Review of Optometry articles from January 2007

Review of Optometry archives from January 2007

American Academy of Optometry.(IN THE NEWS)(Richard E. Weisbarth appointed)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... At December's American Academy of Optometry (AAO) meeting in Denver, Richard E. Weisbarth, O.D., was sworn in as AAO president for 2007 and 2008. Dr. Weisbarth is CIBA Vision's vice president, global head of professional development and...

Bausch & Lomb.(IN THE NEWS)
January 15, 2007... Bausch & Lomb has purchased the over-the-counter allergy franchise of Alimera Sciences, including Alaway (ketotifen fumarate 0.025%), which was recently approved by the FDA.

Age-related macular degeneration.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)--especially neovascular AMD--is associated with a higher risk of myocardial infarction (MI), according to a study at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. The authors believe that-their...

University of California.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... Researchers at Jules Stein Eye Institute, of the University of California at Los Angeles, found that elderly patients with atrophic AMD have an 11% greater risk of hip fractures than non-AMD patients.

Congress preserves FCLCA at 11th hour: both the House and the Senate reject provisions that would rewrite the FCLCA.(News Review)
January 15, 2007... Right before the adjournment of the 109th Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives rejected provisions added to two unrelated bills that would have rewritten the 2003 Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act (FCLCA). Both...

Optical chains score victory in California.(News Review)
January 15, 2007... California statutes prohibit national optical chains from providing eye exams in the same space in which they sell eyewear. But, a federal judge has now ruled that such laws violate the United States Constitution by discriminating against...

Alcon recalls Systane Free Liquid Gel.(News Review)(Alcon Laboratories )
January 15, 2007... Alcon Laboratories has voluntarily recalled its Systane Free Liquid Gel lubricant eye drops. The 5 million bottles of over-the-counter product have been pulled from the American market due to 11 individual consumer reports of foreign material...

Fungal keratitis rates rising before Fusarium outbreak.(News Review)
January 15, 2007... Regardless of the 2006 Fusarium outbreak, infection rates of fungal keratitis may be steadily on the rise, as shown by a retrospective review of fungal keratitis infections by researchers at the University of Florida's Department of...

When the trouble is double: you can't be too careful when prescribing medications for pregnant and nursing women, infants and children.(Editor's Page)
January 15, 2007... As a first-time parent, you will never forget that very first ultrasound visit. I certainly won't. That's when the technician pointed out two blob-like shapes when we were expecting only one. "You're having twins," she said. I...

Attack of the dust bunnies; When your patient is stuck to the chin rest of your slit lamp, take it as a sign: it is time to clean up your office, doctor.(Chair Side)
January 15, 2007... Cleanliness is next to doctorliness. Have you ever taken a good look at your office from the patient's point of view? That six-month-old dust bunny that you nostalgically think looks just like Donald Rumsfeld might make the patient think that...

GPC debate is over.(Letter to the editor)
January 15, 2007... We thought "GPC: Don't Call It an Allergic Reaction," by Terry Chin, O.D., was an interesting article, but he has little to say about the different leukocytes present in the papules or their histopathology. Dr. Chin did not cite our...

First aid for CRAO.(Letter to the editor)
January 15, 2007... This is in regard to Dr. Gurwood's "Diagnostic Quiz" column ("Sudden Vision Loss is a Warning," December 2006). I have always enjoyed listening to your lectures and reading your articles. But I am not sure why, with what would appear to be an...

SECO International 2007: with targeted sessions, workshops and specialized education tracks, SECO 2007 will certainly have what you are looking for and more.(SECO Preview)
January 15, 2007... SECO 2007 is "The Education Destination," featuring almost 400 hours of optometric continuing education for eye care professionals. With targeted sessions, workshops and specialized education tracks, SECO 2007 will certainly have what you are...

Professional pearls for fitting PALs: here are some tips you need to know to properly fit your patients' progressive lenses.(Ophthalmic Lenses)
January 15, 2007... What we really need are more progressive lenses to choose from." Do you hear that a lot? No, me neither. Lens manufacturers have been releasing new lenses at an incredible rate for several years now--especially progressive addition lenses...

Contact lens wear on the job: recommendations have changed regarding how appropriate contact lenses are in different work environments.(Contact Lenses)
January 15, 2007... On a recent visit to the research facilities of a national government agency in Canada, I noticed that almost every laboratory carried a sign banning contact lenses. This reminded me how difficult it can be to change existing regulations,...

Glaucoma: drops or surgery? Which comes first? In the United States, medicine is the standard first-line treatment. In Europe, surgery often comes first. New studies raise questions about this sequence.(Glaucoma)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 15, 2007... If you ask a fellow optometrist for his or her preferred treatment for glaucoma, the usual response will be drops first, then surgery if necessary. However, as surgical techniques continue to become safer and more effective in treating...

