Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Ophthalmology for June 2008. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Article Examines Use of 'Key Opinion Leaders' in Drug Sales
FRIDAY, June 20 (HealthDay News) -- Influential doctors known as "key opinion leaders" are paid generous fees to influence their peers to prescribe a company's drugs and may in fact be considered salespeople by the industry, according to an article in the June 21 issue of BMJ.
Full Text - Moynihan
Editorial - Buckwell
Editorial - Fava
Melanoma Should Trigger Regular Eye Checks
FRIDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of melanoma is increasing more quickly than any other cancer in the United States, and patients with metastatic cutaneous melanoma should be periodically given an ophthalmic examination to screen for metastasis to the eye, lids and orbit, according to a study published in the May/June issue of the Survey of Ophthalmology.
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Fish, Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Reduce Macular Degeneration
FRIDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- Consumption of fish twice or more per week and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids may lower the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but the meta-analysis which led to this observation was based on very limited studies, according to a report published in the June issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
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Rosiglitazone May Delay Diabetic Retinopathy Onset
THURSDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Patients treated with rosiglitazone have delayed onset of proliferative diabetic retinopathy and also experience less visual acuity loss, according to a report published in the June issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
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Alcohol Use Doesn't Raise Risk of Aging Macula Disorder
THURSDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Alcohol consumption is not a risk factor for early or late aging macula disorder (AMD) in the general population, according to a paper published in the June issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
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Device Allows Imaging of Eye in Glaucoma Patients
MONDAY, June 9 (HealthDay News) -- An optical coherence tomography device allows non-invasive imaging of the drainage angle and its structures in healthy individuals and patients with glaucoma, researchers report in the June issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
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Trachoma Eradication Effort May Be Nearing Success
FRIDAY, June 6 (HealthDay News) -- Trachoma -- a keratoconjunctivitis caused by ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis -- is still common in many poor regions of the world. But a World Health Organization (WHO) program launched in 1998 -- the Global Elimination of Trachoma by 2020 -- has helped place this blinding disease on the brink of extinction, according to a seminar published in the June 7 issue of The Lancet.
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Melanoma Treatment May Lead to Ocular Autoimmunity
TUESDAY, June 3 (HealthDay News) -- An effective immunotherapy against melanomas in mice targeting a melanocyte antigen is associated with autoimmunity in the eye, according to a report published online June 3 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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