Review of Optometry articles from May 2003

Review of Optometry archives from May 2003

Cataract may be clue to Alzheimer's: specific changes in the lens may provide telltale sign of Alzheimer's.
May 15, 2003... The lens of the eye may hold the key for earlier diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests. In the April 12 issue of The Lancet, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital...

The results of a study in the April issue of Ophthalmology show that screening elderly patients in an outpatient eye care clinic may be an effective way to detect dementia. (In the News).(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... The results of a study in the April issue of Ophthalmology show that screening elderly patients in an outpatient eye care clinic may be an effective way to detect dementia, depression and functional impairment. Among outpatients ages 65 and...

The FDA has approved the second "fourth-generation" topical fluoroquinolone, Vigamox (moxifloxacin, Alcon). (In the News).(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... The FDA has approved the second "fourth-generation" topical fluoroquinolone, Vigamox (moxifloxacin, Alcon). It's indicated to treat bacterial conjunctivitis on a seven-day tid dosing regimen, and is approved for adults and children older than...

Several vision care companies have banded together to establish the National Association of Vision Care Plans (NAVCP). (In the News).
May 15, 2003... Several vision care companies have banded together to establish the National Association of Vision Care Plans (NAVCP). The founding companies include Spectera, Cole Managed Vision, Davis Vision, EyeMed Vision Care and Superior Vision Services....

Newborn exams needed to catch cataracts. (News Review).
May 15, 2003... Close to 40% of healthy new-borns with infantile cataracts are not diagnosed before reaching the age of 6 weeks, a study released by the Medical College of Georgia's School of Medicine in Augusta says. Experts recommend these patients have...

Dues, specialization top AOA Congress list. (News Review).
May 15, 2003... The AOA House of Delegates will take up an increase in membership dues and discuss specialization in optometric clinical practice at the association's 106th annual Congress next month in San Diego. The AOA hasn't raised annual membership...

AMD may be linked to common bacteria. (News Review).
May 15, 2003... Chlamydia pneumoniae, a common bacterium that can cause respiratory infections, may be associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). C. pneumoniae infection is emerging as an important, potentially treatable risk factor in the...

One in seven patients over age 40 will likely need LASIK retreatment. (News Review).(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... About one in seven people past age 40 who undergo LASIK are likely to need a second procedure to correct residual refractive error. The findings of this study appeared in the April issue of Ophthalmology. Researchers from Hackensack...

Minnesota ready to approve oral drug bill. (News Review).(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... At press time, Minnesota optometrists were hopeful for the passage of a bill that will allow them to administer oral drugs. The bill had passed through the state Senate and House health committees with no opposition, and awaited a vote on the...

Drug-related side effects occur in one in four patients. (News Review).(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Outpatient injuries related to drugs are very common, and an estimated 39% are preventable or could have been made less serious through proper intervention, according to a study in the April 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. ...

Sometimes, you don't know it all: some complaints are legitimate. Other times, they get what they pay for. (Editor's Page).(Column)
May 15, 2003... A few months ago, I bumped into a gentleman who was miffed that his new progressive lenses weren't quite what he'd expected them to be. My question: "Where did you get them?" It turns out that he had an exam at his family eye doctor,...

Penny wise and pound foolish: money can't buy you happiness...but it can buy you a brand new Jaguar. (Chariside).(Column)
May 15, 2003... Money is the root of all evil, right? It's easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle than a rich man into heaven, right? Money can't buy me love? Everybody tells me so. On the other hand, try telling that to the bank when you're...

HIPAA: the hurt is all in your head. (Letters & E-mail).(Letter to the Editor)
May 15, 2003... In your Editor's Page commentary "H is for HJPAA, and for Headache" (February 2003), you are correct: HJPAA is a headache. I have spent at least 60 hours reviewing the AOA's manual and incorporating the policies, and I'm not done yet. Only a...

Age-defying career makeover; in her 30s Edie Bowman grounded her hot air balloon career and decided to pursue a new profession: optometry. (Profiles in Excellence).(Biography)
May 15, 2003... One day after trying to maneuver a 500-pound wicker basket, Edie Bowman realized she was in her late 30s, recently divorced, and no longer wanted to destroy her health from the rigors of piloting a hot-air balloon. So, while many people...

Case report: revive piggyback fit with Focus(R) NIGHT & DAY[TM] Lenses.
May 15, 2003... A difficult case of cyclonystagmus becomes an opportunity for greater patient comfort and visual acuity. Patricia M. Keech, O.D. The day this patient walked into my Seattle office in 1991, she was 21 years old, with blonde hair, big...

Are staff benefits caught in a squeeze? Optometrists are paying their employees more, but cutting back on benefits. (National Panel).
May 15, 2003... Given the current labor market, most optometrists (56%) are having about the same difficulty in filling positions this year as compared with last year. That statistic belies the complexity of the present economy. More workers (and...

