Review of Optometry articles from August 2006

Review of Optometry archives from August 2006

FDA.(Food and Drug Administration)(drug approval)(Brief article)
August 15, 2006... The FDA approved Lucentis (ranibizumab, Genentech), a monthly intravitreal injection for the treatment of patients who have neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration. In phase III clinical trials, visual acuity at one year improved by...

American Academy of Ophthalmology predicts a shortage of eye doctors willing to treat retinopathy of prematurity.(Brief article)
August 15, 2006... The American Academy of Ophthalmology predicts a shortage of eye doctors willing to treat retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Only half of pediatric and retina specialists currently treat ROP, and one-fifth of these physicians plan to stop taking...

Community-based vision screening for elderly patients results in no improvement in their vision.(Brief article)
August 15, 2006... Community-based vision screening for elderly patients results in no improvement in their vision, according to a study in the July 19 issue of Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. One chief reason: Most community-based health centers failed...

AOA, AAO support children's vision bill: a new federal bill would grant funds for states to provide eye exams for kids.(American Optometric Association)(American Association of Ophthalmology)
August 15, 2006... Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond (R-Mo.) introduced to the Senate new children's vision legislation that would help provide exams and treatment for children who have possible vision problems. The Vision Care for Kids Act (S. 3685) has garnered...

Beta-blocker linked with increased risk of cardiovascular mortality, study says.
August 15, 2006... Although previous research has indicated that beta-blockers reduce cardiovascular mortality, a study published in the July issue of Ophthalmology counters these findings. Specifically, patients with previously diagnosed glaucoma who...

Beta-blockers don't increase depression.(Brief article)
August 15, 2006... Despite previous research that has linked topical beta-blockers with depression, glaucoma patients who use these agents are not at a high risk of depression, says a study in the July issue of Ophthalmology. Researchers in Israel divided...

What keeps the cornea clear and avascular?(vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 and eye angiogenesis)
August 15, 2006... Of all the tissues in the body, the cornea has the unusual capacity to function without blood vessels. The lack of blood vessels keeps the eye clear for vision. (Cartilege is the only other type of tissue to lack blood vessels.) But how...

N.C. bill mandates vision screenings for children.(North Carolina)(Brief article)
August 15, 2006... The North Carolina legislature ratified a bill that mandates and standardizes vision screenings for all schoolchildren. This bill replaces a law passed in August 2005 that required comprehensive eye exams for children before entering...

FDA recommends against 'bionic eye'.(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief article)
August 15, 2006... The FDA's Ophthalmic Devices Panel recommended against the Implantable Miniature Telescope (VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies Inc.), a tiny telephoto lens intended to enable some patients who have age-related macular degeneration to do away...

Type 2 diabetes increases glaucoma risk in women.
August 15, 2006... Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with an increased risk of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) in women, according to a 20-year study in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS). The results were reported in July's Ophthalmology. ...

How I spent my summer vacation: review is making it an annual tradition to share our summer vacation with you.(Editorial)
August 15, 2006... Amusement parks, scout camps, a visit to relatives up north. Most of us have written a volume's worth of essays on how we spent our summer vacations. Every fall, when we returned to school, we'd arrive, masterpiece in hand, with the hopes that...

Don't worry, I'm just like you: I am an average optometrist. The whole point of this column over the past 15 years is to produce evidence that we optometrists are all the same.
August 15, 2006... Every now and then, some colleague will say that I am NOT an average optometrist. But, usually, this argument is a constant insistence that I am somehow BELOW average. No one ever accuses me of being special, brilliant or important. So,...

Practice transitions series, Part II: welcome to the real world; Optometrists on the path to private practice face financial, personal and entrepreneurial challenges in their first five years as professionals.
August 15, 2006... In this series, Review of Optometry takes a close look at the dilemmas, decisions and life changes at each stage of an optometrist's career--from optometry school to active practice to retirement. In each installment, we talk with optometrists...

14 tips to better employees: effective performance reviews can lead to better employees. These tips can help.(employee management)
August 15, 2006... So, you've been thinking about initiating performance reviews, but you're hesitant because, if you do, your employees will likely expect a pay increase when you are already struggling to meet the payroll. Or, you might dread an encounter with...

Instrument purchases: the patient comes first; O.D.s surveyed say patient care is their top consideration when investing in technology, but they cannot ignore business realities either.(Doctor of Optometry )(Cover story)(Survey)
August 15, 2006... When it comes to instrument purchases, the patient comes first. That's according to surveys by Review of Optometry and personal interviews in which O.D.s told us improved patient care is at the top of the list when they decide which instrument...

