Surgeons to discuss research highlights

ASCRS Cornea Clinical Committee members will review leading research presented during the annual meeting

General ophthalmologists will be brought up to date on some of the leading corneal treatments for common conditions, such as the adenovirus and pterygium, during the annual Cornea Clinical Committee event.
Authors of some of the newest cornea research will present brief didactic case presentations followed by panel discussions during the ASCRS Cornea Clinical Committee Highlights Session at the 2010 ASCRS•ASOA Symposium and Congress in Boston. After the research discussion, committee members will provide updates on the latest treatments available for the leading corneal disorders.
The research presentations will include the use of collagen crosslinking to treat cornea-thinning disorders and ring technology, such as Intacs (Addition Technology, Des Plaines, Ill.).
The cornea treatment overview will focus on areas that include dry eye, blepharitis, pterygia, and HSV keratitis.
Francis S. Mah, M.D., co-medical director, Charles T. Campbell Ophthalmic Microbiology Laboratory, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, and a member of the Cornea Clinical Committee, will address treatments in herpes simplex virus-related cases.
Among the newest developments for HSV patients is the recent U.S. approval of a new treatment, Zirgan (ganciclovir ophthalmic gel 0.15%, Sirion Therapeutics, Tampa, Fla.), as a treatment for acute herpetic keratitis. The medication, long available in Europe, can provide improved efficacy and tolerability over acyclovir ophthalmic ointment 3% (various manufacturers) during 5 times a day use in patients with herpetic keratitis.
“That’s an exciting issue,” for physicians, Dr. Mah said.
Dr. Mah will also review the latest prophylaxis for patients with a known history of HSV in procedures such as refractive surgery, glaucoma surgery, cataract surgery, and transplants. Pre-op and peri-op prophylaxis is important in such cases to prevent the herpes from becoming “a huge problem,” he said.
An up-to-date understanding of the best care of these patients is critical, Dr. Mah said, because about 10% of the U.S. population has HSV and it’s a condition that surgeons confront “on almost a daily basis.”
Terry Kim, M.D., associate professor of ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C., and another member of the committee, will provide an update on treatments for patients presenting with pterygia.
Dr. Kim will address a range of newer management techniques for pterygia, including whether it is helpful to use mitomycin C injections into the subconjunctival tissue before excision. Additionally, he will review the use of Avastin (bevacizumab, Genentech, South San Francisco, Calif.) injections to “quiet down” the pterygium before the surgeon removes it.
Another newer technique is sutureless pterygium excision with fibrin adhesive glue applied to the amniotic membrane or conjunctival autograft.
A solid understanding of the latest treatment approaches for pterygium can not only give ophthalmologists more options to improve outcomes but can also speed the surgery and increase convenience for the patient.
Pterygia is “a diagnosis that ophthalmologists frequently encounter, especially in warmer climates, but a lot of surgeons don’t want to deal with these patients either because they don’t think the surgery is worth it or they don’t want to invest the time,” Dr. Kim said. “But now there are some newer techniques to improve the outcomes of these cases and it may very well be worth doing, especially for the general ophthalmologist.”

Editors’ note: Dr. Mah has no financial interests related to his comments. Dr. Kim has financial interests with Alcon (Fort Worth, Texas).

Contact information

Kim: 919-681-3568, kim00006@mc.duke.edu
Mah: 412-647-2211, mahfs@upmc.edu

ASCRS Cornea Clinical Committee Highlights Session panelists: Eric Donnenfeld, M.D., Sheraz Daya, M.D., Jose Güell, M.D., Edward Holland, M.D., Terry Kim, M.D., Francis Mah, M.D., Stephen Scoper, M.D., and Sonia Yoo, M.D.
Date/time: 3:00 p.m., Mon., April 12