The Iowa Court of Appeals upheld the state Board of Health's decision to grant a certificate of need to Fox Eye Surgery Center, finding the center would offer less costly and more convenient care than other facilities in the state, Bloomberg Law reports.

Private equity-backed Blue Sky Vision made a series of changes at its practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The American Society of Retina Specialists developed guidelines for retinal specialists to follow when determining whether to see patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, Medscape reports. 

Spectrum Vision Partners expanded into Pennsylvania through affiliations with Allentown-based Lehigh Valley Eye Center and Bethlehem-based Valley Eye Surgical Center, according to a March 30 announcement.

The Kugler Vision refractive surgery center in Omaha, Neb., is postponing elective procedures and using telehealth for the next six weeks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sumit Garg, MD, an associate professor at the Department of Ophthalmology for the University of California-Irvine shared his thoughts on the coronavirus pandemic with Medscape.

Eye Health America, a private equity firm formed in 2008, has acquired two South Carolina eyecare practices.

EyeCare Partners in St. Louis is adhering to CDC guidance on the coronavirus pandemic and keeping its ASCs and ophthalmology clinics open for emergencies and ceasing noncritical patient visits.

With backing from more than a dozen other industry groups, the American Academy of Ophthalmology on March 18 urged ophthalmologists to immediately end all non-urgent care.

The Henry Ford Health System in Detroit will proceed with surgeries at its outpatient locations but will postpone procedures that are not time-sensitive as it makes adjustments due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to C&G Newspapers.

The Surgery Center at Gateway in Clinton, Iowa has opened its doors and recently received accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.

  The Randleman (N.C.) Eye Center sent a notice to their patients about a security breach.

Annapolis, Md.-based Vision Innovation Partners is combating the COVID-19 pandemic by suspending all nonemergency appointments and elective surgeries throughout its network of affiliated practices, effective March 16.

No private equity firms entered the ophthalmology space in the fourth quarter of 2019, making it the first time in about two years that the market had no new entrants, according to Physicians First's 2020 ophthalmology outlook report.

Ophthalmology-focused pharmaceutical compounding business ImprimisRx has entered into a product supply agreement with iOR Partners.

Boise, Idaho-based Hollingshead Eye Center installed the WaveLight Refractive Suite for Lasik surgery.

EyePoint Pharmaceuticals reported $8.6 million and $20.4 million in fourth-quarter and 2019 revenues, respectively.

COVID-19 poses little risk to ophthalmology and its patients, despite the high global and national public health threat, the Ophthalmology Times reports. 

  Three recent ophthalmic ASC and practice acquisitions:

Opthalmologists feel like they are spending too much time with paperwork and experiencing EHR burnout like other physicians, yet they maintain a lower level of burnout compared to other physicians, according to Medscape's 2020 ophthalmologist lifestyle, happiness and burnout report.