Wavefront technology[TM] improves vision by reducing aberrations in progressive spectacle lenses.(Report from the American Academy of Ophthalmology Meeting)
January 15, 2007... Despite advances in progressive lenses, many presbyopes are not satisfied with their vision using this form of correction and continue to wear traditional bifocal or trifocal lenses. Even among those who wear progressive lenses, some are still...

Did OCT help diagnose VMTS? Optical coherence tomography revealed a tuft of vitreoretinal tissue. The resulting traction dramatically disrupted the patient's foveal architecture.(Case Report)(vitreomacular traction syndrome)(Clinical report)
January 15, 2007... A 61-year-old white male presented complaining of floating spots and "sparkly things" in the center of his right eye for the past month. His ocular history was significant for a subconjunctival hemorrhage in his left eye due to blunt trauma by...

Contact lens care: patient management guide.
January 15, 2007... Moderator: S. BARRY EIDEN, OD, is Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Illinois Eye & Ear Infirmary and is a member of the Adjunct Faculty at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and at the Illinois College of Optometry. ...

Topical treatment in our most vulnerable patients: what to consider for infants, children, and pregnant and nursing women.(OPTOMETRIC STUDY CENTER)(Cover story)
January 15, 2007... Whether we realize it or not, every optometrist treats a unique--and most vulnerable--group of patients on a daily basis. These "patients" include a pregnant woman's fetus, a baby nursing from his or her mother, and a young child. We must...

Zeroing in on keratoconus: recent research on aquaporin deficiencies indicates a genetic component to this disease.(Cornea+Contact Lens Q+A)
January 15, 2007... Q There seems to be much new information about the relationship between aquaporin-5 deficiencies and keratoconus. What are aquaporins, and are they aberrant in any other ocular condition? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Aquaporin-5 (AQP5) is...

Lesion has patient worried: this recent immigrant reports poor vision in her left eye and the presence of a suspicious lesion.(Retina Quiz)(Clinical report)
January 15, 2007... A 57-year-old Hispanic female who recently moved to Miami presented complaining of poor vision in her left eye for several years. Her last eye exam was in Cuba about two years earlier. At that time, she was told that a suspicious lesion in her...

Which way to treat GCA? Explore the therapeutic conundrum of this devastating disease.(Therapeutic Review)(giant cell arteritis)(Clinical report)
January 15, 2007... A 76-year-old white female with sudden vision loss in her right eye is referred emergently from her primary-care physician. Her visual acuity is light perception O.D. and 20/25 O.S. She has a marked relative afferent pupillary defect in the...

Custom silicone hydrogel lenses.(Contact Lenses)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... [O.sub.2]Optix Custom silicone hydrogel lenses, from CIBA Vision, are made to order for "hard-to-fit" patients, such as those with high hyperopia, aphakia, large or small corneas, or steep or flat corneas. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The...

Punctal plug and stent.(Dry Eye)
January 15, 2007... The Mono-Crawford, from FCI Ophthalmics, is a lacrimal stent anchored by a silicone punctal plug. The plug replaces the need for sutures and facilitates removal of the stent, the company says. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The stent features...

Nutraceutical.(Dry Eye)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... HydroEye, from ScienceBased Health, has been reformulated to include eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil, and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid found in black...

AMD monitor.(Diagnostic Technology)
January 15, 2007... The Foresee PHP (Preferential Hyperacuity Perimeter), from Notal Vision and MSS, is a non-invasive visual field diagnostic system that helps monitor patients who have age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It does so by detecting early signs...

Global Resource Centre.(What's New on the Web)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... The Global Resource Centre, launched by the International Centre for Eyecare Education, provides spectacles, frames, lenses, and low vision aids to organizations that work with disadvantaged communities worldwide. A community caregiver, such as...

Combined OCT and angiography.(Diagnostic Technology)
January 15, 2007... The Spectralis HRA+OCT (Heidelberg Retina Angiograph and optical coherence tomograph), by Heidelberg Engineering Inc., captures HRA and OCT images simultaneously in any of four imaging modalities: auto-fluorescence, infrared, fluorescein...

Accommodation-stimulation targets.(Diagnostic Technology)
January 15, 2007... Flashing Fixation Sticks, from Gulden Ophthalmics, are a set of two battery-operated plastic sticks that feature small flashing lights at the top. You can use a single stick for testing pursuits, near point of convergence, motilities, fixation...

Diagnostic lens.(Lab Equipment)
January 15, 2007... The Digital ClearField lens, from Volk Optical, is a 2.79x magnification double aspheric lens for use in binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy (BIO). The lens has a 72-degree field of view for observing the mid- and far periphery of the retina. ...

