Review of Optometry articles from June 2002

Review of Optometry archives from June 2002

Henry W. Hofstetter. (In the News).
June 15, 2002... Henry W. Hofstetter, O.D., Ph.D., has died. Dr. Hofstetter, a former teacher in a one-room schoolhouse, later in his life became dean of three optometry schools. He made his mark primarily on the curricula, rounding out the clinical...

CIBA Vision has combined its North American business units, including contact lenses, lens care and surgical divisions. (In the News).
June 15, 2002... CIBA Vision has combined its North American business units, including contact lenses, lens care and surgical divisions. Steve Osbaldeston (up until now, the president of the lens business) has been named president of the combined North American...

Alcon Research reported preliminary results of phase II clinical trials on anecortave acetate. (In the News).
June 15, 2002... Alcon Research reported preliminary results of phase II clinical trials on anecortave acetate. Alcon says its results so far show that the drug preserves or improves vision in patients with the wet form of age-related macular degeneration. When...

LASIK patients receive guidelines: the public needs to question doctors and to understand the surgery better. (News Review).
June 15, 2002... You've met this patient: He has seen newspaper ads for LASIK that tell him he can "throw away" his contacts or glasses. He has heard radio spots advertising rock-bottom prices. What he hasn't heard yet is that not every patient is a good...

For the record.
June 15, 2002... In the Clinical Guide to Ophthalmic Drugs, included with the May 2002 issue, the manufacturer of Betimol is listed incorrectly. The manufacturer of Betimol is Santen Pharmaceutical. Review of Optometry and the authors regret this error.

Breastfed babies see better? (News Review).
June 15, 2002... Two recent studies highlight the importance of proper--even supplemented--nutrition for newborns. Infants who receive iron supplementation during the first year of life have higher levels of visual acuity and motor function than babies who...

Diabetes researchers discover third insulin-regulating gene. (News Review).
June 15, 2002... Scientists have known for some time now that insulin development is in the genes, but the recent discovery of a third insulin-regulating gene and other research could lead to new treatments for your diabetic patients. Researchers from...

Everyone has a favorite uncle: everyone in optometry, that is, and it's one special colleague from St. Louis. (Another Perspective).
June 15, 2002... Most of us have a favorite relative. It may be your grandfather or grandmother, or perhaps an uncle or aunt. My favorite was Uncle Irving. Uncle Irv was the only family member nearby with a car. Better yet, he loved taking me along whenever...

'Ortho-K' vs. 'CRT': Paragon responds. (Letters & E-Mail).
June 15, 2002... Editor's note: The following letter from Joe Sicari, president and CEO of Paragon Vision Sciences, is in response to a previously published letter signed by 11 doctors from Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. Editor: I...

The big bite: staff are eating up more of your income; what colleagues spend on staff is on the rise again. The trend could continue. (National Panel).
June 15, 2002... Staff salary and benefits are taking more out of optometrists' bottom lines than ever before. Yet, employees aren't making much more than they did last year. The rising cost of health-care coverage could be contributing to this, but most of you...

Building the Practice: Part II go from wish lists to blueprints; looking to build a new practice? here's how to turn your fantasies into floorplans. (Practice Management).
June 15, 2002... If you're like me, you probably have your dream office already designed in your head. Somewhere between dreams and reality, you'll find your final design. There is much to consider when building a new practice. You'll need to plan every detail,...

Panoramic200: a new protocol for dilation? the manufacturer says its new exam offers clinical and practice management benefits. Here's what your colleagues say. (Test Drive).
June 15, 2002... Some of your colleagues have found a new way to perform retinal screening exams. They're using an instrument called the Optos Panoramic200 scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) to get a 200[degrees] field of view of the retina--and they get it...

Three tales of ecstatic astigmats: how creativity and persistence helped these patients live happily ever after. (Contact Lenses).
June 15, 2002... Improved designs and reproducibility have made toric fitting more commonplace in optometric practice. But for some patients, fitting toric contact lenses goes beyond correcting minimal astigmatism. These three cases illustrate that toric lenses...

How the human genome project is changing eye care: now that the human genome is nearly unraveled, you'll soon have new tools for specific diagnosis, customized drugs and reliable disease prediction. (Genomics and the Eye: Part I).
June 15, 2002... Imagine this: You take a swab of a patient's infected eye. Then you put the sample into a hand-held diagnostic instrument. Inside is a "DNA chip" used to identify dozens, if not hundreds, of ocular conditions. The machine reproduces the...

How to manage endophthalmitis in trabeculectomy patients: accurate diagnosis, prompt treatment and timely referral may determine whether patients keep their eyesight. (Patient Care).
June 15, 2002... Trabeculectomy-related endophthalmitis is the most dreaded complication of glaucoma filtering surgery, and can lead to vision loss and even the loss of an eye. It's also difficult to diagnose; it may occur many years after the patient has the...

On guard: your role in countering weapons of mass destruction: the thought of O.D.s treating victims of nuclear, biological and chemical attacks once seemed ridiculous. Then came September 11, 2001. (Optometric Study Center).
June 15, 2002... Before the horrific events of September 11,2001, and the ensuing anthrax contamination of the mail, the United States was fairly lax in its domestic preparedness for bioterrorism--despite global and domestic examples of use of these weapons of...

The effort to cure recurrent erosions: research is finding new ways for managing this recalcitrant corneal malady. (Research Review).
June 15, 2002... A female patient comes to your office complaining of a sharp pain in her eyes upon awakening. Some days, she says, it feels like her eyelids are stuck to the front of the eyes. She may have had a traumatic abrasion recently. These are the...

