ESCRS Homepage

January 2003
IN THIS ISSUE

Long-term SLT results promise ‘valuable’ primary treatment
Retinal transplantation trials for RP look set to begin
EU guidelines give optimal correction licence to fly
Treatment for retinal dystrophies near fruition
Blindness cases climb in 60 to 80 years age bracket
WHO initiative targets childhood blindness
Digitised retinopathy screening improves efficiency
New hypotheses emerge on causes of wet AMD
Cataract surgery on the couch: What the future holds
Dark adaptation offers clue to earlier AMD diagnosis
Smoking may cause blindness in 20% of over 50-year-olds, say studies
New 3-D monitor brings surgery into digital world
CrystaLens new focus for spectacle-free vision
Long-term ICL data promising but cataracts still concern
Tattered Serbian health
system draws on ECOSG in fight against blindness
Atonic pupil a rare
cosmetic problem in cataract patients
Harvard study confirms phaco safety in patients with blebs
Cryoanalgesia affords drug-free anaesthesia for phaco
Paediatric myopia still hangs in ‘nature-nurture’ balance
Orbscan II alternative to infrared pupillometry
Femtosecond laser microkeratome offers advantages of ‘precisely centred’ thin flaps
Anger as surgeons are ‘used as pawns’ in Nidek US legal action
Popular SKBM microkeratomes are
recalled as product line is terminated
Simulating womb greatly reduces ROP rate
Molecular biology insights bring new treatments to fore
FEATURES
From The Editor
Reflections on Refractive Surgery
In Your Good Books
An Eye On Travel
Bio-ophthalmology
Regulatory Matters



From The Editors - - By Paul Rosen FRCS, FRCOphth

HARNESSING OPTICAL SCIENCE TO OPEN GATEWAY TO THE FUTURE

THE new year has arrived and with it our hopes that it will be as good if not better than the one that went before.
Last year saw the politicisation of healthcare, particularly in the UK, and the process is indicative of a Europe-wide trend, potentially pitching ophthalmologists from different countries against each other.

It has also been a year of innovation. The supplement in this issue focuses on Pharmacia’s Tecnis lens which aims to correct spherical aberrations. It is an extremely clever application of the optical science we’ve known for a long time. Like so many significant advances, the best results are produced through the consummate harnessing of our knowledge and experience.
The articles in this month’s issue provide a flavour of the coming year. We look forward to the development of new microkeratomes, for example, using the femtosecond laser.

Many would consider the successful treatment of AMD and retinal dystrophies as the holy grail of ophthalmic innovation. Alan Bird MD, eloquently as always, summarised the potential for therapy. This technology will have a significant impact on all of our professional lives. And the papers by Gregory Jackson PhD and Paul Mitchell MD, PhD strive to deal with the early detection and prevention of the degenerative condition.

For the ESCRS, we look forward to yet another record-breaking year with our 7th Winter Refractive Meeting in Rome, Italy in February and the XXI Congress in Munich, Germany in September. The Society will also participate in a number of other international Congresses over the course of the year/
We welcome and look forward to the development of ESONT- the European Society of Ophthalmic Nurses and Technicians – and its quarterly publication the news magazine, ESONT EuroTimes.

The final word for 2002 and the first for 2003 must be to acknowledge the huge contribution made by you, the members, the officers and staff, towards the development of the ESCRS.

In particular, we must thank our colleagues from the industry whose collaboration helps make the Society such a success.

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