Clinical success in allergy: living up to preclinical expectations. (Allergy Challenge Series II Alcon).
May 15, 2003... As the market continues to flood with new allergy medications, we see there is good reason why olopatadine continues to be considered the standard. The options for and availability of ocular allergy treatment are expanding at a greater...

Report from ARVO: research may change the way we treat ocular disease, and comanage cataract and refractive surgery.
May 15, 2003... Each year we eagerly anticipate the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting, at which top researchers present their latest work. Their findings may change the way we treat patients with glaucoma, corneal disorders,...

Cornea: here's what researchers say about Ortho-K for children, corneal disorders and dry eye management.
May 15, 2003... Research presented at this year's Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology produced pounds of practical information for your everyday practice. Studies touched on advances in treating children and dry eye, and uncovered associations...

Glaucoma: new methods of drug delivery and new ways to monitor IOP may be available to your patients one day soon. (Arvo Report).(discussion of monitoring intraocular pressure (IOP))
May 15, 2003... Research presented at this year's Association for Research in vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting ranged from forward-thinking methods of treating glaucoma in the future to new studies that reaffirmed theories on central corneal thickness...

Retina: how lutein, laser therapy and steroid injections may help prevent vision loss from AMD. (ARVO Report).(report on age-related macular degeneration (AMD))
May 15, 2003... Some 1.6 million people already have lost vision due to age-related macular degeneration, and the number will increase nearly 70% over the next two decades, the National Eye Institute and Prevent Blindness America report. The good news is...

Refractive and cataract: new insights into complications may help improve outcomes now. (ARVO Report).
May 15, 2003... Refractive errors and cataractous lenses account for a multitude of patients in our practices. More than 30 million Americans 40 and older have myopia, and another 12 million have hyperopia, Prevent Blindness America reports in its Vision...

How to tell Bell's from the masqueraders: the causes of Bell's palsy are a mystery, but the O.D.'s role in managing this disorder is not. This update provides a clinical review. (Patient Care).
May 15, 2003... We don't know what exactly causes Bell's palsy. We do know that it is an idiopathic paresis or paralysis of the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII), that it comes on quickly, and that it can resolve within months. We know that a delayed recovery...

Managing Lyme disease: where you fit in O.D.s can play a key role in solving the diagnostic puzzle. (Optometric Study Center).
May 15, 2003... At age 31 my friend Jeanine enjoyed running, mountain biking, skiing, hiking and many other activities. One afternoon she noticed a strange-looking rash on her leg. Her doctor diagnosed poison oak, but within weeks the rash worsened, and her...

When to refer a diabetic patient? Some symptoms warrant an immediate referral to a retinal specialist. (Comanagement Q&A).
May 15, 2003... Q When should I refer a diabetic patient to a retinal specialist? A Refer any diabetic patient with sight-threatening levels of retinal disease to a retinal specialist. This includes patients with clinically significant diabetic macular...

False low pressures mask the problem: was this really DLK or were there other factors at work? (Cornea & Contact Lens Q&A).(discussion of diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK))
May 15, 2003... Q A patient who underwent sequential LASIK presented with a diffuse lamellar keratitis masquerade syndrome. Applanation pressures measured over the flap were 15mm Hg in each eye, but pressures measured outside the flap were 42mm Hg in the right...

Now you see it, now you don't: patient presents one month after sudden vision loss in his left eye. (Retina Quiz).(central retinal artery occlusion)
May 15, 2003... A 57-year-old Hispanic male presented with decreased vision in his left eye. One month earlier, he said, he saw flashes of light followed by a sudden onset of poor vision in the eye. Vision has not improved since that episode. Ocular and...

Trab in right eye raises IOP in left? IOP and NFL problems in the left eye appear after trabeculectomy in the right. (Glaucoma Grand Rounds).(trabeculectomy; intraocular pressure; nerve fiber layer)
May 15, 2003... An 81-year-old white female undergoes an uncomplicated trabeculectomy in one eye and subsequently develops an IOP rise in the fellow eye. Is this a coincidence, or is there a connection? Diagnostic Data When we saw first saw this...

STD therapy goes beyond the Rx: chlamydia and herpes are the most common STDs with ocular signs. (Therapeutic Review).(chlamydial keratoconjunctivitis)
May 15, 2003... We don't always get to stay in our comfort zone if we aim to practice comprehensive primary eye care. Sometimes, before we can write a prescription for therapy, we have to deal with uncomfortable situations. Discussing a patient's sexual...

