2016 year in review: Miracles do happen

Looking ahead, anticipated approvals of new devices and pharmaceuticals would benefit patients and physicians in 2017.

Issue: January 10, 2017

ByMitchell A. Jackson, MD

For me personally, the drought of seeing the Chicago Cubs actually win the World Series and seeing the joy of my patients who have suffered even longer than me is just the icing on the cake to a great year for the ophthalmic industry in 2016. Thirteen years of having only one topical dry eye medication finally ended with an alternative for those 33 million-plus patients suffering from chronic dry eye disease. Patients with progressive keratoconus and corneal ectasia finally have a treatment other than corneal transplantation. Those patients with presbyopia who hate their “age syndrome” finally have an array of corneal inlays as a possible solution until they develop cataracts. And those patients with clinically significant cataracts finally have a new category of presbyopia-correcting IOL known as extended depth of focus to fulfill a vast array of activities of daily living needs. To close the year, patients who undergo cataract surgery with early stages of glaucoma finally now have more options to treat their condition with newer microincisional glaucoma surgery devices.

Below I will disclose my top 10 events for 2016, from my perspective. I would also like to thank the entire OSN team for keeping me in line and on time in order to make this Premier Channel column a reality every month.

Dr. Jackson’s top 2016 events

No. 10: DJMJ plays for the entire industry using “Both Sides of the Brain” during the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting in Chicago in October.
No. 9: Avedro gains FDA approval for cross-linking treatment for progressive keratoconus and corneal ectasia.
No. 8: Allergan gains FDA approval for its new MIGS device Xen gel stent for the treatment of glaucoma at the time of cataract surgery.
No. 7: Allergan gains FDA approval for its multi-dose preservative-free delivery system in a single bottle of topical Restasis (cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion 0.05%).
No. 6: Incorporation of Streamline II (i-Optics) iris registration integration with Lensar femtosecond astigmatism correction.
No. 5: Abbott Medical Optics gains FDA approval for its EDOF presbyopia-correcting IOL Symfony and Symfony toric to be used at the time of cataract surgery.
No. 4: ReVision Optics gains FDA approval for its Raindrop corneal inlay to treat presbyopia in patients without the need for cataract surgery.
No. 3: Shire gains FDA approval of topical Xiidra (lifitegrast) for treatment of signs and symptoms associated with dry eye disease.
No. 2: Less than an 8-week recovery from my poorly timed broken ankle during the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting, only possible with the help of my wonderful spouse.
No. 1: The thrill of a lifetime seeing my Chicago Cubs win the World Series after 108 years.

Despite the peaks and valleys we experience in our careers and personal lives each and every year, 2016 was a productive year overall. There are so many new pharmaceuticals and surgical devices coming in 2017, I expect an even better top 10 next year at this time. My initial sneak preview for 2017 includes a revamp of the Affordable Care Act so patients truly have affordable health care with lower deductibles and monthly premiums, anticipated FDA approval of Dextenza (dexamethasone insert 0.4 mg, Ocular Therapeutix) for the treatment of pain and hopefully inflammation after cataract surgery, additional MIGS devices such as Hydrus (Ivantis) and the iStent inject and Supra (Glaukos), the Oculeve Intranasal Tear Neurostimulator (Allergan) for dry eye disease, and even newer nanoformulations of existing topical eye meds for improved delivery to the eye.

Our regulatory process for advancing eye products has definitely made a significant impact for our patients, and I hope as premium surgeons we can ride this wave that miracles do happen into a successful and healthy new year with continued improved outcomes for all of our patients.

For more information:
Mitchell A. Jackson, MD, can be reached at Jacksoneye, 300 N. Milwaukee Ave., Suite L, Lake Villa, IL 60046; email: mjlaserdoc@msn.com.

Disclosure: Jackson reports he is a consultant for Allergan, i-Optics, Lensar, Shire, ReVision Optics and Ocular Therapeutix.