News

Concerns raised about Lady Gaga inspired circle lenses
14 July, 2010

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has issued a warning about the harm decorative circle lenses used by Lady Gaga in a recent video. Her wide-eyed doll look has been mimicked by her fans.

The AAO issued a press alert to consumers about the dangers of buying any type of decorative contact lenses, including circle lenses, without a prescription.

“Any type of contact lens is a medical device that requires a prescription, proper fitting by an eye care professional and a commitment to proper care by the consumer,” said the press statement.

FDA approves implantable telescope for patients with end-stage AMD(age related macular degeneration)
06 July, 2010

VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, Inc. announced in a press release that its Implantable Miniature Telescope for patients with end-stage AMD has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The first-of-its-kind implant uses magnification to reduce the impact of the blind spot caused by end-stage AMD. A clinical trial at 28 ophthalmic centers showed that patients achieved clinically meaningful gains in visual acuity and quality of life from using the implant.

French company testing ultrasound treatment for refractory glaucoma
02 July, 2010

EyeTechCare, a Lyon, France-based company formed in 2008, has announced the development of a novel system, EYEOP1, that uses highly focused ultrasound beams to deliver non-invasive treatment for refractory glaucoma. The one-minute procedure, which can be administered on an outpatient basis, involves fastening a disposable therapy device on the globe of the eyeball while the patient is under anesthesia. A "command module" enables the ophthalmologist to set parameters for the procedure and to control it throughout the treatment period while the ultrasound beams are shot into the ciliary bodies of a patient's eye through miniaturized transducers in a ring-shape probe. Clinical trials for the EYEOP1 are underway at a hospital in France. EyeTechCare hopes to attain the European Union's C-Mark approval for use in clinical settings by the end of this year.

FDA approves Lucentis for retinal vein occlusion
23 June, 2010

Genentech, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Lucentis (ranibizumab) for treating macular edema due to retinal vein occlusion. The FDA approved this new indication after a six-month Priority Review. Lucentis was first approved by the FDA in 2006 for the treatment of wet AMD.

Artificial cornea could reach patients this year
23 June, 2010

Dr Joachim Storsberg at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research in Germany has developed an artificial cornea. The ophthalmological polymer is designed to bond to the eye but remain unclouded by cells in its centre. Each year, 40,000 people in Europe are waiting for cornea donors. But donor corneas are not common.

The miniscale artificial cornea has to meet almost contradictory specifications: On the one hand, the material should grow firmly together with the cells of the surrounding tissue; on the other hand, no cells should settle in the optical region of the artificial cornea - i.e., the middle - since this would again severely impair the ability to see. The outer side of the implant must be able to moisten with tear fluids, otherwise the implant will cloud up on the anterior side. This would consequently require the patient to get a new prosthesis after a relatively brief period of time. The outer side of the implant must be able to moisten with tear fluid, so that the eyelid can slide across it without friction. Dr Storsberg found the solution with a hydrophobic polymer material. This material has been in use for a long time in ophthalmology, for example, in intraocular lenses. In order for it to satisfy the various characteristics required, complex development steps were necessary. The material was thoroughly modified on a polymer-chemical basis, and subsequently re-tested for public approval.

In order to achieve the desired characteristics, the edge of the implant was first coated with various, special polymers. Then, a special protein was added that contains the specific sequence of a growth factor. The surrounding natural cells detect this growth factor, are stimulated to propagate and populate the surface of the corneal margin. Thus, the cells of the surrounding tissue grow with the implant, and the artificial cornea attains stability. The eye prosthesis evolved jointly with physicians and manufacturers in the EU project, Artificial Cornea. The interdisciplinary research team needed three years to develop the artificial cornea. In a first step, they sent the chemical-biomimetic coated implant to Dr Karin Kobuch of the Poliklinik für Augenheilkunde at the Regensburg University Medical Centre and to the medical centre at the Technical University of Munich. The doctor examined the artificial corneas in dissected pigs eyes and specialized cell cultures. Eventually, the team under Dr Gernot Duncker and Dr Saadettin Sel of the University Centre for Ophthalmology in Halle (Saale) tested the more complex models in rabbits. There, the design was further refined: the optics were made smaller, and the implant haptic enlarged in order to maintain a more stable construction. Miro GmbH manufactured the implant, robin GmbH handled the distribution and sales and supported the specially adapted implantation centers in Europe. By 2009, a prosthesis was already successfully in use; further implantations are anticipated during the coming months of 2010.

FDA approves silicone hyrogel contact lens
22 June, 2010

Vistakon announced that it's 1-Day Acuvue TruEye contact lens has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The lens, which combines narafilcon B silicone hydrogel material and Vistakon's proprietary Hydraclear 1 technology, is the first silicone hydrogel daily disposable lens to receive FDA approval.