US OPHTHALMIC REVIEW – VOLUME 3 – SPRING 2008

This issue of US Ophthalmic Review contains a broad range of articles that will be of interest to a wide spectrum of readers. Importantly, they cover topics that are expected to have greater ramifications in the future. Indeed, the publication begins with a new ‘International Health’ section and an article by two young doctors on […]

Presbyopia is the age-related loss of accommodation and is often associated with a progressive inability to read fine print and to write. Worldwide, it is estimated that 45 million people are blind, but this figure does not take into account the number with uncorrected presbyopia, the estimate of which is unknown.1 The International Centre for […]

A non-contact specular microscope makes no direct contact with the eye and is effective in capturing images easily, two features that are important for clinical applications. However, there are some disadvantages such as a narrower capturing range and lower image quality compared with a contact-type specular microscope. It has also been found that errors can […]

Evaluation and monitoring of many ocular diseases require the visualization of vitreal, retinal, and subretinal microscopic structures. Optical coherence tomography (OCT), first reported in 1991,1 is an interferometric tool for 3D imaging of objects hidden in scattering media such as the human eye. With spatial resolution of just a few microns, this non-invasive imaging system […]

Glaucoma is a group of diseases resulting in an irreversible degeneration of the optic nerve. It is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, estimated to affect more than 60 million people by 2010.1 Pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PXFS) results in the deposition of microfibrillar material throughout the eye, with over 50% of cases developing glaucoma. […]

The first reported attempt to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) with a device was with a horse hair placed through the cornea to connect the anterior chamber to the external surface.1 Subsequently, various solid and tubular materials were tried with poor results, concisely reviewed by Lim et al.2 Successful reduction of IOP with a device was […]

The ‘Finger-tip’ cryoprobes were initially developed by Dr Finger to be used in the treatment of malignant conjunctival tumors. Furthermore, because of the unique large uniform freeze created on the spatulated oval-shaped tip, the probes have become a versatile surgical tool with numerous applications. Beyond the treatment of ocular tumors, the Finger-tip probe can be […]

This article will concentrate on the performance of perforating keratoplasties (pKPL) using the Femtec® femtosecond laser (fs-laser) (20/10 Perfect Vision AG, Heidelberg, Germany) and on the non-circular decagonal transplant form, which we now use routinely in pKPL. At the end of this report, we will discuss our preliminary experience and results with instrastromal presbyopia correction. […]

Corneal ectasia is a rare but serious post-operative complication that usually occurs after uneventful excimer laser surgery, i.e photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) or laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). It manifests as a progressive thinning of the cornea and steepening, usually inferiorly, with loss of uncorrected and often also best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA),1 which requires aggressive […]

Maintenance of the ocular surface is dependent on the complex interplay of the lids, lacrimal gland, tear film, conjunctiva, cornea, and neural network. Although multifactorial in etiology, severe ocular surface disorders (OSDs) commonly result in progressive inflammation, vascularization, scarring, and/or loss of visual function, often refractory to conservative medical therapy. Unique properties of human amniotic […]

Historically, the first line of treatment of dry-eye symptoms has been various types of eye drops and ointments, including wild cucumber juice containing egg white and goose fat. Water-soluble polymers began to be used in the middle of the 20th century, and gelatin, a denatured collagen, was the earliest natural polymer used in collyria. In […]

It has been estimated that there are almost five million American men and women over 50 years of age who experience dry-eye symptoms. This conservative estimate will correspondingly rise due to the anticipated growth of the ‘baby boomer’ age group, as well as the growth of refractive surgery. Numerous studies have reported not only a […]

Lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) are a group of more than 50 inheritable disorders.1,2 Although individually rare, they collectively affect approximately one in 5,000 live births.3 Defective metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates or lipids resulting from deficiency of one of the many lysosomal enzymes leads to pathological accumulation of substances within the lysosomes. This lysosomal accumulation triggers […]

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection of the eye is a major cause of corneal opacity in the US1 and other developed countries.2 Infection with either HSV-1 or HSV-2 is common. Data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) suggest an overall 58% seroprevalence rate for HSV-1—the predominant cause of herpes simplex keratitis2 […]

Over the past 35 years, a number of large population-based studies have concentrated on the epidemiology of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in persons aged 65 years and older in the US and other developed nations.1 Recent advances in effective therapies slow the progression of intermediate AMD to advanced […]

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of legal blindness among people over 50 years of age in the developed world. In spite of significant basic and clinical research, its pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Aging, smoking, and oxidative stress are some of the wellcharacterized

The focus of the application of information technology (IT) into healthcare has long been on systems such as patient administration systems (PAS), hospital information systems (HIS), laboratory information systems (LIS) etc., with disease specific systems offering in-depth clinical functionality being rather the poorer cousin when it has come to funding arrangements. While the larger suppliers […]

Bioptigen spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) is leading the development of OCT for applications in clinical and pre-clinical research applications. Bioptigen’s exceptional image quality, fully customizable highspeed image acquisition, and versatility of scanning optics combine in the only SDOCT system suitable for use from the clinic to the operating suite, for neonatal patients to adult, […]