Nominations for the 2010 National Optometry Hall of Fame are now being accepted. The National Optometry Hall of Fame spotlights individuals who have made a significant and long-lasting impact on the profession. Letters of nomination and all other supporting documentation should be e-mailed to JMMahoney@aoa.org. The deadline for nominations is December 31, 2009.

 

Does Travatan (travoprost, Alcon) lead to thinning of the cornea? That’s the finding of a preliminary report published in October’s Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics. “Topical therapy with the prostaglandin derivate travoprost is accompanied by a significant reduction of [central corneal thickness] within one year of treatment,” the authors concluded. “Further clinical studies are needed to evaluate the possible long-term effects of prostaglandins on the CCT of glaucoma patients.”

 

Previous studies have found evidence that statin drugs—used to lower cholesterol—also protect against age-related macular degeneration. A benefit seems possible because statins act on some of the same processes—including inflammation and angiogenesis—involved in the development of AMD. But, more recent and larger epidemiological studies have not found this to be the case. Most recently, results from the Complications of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Prevention Trial (CAPT), published in December’s Ophthalmology, found no protective effect of statins on the development of advanced AMD.