Review of Optometry articles from December 2004

Review of Optometry archives from December 2004

SOLA International.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2004... Carl Zeiss AG has agreed to acquire SOLA International for $1.1 billion. The merger will create a newly formed company to consist of Carl Zeiss' eye-glass business and SOLA. The new company will be equally owned by Carl Zeiss and EQT, a Swedish...

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2004... Even after prolonged sobriety, alcoholics can have problems with visual perception and frontal executive brain function, which can make it hard for them to perform tasks such as reading maps or putting together puzzles, according to a study in...

University of Alabama.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2004... The rate of gun-related eye injuries in the United States has remained stable for several years, ending an earlier period of decline, say researchers at the University of Alabama. Eye injuries from firearms, paintball guns and BB guns were most...

Stop GP lens wear earlier pre-LASIK: a new study says lens discontinuation could be up to six weeks instead of three.(NEWS REVIEW)
December 15, 2004... Gas permeable contact lens users should discontinue lens wear for six weeks, rather than the traditional three weeks, before LASIK evaluation, a new study suggests. Refractive stability after stopping lens wear is highly variable, the...

Can heavy computer use cause glaucoma?(NEWS REVIEW)
December 15, 2004... Has the revolution in information technology placed a larger population at risk for glaucoma? A Japanese study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health raises that possibility. The researchers performed the study on 10,202...

Herbal medicines and nutritional supplements may cause ocular side effects.(NEWS REVIEW)
December 15, 2004... Several herbal medications have been linked to clinically significant ocular side effects, says a study in the October American Journal of Ophthalmology. The study chose to highlight the following because of the frequency of reporting, the...

Petition opposes proposed N.C. school of optometry.(NEWS REVIEW)
December 15, 2004... A petition posted on an optometric Web site calls for the University of North Carolina to put the kibosh on the proposed optometry school on its Pembroke campus. Optometrist Roger Filips, of Hartington, Neb., says he posted the petition on...

Unhappy LASIK patients still recommend it.(NEWS REVIEW)
December 15, 2004... Most patients who have undergone LASIK and are not satisfied with their vision afterwards would still recommend the procedure to a friend, says a recent study. (1) The dual purpose of the study was to determine why LASIK patients recommend...

It's not all about the baby boomers: looking forward, looking back--but overlooking the here and now.(EDITOR'S PAGE)(Editorial)
December 15, 2004... For me, December is always an exciting time of year in terms of both business and personal affairs. There's always a heap of work that needs to be completed by year-end. If we're especially industrious, the stacks on our desks might get...

If only we could bill for weather: I spend more time chatting about the weather than about the patient's eyes.(CHAIRSIDE)
December 15, 2004... We can control the stickiest of phoropters. We can control chronic blepharitis. We can even control what type of toilet paper we use in the office. (Hint: Let your staff pick it out.) However, this year has taught us that we cannot control the...

Part 2 of 2: make your specialty your success; Learn from the marketing techniques your colleagues have used in their contact lens, children's vision and low vision practices.(PRACTICE MANAGEMENT)
December 15, 2004... Optometrist Glenda Secor, of Huntington Beach, Calif., hadn't planned on specializing in contact lenses. Rather, she fell into this niche in 1978, when she got her first job. She worked in a contact lens specialty practice that was affiliated...

Put office interruptions on hold: make your practice more efficient by streamlining communication and workflow.(PRACTICE MANAGEMENT)
December 15, 2004... In a typical workday, patients call on the telephone and ask to speak with me, technicians want to discuss patient situations with me, and secretaries ask me to review a patient chart or sign papers. Meanwhile, family members call, and sales...

Comanagement guide to phakic IOLs: with the recent FDA approval of the Verisyse phakic IOL, you can offer refractive procedures to your high myopes. Here's what you'll need to know before you get started.(PATIENT CARE)
December 15, 2004... Refractive surgery is a constant evolution of technological advancement and, as a result, an educational challenge for the practicing O.D. Just as we acquire the knowledge and clinical expertise to incorporate a new and improved treatment...

Fifth Annual Presbyopia Report: your role in fall prevention; Falls among older patients are a serious public health problem. Can improved vision decrease the risk?(PATIENT CARE)
December 15, 2004... Optometrist Jan Jurkus fondly talks about watching her mother and her mother's friends dance at her mother's 88th birthday party last month. It's other times that she worries. Like many elderly people, Dr. Jurkus' mother and her...

Ocular drug preview--spotlight on emerging pharmaceuticals: new drugs are on the way. Here's a preview of some therapies that may soon be in the limelight.
December 15, 2004... In recent years, investigators and pharmaceutical companies have delivered new drugs--such as fourth-generation fluoroquinolones and prescription-strength dry eye therapy--that have taken our treatment to another level. The coming years hold...

The biometrist's tool kit.(SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION)
December 15, 2004... The rapid evolution of cataract and refractive lens surgery and the expectations of today's patients for 20/20 postoperative visual performance without spectacles or contacts have spurred a renewed interest in perfecting biometry and the tools...

