retinal ganglion cell apoptosis and visual loss. Ophthalmology, May 2008
Endophthalmitis rate following intravitreal Avastin appears low
This retrospective review of 5,233 consecutive intravitreal injections of bevacizumab turned up just one case of acute endophthalmitis. Adherence to aseptic technique and use of povidone-iodine prophylaxis minimizes the risk of postinjection intraocular infection. Retina, May 2008
Pearls on the autofluorescence features of choroidal melanoma
Researchers used standard fundus photography and autofluorescence photography to evaluate 51 patients with choroidal melanoma. They found that choroidal melanoma generally shows slight intrinsic hyperautofluorescence and the brightness increases with pigmented tumours, larger tumours, and those associated with disrupted RPE. Overlying orange pigment shows remarkably bright hyperautofluorescence. British Journal of Ophthalmology, May 2008
Early postop hypotony appears common after 25-gauge sutureless vitrectomy with straight incisions
This retrospective case series of 111 eyes demonstrated a hypotony rate (IOP <8 mmHg) of 26.12 percent at two hours, which decreased to 17.11 percent on day one and to 8.10 percent at one week. However, the incidence of postoperative complications did not appear to increase with the hypotony rate. Retina, May 2008
Meta-analysis: sharp edge is the most important IOL design feature inhibiting PCO after cataract surgery
This meta-analysis was conducted on all randomized clinical trials comparing AcrySof with silicone or PMMA IOLs in patients with cataracts. It showed that both sharp-edged AcrySof and sharp-edged silicone IOLs had a significantly lower Nd:YAG capsulotomy rate than that of round-edged silicone or PMMA IOLs. Ophthalmology, May 2008
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ACADEMY NEWS
AAO strongly recommends abandoning the term "flash sterilization"
To help clear the confusion caused by the term "flash sterilization", the Academy strongly recommends ophthalmologists and centers performing ophthalmic surgery avoid the term and instead describe the sterilization method in detail. The Academy is co-chairing a Sterilization Task Force with the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery to arrive at a common understanding about the types and safety of sterilization practices used in ophthalmic surgery centers.
Got questions about the 2008 Joint Meeting?
The Academy has posted online a comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to answer some common questions, such as: When does registration open? How can I reserve a hotel room? Where is my Advance Program?
EyeNet Magazine wins an Excel Award for feature article
The Society of National Association Publications honored a cover story on neuroadaptation appearing in the July/August 2007 issue. New Lens, Same Brain explored the anatomical capacity of the visual pathway for accommodating stereopsis as well as the mechanisms for neuroadaptation following the implantation of multifocal IOLs.
Did you know you can specialize the Ophthalmic News & Education (O.N.E.) Network to feature news and information from your subspecialty?
When you first launch the O.N.E. Network, you will see information displayed for Comprehensive Ophthalmology, but you can set the O.N.E. Network to display content in your area of interest whenever you log in. Here’s how:
- Select a subspecialty from the dropdown list near the top of the page, then
- Click the link under the name of the subspecialty you have just chosen
Free help with transition to electronic medical records
Available only to Academy and AAOE members, EMR Central is a free online resource to help you with your research and to understand available Academy's resources. Use EMR Central to compare vendors across features such as sample costs for purchasing, installing and training. EMR Central also provides links to events, article and books provided by the Academy and other organizations.
Academy now accepting fiscal 2007 practice data for the AAO/AAOE Benchmarking Survey
The Academy approved 180 data sets for fiscal year 2006 reporting, making it the largest and most current sampling of ophthalmology practice data available. Members in private medical settings can now submit 2007 practice data. Participation is confidential, quick and secure. Once your data has been approved, practices that have contributed data will be able to generate on-demand reports. Learn more online.
Submit data on eye injuries treated May 11 to 18
Raise awareness about eye injuries by participating in the fifth-annual Eye Injury Snapshot. Ophthalmologists, residents and all physicians (as applicable) are asked to document and report the eye injuries they treat. Submit all data by May 23; the form should take no more than a few minutes to complete.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Forbes magazine examines reasons not to become a doctor
Among them: the increasing costs of medical malpractice coverage, higher practice costs, lower insurance reimbursement rates and insurance-company restrictions resulting in less autonomy over how patients are cared for.
Nitric oxide-donating prostaglandin analog fails to meet primary end point of a phase 2 study
NicOx this week announced phase 2 results conducted by its partner Pfizer Inc. The study compared the safety and efficacy of PF-03187207 (a nitric oxide-donating prostaglandin analog) to latanoprost 0.005% in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension. While PF-03187207 showed an improvement over latanoprost, the improvement was not statistically significant. However, a statistically significant advantage over latanoprost was observed on a number of secondary endpoints (p<0.05).
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