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.
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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
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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.
