Month: June 2014

Bausch + Lomb, the
global eye health company, today announced the worldwide launch of
the Stellaris(R) PC (Procedural Choice) Vision Enhancement System.
The new, state-of-the-art, combined vitrectomy and
phacoemulsification system allows surgeons to have true “procedural
choice” by providing the most advanced technology for both
vitreoretinal and cataract surgery in a single system.

The new Stellaris PC provides a high-performance, feature-rich,
combined experience that leverages Bausch + Lomb’s history in retinal
innovation with the demonstrated excellence of the Stellaris
phacoemulsification platform. It is a versatile system that allows
surgeons the flexibility to perform different ophthalmic procedures
while saving time, space and money for the surgeons and the patients
they serve.

Dr. Carl Awh, a long-time adviser to Bausch + Lomb and a
private-practice physician with Tennessee Retina in Nashville, said,
“The Stellaris PC meets the needs of today’s vitreoretinal and
cataract surgeons. It allows us to perform the most advanced
techniques with an intuitive, more compact system and is ideally
equipped for both the ambulatory surgery center and the hospital
operating room.”

The Stellaris PC offers the following benefits to surgeons and their
patients:

— It combines a sleek design, a small footprint and a wireless footpedal
with Dual Linear control which allow for easier and faster set-up
times and less operating room congestion.

— It is the only vitreoretinal surgical system that comes with a dual
light source and surgeon-selected color filters that allow for
differentiated viewing designed to enhance the surgeon’s ability to
see ocular tissue better under various surgical conditions.

— It provides surgeons with a platform for the smallest incisions for
both retinal and cataract surgeries. It is capable of 1.8 mm
MICS(TM) phacoemulsification as well as being a complement with
Bausch + Lomb’s innovative TSV 25-gauge system of instruments for
retinal surgery along with the 23- and standard 20-gauge instruments.

— It also comes with its revolutionary Stable Chamber(TM) tubing
system which allows for higher vacuum levels without compromising the
stability of the chamber and overall safety which allows for truly
small incision cataract surgery without the risk of potential surges
in the eye.

Russ Finlay, global marketing director, Vitreoretinal Business, Bausch
+ Lomb, noted, “When we spoke with the surgeons about the type of
device they prefer, they emphasized how important it was to keep this
device intuitive for the surgeon. As a result, we designed the
Stellaris PC for simplicity and efficiency which lets the surgeon
keep his or her mind on the patient and not the system set-up. The
Stellaris is an advanced, versatile and unique product that will help
retinal and cataract surgeons around the world in their efforts to
achieve improved patient care and clinical efficiency.”

Robert Grant, president and CEO, Surgical Business, Bausch + Lomb,
commented, “I am very excited that we have this innovative and proven
technology to provide for our physician customers and their
patients.”

The Stellaris PC replaces the Millennium(R) Microsurgical System.

Source:
Bausch + Lomb

The General Optical Council (GOC) has welcomed the publication of the
government’s review of the regulation of non-medical healthcare
professionals.

During the review, the GOC highlighted opportunities to improve patient
protection through more coordination and consistency between the
healthcare regulators, employers and other players in the UK healthcare
system.

Registrar Peter Coe said: “I am very pleased that the review’s findings
will now be available for discussion and debate. We haven’t had a chance
to look in detail at the recommendations. Clearly, that is something we
will be doing over the coming weeks as we consider the implications for
the Council. We look forward to working with the Department of Health,
the other regulators and the CHRE to ensure that UK health regulation
continues to improve to protect public health and safety.”

1 – The GOC’s response to Review of Non medical Professional Regulation
Call for Ideas is available from our
website

The Council highlighted the need for a consistent approach from
healthcare regulators and set out opportunities to improve patient
protection:

— Fitness to practise investigation and adjudication systems need
greater clarity and consistency. Such systems must have the confidence
of both the public and the profession.

— Specialty registers should be used to manage areas where scope of
practice is widening.

— ‘New and extended roles’ which relate to competencies already
regulated should be regulated by the same body, as with dental team
regulation.

— Better communication between the players in the UK health system could
help regulators, for example to revalidate practitioners or identify bad
practice.

