OphthalmologyWeb was on the ground at last week’s 2017 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) and American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators (ASOA) Symposium & Congress.
Considered the largest U.S. meeting that integrates a scientific program dedicated to the needs of the anterior segment specialist with the leading practice management program for comprehensive ophthalmology and subspecialties, this year's event featured innovative lectures, scientific discussions and interactive panels.
Additionally, this year's Exhibit Hall once again offered attendees a look at some of the newest products and technologies from more than 300 ophthalmology industry exhibitors.
The following is a brief look at just a few of the many exciting products and ideas that were on-hand at this year’s ASCRS • ASOA meeting.
Pharmaceuticals/Therapies
- Allergan talked to ASCRS attendees about its XEN® Glaucoma Treatment System that received U.S. FDA clearance in November 2016, and TrueTear™ Intranasal Tear Neurostimulator that the company just received FDA marketing authorization for in April.
- Imprimis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. introduced its new patent-pending Simple Drops™ preservative-free glaucoma drops, which provide multiple glaucoma medications in a single bottle.
- Avedro, Inc. reported it had recently secured $42 million in funding to support its commercial expansion. Additionally, the company announced starting in June, it would be launching a comprehensive effort to help patients secure coverage and facilitate reimbursement on its corneal cross-linking treatment.
- Aerie Pharmaceuticals participated in the conference's Glaucoma Day, talking to attendees about its successful six-month topline safety and efficacy results of its Rocket 4 Phase 3 clinical trial for product candidate Rhopressa™ — a novel once-daily eye drop being tested for its ability to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
- Bio-Tissue, Inc. was on-hand to present new research findings that further demonstrated the clinical effectiveness its PROKERA biologic corneal bandage with cryopreserved amniotic membrane tissue.
- ScienceBasedHealth (SBH) was at ASCRS 2017 promoting its products that support ocular health from the anterior segment to the optic nerve, including HydroEye® for patients suffering from dry eye and SBH's Optic Nerve Formula® that has recently been revised to reflect the latest research on nutrition's role in glaucoma.
- Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. presented new data from its most recent Phase 3 study evaluating the safety and efficacy of DEXTENZA (dexamethasone insert) 0.4 mg for the treatment of ocular pain and inflammation following cataract surgery.
- OASIS® Medical Inc. launched a new Medium Term plug for its SOFT PLUG® punctal occlusion line and Oasis LID & LASH® Eyelid & Lash pre-soaked pads
- Paragon BioTeck, Inc. honored Xinxin Zhang, a third-year student at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, as its 2017 Koch Kellan Scholar at ASCRS.
Devices/Technology
- ZEISS announced it has integrated the latest generation of Barrett intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation formulas — Barrett Universal II, Barrett Toric and Barrett True-K — as one convenient suite into the IOLMaster® 700 SWEPT Source Biometry®. Additionally, ZEISS showcased its ReLEx® SMILE minimally-invasive laser eye surgery procedure, and presented its diagnostic portfolio integrated with ZEISS FORUM® for efficient chronic disease management.
- Marco offered Wake Up with Wavefront training sessions at its booth at ASCRS to teach attendees about the diagnostics and wavefront capabilities of its OPD-Scan III. Additionally, the company launched its new Ultra M Series of slit lamps.
- Bausch + Lomb offered surgeons an opportunity to "test drive" the new Stellaris Elite™ vision enhancement system through 30-minute interactive wet lab sessions. The Stellaris Elite just received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. FDA in April.
- Oculus used ASCRS to let customers know it has added three Barrett IOL calculation formulas — Barrett True K, Barrett Universal II and Barrett Toric — to its Pentacam® AXL.
- Topcon was at this year's ASCRS, and presented a poster, “Retinal Vessel Density from OCT Angiography to Differentiate Between Early Glaucoma, Pre-perimetric Glaucoma, and Normal Eyes,” focused on its Triton OCT.
