Author: Laser Locators

Eye Problems and Diabetes

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If you have diabetes, regular visits to your ophthalmologist for eye exams are important to avoid eye problems. High blood sugar (glucose) increases the risk of diabetes eye problems. In fact, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults age 20 to 74. High blood sugar in diabetes causes the lens of the eye to swell, which changes your ability to see. To correct this kind of eye problem, you need to get your blood sugar back into the target range (90-130 milligrams per deciliter or mg/dL before meals, and less than 180 mg/dL one to two hours after a meal). It may take as long as three months after your blood sugar is well controlled for your vision to fully get back to normal. Blurred vision can also be a symptom of more serious eye problem with diabetes. The three major eye problems that people with diabetes may develop and should be aware of are cataracts, glaucoma, and retinopathy.

Diabetic Retinopathy

The retina is a group of specialized cells that convert light as it enters though the lens into images. The eye nerve or optic nerve transmits visual information to the brain. Diabetic retinopathy is one of the vascular (blood-vessel related) complications related to diabetes. This diabetes eye problem is due to damage of small vessels and is called a “microvascular complication.” Kidney disease and nerve damage due to diabetes are also microvascular complications. Large blood vessel damage (also called macrovascular complications) includes complications like heart disease and stroke.

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Presbyopia – New Technologies & Treatments

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Excimer Lasers and Multifocal Corneal Ablations

Alarcón et al evaluated different theoretical models of a multifocal cornea for the correction of presbyopia by laser ablation using ray tracings. Because the pupil’s size decreases with accommodation, the investigators preferred the central model to obtain optimal multifocality with the achievement of a 2.4-mm central zone diameter to the peripheral model with a 2.9-mm central zone. It should be noted that, although near vision is better, the quality of distance vision provided by these models is worse than that of a presbyopic emmetropic eye.

In a clinical trial conducted over 12-months showed results of aspheric wavefrontguided LASIK to treat hyperopic presbyopia. They treated 66 eyes of 33 patients using the Visx Star S4 IR (Abbott Medical Optics Inc.). Six months postoperatively, mean corrected distance visual acuity was 20/20+1, and distance corrected near visual acuity was 2.7 ±1.7, with a maximum of a 6-line improvement in near vision. At 12 months, 100{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} of patients achieved a binocular simultaneous UCVA of 20/25 or better and J3. Negative spherical aberration highly correlated with a postoperative improvement in distance corrected near visual acuity. In their conclusions, the researchers stated that patients who had a larger amount of preoperative hyperopia or a greater decrease in preoperative distance-corrected near visual acuity were more likely to have overall satisfaction.

A chart review of 178 consecutive patients underwent bilateral presby-LASIK (or progressive multifocal LASIK) using the WaveLight Allegretto excimer laser (Alcon Laboratories, Inc.). The patients had a preoperative refractive error of emmetropia, myopia of up to -5.00 D, or hyperopia of up to +3.00 D and no more than 3.00 D of astigmatism. Of 102 patients with at least 3 months’ postoperative follow-up, 81{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} had a binocular distance UCVA of 20/20 or better, and 98{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} saw 20/25 or better. Additionally, 44{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} achieved J1 binocular near acuity, 60{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} J2, and 96{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} J3 or better.

Another clinical trial presented early outcomes of Intracor femtosecond laser treatment for presbyopia. The investigators treated the nondominant eye of 25 patients using the Technolas Perfect Vision femtosecond laser (Technolas Perfect Vision GmbH). The procedure involves the creation of five consecutive intrastromal rings around the line of sight. Treatment times were approximately 20 seconds. The mean gain in UCVA was 4.42 lines, with a range of 0 to 9 lines of improvement. The mean loss of distance BCVA was -0.46 ±0.83.9 Similarly, Ruiz et al evaluated 83 eyes of 45 patients with 6- to 12-month follow-up. Of the 83 eyes, 89.2{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} achieved both J2 and 20/25 or better, and 69.9{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} achieved a near UCVA of J1. This technology has the advantage of being minimally invasive, with a rapid effect manifesting within minutes to several hours. Further investigation of long-term stability is ongoing.

Related data from a safety study performed in the Philippines by Harvey S. Uy, MD. Fourteen patients were between 45 and 60 years of age with 20/40 or better BCVA, had no greater than grade 2 cataracts, and had originally consented to cataract surgery. All underwent unilateral treatment with the option to proceed to cataract surgery after 1 month of follow-up. Early results showed no progressive cataract formation at 1 month.

At Laser Locators we carry the top name surgical and diagnostic ophthalmic equipment manufacturers you can trust, like Acon, Nidek, Lumenis and more for preforming all of your precise ophthalmic procedures. Contact us at www.laserlocators.com  or call 1-877-924-2020 and let one of our expert equipment locators help you today.

Glaucoma and Trabeculoplasty

Posted on by Laser Locators

Glaucoma is not just one eye disease, but a group of eye conditions resulting in optic nerve damage, which causes loss of vision. Abnormally high pressure inside your eye (intraocular pressure) is in most cases the cause of this damage.

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness and can damage your vision so gradually you may not notice any loss of vision until the disease is at an advanced stage. The most common type of glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma, has no noticeable signs or symptoms except gradual vision loss.

Early diagnosis and treatment can minimize or prevent optic nerve damage and limit glaucoma-related vision loss. It’s important to get your eyes examined regularly, and make sure your eye doctor measures your intraocular pressure.

Laser trabeculoplasty uses a very focused beam of light to treat the drainage angle of the eye. This surgery makes it easier for fluid to flow out of the front part of the eye, decreasing pressure in the eye. There are two types of laser trabeculoplasty: Argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT) uses a laser to open up the drainage angle of the eye. Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) uses a lower-level laser to open the drainage angle of the eye.

For laser trabeculoplasty eye drops are put in the person’s eye before or after the procedure to decrease the amount of fluid in the eyes and prevent elevation in eye pressure immediately after laser treatment. A special microscope (slit lamp) and lens (goniolens) are then used to guide the laser beam to the canals (trabecular meshwork) where fluid drains from the eye. The doctor makes small burns in the trabecular meshwork. Some people feel a heat sensation in the eye during the laser surgery.

L. Jay Katz, MD, provided an update on the forthcoming randomized clinical trial comparing selective laser trabeculoplasty with topical medical therapy using prostaglandin analogues as initial monotherapy for glaucoma. According to Dr. Katz, he and his fellow researchers found the two treatment options to be similarly efficacious out to 1 year.

Glaucoma can affect any age group including newborns, infants, children and the elderly. According to statistics provided by the Glaucoma Research Foundation, over four million people in the US suffer from glaucoma, of which only 50{0730eed075b45d9e50c00d6cd42dd08773e0164f29a45151808bf89051290974} are aware of their condition. Glaucoma presents a greater public health concern than cataracts because the blindness caused by glaucoma is irreversible. Thus, early detection through comprehensive eye examinations is the key to protect against glaucoma damage.

At Laser Locators we carry the top name surgical and diagnostic ophthalmic equipment manufacturers you can trust, like Acon, Nidek, Lumenis and more for preforming all of your precise ophthalmic procedures. Contact us at www.laserlocators.com  or call 1-877-924-2020 and let one of our expert equipment locators help you today.