Defining presbyopic vision. (Product Review: Contact Lenses).(Optical Connection Inc. receives pre-market approval of its Definition AC Multifocal disposable contact lenses)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Optical Connection Inc. has received FDA pre-market approval of its Definition AC Multifocal disposable contact lens. This lens design consists of four zones of non-linear, multi-aspheric power progressions. The central accommodation zone...

Bifocal boom. (Product Review: Contact Lenses).(ESSential Solution contact lenses from X-Cel Contacts and Blanchard Contact Lenses)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... A joint venture of X-Cel Contacts and Blanchard Contact Lenses, the new ESSential Solution is a GP contact lens that provides your presbyopic patients with a full range of intermediate vision along with a thinner lens profile. The segmented,...

Natural nurturing. (Therapeutics).(natural eye drops from Natural Ophthalmics Inc. )(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... You now have an array of 23 new natural eye drops for targeting the 12 most common conditions of your patients. Natural Ophthalmics Inc. is a new company producing natural treatments dispensed exclusively through doctors. Twelve homeopathic eye...

Play misty for those eyes. (Therapeutics).(Nature's Tears EyeMist from Bio-Logic Aqua Technologies)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Tissue-culture grade water is the key ingredient in Bio-Logic Aqua Technologies' new Nature's Tears EyeMist, a treatment for your dry-eye patients. Tissue-culture grade" means the water is clinically approved for use as a standardized...

From A to Zi. (Therapeutics).(Rhoto V. and Rohto Zi for Eyes dry eye solutions from Mentholatum Co. )(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... The Mentholatum Company, a subsidiary of Rohto Pharmaceutical Co. in Japan, offers two more new options for your dry-eye patients: Rohto V. and Rohto Zi for Eyes. Rhoto V. combines a vasoconstrictor (naphazoline 0.012%) and lubricant...

Enforcing patient privacy. (Product Review: Practice Management).(Vericept Intelligent Early Warning for Health Information Protection)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Vericept Intelligent Early Warning (VIEW) for Health Information Protection is the latest tool to help you comply with Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy requirements. Vericept Corporation designed VIEW to...

Safe and sound. (Product Review: Safety Frames).(plastic safety prescription eyeglass frames added to Titmus Optical's Fashiongrade collection)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Titmus Optical has added two unisex, plastic safety prescription frames to its Fashiongrade collection. FC704 and FC705 are rectangular shapes in colors brown and gray. FC705 features a universal bridge, thin temple and eyewire profile in sizes...

Explore your sweet side. (Product Review: Ophthalmic Frames).(Guess' Sweet Sophistication eyeglass frames from Viva International Group's Guess Eyewear and Your Sweet Side eyeglass frames from Candie's Eyes)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Viva International Group's Guess Eyewear and Candie's Eyes both introduce frames for young, fashion-conscious women. Guess' Sweet Sophistication collection features plastic frames in geometric shapes with an embellished G logo on the...

Express yourself. (Office Design).(Expressions Collection display fixtures from Eye Designs)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... The Expressions Collection of office furniture from Eye Designs features freestanding wood displays with elegant curves and details. Call 1-800-346-8890 or go to www.eyedesigns.com.

Spring bloom. (Product Review: Sunwear).(DKNY eyeglass frames from Marchon)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Marchon's DKNY brand has 23 new sun styles this spring. One is the DKNY 7420S. This unisex frame has a soft rectangular eye shape and logo embossed temples. Features include a folding metal shield that is lightweight and compact, and a unique...

Dock of the Bay. (Product Review: Sunwear).(Filament rimless eyeglass frames from Costa Del Mar)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Filament is the latest three-piece rimless frame from Costa Del Mar. Light-weight and durable, Filament is named for its similarity to the fishing line anglers use. The company says this product is made to enhance experiences in and near the...

Meetings and Conferences.(Calendar)
May 15, 2003... June * 6-8. British Contact Lens Association's 27th clinical conference and exhibition, Brighton, England. Contact Vivien Freeman, secretary general, Walmar House, 288-292 Regent St., London W1B 3AL; call +44 020-7580-6661; e-mail...

Why is lid in the pink? (Diagnostic Quiz).(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... History A 63-year-old white female presented for a routine eye examination. She did not have any specific visual or ocular complaints. Her ocular history included a 25-year history of keratoconus and current successful gas permeable lens...

Solutions to contact lens care problems: a frank discussion about toxicity, staining and patient comfort.
May 15, 2003... Over the years, we've learned that no matter which solutions patients use, there will be some toxicity issues. Some solutions will manifest toxicity more than others, and when this happens there's an obvious link to patient discomfort and...

Breakthrough technology: takes the guesswork out of hiring and managing your staff.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... If you're looking to build a happier, more productive eyecare staff--and avoid costly hiring mistakes--our new online testing service is just the thing for you. Two types of assessments are available 1 The "16-Point Profile" takes...