— The GOC is the regulator for the optical professions in the UK. Its
purpose is to protect the public by promoting high standards of
education and conduct amongst opticians. The Council currently registers
around 22,000 optometrists, dispensing opticians, student opticians and
optical businesses.

optical

Okuvision GmbH, an innovator in the field of electrical stimulation therapy (EST) for early and intermediate stage retinitis pigmentosa patients, today announced the presentation of data from the company’s first sham-controlled pilot study at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting. The study included 24 patients suffering from early and intermediate stage retinitis pigmentosa who were separated into three groups and received EST at varying strengths for 30 minutes once a week for six weeks. The presentation was delivered by lead author, Dr. Florian Gekeler of the Centre for Ophthalmology, Tuebingen University Eye Hospital, and is one of four Okuvision-related presentations being given at the 2011 ARVO Annual Meeting convening May 1-5 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Dr. Gekeler’s poster presentation titled, “Transcorneal Electrical Stimulation in Patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa,” highlights findings from Okuvision’s first clinical trial which began in 2007 using a thread electrode to stimulate the retina with small amounts of current. Twenty-four patients with early and intermediate stage retinitis pigmentosa were randomized and separated into three different groups. Each group received different levels of stimulation-the first was treated without electrical current, the second with 67 percent of the individual threshold, and the third with 150 percent of the patient’s threshold for 30 minutes a week for six weeks. Final evaluation showed a +20 percent statistically significant improvement in the field of vision by patients who received the 150 percent stimulation. The findings from this study emphasize that electrical stimulation of the retina liberates growth factors which may be able to delay retinal degeneration.

“Our team began this study with the goal of determining whether electrical stimulation therapy could safely and effectively preserve vision for early stage retinitis pigmentosa patients,” said Dr. Florian Gekeler, consultant at the Centre for Ophthalmology of the University of Tuebingen, Germany. “The visual results achieved surpassed our initial expectations and it is our hope that these results will be the first step in ensuring that EST is considered a viable treatment option to slow the degenerative progress for retinitis pigmentosa patients.”

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is one of the most common forms of inherited retinal degeneration that grows worse over time. Affecting approximately 300,000 people in the world, this progressive condition typically causes severe vision problems in adulthood, often resulting in complete blindness. While there are no approved treatment options that can slow the onset of RP, this study presents patients with a promise of hope in delaying the degeneration of the eye.

“The results of our study show promise that a treatment option, while not a cure for retinitis pigmentosa, could be available in the future,” said Dr. Walter-G. Wrobel, chairman and founder, Okuvision GmbH. “While much is still unknown about EST technology, the results of the study are a great step toward determining efficacy of this treatment and we look forward to conducting further studies to potentially reach out to those who are hopeful in delaying the effects of retinitis pigmentosa.”

The study findings were also reported online on April 5, 2011 in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, the official journal of ARVO (A.Schatz et.al., IOVS Papers in Press. Published on April 5, 2011 as Manuscript iovs.10-6932).

The Okuvision therapy device is not for sale in the United States.

Source:

Okuvision GmbH

As the U.S. population ages, manufacturers of consumer goods are realizing that many customers may not be as nimble-fingered or sharp-sighted as they once were. To help product designers and engineers address those changing requirements, researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have been developing evaluation methods and design techniques to identify and address the needs of all consumers, including those with functional limitations.

GTRI’s latest product is a pair of arthritis simulation gloves, which reproduce the reduction in functional capacity experienced by persons with arthritis. The gloves help those responsible for consumer products better understand how arthritis affects a person’s ability to grasp, pinch, turn, lift and twist objects.

“A product manager or designer can put these gloves on and attempt to open their company’s products or packaging,” explained GTRI principal research scientist Brad Fain. “If they are unable to open a product or package, then chances are high that people with moderate to severe symptoms of arthritis will also have difficulty opening it.”

The gloves can be used with a variety of consumer products, including medicine bottles, beverage containers, office supplies, medical devices, vehicles, cell phones and many other consumer products. They can also be used with many different types of packaging, including clamshell packages, cardboard boxes, cereal containers and foil packages.

Three companies, including Kraft Foods, are currently using the gloves in-house.

“Maxwell House always keeps our consumers’ needs in mind when designing packaging,” said Linda Roman, senior group leader for packaging strategic research at Kraft Foods. “For example, we used the gloves created by the Georgia Tech Research Institute to verify that the lid on our new instant coffee jar is accessible for those who have difficulty opening jars with regular caps. The gloves helped us evaluate the EZ Grip lid to be sure that our lid is, in fact, easy for our consumers to use.”

The gloves were designed to reduce a wearer’s functional ability to grasp something and either pull or rotate it by 33-50 percent. They also stiffen an individual’s finger joints and restrict the range of motion of his or her fingers. To create the finger stiffness and reduced finger strength experienced by individuals with arthritis, the gloves were designed with metal wires between layers of neoprene and other fabrics.

