Bausch+Lomb announced the worldwide launch of the Stellaris PC (Procedural Choice) Vision Enhancement System. The new state-of-the-art combined vitrectomy and phacoemulsification system allows surgeons to have true "procedural choice" by providing the most advanced technology for both vitreoretinal and cataract surgery in a single system.
B+L says the new Stellaris PC is a versatile system that allows surgeons the flexibility to perform different ophthalmic procedures while saving time, space and money for the surgeons and the patients they serve.
The Stellaris PC offers the following benefits:
• It combines a sleek design, a small footprint and a wireless footpedal with Dual Linear control, which allow for easier and faster setup times and less operating room congestion.
It is the only vitreoretinal surgical system that comes with a dual light source and surgeon-selected color filters that allow for differentiated viewing designed to enhance the surgeon's ability to see ocular tissue better under various surgical conditions.
• It provides surgeons with a platform for the smallest incisions for both retinal and cataract surgeries. It is capable of 1.8-mm MICS phacoemulsification as well as being a complement to Bausch+Lomb's TSV 25 ga. system of instruments for retinal surgery along with the 23- and standard 20-ga. instruments.
• It also comes with the Stable Chamber tubing system which allows for higher vacuum levels without compromising the stability of the chamber and overall safety which allows for truly small incision cataract surgery without the risk of potential surges in the eye.
The Stellaris PC replaces the Millennium Microsurgical System. For information, visit
bausch.com.
New LED Light Enhances Slit-Lamp View
The Optilase Group introduces the Vivid Light LED light source, bringing the benefits of LED lighting to traditional slit lamps. The FDA approved the Vivid Light LED light source for use in Haag-Streit slit lamps in November 2009. LED lighting provides a clearer view of the eye, without generating the heat and radiation of a tungsten bulb, the company says.
Because LED light sources produce greater power and a crisper slit in the visible light spectrum, they eliminate the shadows caused by tungsten filaments. The light pierces cataracts for a wider view of the retina and provides brilliant detail of the cornea and optic vessels.
The Vivid Light retails for $499, is estimated to save $2,000 over a lifetime of use, and has a five-year warranty. One Vivid light LED lasts 30,000 hours and consumes 90 percent less energy than traditional tungsten bulbs. For first-time purchases Optilase will offer a 30-day performance guarantee.
For information visit
optilasegroup.com/led or call (877) 506-0377.
Software Enables Transcription to Continue with EMR Systems
A new method of populatingelectronic medical records that pulls patient information directly from a medical transcription enables physicians to keep their daily workflow the same, according to a white paper released by Emdat, a provider of web-based medical transcription software.
Most EMR systems on the market today require physicians to personally scroll through an extensive list of checkboxes for every patient they see. As a result they're forced to spend a large part of their day entering data into a computer. Entitled "Facilitate EMR Success: Discrete Reportable Transcription Shifts Documentation Burden Off Physicians," the white paper cites a finding by the AC Group, a health-care technology consultancy, that a physician who sees 40 patients a day will spend an average of 140 minutes entering patient data.
By contrast, Emdat's "Discrete accurate Reportable Transcription," or DaRT, allows physicians using an EMR system to maintain their daily workflow and focus on patient care. Doctors can continue to dictate their patient notes orally and send them to a medical transcriptionist, a process that takes an average of only 30 minutes a day. When the transcriptionist types out the dictation using Emdat's web-based platform, DaRT "tags" discrete information contained within the note—for instance symptoms or lab values—and uploads it to the EMR. The proper fields of the EMR are automatically populated, so providers can create reports and search data within a patient's record just as they would if they entered the information themselves.
One of the potential benefits of DaRT is increased "buy-in" from physicians, Emdat says, who receive the benefits of electronic records without having to do extensive clerical work, according to the white paper. DaRT was formally launched earlier this year and is compatible with most major EMR platforms. The white paper is available for download at
emdat.com.
Pearls from the Deep
P Dee G Stephenson, MD, FACS, ABES, FSEE
Seven Hints for Hooks
Recently I have had a run of miotic pupils requiring iris hooks. Every time I use them I try to think of ways to make them more user friendly. Here are a few:
1. All brands are about equal.
2. When placing the hooks think about where you are going to place your paracentesis site and your incision site.
3. Use an MVR blade to make incision water-tight after removal.
4. Do not overfill the eye with viscoelastic; it pushes the iris-lens diaphragm posteriorly making it almost impossible to hook the iris. In fact, I have almost completely stopped putting in viscoelastic until after the hooks are placed.
5. Do not tighten the first hook too much; it puts too much tension on the iris, and the hook can pull through the iris causing bleeding and poor cosmesis.
6. After placing the top two hooks or two side hooks, depending where your phaco incision is, do not pull them too tight. Your phaco tip and I&A handpiece can damage the iris each time you insert them into the eye, causing transillumination and poor cosmesis.
7. I remove the two top hooks before I insert the IOL for the same reason, so as not to damage the iris.
I am sure I have left out some helpful pearls, but these seven hints are a must for me and will make using iris hooks much easier.
