NEAR-SIGHTEDNESS MORE PREVALENT NOW

The Best of Ophthalmology.....EyeWorld News Magazine

The American population is becoming significantly more myopic, with prevalence jumping from 25% in the early 1970s up to 41.6% in the recent period from 1999-2004. Investigators are unsure why this jump in myopia has occurred.being outdoors more did seem to be an important protective factor.

DOES GLAUCOMA DAMAGE START IN THE BRAIN?

Research set to change how we think about glaucoma in the future - Ophthalmology Times Europe

According to this paper, damage to the optic nerve glaucoma may originate in the brain and work it's way to the eyeball. This is counter to traditional thinking that all of the damage occurs first at the entrance of the optic nerve to the eyeball.

CARE FOR YOUR CONTACT LENS CASE

Contact Lens Cases: The Missing Link in Contact Lens Safety? : Eye & Contact Lens

Most eye infections appear to originate from contact lens cases. This paper reiterates the importance of contact lens case care with the following conclusion:

"Contact lens case contamination is a significant public health concern and may contribute significantly to the development of bacterial eye disease in contact lens wearers. Patients should be reminded that they must clean and disinfect their lens cases daily, should avoid the use of tap water for rinsing them, must not top up their solutions, must take into careful consideration where and how the cases are stored during the time that lenses are being worn and that they must be replaced regularly. The adoption of these methods will substantially reduce the levels of contamination of cases with pathogenic microbes."

BEST TREATMENT FOR CENTRAL RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION

Visual Outcomes in Five Different Approaches for Treatment of Central Retinal Vein Occlusion

Central Retinal Vein Occlusion is a disease with the main draining vein of the retina, in the eye, becomes blocked). This results in backup of blood, bleeding and swelling in the retina, and subsequent vision loss.

This study examined which current treatment modality improves final outcome. The best treatment was a radial optic neurotomy combined with triamcinolone injection in the eye. A radial neurotomy is performed by making radial incisions around the optic nerve on the nasal side of the nerve (the side closest to the nose). Somehow this takes pressure of the central retinal vein, enabling blood flow. Triamcinolone is a type of steroid that decreases inflammatory response.

HIGHER PRESSURE WHEN LYING DOWN MAY INDICATE GREATER RISK FOR VISUAL FIELD LOSS

Postural Response of Intraocular Pressure and Visual Field D... : Journal of Glaucoma

Patients with an average change in pressure between sitting up and laying down of 3.2mm Hg had less visual field damage than those patients with an average change in pressure of 4.5 mm Hg.

Conclusions: More advanced visual field damage was observed in eyes with greater increase in pressure with lying down. Therefore, there may be value in measuring the pressure in the supine position at the time of first diagnosis in patients with normal pressure ranges.

NEW GLAUCOMA DRUG TAFLOTAN RELEASED TO INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

Clinical appraisal of tafluprost in the reduction of elevated intraocu

An elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is one of the most important risk factors for the development of glaucoma, which causes progressive blindess.

Tafluprost was recently launched onto the market to lower eye pressure. Some studies suggest it has greater pressure-lowering effect with fewer side effects than Xalatan. It also appears to protect the optic nerve, independent of it's ability to lower pressure. If these findings are true, then we will have another weapon in our arsenal against glaucoma.

C'mon FDA!

ACUPUNCTURE MAY TREAT DRY EYE

Acupuncture for treating dry eye: a systematic review. Myeong Soo Lee. 2010; Acta Ophthalmologica - Wiley InterScience

Purpose: The objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment option for treating the condition of dry eye.

6 comparison studies were done. Three compared the effects of acupuncture with artificial tears in patients with dry eye. An analysis of the data showed that acupuncture improved signs of dry eye significantly more than artificial tears did. The other three studies compared the effects of acupuncture plus artificial tears with artificial tears alone. Two of these studies failed to show significant effects of acupuncture, while one reported significant effects. Two studies reported superior effects of acupuncture plus artificial tears, while one study failed to do so.

Conclusion: These results provide limited evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating dry eye. However, the total number of studies, the total sample size and the methodological quality were too low to draw firm conclusions.

EARLY PREVENTATIVE TREATMENT FOR OCULAR HYPERTENSION REDUCES PROGRESSION TO GLAUCOMA

From Archives of Ophthalmology

This study basically separated people at high risk for glaucoma that had high pressures in the eye. Some were treated with pressure lowering drops and some were not. A larger percentage of those that were not treated progressed to the actual diagnosis of glaucoma.

Therefore, patients who are at high risk should be watched more closely than they are and treatment should be considered earlier.