Webinar: IRIDEX MicroPulse Laser Therapy for Macular Edema in Multiple Etiology: An Essential Asset for a Comprehensive Practice

We would like to invite you to join MicroPulse experts, Dr. Ahad Mahootchi (The Eye Clinic of Florida), Dr. Brandon Phillips (Carolina Vision Center), and Dr. Jason Friedrichs (Friedrichs Eye) to learn about the benefits of incorporating IRIDEX MicroPulse laser therapy into your practice. This 1-hour live webinar with questions and answers is scheduled for today, Tuesday, June 13, 2017 at 8:00 pm EST. In this webinar, you will learn how to:

• Reduce injection treatment burden
• Increase practice efficiencies
• Select and treat patients

Case Report: MicroPulse® as First-line Monotherapy for DME: Efficacy at Considerable Cost Savings

By Ezio Cappello, MD, and Simonetta Morselli, MD - Vicenza, Italy
By tracking our data, we've learned that our MicroPulse for DME protocol has resulted in similar favorable outcomes for both MicroPulse monotherapy patients and those who either began with anti-VEGF monotherapy or were switched from MicroPulse monotherapy to anti-VEGF treatment. Interestingly, replacing anti-VEGF injections with MicroPulse for first-line monotherapy when appropriate has allowed our ophthalmology unit to save more than €200,000 per year. As you would imagine, we can put the savings to good use in other segments of our budget. We also have used MicroPulse as first-line monotherapy for central serous chorioretinopathy, and our early results are encouraging. "Overall, we're pleased with the functional and anatomic results that we can achieve with MicroPulse laser monotherapy for center-involving DME in carefully selected patients. As an added bonus, the treatment enables significant cost savings and reduces the often-heavy treatment burden on patients."

Case Report: MicroPulse® Monotherapy Effective for Patient with Bilateral CSR in First Trimester of Pregnancy

By Karen Barraza Lino, MD and Daniela Rodríguez Mesías, MD - Lima, Peru
At 8 weeks pregnant, our 29-year-old patient told us she was experiencing difficulty with vision in her right eye. Her best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/40 in that eye and 20/20 in the left eye, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed a neurosensory retina detachment OD. We decided to monitor her monthly... Our patient returned to the clinic for follow-up 1 month after MicroPulse. She felt her vision was greatly improved and declined OCT evaluation. Her BCVA was OD 20/40 and OS 20/20. Four months after MicroPulse, the serous detachments in both eyes were resolved, the macula was fluid-free, and BCVA in each eye was 20/20 (Figures 3 and 4). We last saw our patient in July 2016, 9 months after MicroPulse and 3.5 months post partum, and her visual results have been maintained. "In addition to being safe and effective, MicroPulse performs efficiently, which is good for both patient and doctor, and at a lower cost than other available treatments."

In the News: Know your tools, help your patients (Ophthalmology Management)

Swapping a Needle for a Laser
"Know your tools, help your patients" is the title of an article from Dr. Munir Escaf from Clínica Carriazo (Barranquilla, Colombia) published recently on Ophthalmology Management that we invite you to read. "I became interested in laser options for the treatment of patients with central, branch, and retinal vein occlusion (RVO), diabetic macular edema (DME), and chronic or acute central serous retinopathy (CSR) because treating with injections is often problematic in my country (Colombia), so in 2012, while visiting in the United States, I bought a MicroPulse laser IQ 577 laser system from Iridex Corporation.

Adding a Laser Probe
Once I began using the A&I XR laser probe, the change was significantly interesting. The probe allowed me to use one hand to cover 90% of the retina when treating 360 degrees, regardless of extenuating circumstances. I typically do an air/fluid exchange and then perform laser treatment under air as it allows for better visualization. I can generally reach the last 10% of the eye using the probe with my left hand".

In the News: Laser Probes and Valved Cannulas Can Help Maximize Surgical Efficiency (Retina Today)

In this article, R. Mark Hatfield, MD, FACS, states that "the use of lasers in surgical settings has undergone an evolution since their introduction... As surgical systems have evolved, there has been a transition in laser probes as well. With the advent of smaller gauge systems, the number and types of available probes have increased. A probe I have found particularly effective is the Adjustable and Intuitive Extended Reach (A&I XR) probe (IRIDEX). This extendable retinal probe can be altered from straight to curved at the touch of a button. It offers increased extension and a greater curvature than previous A&I standard models, enabling treatment more anteriorly. The device also allows uninterrupted adjustment of the fiber optic over a greater angular range than previous models, permitting the surgeon to fully cover the peripheral retina without removing the probe from the eye. Enhancements to the technology have created a tighter laser cone angle that enables the surgeon to treat at a greater distance from the retina and aids in conserving laser power density, thus facilitating safer and more controlled procedures".

The Pulse  •  Events  •  News  •  Contact Us