A recent review article investigated the importance of hyaluronic acid chain lengths in eye drops for the physical as well as physiological performance of the drops. The classification according to average molecular weight was proposed: LMW HA (low molecular weight hyaluronic acid: < 1.5 MDa), MMW HA (medium molecular weight hyaluronic acid: 1.5 – 2.3 … Continue reading Hylan A supports the growth of corneal nerves in patients suffering from severe dry eye disease
Why chain length of hyaluronan in eye drops matters
The chain length of hyaluronan (HA) determines its physical as well as its physiological properties. Results of clinical research on HA eye drops are not comparable without this parameter. In a recent article methods for the assessment of the average molecular weight of HA in eye drops and a terminology for molecular weight ranges are … Continue reading Why chain length of hyaluronan in eye drops matters
Tearfilm oriented dry eye therapy
In 2017 the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) published the results of the second Dry Eye Workshop (DEWS II) in a number of consensus papers on the definition, diagnosis, pathophysiology and treatment of dry eyes. DEWS II defined dry eye as “a multifactorial disease of the ocular surface characterized by a loss of homeostasis … Continue reading Tearfilm oriented dry eye therapy
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD): a leading cause of irreversible visual impairment
Five decades after its first description by Gass and despite improved technology for retinal imaging and therapeutic options such as the injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents, AMD is a leading cause of irreversible visual impairment. As the population continues to age, the number of patients with neovascular AMD are projected to rise. … Continue reading Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD): a leading cause of irreversible visual impairment
Meeting Bandi
On 24/25 October 1994 I attended in Brussels a meeting of the drug-device-borderline issues working group of the European Commission. One of the subjects on the agenda was whether to classify hyaluronan containing products for medical use as drugs or as medical devices under the new European Medical Devices Directive 93/42/EEC (MDD). Pharmacia was interested … Continue reading Meeting Bandi
Glaucoma: current status of neuroprotective strategies
The retina is processing the optical image of our environment within the eye. Retinal ganglion cells (RGC) are the output cells which transport through their axons the results of the image processing from the retina to the brain. These cells are not able to regenerate after optic nerve injury, resulting in permanent visual loss. In … Continue reading Glaucoma: current status of neuroprotective strategies
Corneal nerves in health and disease
The corneal surface is the body’s most densely innervated tissue. Nevertheless, until recently the ocular innervation has not taken too much attention, because most sight-threatening diseases like glaucoma, cataract or retinal pathologies occur and progress without pain. The Tear Film and Ocular Surface Socienty (TFOS) has established a working group on ocular surface pain and … Continue reading Corneal nerves in health and disease
The Four Phases of Life
When time allows, I love to attend as a guest student lessons and seminars at the Philosophical University in Munich. I feel particularly attracted by the history of philosophy in various cultures, because this creates a sound basis for the understanding of people in different countries. In 2013, 2014 and 2015 I attended the seminars … Continue reading The Four Phases of Life
Wholism in Medicine – My Meetings with Dr. Wei-Kung Wang
Wholism (holism) is the idea that different parts are interconnected and cannot be understood without understanding the whole. In 1998 a Taiwanese friend from ITRI (the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Hsinchu) introduced me to Professor Wei-Kung Wang, a research fellow with the Biophysics Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica in Taipei, who had received … Continue reading Wholism in Medicine – My Meetings with Dr. Wei-Kung Wang
The History of in vitro Cytotoxicity Testing in Germany
When starting my own business in 1980 one of the first targets was to establish in vitro cytotoxicity testing of medical devices and materials intended to be used as part of medical devices. In my Munich environment I identified three institutes with expertise in mammalian cell culture, and established cooperation with each of them The Virology Department … Continue reading The History of in vitro Cytotoxicity Testing in Germany
Dr. Mueller-Lierheim 