Lens line expansion.(Ophthalmic Lenses)
January 15, 2007... The Varilux Physio 360[degrees] and Varilux Physio presbyopic lens lines, from Essilor, are now available in three new materials: * Thin & Lite 1.60. The lenses in this material come in powers of -12.00D to +8.00D, up to -4.00D cylinder,...

Ophthalmic swim goggles.(Ophthalmic Lenses)
January 15, 2007... WaterOptics swim goggles, from Sable, feature flat lenses and modular nose bridges. Individual lenses are available in powers of -1.50D to -7.00D (0.50D steps), -7.00D to -10.00D (1.00D steps), or plano. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The...

Progressive lenses.(Ophthalmic Lenses)
January 15, 2007... The Multigressiv ILT and Multigressiv ILT XS, from Optical Distribution Corporation, are atoric/aspheric lenses that feature a progressive corridor on the backside of each lens and a single-vision front surface. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Photochromic lenses.(Ophthalmic Lenses)
January 15, 2007... Brown polycarbonate photochromic lenses, from Vision-Ease Lens, are now available as part of the LifeRx line. The brown tint is available for the D-28 bifocal lens, semi-finished single vision (SFSV) lens, aspheric SFSV lens and the company's...

Portable video magnifier.(Low Vision)
January 15, 2007... The Opal portable handheld video magnifier, from Freedom Scientific, features a four-inch diagonal full-color screen that has a magnification range of 3x to 6.4x. The magnifier also includes a built-in stand and side grip. [ILLUSTRATION...

Education software.(Patient Education)
January 15, 2007... The Ocutouch 360 education software package, from Trevi Technology, features seven patient education programs. The latest addition: a sequence that shows how corneal molding can improve vision. Ocutouch features more than 3,700 animations and...

Converse by REM Eyewear.(FRAMES)
January 15, 2007... REM Eyewear announces additions to the Converse Eyewear line for young adults and the Converse Kids collection for children. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Converse Eyewear line includes: * Backlot, a metal unisex modern rectangular...

Candie's by Viva International.(FRAMES)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... Viva International Group introduces the new "Fancy Stones" women's ophthalmic grouping, a part of its Candie's Eyes line. The group includes: * C Ashlee, a modified oval plastic and metal frame available in size 49/17-135 and in colors...

Bongo by Viva International.(FRAMES)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... Viva International Group introduces its "Flower Power" ophthalmic line by Bongo. The group of women's frames includes: * B Rosie, an oval metal and plastic frame available in size 47/18-130 and in colors brown/pink, black/beige and purple....

Coach by Marchon.(FRAMES)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... Marchon introduces a new ophthalmic line for women by Coach. The new line includes: * Janelle, a Monel rectangular full-rimmed frame that features a crystal treatment on the temples. It is available in sizes 52/17-130 and 54/17-135 and in...

Fendi Limited Edition by Marchon.(FRAMES)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... Marchon introduces the B-Buckle women's sunglass group by Fendi Limited Edition. The group includes FS382R, an exaggerated oval shape in size 66/14-125, and FS384R, a classic square-shaped frame in size 63/16-120. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Burberry by Luxottica.(FRAMES)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... Luxottica introduces the new Burberry Eyewear collection, which includes both sunwear and ophthalmic frames. The sunwear line includes: * BE 3001, a unisex Monel shield-shaped sunglass that features the Burberry "D-Ring buckle" on the...

Mettings + conferences.(Calendar)
January 15, 2007... February * 8-11. The 26th Squaw Valley Retinal Symposium, Olympic Valley, Calif. CE hours: 12. Contact Laura Wendel, 3939 J St., Suite 106, Sacramento, CA 95819; call (916) 483-6299; fax (916) 483-6297; e-mail...

More than meets the eye.(Diagnostic Quiz)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... History A 73-year-old white male presented for a routine eye examination without visual or ocular complaints. His ocular history was remarkable for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Systemic history was noncontributory. ...

Acanthamoeba keratitis.(The Corneal ATLAS)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 15, 2007... Acanthamoeba keratitis can be severe and vision-threatening. It was first recognized in contact lens wearers in the early 1970s (1) and contact lens wear is thought to be associated with 80% of the cases. (2) Acanthamoeba species are found...

Contact lens-induced acute red eye response (CLARE).(The Corneal ATLAS)
January 15, 2007... CLARE is an inflammatory reaction of the cornea and conjunctiva found following a period of eyelid closure with soft contact lens wear. This response is characterized by small, focal and diffuse corneal infiltrates with minimal or no epithelial...

