Eyeworld

Ernest "Ernie" Bargmeyer, MD March 27, 1933–February 5, 2019 Richard Hopkins, MD July 5, 1944–February 1, 2019 Jack Kanski, MD August 5, 1939–January 5, 2019 Wiley Kemp Livingston Sr., MD March 21, 1921–February 13, 2019 Hansi Rademacher Patience, MD June 21, 1925–February 10, 2019 Edward Saradarian, MD May 10, 1930–January 8, 2019 Roy "Steve" Statton, MD December 3, 1921–January 6, 2019 Carl Wetzig, MD November 1, 1947–February 8, 2019 In this space, EyeWorld honors the lives of ophthalmologists who have died recently. To recognize an ophthalmologist here, please send the name, post-nominal letters, birth and death date, and any other pertinent information to liz@eyeworld.org. In memoriam In the journal: April 2019 Long-term (five years) follow-up of small incision lenticule extraction in mild to moderate myopia Alper Agca, MD, Beril Tülü, MD, Dilek Yasa, MD, Yusuf Yıldırım, MD, Burçin Yıldız, MD, Ahmet Demirok, MD In this retrospective case series, investigators reported on how mild to moderate myopes fared in the long term with small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). Investigators re- viewed the medical records of the 34 patients included in the study. The mean preoperative spherical equivalent of the 54 eyes was –4.11. At the 5-year postoperative mark, 93% of patients were within 0.5 D of intended correction, and all were within 1 D. None of the pa- tients experienced any loss of corrected distance visual acuity lines or any vision-threatening complications. Investigators concluded that with SMILE there was predictable correction of spherical equivalent refractive error, and results were stable at the long-term follow-up. Effect of a patient information video on the preoperative anxiety levels of cataract surgery patients Kiran Ahmed, MB ChB, Joshua Pilling, MB ChB, Khuram Ahmed, MD, John Buchan, MD Can viewing an informative video ease patient concerns about undergoing cataract surgery? Investigators examined this in a prospective controlled trial involving 200 patients. Half of the patients, who had not seen an informative video on cataract surgery, were asked to fill out a questionnaire based on the Amsterdam Pre-operative Anxiety and Information Score and were given an 80 mm visual analogue score (VAS) for anxiety. Those who had watched the video also filled this out. Investigators found that those who watched the video had a lower VAS at 11.2 mm versus 45.5 mm for those who had not. When shown the statement "I am worried about the procedure," those who watched the video were found to be in the "Not at all worried range," while those in the control group were in the middle between extreme concern and no concern at all. Investigators concluded that a patient information video seen preoperatively was an effective and low-cost measure for reducing anxiety before cataract surgery, which might improve a patient's overall experience with the procedure. Trabecular microbypass stent implantation in pseudophakic eyes with open angle glaucoma: long-term results Tanner Ferguson, MD, Mitch Ibach, OD, Justin Schweitzer, OD, Kayla Karpuk, OD, J. David Stephens, MD, Ramu Sudhagoni, PhD, John Berdahl, MD This retrospective, consecutive case series examined how those with mild to moderate open angle glaucoma fared with use of the trabecular microbypass stent as their only procedure. Investigators found that at the 48-month postoperative mark, mean IOP was reduced 23% from 20.33 mm Hg to 15.65 mm Hg. The mean number of glaucoma medications fell from 2.08 prior to surgery to 1.46 at the 48-month postoperative mark. In cases where IOP was 18 mm Hg or higher, implantation of the microbypass stent resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the number of medications used as well as in the level of IOP. Following sur- gery 6% of eyes experienced pressure spikes of 15 mm Hg or greater, however, there were no intraoperative or postoperative complications. Also, a secondary glaucoma surgery was required in 20% of eyes. The conclusion reached was that use of a single microbypass stent was effective for providing IOP reduction over a sustained period. Those eyes with higher baseline IOP experienced the greatest pressure reduction. help make data-driven decisions. For coding and billing advice, members get answers from experts through EyeMail and the Coding Consult e-newslet- ter. Those new to practice management can take advantage of the Administrator Beginners Circle that highlights resources most relevant to them. Encourage your practice administrator and practice management team to visit ASOA.org to join today for access to these and other opportu- nities for professional growth.

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