Will this instrument pay for itself? Here's how to accurately calculate and track your return on investment for equipment purchases.(Diagnostic Technology Report)
August 15, 2006... So, you've decided to add a new, high-tech device to your practice. Congratulations! We firmly believe that the best investment you can make in your practice is a technological upgrade, both through savvy high-tech instrument purchases and by...

A new measure of corneal strength: corneal hysteresis measures biomechanical strength of the cornea. Here's how it fits in with existing technology.(Research Review)
August 15, 2006... Before the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study, we measured intraocular pressure without thinking about how central corneal thickness (CCT) affects the accuracy of the IOP measurement. Today, however, we widely accept CCT as an important...

Is nanotechnology the next frontier in eye care? Using 21st century engineering, scientists are seeking ways to target drug delivery, improve corneal wound healing and possibly reverse presbyopia.
August 15, 2006... In 1959, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman presented his vision of "tiny nanorobots and related machines that could be designed, manufactured and introduced into the human body to perform cellular repairs at the molecular level."...

Part 1 of 3, your role in diagnosing retinal dystrophies: discoveries about genetic retinal diseases will continue to guide the way in which you diagnose and manage these patients.(Disease/Disorder overview)
August 15, 2006... The retinal dystrophies belong to a group of diseases sometimes referred to as "orphan" diseases. This term is reserved for medical conditions that affect fewer than 200,000 persons in the United States. The diagnosis of these dystrophies is...

Ocular allergy management: allergy is a prototypical type 1 immediate hypersensitivity reaction. The characteristic allergic overreaction to normal environmental elements is among the most commonly encountered clinical disorders seen in optometric practice.
August 15, 2006... Mast cells are the primary cells involved in ocular allergy. Mast cells differ in function, morphology and chemistry depending upon where in the body they reside. Medications that stabilize mast cells are typically effective only on the...

Treating the red eye: in clinical practice, a variety of conditions may fall under the generic heading of "red eye," including infection, inflammation and allergy. All have different clinical characteristics, but all warrant prompt attention.
August 15, 2006... Bacterial conjunctivitis. Bacterial conjunctivitis (BC) is a relatively common ocular malady. The majority of infections are caused by Gram-positive bacteria, especially Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. Management consists of broad-spectrum...

Looking at Glaucoma Treatment: in the last several years, there has been a renaissance in the diagnosis and treatment of this common ocular disorder that we have limited knowledge of its cause and prevention. The "glaucomas" are a diverse group of disorders that fall within a larger group of conditions designated as anterior optic neuropathies.
August 15, 2006... Several recent landmark studies have allowed us to objectively quantify the level of risk in patients. The first, the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS), (1) taught us treatment-reduced risk of conversion to glaucoma from 10 percent to...

Focus on tear replacement therapy: dry eye is one of the most poorly understood and under-diagnosed conditions in the United States today. Because of the lack of consensus, there are many treatment options for dry eye, including the prescription drug Restasis (Allergan), punctal plugs, essential fatty acid (omega-3) supplements, and of course, artificial tears.
August 15, 2006... Artificial tears comprise our "first line" of defense against dry eye in the vast majority of cases, but there are so many from which to choose, it is often frustrating for patients and practitioners alike. It can be difficult to know which...

Understanding the role of medical eye care in your practice.
August 15, 2006... Most practitioners do not understand the language of medical eye care. We are stuck in the rut of believing that what we do is refractive eye care, and while we like to treat the occasional red eye, or remove a corneal foreign body, we believe...

Aids to glaucoma compliance: compliance with glaucoma therapy is an insidious and difficult problem. A few new devices may help remind patients to take their drops.
August 15, 2006... Q I have a patient who is not compliant with his glaucoma meds. When do I say "enough is enough" and send him elsewhere? A First, consider why this patient has become non-compliant. "Good compliance with glaucoma therapy starts with good...

Place teen in extended wear? If so, how do I minimize the legal and clinical risks when prescribing for this noncompliant patient?
August 15, 2006... Q A 16-year-old patient who wears daily wear contact lenses admits to sleeping in them despite my warnings that this is an unsafe practice. The patient and his parents are interested in extended-wear (EW) lenses, which his prescription allows....

Finding stable ground: Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism offers stability when you need it most.
August 15, 2006... Whether you are an extreme sports enthusiast, a weekend warrior or even a couch potato, chances are you expect crisp, clear and predictable vision during all your activities. The eye was engineered with six extraocular muscles that provide us a...

