Prevalence of laser vision correction in ophthalmologists who perform refractive surgery.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of laser corneal refractive surgery (laser vision correction [LVC]) among ophthalmologists who perform these procedures and to assess the willingness of these ophthalmologists to recommend LVC to immediate family members.

Setting: Online survey with results analyzed at Surgivision Consultants, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.

Dilute brimonidine to improve patient comfort and subconjunctival hemorrhage after LASIK.

Purpose: To investigate whether dilute brimonidine (0.025%) reduces patient discomfort, subconjunctival hemorrhage, and injection after LASIK without a significant increase in the rate of flap complications or surgical enhancements.

Methods: This randomized, double-blind, prospective study enrolled 180 patients (360 eyes) in a contralateral eye comparison of topical dilute brimonidine, naphazoline/pheniramine, or Systane Ultra (Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

Evaluating the speed of visual recovery following thin-flap LASIK with a femtosecond laser.

Purpose: To investigate the speed of visual recovery following myopic thin-flap LASIK with a femtosecond laser.

Methods: This pilot study prospectively evaluated 20 eyes from 10 patients who underwent bilateral simultaneous LASIK with the Femto LDV Crystal Line femtosecond laser (Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG) used to create a circular flap of 9.0-mm diameter and 110-μm thickness followed by photoablation with the Allegretto Wave Eye-Q (WaveLight AG) excimer laser.

Seroreactivity against aqueous-soluble and detergent-soluble retinal proteins in posterior uveitis.

Objective: To characterize the seroreactivity against retinal proteins in patients with posterior uveitis, retinal disease of noninflammatory origin, and healthy controls.

Methods: Patients with posterior uveitis (n = 47), molecularly confirmed photoreceptor degenerations (n = 11), and healthy controls (n = 33) received dilated fundus examinations at the University of Iowa. Aqueous-soluble and detergent-soluble fractions of human retina were separated by gel electrophoresis and transferred to polyvinylidene fluoride membranes.

Anti-γ-enolase autoimmune retinopathy manifesting in early childhood.

Objective: To describe the clinical, molecular, and serologic findings of a case in which autoimmune retinopathy and early-onset heritable retinal degeneration were both considered in the differential diagnosis.

Methods: A 3-year-old girl had clinical findings suggestive of a childhood-onset retinal degeneration. Samples of DNA and serum were collected.

Phacodynamics: an aspiration flow vs vacuum comparison.

Purpose: To compare actual flow and the vacuum necessary to generate that flow for the Advanced Medical Optics Sovereign (Advanced Medical Optics, Santa Ana, California, USA) and the Alcon Legacy (Alcon, Fort Worth, Texas, USA) phacoemulsification machines.

Design: In vitro laboratory study.

Methods: Flow was collected and machine indicated vacuum noted from 12 ml/min to 40 ml/min in 2 ml/min steps (20-gauge).

Comparison of thermal features associated with 2 phacoemulsification machines.

Purpose: To determine the thermal characteristics of the Legacy Advantec and Sovereign WhiteStar phacoemulsification machines during different clinically relevant scenarios.

Setting: In vitro study.

Methods: In water, temperature was recorded continuously on the sleeve in an artificial chamber, and the increase in temperature over baseline after 60 seconds of ultrasound was determined.

Legacy AdvanTec and Sovereign WhiteStar: a wound temperature study.

Purpose: To assess the wound temperature of the Sovereign WhiteStar (S-WS) (AMO) and Legacy AdvanTec (L-ADV) (Alcon) phacoemulsification systems.

Setting: John A. Moran Eye Center, Health Sciences Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.