US OPHTHALMIC REVIEW – VOLUME 5 ISSUE 2 – FALL 2012

There remain many unmet needs in Ophthalmology. This edition of US Ophthalmic Review discusses advancing skills and knowledge applied to three major sub-specialties: glaucoma, cornea and retina. The quest for new knowledge is a passion for many, and every new discovery is rewarding and intellectually stimulating. However, to provide true benefit to those suffering from […]

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy caused by the death of retinal ganglion cells and degeneration of their axons in the optic nerve.6 This leads to damage of the optic disc and subsequent loss of the visual field.6 Glaucoma is known to be one of the principal causes of blindness worldwide.7,8 Population-based data indicate that […]

In the treatment of any chronic disease, even the most effective medical therapies cannot achieve optimal success without patients’ co-operation with their prescribed regimens. Patient behaviors, outlooks, and circumstances that lead them to not take prescribed medications are still poorly understood. Such behaviors are probably the result of a complex interplay of many factors that […]

According to pooled data from large, population-based eye surveys, the estimated prevalence of myopic refractive error (-1 diopter [D] or less) in individuals >40 years old is 25.4, 26.6, and 16.4 % in the US, Europe, and Australia, respectively. For myopia less than -5 D, the prevalence estimates are 4.5, 4.6, and 2.8 %, respectively.1 […]

Vitreous loss is inevitable. Given the volume of cataract surgery and the variety of pathology presented by the human eye, even in the best of hands there will be some rate of complications involving loss of the integrity of the capsular or zonular structure. Our obligation to our patients is to prevent vitreous loss where […]

Eye infections are common and represent a major healthcare burden. Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and, less commonly, HSV type 2 (HSV-2) have been responsible for ocular infections in approximately 400,000 Americans. Moreover, nearly 50,000 new and recurring cases are diagnosed annually in the US with a quarter of cases being the more serious […]

Because of increasing numbers of cases with corneal and limbal thinning, ways to stop or reverse the degenerative changes induced by corneal surgery (radial incisions, laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), lamellar keratoplasty) and degenerative diseases such as keratoconus have become imperative. These include several surgical and non-surgical modalities (vitamin therapy, ultraviolet (UV) light therapy and […]

Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pharmacotherapy, introduced in 2004,1 has evolved over the last decade to revolutionize the treatment of patients suffering from subretinal choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Anti-VEGF agents, which are readily available today, are much better, more potent, and longer acting in comparison with previous treatment modalities, and therefore have dramatically improved the […]

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible central vision loss and legal blindness in developed countries.1–3 AMD represents a chronic disease with various phenotypic manifestations, disease stages and rates of progression over time. Severe vision loss results from choroidal neovascularisation (CNV), pigment epithelial detachment, or geographic atrophy (GA) of the retinal […]

Abstract Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among the elderly in developed countries. Much progress has been and continues to be made in search of better visual outcomes for dry and exudative AMD. Over the past decade, the importance