In addition to identifying ease of use issues with products, the gloves are also intended to raise awareness about issues faced by people with disabilities and to support programs focused on ease of use in design. Currently, the Arthritis Foundation in the United States and Arthritis Australia are using the gloves for such educational purposes.

The gloves can be purchased alone, or as part of GTRI’s disability awareness kit, which also includes a low-vision simulation kit, a finger strength simulation kit and a CD training program. The finger strength simulation kit consists of finger exercises that are calibrated to certain amounts of force recommended for packaging and the training program teaches individuals how to use the gloves.

The low-vision simulation kit contains a pair of glasses that simulate common visual disabilities, including various degrees of cataracts, visual acuity problems, contrast sensitivity issues and age-related macular degeneration.

“A product manager can put the glasses on and observe products to see if he or she can read important things written in small print, like instructions or an expiration date,” added Fain.

In the future, many baby boomers will likely demand the same access to products that they currently have — even as their functional abilities decline.

“These older individuals will attribute any inability to open or use a product with deficiencies in the product itself,” added Fain. “That message or perception can be detrimental to companies because they want to avoid being associated with a product that’s difficult to use. The arthritis simulation gloves and the rest of the items in the disability awareness kit can help companies avoid these design mistakes.”

The gloves were created through funding by GTRI’s independent research and development program. To purchase the arthritis simulation gloves or the disability awareness kit, please visit: gtri.gatech.edu/facilities/aef.

Source:
Abby Vogel
Georgia Institute of Technology Research News

Tokyo, Japan – Santen Pharmaceutical announced on February 14 the preliminary results of overseas clinical trials of DE-092 (olmesartan) and DE-085 (tafluprost), two drug candidates for the treatment of glaucoma.

Santen Incorporated, Santen’s wholly owned subsidiary in the US, has conducted an early phase II clinical trial of DE-092. Although the eye pressure-lowering effect was observed, the results failed to indicate an evident correlation between dose-response and use of the agent.

In the meantime, Santen Oy, Santen’s wholly owned subsidiary in Finland, has conducted a phase III clinical trial of DE-085. Again, the agent demonstrated an eye pressure-lowering effect, but any favorable result was obtained from a non-inferiority study in which DE-085 was compared with latanoprost.

In accordance with the aforementioned results, Santen plans to reconsider its development strategies for DE-092 and DE-085 in the US and Europe. In Japan, however, the company will proceed with research on the two agents as previously scheduled.

By Aki Tsukioka, JCN Staff Writer

Company Profile.

Copyright � 2006 JCN. All rights reserved. A division of Japan Corporate News Network KK.

One or two rounds of high coverage mass treatment with azithromycin, rather than the annual treatment recommended by the World Health Organisation, may be enough to eliminate the eye disease trachoma in communities with moderate levels of infection.

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine’s Trachoma Group has written a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine, outlining the findings of a trial some of its members carried out in Kahe Mpya, Tanzania, and calling for a re-think on the way communities affected with trachoma are treated.

As part of the trial, 97.6% of residents were treated with single-dose azithromycin and the prevalence of trachoma fell from 9.5% to 0.1% after two years. A second round of mass treatment was carried out at 24 months, and residents were examined at 42 and 60 months. Those with active trachoma were offered a course of tetracycline eye ointment. After 60 months, three years after the second round of mass treatment, trachoma DNA was not detected in the conjunctiva of any of the 859 patients swabbed, suggesting that the infection had been eliminated.

The World Health Organisation currently recommends three years of annual mass azithromycin treatment before reassessment in communities where prevalence in children aged between one and nine years is 10% or greater.

Dr. Anthony Solomon, lead author of the letter, comments ‘Had WHO recommendations on antibiotic use been followed, three or possibly six annual rounds of mass treatment would have been offered in this community, whereas our data suggest that one round was sufficient. The less antibiotic we can use in each community, the more people we’ll be able to use donated antibiotic for, and the lower the likelihood of the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains’.

Source: Gemma Howe

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Age-dependent macular degeneration (AMD) is the commonest cause of blindness in the western industrialised nations. Hereditary changes in the regulation of the immune system influence the risk of contracting AMD. Opthalmologists at the University Clinic in Bonn, working in co-operation with researchers from G?�ttingen, Regensburg and Great Britain, have now, for the first time, demonstrated that in cases of senile blindness the patient??s immune resistance is hyperactive throughout his entire body.

