EUROPEAN OPHTHALMIC REVIEW – VOLUME 5 ISSUE 1 – SUMMER 2011

Over the last few decades, technical and scientific development has generated an urgent need for the dissemination of updated knowledge to all personnel categories in healthcare. The demand for efficiency and quality in healthcare has increased and made it mandatory to supplant older methods when new and improved technologies become available. Practitioners in eye care […]

Today, we bear witness to a rapid and striking technological evolution so that the expectations of cataract patients have increased and it is no longer sufficient to guarantee patients good visual acuity for far distances. In fact, the majority of patients not only want to have good visual acuity at all the distances without glasses, […]

Blindness is one of the most feared health hazards in our present society; millions of Europeans are threatened by blinding, untreatable eye diseases producing costs of several billion Euros. The European Vision Institute (EVI) (www.europeanvisioninstitute.org) aims at devising and implementing programmes and projects for new therapeutic strategies for eye diseases that are difficult or impossible […]

Colour Doppler Imaging (CDI) is an established method for investigation of the ocular and orbital blood flow characteristics. It is an ultrasonographic method that has been employed for the evaluation of the circulatory status in much ocular pathology, but is most used for the investigation of the circulatory status in retinal vascular disorders and in […]

Ocular Inflammation and Cataract Surgery Ocular inflammation – characterised by redness, swelling, and/or pain – may occur as a result of irritation or trauma to the eye.1 It is an important concern following cataract surgery because it may lead to complications that ultimately can compromise visual outcome.

This article reviews minimally invasive approaches to strabismus surgery, which reduce tissue trauma, post-operative patient discomfort, hospital stay and working disability. For such techniques, it is advisable to use the operating microscope, although they can also be performed using magnifying spectacles. Usually, a higher magnification allows a less traumatic tissue dissection and a better control […]

Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is the most important and the only modifiable, known risk factor for glaucoma1–8 and consequently, most therapeutic interventions are directed at its modification.1–31 Both the peak levels2–4,18,21 and fluctuations15,19,23 have been known to impact disease development and progression, even in cases with statistically normal pressures.1,2,6,9,10,15,20,30 Most authors concur that IOP peaks […]

The tear film is fundamental in the maintenance of the ocular surface: alterations in quantity or quality result in an unstable tear film and onset of an ocular surface disease and/or a dry eye syndrome. The 2007 report of the International Dry Eye Workshop (DEWS) classified dry eye as caused by decreased tear secretion or […]

Glaucoma is a progressive, chronic and irreversible neuropathy with typical structural changes at the optic nerve head and with functional defects in the visual field, leading to blindness at the end stage. It is estimated that over 60 million people worldwide are now affected by this disease and this number will dramatically increase to about […]

Presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses (Pr-C IOLs) can provide a full range of visual corrections for far, intermediate and near vision. It is important to evaluate the outcomes from Pr-C IOLs in order to improve our results. Experience has taught us to test for certain parameters that best correlate with the patient’s real-life visual performance and satisfaction. […]

Refractive surgery has enjoyed a vast increase in demand over recent years, not just as a cosmetic and lifestyle-improving procedure, but also as a means of complying with occupational vision standards.1

The Crystalens HD (Bausch & Lomb, Rochester) is a new bifocal intraocular lens (IOL). It is a fourth-generation refractive IOL (see Table 1). Concerning this IOL-type, one can see a continuous improvement and further development concerning the design and refractive possibilities. In addition to treating cataracts, the Crystalens HD can be used to correct myopia, […]

There is a great demand for exact refractive results following cataract surgery or after refractive lens exchange. Patients are becoming more and more informed about new technologies and surgical methods of refractive correction. Today’s patients expect 20/20 uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) after routine cataract surgery. Despite advances in intraocular lens (IOL) designs, IOL power calculation […]

Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is a common vascular disorder with a prevalence of 0.7–1.56%.1,2 It occurs due to thrombosis of a retinal vein and is defined by the location of the obstruction (central, hemi or branch vein occlusion).3–5 Branch RVO (BRVO) occurs at arteriovenous crossing sites that share a common adventitia.5 Central retinal vein occlusion […]

In the ageing eye, vitreous body liquefaction (syneresis) and collapse (synchisis) occur together, with changes at the interface that weaken vitreoretinal adhesion and promote vitreoretinal separation in the majority of individuals. When vitreous gel liquefaction and weakening of vitreoretinal adhesion occur concurrently, the posterior vitreous cortex separates away from the internal limiting membrane (ILM) without […]

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of disorders whose main clinical features include diffuse photoreceptor dysfunction, diminished electroretinogram (ERG), and progressive visual field loss. The disorders affect approximately one in 5000 people worldwide.1 Clinical features often include peripheral retinal pigment epithelial atrophy, ‘bone spicule’ pigment clumping, waxy optic disk pallor and arteriolar attenuation. Patients often […]

Birdshot Birdshot chorioretinopathy (BCR) is a bilateral, posterior uveitis that accounts for 0.6–1.5% of patients seen for uveitis in large referral centres and 6–7.9% of patients with posterior uveitis.1

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is a highly prevalent, severely visually disabling disease affecting millions of people worldwide. As its name implies, the disorder affects the macula and therefore central vision, thereby causing significant disability and immeasurable personal impact not only to the patient, but also the family and loved ones caring for those afflicted.