The start of 2022 has been eventful for ophthalmology ASCs, with flurries of deals being made.
Updated clinical procedures and new research developments have unfolded in recent weeks, too. Here are three ophthalmology updates Becker's ASC Review has reported on so far in February:
1. A study published in Stem Cell Reports by researchers at the University of Southern California found that a stem cell-derived implant can improve vision and doesn't require long-term immunosuppressants.
The implant, designed to treat age-related macular degeneration, is a bioengineered scaffold implanted under the retina. It is made of donor stem cell-derived versions of the cells that are defective in dry age-related macular degeneration.
2. Trials at Marshalltown, Iowa-based Wolfe Eye Clinic have led to FDA approval of a treatment for two vision loss diseases: wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema.
3. A new piece of legislation under consideration in Utah, House Bill 224, would allow optometrists to perform three specific treatments using lasers, but not more complex procedures like LASIK.
Groups representing optometrists and ophthalmologists have been butting heads in state legislatures for years over the scope of optometrists' practice. The fight mirrors similar ones that have played out in multiple states over the last few years.