Eyeworld

EW ASCRS PREVIEW 40 March 2011 and they may become more hyper- opic, he said. As one of the pioneers of corneal crosslinking, Dr. Boxer Wachler said he knows that it strengthens the cornea, and he won- dered if the procedure would help RK patients whose corneas had been weakened. The specific method of corneal crosslinking he performs is called the Holcomb C3-R, which Dr. Boxer Wachler said is named after the 2010 Winter Olympics gold medal bob- sledder, Steve Holcomb, who he suc- cessfully treated for keratoconus with the procedure. Mr. Holcomb's keratoconus had progressed to the point where he was no longer able to wear contact lenses to correct his myopia and he had to retire from bobsledding. Dr. Boxer Wachler used a combination of crosslinking and Intacs (Addition Technology, Des Plaines, Ill.) to treat Mr. Holcomb. Would the Holcomb C3-R pro- cedure help patients who had under- gone RK? The answer is yes, Dr. Boxer Wachler said. He and colleague Lorelei L. Vicente, M.D., conducted a retro- spective study that evaluated six eyes of five patients who previously underwent RK surgery and had ex- perienced hyperopic shift. The pa- tients were treated with transepithelial crosslinking, a 30- minute procedure that is non-surgi- cal. In describing the procedure, Dr. Boxer Wachler said, "We do not scrape off the epithelium. We apply a titrated amount of ultraviolet light and riboflavin drops, and the drops that seep into the corneal stroma in- teract with the light and that strengthens the cornea." The average age of patients was 58.6 years old (range 48-64 years). Dr. Boxer Wachler and Dr. Vicente analyzed pre-op and 3-year post-op results. They found that the pre- crosslinking topographic K power was 39.32 +/–2.92 D and post- crosslinking was 38.21 +/–2.62 D (p=.34). Meanwhile, the pre-topo- graphic K average was 40.18 +/–1.97 D and post-topographic K average was 39.05+/–1.80 D (p=.09). The re- searchers also found that pre-spheri- cal equivalent MRx was –3.35 +/–7.46 D and post was –3.67 +/– 4.98 D (p=.59). Therefore, they concluded that transepithelial corneal crosslinking appears to help reduce progression of hyperopia and corneal flattening following radial keratotomy. Dr. Boxer Wachler said, "We found that [transepithelial corneal crosslinking] helps these patients strengthen their cornea and slows down the progressive hyperopia, in addition to reducing the fluctuation that they have during the day." EW Editors' note: Dr. Boxer Wachler has no financial interests related to his com- ments. Contact information Boxer Wachler: 310-860-1900, bbw@boxerwachler.com San Diego, March 25-29, 2011 877 991-1110 s 732 626-6466 www.Sharpoint.com K N I V E S S U T U R E S C A N N U L A S P U N C T A L P L U G S S P E C I A L T Y Angiotech, 100 Dennis Drive, Reading, PA 19606, U.S.A. Sharpoint™ and UltraFit™ are trademarks of Surgical Specialties Corporation. Tan EndoGlide™ and Tan EndoForceps™ are trademarks of Coronet Medical Technologies Ltd. ©2011 Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ©2011 Surgical Specialties Corporation. All Rights Reserved. OPG-PM-377 01/11 Visit Booth #2039 during ASCRS PRODUCT DETAILS Code Description 11820 Tan EndoGlide ™ Inserter 11850 UltraFit ™ Donor Punch (Sizes 6.5mm – 9.75mm diameter in 0.25mm increments) 53-951 Tan EndoForceps ™ Instrument 53-952 Tan Loading Forceps t A newly available endothelial insertion device for DSEK/ DSAEK surgery designed to reduce iatrogenic damage of donor endothelium t Minimal endothelial damage as a result of double coiling of the donor, no contact with the wound, and grip of the Tan EndoForceps ™ instrument is on the stromal edge only t Stable anterior chamber throughout insertion procedure "closed eye" system t We also offer a complete line of Sharpoint ™ disposable products including microsurgical knives, sutures, and cannulas EndoGlide EyeWorld Feb 2011 Ad.indd 1 1/21/2011 2:39:15 PM Evaluating continued from page 39

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