Is it a good idea to do A-scans? A-scans fall into optometric scope, but is it something you really want to do? (Comanagement Q&A).
June 15, 2002... Q Can a referring O.D. do A-scans and send the results to a surgeon for use in cataract surgery? A We can learn to do A-scans as well as anyone, but it may be impractical to do so, depending on your relationship with your surgeon. ...

Band keratopathy: new approaches; EDTA and amniotic membrane transplantation are two newer options. (Cornea & Contact Lens Q & A).
June 15, 2002... Q I have a patient with parathyroid dysfunction and significant corneal disease. Are there any new treatments for band keratopathy? A Varying degrees of calcium deposition, including band keratopathy, are among the complications of...

Fundus anomalies in teen-aged girl: how do these relate to blurred vision and accompanying physical complaints? (Retina Quiz).
June 15, 2002... A 16-year-old Brazilian female presented complaining of headaches, nausea and fever for the past three weeks. She also noted blurred vision in both eyes for about the same time. Her past medical history was noncontributory. She reported no...

New horizons in contact lens care clinical grand rounds.
June 15, 2002... When hydrophilic lenses first appeared in the early 1970s, it didn't take long for contact lens fitters to recognize that caring for these lenses was not going to be a simple proposition. Today, after three decades of clinical and laboratory...

Conjunctivitis in college students: a conjunctivitis outbreak on college campuses confounds CDC officials. (Therapeutic Forum).
June 15, 2002... Most cases of acute conjunctivitis are related to viral infections from adenovirus. However, a recent outbreak of acute conjunctivitis, although thought to be clinically viral, instead turned out to be a case of bacterial infection. This...

Tonometry on the go. (Diagnostic Instruments).
June 15, 2002... The PT100 is a portable, hand-held tonometer that weighs 2.7 pounds. Available from Reichert Ophthalmic Instruments, this cordless, non-contact tonometer device is rechargeable. The icon-based operating system and LCD screen display all...

A new blue. (Contact Lenses).
June 15, 2002... CooperVision has expanded the color selection for its Expressions opaque lenses. Now, patients who prefer a deep blue eye color can opt for the new blue topaz lens. The lenses are made from methafilcon A (55% water), using CooperVision's...

New formula launch. (Contact Lens Care).
June 15, 2002... CIBA Vision announced the U. S. launch of SOLO-care PLUS, a new no-rub or quick-clean formulation for soft contact lenses. Patients can use SOLO-care PLUS as a no-rub solution with a six-hour soaking, or as a quick-clean regimen in which they...

Bundle up lens options. (Product Review).
June 15, 2002... Consumers are bombarded with the promise of "new and improved" technological advancements that they don't understand. Many are skeptical, and there's no exception when it comes to eyewear. More often than not, patients are given one fee for...

Next generation progressive. (Ophthalmic Lenses).
June 15, 2002... Essilor's Ovation progressive lens is now available in Next Generation Transitions. Ovation lenses are also available in 1.5 index, Airwear and Airwear Transitions. Call 1-800-325-6555, or go to www.essilor.com.

Calculator for variable focus. (Product Review).
June 15, 2002... Prio's Shazam! is a lens calculator for determining the correct variable focus lens for your computer-using patients. It is a Windows software utility that can run on an office computer. To use Shazam!, enter the patient's distance Rx,...

Optometric trends report. (Practice Management Tools).
June 15, 2002... Bausch & Lomb has released its annual report, Trends in Contact Lenses & Lens Care. The current edition is available as a 32-page report and as speaker slides. The report contains industry data on areas of growth in contact lens fitting...

Members helping members. (Product Review).
June 15, 2002... The AOA's Practice Assistance Program offers one-on-one coaching on various aspects of practice management. The program is free of charge, but it is only open to AOA members. The program matches "coaches" (experienced practitioners who...

Save the Children. (Ophthalmic Frame Board).
June 15, 2002... ClearVision Optical's new Save the Children eyewear collection donates 2-3% of the retail price to Save the Children, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to changing the lives of disadvantaged children in the United States and abroad. The...

Nike Flexon 3-piece. (Ophthalmic Frame Board).
June 15, 2002... Marchon's Nike Vision has introduced a sports-inspired line of three-piece mount rimless eyewear featuring Flexon memory metal. Sunwear is. available in three styles, and ophthalmics are available in two styles. The 4041 ophthalmic is a rimless...

What's blurred patient's vision? (Diagnostic Quiz).
June 15, 2002... History A 50-year-old white male presented complaining of blurred vision O.U. for the past two months. His systemic history was positive for gout, which he medicated with Advil (ibuprofen) and Indocin (indomethacin) as needed. He had no...

Optomap is revolutionizing the retinal exam: this remarkable retinal screening modality captures a digital image of almost the entire retina through an undilated pupil.
June 15, 2002... Dr. William Jones says the Optomap[TM] retinal exam has improved eye doctors' ability to detect retinal disease because this revolutionary diagnostic modality lets clinicians view almost the entire retina at the start of an examination. ...

Optometry's new world order. (Editor's Page).
June 15, 2002... Whether you graduated from optometry school 10 or 20 years ago, or even last year, you probably never imagined that you'd be reading articles about bioterrorism and the human genome in the same professional publication. Yet, here it is in...

A change would do you good: we O.D.s are constantly looking for change. Sometimes under sofa cushions. (Chairside).
June 15, 2002... I am in love with a singer named Sheryl Crow. Why? It has nothing to do with the fact that she is a sexy, exceptionally talented, multimillionaire rock star. (Of course not.) It is because she wrote THE optometric theme song. No, it's not...