Allergan Receives FDA Warning Letter re Latisse Eyelash Thickener

The Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter to Allergan concerning its eyelash thickener Latisse. In the letter dated Sept. 10 and posted to the FDA Web site on Sept. 17, the FDA states that the Latisse Web site does not include adequate warnings for possible side effects from using Latisse, and asks the company to comply with its request to modify the site. Allergan must reply to the letter by Sept. 24.

Shady Grove Eye and Vision Care teams with Izon Hi Definition Eyeglass Lenses

Shady Grove Eye and Vision Care is proud to announce a partnership with Izon lenses, the only truly “aberration reducing” lens on the market. The Izon lens is manufactured based on the findings of the Izon Aberrometer, a machine that reads the microscopic “lumps and bumps” in your prescription that standard methods of prescription reading (like the “what’s better, 1 or 2 test) aren’t sophisticated enough to read. The reading is then translated into an eyeglass lens, the result being best described as high definition vision. The Izon machine is exclusively at the Rockville office where your eye doctor will test you and determine if you are a candidate for the best lens on the market.

Prevalence of macular edema may vary by ethnicity, researchers say

MedWire (9/14, Grice) reported that, according to a study published online in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, “clinically significant macular edema (CSME) in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease is more common in Hispanic and African-American patients than in non-Hispanic whites.” Researchers “analyzed data from the 1,268 participants in” the Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial “who had baseline seven-field stereo fundus photographs available for both eyes” in a subject subset comprised of “222 (17.5 percent) Hispanics, 225 (17.7 percent) African-Americans, and 821 (64.7 percent) non-Hispanic whites.” The prevalence of CSME “varied by race, at 6.3 percent in non-Hispanic whites, 15.6 percent in African-Americans, and 18 percent in Hispanics.” Even after multivariate regression analysis, “CSME remained associated with ethnicity/race, with a 2.3-fold higher prevalence in both Hispanics and African-Americans, compared with non-Hispanic whites.”

Article explains how focusing problems may cause reading difficulties in some children

The UK’s Daily Mail (9/15, Burne) reports that for some children, reading can “be a pain, quite literally.” In the UK, for “perhaps as many as 400,000″ children, “the problem lies with the way their eyes work.” For example, “if the muscles around the eyes are weak, the eyes won’t work as a coordinated pair,” thereby making “it difficult to focus clearly on something as small as the printed words on a page.” In addition, “this inability to focus the eyes together can lead to headaches. Children who have difficulty reading may also have super-sensitive brain cells, which means they find the actual page unbearably bright.” Fortunately, “treatment from an orthoptist, an eye specialist who deals with focusing problems, could improve their vision dramatically.” Still, some “experts still disagree over whether the exercises and special glasses work,” with the “sternest critics” being ophthalmologists.

GrowSmart Biz conference on Sept 29th at the Renaissance Washington DC

Don’t miss the GrowSmart Biz conference on Sept 29th at the Renaissance Washington DC. Chris Anderson the Editor of WIRED is the keynote speaker You’ll get find answers on how yoursmall business can do better in this economy and other inter…esting things related to the “new media”. http://tinyurl.com/gsbiz

Optometrists point out importance of early eye examinations for children

Wisconsin’s Appleton Post-Crescent (9/7, Dums) reported, “Children often cannot communicate they are having vision problems because they do not realize they are having them.” Screenings “at a pediatrician’s office or at school” often “miss problems that kids are having that they can’t verbalize,” said Carin LaCount, OD, who explained that uncorrected vision problems may even “hamper learning.” She recommended that “children get their eyes examined by an optometrist.” Dan Nowak, OD, pointed out that as children’s “bodies change, their eyes change.” Annette Wilde, OD, noted that “eye exams can begin as early as six months and can be free, if done by eye doctors participating in the public health program InfantSee.” After that “early exam, children’s eyes should be checked at three years of age, kindergarten, and then every year,” Dr. Wilde said. In particular, children who have “a family history of vision problems” need to see an optometrist

Eye implant helps patient with retinitis pigmentosa see

The Philadelphia Inquirer (9/8, Avril) reports that two months ago, surgeons at the Wills Eye Institute “implanted a small array of electrodes in the back of” Michael “Adler’s left eye.” Now, “in the last few weeks — with the aid of a small video camera in his sunglasses that transmits images to his retinal implant — he has begun to gain some limited vision.” To date, “surgeons have implanted the devices in the retinas of 32 people around the world. All have a severe form of retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disease that causes retinal degeneration.” The “retinal implant bypasses damaged cells in the eye, transmitting signals to the same part of the brain that registers images in people with normal vision.” While “the resulting black-and-white images are very low-resolution, consisting of just 60 pixels,” they do allow Adler to “see the outlines of doors and sidewalks, and he can pick out plates on the dinner table.”

Study indicates whole grains, bran may help fight hypertension in men

HealthDay (8/28, Reinberg) reported that, according to a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “whole grain foods and foods high in bran” may “bring a boost to heart health” in men. For the study, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health “collected data on 31,684 men who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.” Over the course of 18 years, more than “9,200 men developed high blood pressure.” The investigators discovered that “men who ate the highest amount of whole grains were 19 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure compared with men who ate the least amount of whole grains.” And, “men who ate the most bran reduced their risk of developing high blood pressure by 15 percent compared with men who ate the least bran.”

New process may improve detection of retinal diseases

The Memphis Business Journal (8/28, Sheffield) reported that the Pseudo 2D Fractal Analysis, developed through “a collaboration between” the University of Memphis and the Southern College of Optometry, “could result in earlier detection of retinal diseases.” The new “process uses light beamed through the back of the retina to measure the thickness of retinal tissue at certain points.” Thickened tissue “at the ‘12 and six o’clock’ points” may be “an indicator of glaucoma.” The developers claim that the “2D method has proven to be 98 percent accurate.”

Successful late-stage trial results for once-a-day eye drug announced

The AP (8/27) reports that on Aug. 27, ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced “successful late-stage clinical trial results for Xibrom QD [bromfenac ophthalmic], a new once-per-day eye drug.” According to the company, “Xibrom QD eye drops were significantly better than a placebo at eliminating eye inflammation 15 days after cataract surgery” in “299 patients who had cataract surgery on one eye.” In addition, the medication “achieved a secondary goal of eliminating eye pain one day after surgery.” The AP notes that “the drug is a once-per-day version of Xibrom [bromfenac ophthalmic], a drug that is already on the market, but is intended to be used twice a day.” ISTA now “expects to file for Food and Drug Administration approval of Xibrom QD by the end of the year