- FCI Ophthalmics offered attendees the chance to plan their future by getting to know their devices, such as the Morcher Eyejet and Sharpoint products, and Kitaro Kit.
- Quantel Medical provided demos of a number of its products, including its Aviso A/B Scan and UBM ultrasound platform and the Compact Touch STS UBM ultrasound biomicroscope.
- NIDEK highlighted its MP-3 Microperimeter, which provides true retinal sensitivity data and quantitative analysis of fixation location and stability.
- Ellex Medical Lasers Limited showcased its newly-launched Tango Reflex™ selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT)/YAG laser alongside its other world-leading Laser Floater Removal (LFR) innovations at this year's show.
- First-time ASCRS attendee Box Medical Solutions Inc. highlighted its Meibox Meibographer — reportedly the first HD slit lamp mounted meibographer.
- IRIDEX offered hands-on demos of its MicroPulse® P3 Laser Therapy for non-compliant, mild to moderate glaucoma patients, and G-Probe™ Illuminate — the third member of the family of probes powered by the CYCLO G6™ Glaucoma Laser System.
- LENSAR, Inc. announced it has received 510(k) clearance for integration of the popular OCULUS Pentacam® (both Pentacam® HR and Pentacam®AXL) and ALADDIN topographer from Topcon to the LENSAR® Laser System with Streamline™ III.
- IOPtima took part in three presentations at ASCRS related to its CO2 Laser-Assisted Sclerectomy Surgery (CLASS) procedure, performed with the company's IOPtiMate™ laser-based surgical system for the treatment of open-angle and pseudoexfoliative glaucoma.
- TearScience announced the release of its LipiFlow Activator II treatment disposable that meets the same standard for sterility as the original Activator, and uses a separate, semi-permanent cable, which remains connected to the LipiFlow Console. And the company shared results from a new study showing a single treatment using the LipiFlow thermal pulsation system effectively improves signs and symptoms of dry eye in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) who test positive for biomarkers of Sjögren’s syndrome.
- Alcon had a lot going on at its booth, including a celebration of the 50th anniversary of phacoemulsification (phaco), and the launch of the new INTREPID® Transformer I/A Handpiece and LENSX® Laser SoftFit® Patient Interface insert options as part of the Alcon Cataract Refractive Suite. Additionally, Alcon introduced its new AcrySof® IQ ReSTOR® +2.5 Multifocal Toric intraocular lens (IOL) with ACTIVEFOCUS™ optical design at ASCRS. And Alcon used its booth to spotlight the hard work and dedication of the people that encompass its Clinical and Technical Services.
- Diopsys, Inc. showcased its patented Diopsys® ERG Lid Sensor, which grants eye care professionals the ability to perform reliable electroretinography (ERG) vision tests in their offices.
- 4PatientCare used ASCRS for the soft launch of its Care Coordination module to help make it easier for referring practices to transmit data and make appointments for patients.
- Konan Medical spotlighted its new ColorDx® CCT HD — a high-precision, computer-administered color vision diagnostic device based on the cone contrast isolation strategy, with many significant advantages over the original CCT test.
- Lumenis highlighted a variety of its products at its ASCRS booth, including the M22 Optima™ IPL that combines Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and Optimal Pulse Technology (OPT™) to treat inflammatory skin and eyelid conditions.
- CheckedUp debuted its new waiting room offering, CheckedUp Explorer, at ASCRS, expanding the company's fully-integrated, multi-channel Patient Engagement Platform that features five core components that reach the patient throughout their care experience and help manage office productivity.
- TearLab highlighted its Osmolarity System at its ASCRS booth. And both TearLab and Shire were co-sponsors of the fifth annual Run for Sight 5K run and 1-mile walk that raises funds for the ASCRS Foundation.
ASCRS • ASOA 2018 will take place April 13-17, 2018 in Washington, DC. For more information, visit annualmeeting.ascrs.org.
Like what you read? Follow OphthalmologyWeb to keep up with our latest articles, news and events. Plus, get special offers and more delivered to your inbox.