AAO, FDA to track cases of toxic anterior segment syndrome

WASHINGTON — The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will work together to try to better understand toxic anterior segment syndrome, according to an AAO press release.

Toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS) is a rare, noninfectious complication of anterior segment surgery, most often associated with cataract surgery. Studies have associated the condition, which can result in vision loss, with contaminants in cleaning and sterilizing agents for surgical equipment.

The partnership involves the AAO creating a physician registry to track occurrences of TASS, which will help the FDA better determine the cause of the condition, according to the release.

"The Academy's partnership with the FDA establishes a means for active surveillance and early detection of toxic anterior segment syndrome," Richard L. Abbott, MD, president of the AAO, said in the release. "With the number of cataract procedures significantly increasing as a result of the aging baby boomer population, this initiative will help to ensure patient safety through the establishment of important quality of care standards through which this complication can be effectively managed."

The registry is part of a wider FDA plan to better understand factors behind adverse events and outbreaks in patients who have received IOLs, according to the release.

"The physician registry created by the Academy is a key component in our efforts to safeguard the public from a potentially harmful condition," Malvina Eydelman, MD, director of the Division of Ophthalmic, Neurological, and Ear, Nose, and Throat Devices at the FDA's Center for Radiological Health, said in the release.