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The 2008 Joint Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) and European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE ), the largest and most comprehensive ophthalmic educational meeting in the world, is in session November 8 to 11 at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta. Offerings include 277 continuing medical education courses, 179 "Breakfast with the Experts" roundtables, 95 skills transfer courses, and more than 100 hours of scientific presentations, at no charge.

Millions of people around the world wear contact lenses, with 24 million wearers in the U.S. alone. While contact lens care is generally very safe, lenses that are not properly cleaned and disinfected increase the risk of severe eye infection. Any lens that is removed from the eye needs to be cleaned and disinfected before it is reinserted. Care of contact lenses includes cleaning the storage case, since it is a potential source of infection.

People who are HIV-positive are now living longer, healthier lives, thanks to antiretroviral therapy and other treatment advances, and the number of HIV-positive people seeking LASIK, intraocular lenses following cataract removal, and similar procedures is likely to grow in coming years. Ahmad A. Aref, M.D.

EyeGate Pharma, the leader in ocular drug delivery, a specialty pharmaceutical company using iontophoresis technology to safely and non-invasively deliver therapeutics to treat serious ocular diseases, today announced that it has enrolled the first dry eye patient in a Phase II safety and efficacy clinical study of EGP-437 (a combination drug/device). This patient enrollment marks the Company's second clinical trial initiated in the second half of 2008.

Gene Signal, a biotech company registered in Switzerland, is currently starting the Phase III study of GS-101, its most advanced therapeutic ophthalmic solution, for the prevention of corneal graft rejection. Every year, over 40'000 corneal grafts are performed worldwide to cure or prevent blindness, thus making this procedure the most frequently performed transplant surgery. However, the 5 year failure rate for corneal grafts is currently around 35%.

Title: Gene Mutation May Cause Some Cases of Seasonal Affective DisorderCategory: health newscreated: 11/9/2008 2:00:00 amlast Editorial review: 11/10/2008