Eyeworld Daily News

EW SHOW DAILY 43 O n many practitioners' itineraries is the "Update on Corneal Collagen Crosslinking," to be held on Monday from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in room 132-133 of the Moscone Center. R. Doyle Stulting, MD, PhD, Atlanta, who will be co- moderating this session with Terry Kim, MD, Durham, N.C., sees this symposium as being of prime impor- tance. He pointed out that while crosslinking technology has been utilized in the U.S. for some time off-label, it still has not received FDA approval. "It's unfortunate that that's the case because simple calculations lead to the conclusion that corneal collagen crosslinking could prevent or signifi- cantly delay the need for up to half of the corneal transplants that are performed each year in this coun- try," Dr. Stulting said. Dr. Kim believes the fact that the procedure remains off-label in the U.S. will spur interest in the session since there has been limited access to information and data on this procedure. During the program, attendees will hear about what has been going on with the crosslinking procedure in the FDA trials, as well as about broader applications for the technique. "I will start off and address the background of crosslink- ing and the basic mechanism of effect," Dr. Kim said. "Then John Hovanesian [MD] will address the safety and efficacy for ectatic diseases like keratoconus." Next to speak will be William B. Trattler, MD, who will address both the CXL USA trial and also the brew- ing controversy over the role that the epithelium plays with the tech- nique. A. John Kanellopoulos, MD, who has extensive clinical experi- ence with crosslinking outside of the U.S., will then talk about ways to shorten duration of exposure to UV light in a faster, high-energy treat- ment. "He's going to address if it works and if it's safe," Dr. Kim said. "Then [Dr.] Stulting is going to discuss the potential complications with collagen crosslinking, and Eric D. Donnenfeld [MD] will present the expanding indications for this procedure." The session will also fea- ture updates on the U.S. clinical tri- als (i.e., the Avedro trial by Peter Hersh, MD, and the CXL USA trial by Roy Rubinfeld, MD) as well as a presentation on the regulatory issues surrounding crosslinking by Barbara Fant. "I think there's going to be a lot of important information there even for the general practitioner who is looking to potentially add this to his or her practice or at least know who to send a patient to," Dr. Kim said. On his part, Dr. Stulting hopes that the session will enable practition- ers to make good decisions about this technology. "It will help them to be able to counsel and educate their pa- tients and to help them decide whether they should take advantage of practices within and outside the United States that offer the technol- ogy," Dr. Stulting said. EW Editors' note: Dr. Kim has no financial interests related to this article. Dr. Stulting has financial interests with Sooft (Montegiorgio [FM], Italy). ASCRS•ASOA SYMPOSIUM & CONGRESS, SAN FRANCISCO 2013 Bridging the crosslinking gap ASCRS Symposia by Maxine Lipner EyeWorld Senior Contributing Writer H igh patient expectations will likely drive atten- dance at the symposium on "Refractive Aspects of Cataract Surgery" to be held today from 1 to 2:30 p.m., said R. Doyle Stulting, MD, Atlanta, who will be moderating the session. "It's important because as time goes by the expectations of our patients for cataract surgery continue to in- crease," Dr. Stulting said. "In order to be able to meet those high expec- tations we have to be far better than we ever were—not just at removing a cloudy lens, but also at providing refractive care at the same time," Dr. Stulting said. One of the hot topics discussed here will likely be use of the fem- tosecond laser for capsulotomies, refractive incisions and for increas- ing the predictability of intraocular lens placement, he said. "It will also include information about preoperative intraocular lens power calculations, as well as improved calculation methods, and specific techniques for caring for patients with previous refractive surgery," Dr. Stulting said. In addition, the session will touch on intraocular surgical aberrometers and postop methods for addressing residual refractive error. "There will also be information about upcoming technologies such as intraocular lenses [in which the] power can be adjusted after surgery," he said. Dr. Stulting hopes that practi- tioners come away from the session with important pearls that will help them to improve the quality of care that they deliver, as well as the accu- racy of the refractive outcomes for their cataract patients. "We hope that it will inform them about op- tions for new devices and technol- ogy that they might want to acquire to help them in their practice," he said. Overall, Dr. Stulting views the session as akin to a Consumer Reports that addresses techniques and technology for managing refractive outcomes. EW Editors' note: Dr. Stulting has financial interests with Sooft (Montegiorgio [FM], Italy). Refractive cataract in demand by Maxine Lipner EyeWorld Senior Contributing Writer Doyle Stulting, MD, PhD, will moderate the symposium "Refractive Aspects of Cataract Surgery." Terry Kim, MD, will co-moderate the "Update on Corneal Collagen Crosslinking" symposium on Monday.

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