CONTENTS

New Journal Studies

• Customized toric phakic IOL manufactured to meet the needs of a single patient with high astigmatism
  
• Latanoprost-treated darkened irides show no premalignant changes
  
• Fixed combination of bimatoprost/timolol achieved better outcomes than either component administered individually
  
• Rotterdam Study findings suggest venular widening reflects lowered oxygen supply to the brain
  
• SmartPlug achieves equivalent clinical efficacy to silicone punctal plugs for dry eye
  
• CMV deemed common among immunocompetent hypertensive anterior uveitis patients

Academy News

• Academy leaders offer perspective and helpful guidance following last month’s emotionally charged FDA LASIK hearing
  
• ProVision Series 4 – put your clinical knowledge to the test
  
• How can O.N.E help you conduct precise clinical searches quickly?

Industry News

• ThromboGenics presents updated results from the Vitreomacular Traction Trial
  
• Aravind Eye Care System wins Gates Award

NEW JOURNAL STUDIES

Customized toric phakic IOL manufactured to meet the needs of a single patient with high astigmatism
A 40-year-old woman with high astigmatism and thin corneas underwent bilateral implantation with toric Implantable Collamer Lenses manufactured to meet her specific refractive cylinder requirements. Her preoperative subjective refractive cylinder of -5.25 x 6° in the right eye and -5 x 176° in the left eye improved to -0.5 x 77° and -0.5 x 115°, respectively. She could see 20/20 in the right eye and 20/16 in the left, uncorrected. BSCVA was 20/16 in the right eye and 20/10 in the left. Postoperative UCVA was better than preoperative BSCVA in both eyes. Journal of Refractive Surgery, May 2008

Latanoprost-treated darkened irides show no premalignant changes
Researchers compared latanoprost-treated iridectomy specimens with and without darkening and non-latanoprost-treated control irides all obtained during glaucoma surgery. They found no evidence of melanocyte atypia in the 22 latanoprost-treated darkened irides, concluding that latanoprost-induced iris color changes were due to the comparatively thicker anterior border layer and greater amount of melanin in the anterior border layer and stroma measured in the latanoprost-treated darkened irides. Archives of Ophthalmology, May 2008

Fixed combination of bimatoprost/timolol achieved better outcomes than either component administered individually
Two double-masked randomized studies compared the effects of taking a fixed combination of bimatoprost and timolol once daily, bimatoprost once daily, and timolol twice daily in 1061 patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension. IOP reduction of more than 20 percent was achieved in 81.8 percent of the combination group, a significantly greater percentage than in the other groups, after two weeks, six weeks, and three months. A significantly greater percentage of combination patients also had IOP readings less than 18 mm Hg at all follow-up visits. Journal of Glaucoma, April/May 2008

Rotterdam Study findings suggest venular widening reflects lowered oxygen supply to the brain
This cross-sectional study of 696 Rotterdam study participants aged 55 and older found that those with arteriolar oxygen saturations of less than 96 percent had larger retinal venular diameters compared with those with higher arteriolar oxygen saturations. However, this association was seen only among those with the lowest tertile of cerebral blood flow. Ophthalmology, May 2008

SmartPlug achieves equivalent clinical efficacy to silicone punctal plugs for dry eye
This prospective study randomized 36 eyes diagnosed with dry eye to undergo insertion with a silicone punctal plug or the intracanalicular SmartPlug. Eyes in both groups experienced significant improvements in tear film breakup time, subjective dry eye symptoms, and ocular damage evidence after a mean of 11 weeks, and use of artificial tear drops was significantly reduced. Mean tear meniscus height significantly improved in the SmartPlug but not silicone plug group. Cornea, May 2008

CMV deemed common among immunocompetent hypertensive anterior uveitis patients
This retrospective, interventional case series found that 22.8 percent of 105 eyes with anterior uveitis in 104 HIV-negative patients tested by aqueous sampling were positive for CMV. Clinical presentation of the CMV-positive eyes included features of Posner-Schlossman syndrome and Fuchs heterochromic iridocyclitis. American Journal of Ophthalmology, May 2008

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ACADEMY NEWS

Academy leaders offer perspective and helpful guidance following last month’s emotionally charged FDA LASIK hearing
The message to physicians from the open public hearing was clear: we need to work harder at screening prospective patients, informing them of their risks and managing expectations. Read more on O.N.E., and offer your opinion at oneopinion@aao.org. Academy President David Parke also offers this message about the hearing.

ProVision Series 4 – put your clinical knowledge to the test
This self-assessment tool is perfect for practicing ophthalmologists working to keep up-to-date or as an exam preparation resource for residents. It features detailed discussions in nine subspecialty areas, and is available in both print and online formats.

How can O.N.E help you conduct precise clinical searches quickly?
To find content on O.N.E. (the Ophthalmic News & Education Network), simply enter your search in the O.N.E.™ Network search box, located at the top of our home page. Want to filter your search return to focus only on peer-reviewed journals? Simply click on the PubMed icon. Want to see what a Google search will return? Click on the Google icon.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

ThromboGenics presents updated results from the Vitreomacular Traction Trial
The company presented six-month follow-up results from its Phase IIa MIVI-IIT trial, a sham-controlled study of microplasmin for treating vitreomacular traction without the need for vitrectomy. Treatment was successful in most patients shortly after treatment. In contrast, only one of the sham injected patients had non-surgical resolution of their vitreomacular traction, and this took the full six months to achieve.

Aravind Eye Care System wins Gates Award
This innovative eye surgery network is the eighth recipient of the $1 million award for global health established by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. Based in Tamil Nadu in southern India, it has prevented blindness in millions of people.

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