An Anglo-German research team embracing immunologists from G?�ttingen University has added a further important aspect to our current knowledge of the processes leading to senile blindness. For the first time, they have been able to show that in the case of patients with AMD their entire immune system is hyperactive. It had not previously been known whether such an immune reaction affecting the entire body played any role in this eye disease.

The investigation was conducted by scientists from Bonn, G?�ttingen, Regensburg and Oxford under the leadership of Privatdozent Dr. Hendrik Scholl of Bonn University??s Eye Clinic. The results achieved by this research team have now been published in the current edition of the Public Library of Science??s (PloS) online journal ONE:
plosone/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0002593

Faults in the (immune) System

The Anglo-German research team worked on the hypothesis that one cause of the appearance of senile blindness, AMD, might be faulty regulation of the so-called complement system. This system is an important element in our hereditary immune resistance, and is involved where inflammatory reactions occur. Previously, it had only been known that changes in genes containing the hereditary information for proteins in the complement system increase the risk of contracting AMD. Some of these proteins activate, others inhibit, the complement system.

The team examined the blood of a total of 112 AMD-patients and 67 healthy control persons for signs of faults in the regulation of their complement systems. They sought out changes in protein concentration which would indicate activation of the complement system. The experiments were conducted in G?�ttingen University??s Department for Cellular and Molecular Immunology under the leadership of Professor Dr. Martin Oppermann. The investigations of the patients?? blood did, indeed, reveal clear changes in the concentrations of a number of complement proteins which, moreover, correlated closely to the previously identified hereditary factors.

Dormant inflammatory Situation of the Body

“Our study has revealed for the first time that in the case of AMD patients the complement system is hyperactive over the entire body”, Dr. Hendrik Scholl declares. The typical substances indicating a permanent inflammatory reaction circulate in the blood. “These results infer that senile blindness may arise from a permanent state of inflammation in the body. This can obviously lie dormant for decades, then in advanced old age can lead to the appearance of symptoms of the disease. According to Dr. Scholl, the point of most acute vision, at the centre of the retina, appears to be the susceptible point.

In Germany, an estimated 4.5 million people suffer from age-dependent macular degeneration (AMD). With this disease, the point of most acute vision on the retina (macula) becomes subject to progressive deterioration. The patient can no longer read, and he or she loses the ability to lead an independent existence. Opthalmologists had hitherto known comparatively little about the causes of this disease, except that hereditary factors were involved, and also other easily influenced factors, such as smoking.

BONN UNIVERSITAET
D-53012 Bonn
uni-bonn.de

A panel of leading global glaucoma specialists reveals today the first consensus on intraocular pressure (IOP) assessment and control in patients with glaucoma. The panel concluded that monitoring and reducing peak IOP in patients with glaucoma, in combination with assessing and reducing long-term IOP fluctuation are crucial factors in providing optimal patient care. The panel’s findings are being presented today for the first time at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual meeting.

Lowering IOP is currently the only approach demonstrated to prevent or delay glaucoma progression. Glaucoma, affecting approximately 70 million people worldwide, can lead to blindness if left untreated and is currently the second leading cause of blindness in the world.

Mean IOP is currently used as the primary measure of IOP control. To date, there has been no agreement about whether solely reducing the mean level of IOP is optimal for treatment of patients, and what the importance is of daily fluctuations or fluctuations across visits in terms of disease progression.

“Up until now there has been much debate about the significance of long-term IOP fluctuation, and there is still conflicting evidence regarding the relevance of fluctuation in the clinical care of glaucoma patients,” said George A. Cioffi, M.D., Chair of the Consensus Panel and Director of Glaucoma Service, Devers Eye Institute for Legacy Health, Portland, Ore. “The panel examined areas of consensus and disagreement regarding long-term IOP fluctuation and when it should be assessed in both patients with progressing glaucoma as well as those who have their IOP under control.”

The experts concluded that reducing peak IOP levels and long-term IOP fluctuation is clinically significant and may reduce functional vision loss. The panel highlighted the use of medications such as prostaglandins in the management of glaucoma to specifically reduce long-term IOP fluctuation.

“Understanding how to more fully characterize IOP is challenging for medical professionals,” said Paul P. Lee, M.D, J.D, Professor of Ophthalmology, Vice Chairman, Duke University, Durham, NC. “Determining key IOP parameters is fundamental for patients at risk of developing glaucoma. The modified Delphi process employed by the expert panel was instrumental in determining whether consensus could be gained among glaucoma experts concerning the measurement, characterization, and potential implications of IOP and its fluctuation over time for glaucoma treatment.”

The lack of consensus by the experts on other IOP parameters highlighted the need for further investigation into the role of IOP control in glaucoma management and how these should be most appropriately assessed.