Contact lens-induced peripheral ulcer.(The Corneal ATLAS)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 15, 2007... Contact lens-induced peripheral ulcer (CLPU) was a term coined by Grant et al in 1998 to describe a single, small, mid-peripheral to peripheral subepithelial infiltrate with overlying absence of epithelium. (1) The entity is differentiated in...

Contact lens superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis.(The Corneal ATLAS)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 15, 2007... Contact lens superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis (CLSLK) is a term associated with contact lens wear and designed to separate it from Theodore's superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis (SLK), which is often associated with thyroid disease. It has...

Corneal abrasion.(The Corneal ATLAS)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 15, 2007... Corneal abrasions are a common form of ocular trauma presenting to the primary care office. When the cornea is injured or damaged, sight-threatening consequences are a possibility, especially in the contact-lens wearing patient. Contact lenses...

Corneal infiltrates in contact lens wear.(The Corneal ATLAS)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 15, 2007... This inflammatory reaction of the cornea is characterized by aggregates of white blood cells of the anterior stroma and epithelium with or without epithelial staining. Etiology Asymptomatic infiltrates may be a normal response of...

Corneal neovascularization.(The Corneal ATLAS)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 15, 2007... Corneal neovascularization (NV) is the pathologic ingrowth of vessels from the limbus into the superficial or deep areas of the cornea. (1) Neovascularization of the cornea always represents a state of disease secondary to a variety of corneal...

Corneal warpage.(The Corneal ATLAS)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 15, 2007... Corneal warpage describes contact lens-induced changes in corneal topography that are not associated with corneal edema. (1) It was first described by Harstein in 1965 in a report of 12 cases of corneal warping related to contact lens wear (2)...

Epithelial basement membrane dystrophy.(The Corneal ATLAS)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 15, 2007... Epithelial basement membrane dystrophy (EBMD) is the most commonly encountered corneal dystrophy in clinical practice. While typically recognized as a dystrophy, thus implying hereditary factors and a progressive, bilateral presentation,...

Fungal keratitis.(The Corneal ATLAS)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 15, 2007... Fungal keratitis is relatively rare in the United States (approximately 5 to 10 percent of reported cases), although it accounts for up to 50 percent of ulcerative keratitis elsewhere in the world. Fungi are more prevalent in moist, subtropical...

Herpes simplex keratitis.(The Corneal ATLAS)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 15, 2007... Herpes infections of the cornea are serious business and need to be quickly diagnosed and treated. The virus is easily spread in tears and saliva and can be extended to others. There are reports of HSV-2 lesions causing ocular change as well....

Microbial keratitis.(The Corneal ATLAS)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 15, 2007... Microbial keratitis, or bacterial infection of the cornea, is a sight-threatening process. Widespread use of contact lenses and the increasing number of LASIK procedures require optometrists to be well-versed in diagnosing and managing...

Mucin balls.(The Corneal ATLAS)
January 15, 2007... Mucin balls is the term used to describe glycoprotein-containing spherical collections that are found in the space between the corneal epithelium and the contact lens. Their presence has dramatically increased in prevalence since the increase...

Polymegethism and pleomorphism.(The Corneal ATLAS)
January 15, 2007... Healthy corneal endothelial cells are critical for their role in controlling the hydration of the overlying corneal tissues. Fortunately for patients, changes in the corneal endothelium are rare and often do not progress. Unfortunately, any...

Pseudodendrites.(The Corneal ATLAS)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 15, 2007... Pseudodendrites are frequently mistaken for herpes simplex dendrites. It is this similarity that will create anxious moments about the diagnosis and plan of action. However, there are some important things to keep in mind that should help...

Superior epithelial arcuate lesions.(The Corneal ATLAS)
January 15, 2007... Superior epithelial arcuate lesions (SEALs) are whitish, opalescent lesions that are within a few millimeters of the limbus from approximately 10 to 2 o'clock along the superior limbus. They occur in soft contact lens wearers and have also been...

3 and 9 o'clock staining.(The Corneal ATLAS)
January 15, 2007... "3 and 9 o'clock staining" is the term commonly used to describe the corneal fluorescein staining pattern on the nasal and lateral inter-palpebral space of some contact lens wearers. It ranges in severity from punctate epithelial erosions to...

Vascularized limbal keratitis.(The Corneal ATLAS)
January 15, 2007... Vascularized limbal keratitis (VLK) was originally described by Grohe and Lebow in 1989 (1) in a gas permeable-wearing patient. The term VLK was developed to distinguish it from marginal corneal infiltrates and pterygium through its association...

Viral keratoconjunctivitis.(The Corneal ATLAS)
January 15, 2007... Viral keratoconjunctivitis (usually adenoviral) is an immune response of the cornea to a viral antigen characterized by conjunctival redness and multiple focal infiltrates scattered across the cornea. Etiology The cause of this...