Now you see her, now you don't: how you handle 'the case of the disappearing patient' will have implications on how the patient responds to treatment.
August 15, 2006... In May 2003, a local cataract surgeon referred a 75-year-old white female to my office after she underwent bilateral YAG capsulotomies. Her primary-care medical doctor referred her to the local cataract surgeon because of decreased vision; the...

Exudate hints at diagnosis: but, do obvious macular changes and fluorescein angiography findings suggest more than one disease process in this patient?
August 15, 2006... A 73-year-old Hispanic female presented complaining of blurred vision in her left eye and difficulty reading newsprint for the past three months. She underwent uncomplicated cataract surgery in her right eye approximately three years earlier....

When uveitis is unruly: look to oral and/or injectable steroids, immunomodulatory agents and immunosuppressive drugs.
August 15, 2006... A 46-year-old white male presented complaining of bilateral irritation, photophobia and decreased vision during the past eight months. Best-corrected acuity measured 20/50 O.D. and 20/60 O.S. Biomicroscopic evaluation revealed bilateral...

External eyelid retractor.(Exam Equipment)
August 15, 2006... The Eyegenie, from Wilson Ophthalmic, is an external eyelid retractor for doctor and patient use that is made of medical grade engineered plastic with a soft medical grade over-mold on the tips. You can use the 4.25-inch instrument during a...

Diagnostic lens.(Exam Equipment)
August 15, 2006... The Digital High Mag lens, from Volk Optical, is a 1.3x magnification double aspheric slit lamp lens that provides thorough 3D views of the retina for general diagnostic purposes and to aid in the early detection of glaucoma. [ILLUSTRATION...

Portable Slit Lamp.(Exam Equipment)
August 15, 2006... The PSL Portable Slit Lamp, from Reichert Ophthalmic Instruments, is a handheld 1.5 pound slit lamp that is ideal for non-ambulatory patients, as it can be used on any patient in any position. The device comes with 10x and 16x magnification...

Vision assessment system.(Exam Equipment)
August 15, 2006... The OPD-Scan II, from Nidek, is a vision assessment system that offers corneal topography, wavefront, autorefraction, keratometry and pupillometry. The device assesses and determines refractive error map measurements using the principles...

Plasma Purified.
August 15, 2006... Plasma Purified, from Essilor Laboratories of America, is a plasma treatment that uses electrical energy to alter the molecular structure of the Paragon HDS Technology and FluoroPerm gas permeable materials to make them more wettable and...

Cold oxygen plasma treatment.(FDA approval)(Brief article)
August 15, 2006... Bausch & Lomb received FDA approval to add a cold oxygen plasma treatment to the development process of Boston material gas permeable lenses. This treatment process inundates the lens surface with ions in a vacuum. This process may...

Meibomian Paddle.(Dry Eye)
August 15, 2006... The Mastrota Meibomian Paddle, from Cynacon/Ocusoft, is a smooth-edged titanium paddle designed to gently express meibum from the meibomian glands. The paddle was developed in an effort to minimize iatrogenic conjunctival trauma and reduce the...

Client success program.(Practice Management)
August 15, 2006... OD Professional Proaction, from EMRlogic Systems, Inc., is a client success program that provides you with education, consulting and supportive services so you can achieve consistent best practices in your optometry office to guarantee practice...

Specialty contact lens site.(Specialty-lenses.com)(Brief article)
August 15, 2006... Specialty-lenses.com, from CIBA Vision, is a new specialty lens web site to help both U.S. and Canadian practitioners fit patients who require such problem-solving/specialized lenses as the Cibasoft Progressive Toric or the Durasoft 3...

Shadow Reduction panels.
August 15, 2006... Shadow Reduction Technology (SRT), from Fashion Optical Displays, enables patients to see a crisp presentation of your dispensary's eyewear via the company's many custom and handcrafted furnishings. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SRT is...

Meetings + conferences.(Calendar)
August 15, 2006... September * 14-16. International Vision Expo West, Las Vegas. CE hours: TBA. Contact Eileen Baird, 383 Main Ave., Norwalk, CT 06851; call 1-800-811-7151; fax N/A; e-mail inquiry@visionexpo.com; or go to www.visionexpowest.com. *...

This eye problem is the pits.(Diagnostic Quiz)
August 15, 2006... History A 42-year-old black male presented complaining of "eye strain" when reading during the last four months. His systemic and ocular histories were noncontributory, and he reported no allergies or taking medications of any kind. ...