You can follow benign nevi: as long as you take regular fundus photographs and watch for changes.(COMANAGEMENT Q & A)
December 15, 2004... Q I see asymptomatic patients all the time with what appear to be benign choroidal nevi. Do I need to comanage these patients with a retinal specialist? A "As long as you have the ability to take fundus photographs and are able to compare...

Managing post-herpetic neuralgia: treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia may depend on two or more factors.(CORNEA & CONTACT LENS Q & A)
December 15, 2004... Q I have a patient who has developed post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) following a severe zoster outbreak that affected the eye. How should I manage this patient's pain? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A The answer depends on whom you ask. H.S....

Did prior lesion cause vision loss? And, what are the suspicious findings seen in the dilated exam of the right eye?(RETINA QUIZ)
December 15, 2004... A 33-year-old white female presented to her ocular oncologist for a regular checkup. She had undergone treatment for a suspicious lesion in her right eye four years earlier (figure 1). Since the treatment, and especially within the past year,...

When steroids don't always work: not all red eye presentations respond to corticosteroids.(THERAPEUTIC REVIEW)
December 15, 2004... Corticosteroids have been the most effective agents for controlling inflammation. Their effect is nonspecific, and they address inflammation caused by various etiologies. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Inflammation...

O2 Optix approved for extended wear.(CONTACT LENSES)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2004... CIBA Vision's O2 Optix silicone hydrogel daily wear contact lenses are now FDA-approved for up to six nights of extended wear. O2 Optix lenses have been available since September. They are made of lotrafilcon B, which has a 33% water content...

Confocal Laser Microscope.(EXAM EQUIPMENT)(Heidelberg Engineering)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2004... The Confocal Laser Microscope, from Heidelberg Engineering, displays a patient's cornea via laser scanning technology. The microscope combines the company's HRT II laser scanning technology and the Rostock Cornea Module, which received FDA...

Ultrasonic high-resolution pachymeter.(EXAM EQUIPMENT)
December 15, 2004... The Falcon 418 pachymeter, from Talia Technology, uses ultrasound technology that incorporates a continuous (analog) measurement that can capture corneal thickness readings at high resolutions. The resolution for a single internal measurement...

Field test cards.(EXAM EQUIPMENT)(Ixmus llc)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2004... New field test cards from IXMUS LLC are designed to detect macular and neuro-ophthalmic disease. The following tests are available: blue-on-yellow, blue-on-red and white-on red background Amsler grids and combination red dots. IXMUS LLC...

New glass gonio lens.(EXAM EQUIPMENT)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2004... Volk Optical's G-Series line of glass gonioscopy aspheric lenses has a new addition: the G-4 two-in-one gonio nf (no flange/no fluid) lens with interchangeable handle. Rotate the G-4 gonio nf lens slightly and four precisely angled 64[degrees]...

Rrobotic edging.(LAB EQUIPMENT)
December 15, 2004... Santinelli International's AES-1500, by Nidek Co. Ltd., is a robotic edging system that uses a full 360[degrees] pivoting 3-D drill element that automatically positions itself perpendicular to the base curve of the individual's lens. The...

Varilux Ellipse expands.(OPHTHALMIC LENSES)
December 15, 2004... Essilor's Varilux Ellipse is now available in the company's LiteStyle and UltraLightStyle polycarbonate lens material. This small-frame progressive lens features a minimum fitting height of 14mm for patients with short-corridor PALs. The...

Computer lens expansion.(OPHTHALMIC LENSES)
December 15, 2004... Near Variable Focus Lenses (NVF), from PRIO Corporation, have been expanded to +2.25D add for patients who require higher reading or computer add powers. The lens also is available in add powers +0.75D, +1.25D and +1.75D. The NVF 2.25D is...

Updated color coding computer label program.(PRACTICE MANAGEMENT)(Ancom Business Products)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2004... Ancom Business Products introduces Smead's Smart-Strip 2.0, an updated version of its color-coding label software designed for end-tab patient charts. This new version features a drag-and-drop feature that lets you or your staff reposition the...

New Fashion Chair.(FURNITURE)(Fashion Optical Displays )(Brief Article)
December 15, 2004... Fashion Optical Displays offers a new Fashion Chair designed for your reception area or dispensary. The company says that the chair's curved back and arms provide patient comfort, and that the arms fit neatly under dispensing tables. The...

Paragon Vision Sciences.(WHAT'S NEW ON THE WEB)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2004... Paragon Vision Sciences is offering free online Paragon CRT web seminars to eye care practitioners that cover: * FDA-required Paragon CRT lens certification. The overnight lenses reshape the cornea in myopic patients. * Clinical...

Is this blur tied to glaucoma?(DIAGNOSTIC QUIZ)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2004... History A 44-year-old black male presented for an eye examination with a chief complaint of blurred near vision over the past two months. His ocular history was noncontributory. His systemic history revealed hypertension, myocardial...