Bausch + Lomb Storz Ophthalmic Instruments has expanded its line of
vitreoretinal instrumentation with the StableGrip Vitreoretinal
Instruments for comfort and control.
The new Stable-Grip Vitreoretinal Handle features a contoured, titanium
handle for lightweight balance and tactile control. The squeeze handle
mechanism has been designed to activate compatible vitreoretinal tips
smoothly and consistently with fingertip rotation control designed for
accurate tip alignment.
In addition to the new handle, Storz Ophthalmics is introducing new
vitreoretinal tips with an enhanced hub design that incorporates a
compact configuration designed to provide enhanced comfort and control
to the surgeon. In addition, the hubs feature a color-coding system to
indicate the instrument’s gauge size and tip design.
The StableGrip collection includes five vitreoretinal forceps and two
vitreoretinal scissors, each available in 23- and 25- ga. options. The available tip configurations include: Micro Pic Forceps;
Asymmetrical Peeling Forceps; ILM Forceps; Endgripping Forceps; Micro
Forceps; Vertical Scissors and Curved Scissors.
In addition to the Stable- Grip handle and tips, customers can obtain
the E2428 Awh Sutureless Sclerotomy Guide. This instrument is designed
to allow the surgeon to perform conjunctival displacement, conjunctival
marking, scleral flattening and cannula stabilization with a single
instrument. It features a textured bottom for atraumatic conjunctival
displacement as well as 3.0 and 4.0 mm marks on the top of the guide to
facilitate measuring the entry location. A notch is provided to engage
and stabilize the cannula hub during plug placement and removal. This
instrument can also be used to flatten The sclera during sclerotomy
wound construction and is designed to create a longer and more
watertight wound. For information, visit
storzeye.com/stablegrip or
call 1 (800) 338-2020.
New Rhein Instrument for Treating Dry Eye, D.E. Website
Rhein Medical announces the new Maskin Meibum Expressor developed in coordination with Steven
L. Maskin, MD. The new instrument is designed to remove meibum from
lids. To express meibum, simply advance and squeeze from the deep
lid to the lid margin. The rollers increase pressure in the tarsal
plate, advancing meibum through the orifice. The special diamond
knurling on the rollers prevents slippage and enables the instrument to
engage and roll against the smooth conjunctiva without abrading the
mucosal surface. The instrument is reusable, autoclaveable, guaranteed
for life, available with a complimentary instructional movie and
offered for a 30-day surgical evaluation without obligation.
Rhein has also launched a new website
dryeye.me/index.shtml. The site
provides patient-directed general information sections on dry eye and
its symptoms; meibomian gland; the conjunctiva; artificial tears;
dry-eye causes; and treatments. Contact Rhein Medical at (727) 209-2244 for more information.
Ocusoft Will Distribute French Dry-Eye Product
Ocusoft announced an exclusive multiyear agreement with Ardeo Health to
distribute Nova23041, a novel dry-eye therapy under license from
Novagali Pharma, of Evry, France, Nova23041. Nova23041 will be marketed
and distributed in the United States and Canada as Retaine MGD
Ophthalmic Emulsion under a brand license from Ocusoft. Utilizing
Novagali’s Novasorb Technology—a proprietary cationic process of
binding positively charged ions to the negatively charged ocular
surface, Retaine MGD will prolong corneal contact time resulting in
enhanced comfort, according to Ocusoft. As a preservative-free,
oil-in-water emulsion, Retaine MGD will target individuals suffering
from meibomian gland dysfunction, a component of dry-eye syndrome. For
information, visit
ocusoft.com.
Moria Adds Cleaver for LASIK Enhancement
Moria SA recently introduced a LASIK Enhancement Cleaver, developed in
cooperation with Laurent Gauthier-Fournet, MD, of Saint-Jean de Luz,
France. It’s a double-ended cleaver with one thin
tip dedicated to entering underneath an existing cleavage plane, while
the other tip has semi-sharp lateral edges to effectively cut tissue
bridges without incising stroma, thus minimizing risk of epithelial
ingrowth. For information, visit
moria-surgical.com.
First Meaninful Use Payments Received for Electronic Records
Medflow, a provider of electronic health records for ophthalmology,
announced that The Eye Center of Central PA became the first ophthalmic
practice in the nation to receive reimbursement under the meaningful
use guidelines that demonstrate proper usage of EHR. ECCPA is
10-location eye-care practice that integrated EHR into its clinic in
March 2010 and into its ambulatory surgery center in July 2010.
Under the federal government’s HITECH Act incentives, medical practices
can receive $44,000 per provider for successful integration of
electronic health records. The installation must meet the federal
guidelines for Meaningful Use, a set of 15 rules that qualify successful
usage, prior to receiving reimbursement.
Despite government incentives to encourage adoption, surveys estimate
that only 20 percent of ophthalmic practices have implemented EHRs.
Concerns over loss of efficiency, difficulty of customization, and
overall cost are primary reasons that surgeons and administrators have
held back on digitizing their medical charts.
The Medflow EHR System, developed exclusively for eye care, is designed
to integrate with existing scheduling and billing software as well as
the wide range of diagnostic devices used in a typical ophthalmic
practice. Medflow’s suite of tools also integrates Optical and Surgery
Center Functions. Electronic prescription and patient portal software
are also available.
With approximately 400 installations in the United States, Medflow
reports the highest ratio of successful implementation in the industry.
For information, visit
medflow.com.
Alcon Debuts Opti-Free PureMoist MPDS for Contacts
Alcon announced the U.S. launch of its new contact lens solution,
Opti-Free PureMoist Multi-Purpose Disinfecting Solution. Opti-Free
PureMoist MPDS contains the wetting agent HydraGlyde Moisture Matrix,
which demonstrates the ability to provide 16 hours of lens wettability.
Unlike wetting from other solutions that may not last long enough,
HydraGlyde Moisture Matrix embeds itself on and within the lens surface.
This environment and the solution’s ability to remove protein deposits
and reduce lipid deposition, facilitates moisture and comfort from
insertion to removal, Alcon says.
HydraGlyde Moisture Matrix, a proprietary synthetic block copolymer,
reduces surface and bulk hydrophobicity and improves the hydrophilic
properties of silicone hydrogel lenses. This unique wetting agent also
has an extremely high affinity for the hydrophobic areas of all soft
contact lenses that are not wetted by the tear film. This affinity for
hydrophic sites allows for the reduced deposition of lipids, a problem
associated with certain silicone hydrogel lenses.
Opti-Free PureMoist MPDS also continues to maintain the strong
antimicrobial efficacy associated with its dual disinfectant system,
Polyquad and Aldox, with EDTA (edetate disodium, a chelating agent that
helps in the disinfection process), improving overall activity against
microorganisms. For information, visit
optifreepuremoist.com.