Cataract News and Research

Latest Cataract News and Research

Britain plans to decentralize NHS, tranfer budget to general practitioners

British officials are proposing a plan to decentralize the National Health Service, news outlets report.

27 Jul 2010

Alcon second-quarter global sales increase 12.5% to $1.89 billion

Alcon, Inc. reported that global sales rose 12.5 percent to $1.89 billion for the second quarter of 2010, or 11.3 percent excluding the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations and acquisitions. Revenue from acquisitions added 40 basis points to sales growth in the quarter, while foreign currency fluctuations added 80 basis points of growth.

27 Jul 2010

Abbott second-quarter global sales increase 17.8% to $8.8 billion

Abbott today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

21 Jul 2010

HOYA, Adoptics partner to develop shape-changing accommodating intraocular lens

HOYA announced today that the Company has formed a strategic partnership with Adoptics (Switzerland) through an investment that will fund the development of a shape-changing accommodating intraocular lens (AIOL).

21 Jul 2010

Philadelphia to host 52nd annual meeting of American Association of Physicists in Medicine

Next week the city of Philadelphia will host the 52nd annual meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), the premier organization in medical physics, a broadly-based scientific and professional discipline encompassing physics principles and applications in medicine and biology.

16 Jul 2010

New myopia control technology for eye health benefits from Vision CRC

Scientists from the Vision Cooperative Research Centre in Australia have announced that myopia, or short-sightedness, can be controlled with new technology. This ground breaking discovery was based on research conducted by Vision CRC partners – the University of Houston College of Optometry and the Brien Holden Vision Institute, located at the University of New South Wales.

15 Jul 2010

Phase 1/2 clinical study of bepotastine besilate nasal spray initiated for seasonal allergic rhinitis

ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced it has initiated a Phase 1/2 clinical study of bepotastine besilate nasal spray for the treatment of symptoms associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis, the inflammation of the nasal passages caused by allergies. The randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of three concentrations of bepotastine besilate, dosed twice daily, in an Environmental Exposure Chamber model of allergic rhinitis caused by natural exposure to seasonal allergens.

14 Jul 2010

FDA approves IMT to improve vision in patients with end-stage AMD

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it has approved the Implantable Miniature Telescope to improve vision in some patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration.

7 Jul 2010

Emergency room visits increase in Mass., plus more hospital news

The Boston Globe: In Massachusetts, "[t]he number of people visiting hospital emergency rooms has climbed … despite the enactment of nearly universal health insurance that some hoped would reduce expensive emergency department use. According to state data released last week, emergency room visits rose by 9 percent from 2004 to 2008, to about 3 million visits a year.

7 Jul 2010

Alcon signs definitive agreement to acquire LenSx Lasers

Alcon, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire LenSx Lasers, Inc, a privately held company that developed the first femtosecond laser to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for use as a part of cataract surgery. The LenSx system is indicated for anterior capsulotomy and laser phacofragmentation during cataract surgery, providing a complementary surgical approach to certain manual steps within the traditional cataract procedure.

7 Jul 2010

Research findings suggest new treatment approach to improve corneal transplants

Although it is already one of medicine's most successful transplant procedures, doctors continue to seek ways to improve corneal transplants. Now, for the first time, a team of German and British researchers have confirmed that failure and rejection of transplanted corneas are more likely in patients whose eyes exhibit abnormal vessel growth, called corneal neovascularization, prior to surgery.

1 Jul 2010

Study: Near-normal glucose control does not delay risk of organ damage in diabetes patients

In people with longstanding type 2 diabetes who are at high risk for heart attack and stroke, lowering blood sugar to near-normal levels did not delay the combined risk of diabetic damage to kidneys, eyes, or nerves, but did delay several other signs of diabetic damage, a study has found. The intensive glucose treatment was compared with standard glucose control.

30 Jun 2010

Study highlights importance of individualized, patient-centered therapies

In an analysis from the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial, one of the largest studies of its kind to determine whether intensive blood glucose (sugar) control worked better than standard blood sugar control among diabetics, results show that the benefits of intensive therapy need to be balanced against the increase in total and cardiovascular disease-related death, increased weight gain, and high risk for severe low blood sugar.

30 Jun 2010

Genentech's Lucentis for treatment of macular edema following RVO receives FDA approval

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Lucentis® (ranibizumab injection) for the treatment of macular edema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO). The FDA approved this new indication after a six-month Priority Review.

23 Jun 2010

STAAR Surgical on list of preliminary additions to Russell 3000, Microcap, Global indexes

STAAR Surgical Company, a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of minimally invasive ophthalmic products, today announced that it has been included on a list of preliminary additions to the Russell 3000® Index, the Russell Microcap® Index and the Russell Global® Index posted by Russell Investments on June 11, 2010 on www.russell.com.

14 Jun 2010

Latinos have highest rates of eye disease: New research

New research suggests Latinos have the highest rates of eye disease in the United States, and one Los Angeles area clinic, Eye Physicians of Long Beach, is supremely prepared to meet the community's eye care needs.

2 Jun 2010

Congress needs to replace current outdated Medicare payment system

The Alliance of Specialty Medicine, representing over 100,000 specialty physicians nationwide, released the following statement on Congress's unwillingness to improve and permanently fix the Medicare reimbursement system:

29 May 2010

Amgen announces European approval of Prolia

Amgen Inc. today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for Prolia® (denosumab) for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women at increased risk of fractures, and for the treatment of bone loss associated with hormone ablation in men with prostate cancer at increased risk of fractures.

28 May 2010

STAAR Surgical to retire 1.7 million preferred shares through cash payment to Canon companies of $6.8M

STAAR Surgical Company, a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of minimally invasive ophthalmic products, today reported that it will retire 1.7 million preferred shares through a cash payment to the Canon companies of $6.8 million. STAAR originally issued the 1.7 million Series A Convertible Preferred shares as part of the Company's December 2007 purchase of the remaining 50% interest in Canon Staar Co., Inc.

21 May 2010

STAAR Surgical receives CE Mark approval for product improvements to Visian Implantable Collamer Lens

STAAR Surgical Company, a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of minimally invasive ophthalmic products, today announced CE Mark approval for a range of product improvements to the Company's Visian Implantable Collamer® Lens (ICL™) that more than doubles the current Visian addressable market in Europe.

20 May 2010