October 2015

A Time to Harvest New Ideas

Allen C. Ho, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Robert L. Avery, MD, Associate Medical Editor

Retina News

Medical Update

A summary of general medical news that affects your patients, your practice, and you.

David S. Boyer, MD, Section Editor

Ophthalmologist Rand Paul's Message to ARDS Attendees

The Senator empathized with the complexities of today's ophthalmology practice.

Timothy G. Murray, MD, MBA, FACS

Vitreous Substitutes

As vitrectomy becomes a more attractive option for treatment of a number of retinal diseases, how do surgeons fill the space formerly occupied by the vitreous?

Aron Shapiro and Ryan Bouchard

Every Moment Counts

Our greatest resource is our time, so it behooves us to manage it well.

Bryan Kun Hong, MD

Same-Day Office Visits and Surgery: Getting Paid

Information to help make sense of coding and reimbursement nuances in billing for preoperative office visits and related procedures.

Riva Lee Asbell

Chandelier-Assisted Scleral Buckling

Can a new approach save the scleral buckle from extinction?

Riikka E.K. Nomides, BS; Michael I. Seider, MD; and Tamer H. Mahmoud, MD, PhD

A Retina Specialist in Nepal: Picking Up the Pieces

A retina specialist returns to his home nation to provide first-line medical assistance after an earthquake, and provides ocular surgical assistance after a second quake strikes the same region.

An interview with Pravin U. Dugel, MD

Vitreoretinal Staining Solutions

Part two of a three-part series in which surgeons share pointers on the optimal use of vital dyes in retina surgery.

Predictors of Vitreomacular Traction Release

A patient's profile may foretell resolution of vitreomacular traction.

David R.P. Almeida, MD, MBA, PhD, and Eric K. Chin, MD

Comparison of Intravitreal Steroids for Treatment of Cystoid Macular Edema Due to Retinal Vein Occlusion

Two steroid options demonstrated similar levels of efficacy and safety.

Ahmet Ozkok, MD, and Shlomit Schaal, MD, PhD

Vasoproliferative Tumor With Complete Response to Cryotherapy

Considerations and options for managing this benign retinal vascular mass.

Renelle Pointdujour-Lim, MD; Emil Anthony T. Say, MD; and Carol L. Shields, MD

Promising Pipeline for Treatment of Noninfectious Posterior Uveitis

Agents and delivery mechanisms in development may offer physicians assistance in treating this heterogeneous disorder.

Steven Yeh, MD

A Review of Biologics for Uveitis

Treatment of uveitis with these agents is increasingly promising.

Ashvini K. Reddy, MD, and Thomas A. Albini, MD

Ebola and the Eye

Individual, public, and global health implications.

Jessica G. Shantha, MD; Steven Yeh, MD; Brent Hayek, MD; and Ian Crozier, MD

Gene Therapy: The Next Frontier for Treatment of Acquired and Inherited Ocular Disorders

These cutting-edge approaches may soon successfully treat some forms of retinal diseases previously thought to be untreatable.

Carly Seidman, MD, and Szilá,rd Kiss, MD

The Future of Long-Term AMD Treatment

Could a novel drug-delivery platform be a new standard of care?

Allen C. Ho, MD

Suprachoroidal Administration: A Targeted Approach to Treating Retinal Diseases

This technique may allow a direct path for drugs to reach the back of the eye.

Shree K. Kurup, MD; Claudia G. Hooten, MD; and Sara V. Branson, BS

New Finding in the Treatment of Neovascular AMD

Polymorphic variability in the VEGFR-2 gene influences responsiveness to treatment with anti-VEGF agents.

Gareth J. McKay, PhD; Giuliana Silvestri, MD; Ruth E. Hogg, PhD; Christopher Patterson, PhD; Levente Arpad Toth, MD; John Philip Earle, PhD; and Usha Chakravarthy, MD, FRCS, FRCOphth, PhD

The Journey to Functionally Guided Retinal Protective Therapy for Chronic Progressive Retinopathies

Improvement in retinal function seen after panmacular subthreshold laser in patients with dry AMD and inherited degenerations.

Jeffrey K. Luttrull, MD

Micropulse Laser Therapy: Not The Emperor's New Clothes

The treatment may be invisible, but its effect may make it an alternative for patients with DME who cannot sustain anti-VEGF therapy.

Caesar K. Luo, MD

5Q With Lihteh Wu, MD

Lihteh Wu, MD, is a Consulting Surgeon with the Asociados de Macula Vitreo y Retina de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.