New Data Show Prostaglandins Effectively Reduce IOP Fluctuation

Additional new data presented today at ARVO confirm that prostaglandins are effective in reducing long-term IOP fluctuation. A retrospective analysis of the Xalatan Lumigan Travatan (XLT) study show that three prostaglandins, latanoprost, bimatoprost and travoprost reduce the percentage of patients with fluctuating IOP. The study included 410 patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension (OHT), of which 64 percent were experiencing high fluctuating IOP before treatment. The reduction in the proportion of patients with high fluctuation was most significant in the latanaprost group. After treatment, the proportion of patients with high fluctuation decreased to 21 percent, followed by bimatoprost at 28 percent and travoprost at 36 percent.

“Interestingly, this retrospective analysis of the XLT study shows that just looking at mean IOP reduction may not provide the complete picture of what is important in IOP control,” said Rohit Varma, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Ophthalmology and Preventive Medicine, Director, Glaucoma Service and Ocular Epidemiology Center, Doheny Eye Institute, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA. “We have highlighted that assessing the efficacy of topical prostaglandins using a simple measure of long-term IOP fluctuation shows a difference between the various treatment options even though mean IOP reduction does not. Consistent monitoring of IOP fluctuation and individualized treatment of patients along the disease continuum is likely to be instrumental in delaying glaucoma progression.”

About Pfizer Ophthalmics

Pfizer Ophthalmics, a division of Pfizer Inc, is committed to preserving sight and eliminating preventable blindness. Pfizer Ophthalmics discovers, develops and provides leading treatments in ophthalmology to support patients who are at risk of blindness or suffering from vision impairment, and to serve the health care professionals who treat them. Its current product line includes the most prescribed treatment to lower elevated eye pressure in patients with ocular hypertension (abnormally high eye pressure) or open-angle glaucoma. Pfizer Ophthalmics also markets a treatment for neovascular age related macular degeneration outside the U.S. This same treatment is marketed in the U.S. by (OSI) Eyetech.

www.pfizerophthalmics

View drug information on Lumigan; Travatan.

A team from City University London’s Optometry Department has won a commercial award from the Emerald proof of concept fund, after pitching to a ‘Dragon’s Den’ panel of judges. The award will help develop eyeVisor™: a portable, inexpensive, head-mounted instrument that could play a role in the screening and home monitoring of chronic eye conditions such as glaucoma or macular degeneration.

The team from City’s Department of Optometry and Visual Science, led by Dr. David Crabb, presented the eyeVisor™ concept to a panel of expert judges, including entrepreneurs, technical experts and investors. The head-mounted instrument was awarded a total grant of ??40,000, by the Emerald funding body.

Dr David Crabb says: “We have demonstrated that we can successfully pitch a research idea which has true potential in translating to clinical and practical use. The funding is significant because it allows us to develop a prototype and examine other design issues.”

The unit is compact, with one major benefit being from the potential to bring portable eye care into regions, for example developing countries, where Optometry facilities are few and far between.

The Emerald funding body was established by eight leading universities and supported by the London Development Agency (LDA). The funds are distributed in the form of grants to academics on a competitive basis to enable them to establish the commercial potential of a concept resulting from their research.

Professor Richard Brook, Emerald Fund Coordinator said: “The panel was impressed with the concept, ambition and cohesion of the team. The commercial and healthcare impact could be significant.”

Source
City University London

Higher Colon Cancer Risk in Uveal Melanoma Patients and Their Relatives Compared to General Population, was presented by Frederick H. Davidorf, MD, during the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2007 Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Uveal melanoma is the most common intraocular cancer in adults. This study involved 130 uveal melanoma patients who provided their extended family medical histories. Results showed that a small, but significant, number of uveal melanoma patients and their families are at higher risk for development of other cancers, most significantly colon cancer. “Therefore, ophthalmologists need to advise patients about the necessity of screening for colon cancer both for themselves and for their blood relatives,” advised Dr. Davidorf. Identification of specific genetic changes associated with increased risk for uveal melanomas may provide further insight into the molecular pathogenesis of this cancer.

Davidorf is a professor at The Ohio State University’s Department of Ophthalmology in Columbus, Ohio.

Established in 1928, ARVO is a membership organization of more than 11,700 eye and vision researchers from over 70 countries. The Association encourages and assists its members and others in research, training, publication and dissemination of knowledge in vision and ophthalmology. ARVO’s headquarters are located in Rockville, Md. For more information, logon to arvo/.

Contact: Karen Colson

Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology