Review of Optometry articles from September 2004

Review of Optometry archives from September 2004

Bausch & Lomb.(In the News)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Bausch & Lomb has received an approvable letter from the FDA for its steroid-antibiotic combination Zylet (loteprednol/tobramycin). The company says it expects official approval in the second half of 2004.

Pineal gland.(In the News)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... The pineal gland--which regulates the sleep/wake cycle--may have evolved in humans as an indirect way to improve vision by keeping toxic compounds away from the eye, according to research in the August Journal of Biological Rhythms. These toxic...

Retinitis pigmentosa.(In the News)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Retinitis pigmentosa may be triggered by an inherited inability to successfully bind zinc to rhodopsin, a light receptor protein in the eye, according to researchers in the August 20 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The findings...

FDA.(In the News)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... The FDA has expanded the approved uses for the CrystaLens (eyeonics) intraocular lens to include presbyopia.

'Normal' children don't need glasses? A study says that as many as 20% of children are given glasses unnecessarily.(News Review)
September 15, 2004... About one in five children are prescribed glasses that they don't need--mostly by optometrists, says a recent study. And this may put a severe strain on the U.S. healthcare system, the study concludes. But the study misses a major point,...

Hurricane Charley hits Florida O.D.s hard.(News Review)
September 15, 2004... Optometrist Paul Monroe and his wife huddled in a closet, with sleeping bags and cushions for protection, as the eye of Hurricane Charley passed directly over their house. The date was Friday the 13th. It was a lucky day for Dr. and...

Retinal vessel narrowing predicts severe hypertension.(News Review)
September 15, 2004... Long-standing hypertension appears to lead to retinal arteriolar narrowing, according to the latest results from the Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES). This suggests that when doctors observe narrowed retinal vessels in the eye, the patient...

Gene researchers find a surprise protective mechanism in the trabecular meshwork.(News Review)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Gene researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have discovered genetic activity in the trabecular meshwork that may help explain how the eye responds to increases in intraocular pressure. "In earlier work, we found...

Vision loss differs among nursing home residents of different races.(News Review)
September 15, 2004... Low vision and blindness are highly prevalent among residents of nursing homes, with more than one third (37%) affected, and there are racial variations among the different causes, according to the Salisbury Eye Evaluation in Nursing Home...

Working harder working smarter: young O.D.s are forced to push themselves to the limit, but the payoff is worth it.(Editor's Page)
September 15, 2004... Typically, I like to hone in on a single topic for my editorials. I usually take an idea from one of the features and expand on it or comment on it in an alternative way--or in a way that wouldn't necessarily fit into Review's clinical feature...

A brief history of eye care: in the beginning, there was slime. This formed into insurance companies.(Chairside)
September 15, 2004... This is the history of eye care. It all started eons ago. You will recall that an "eon" is a large quantity of beer. Eons ago, the world was full of water, kind of like my bladder after an eon or two. The first single-celled organisms...

Not-so common CL complaints.(Letters & E-Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
September 15, 2004... I felt that in Dr. Barry Weissman's article, "Correct Common Contact Lens Complications" (June 2004), his description of 3 and 9 o'clock staining as one of the most common problems associated with gas permeable lenses was a bit dated. Current...

Optometric troops.(Letters & E-Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
September 15, 2004... The article, "Serving Those Who Serve Our Country" (June 2004), was timely, informative and appreciated. However, it would have been that much better if Dr. Miller would have included input from one of our own serving in Baghdad. Maj....

Focus on the profession.(Letters & E-Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
September 15, 2004... I just had to agree with Dr. Samuel J. Simon who wrote in the June issue (Letters and E-mail, June 2004) about the focus of our profession. I totally agree that we are focusing too much time on disease management and not enough on basic...

Guess what I can do?(Letters & E-Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
September 15, 2004... In response to Dr. Simon's letter on the focus of the profession (June 2004): News flash! Guess what I can do? I can provide clear and comfortable vision--and diagnose and treat eye diseases. The primary reason for the profession and its focus...

Contact lens dropouts: discomfort and dryness are the main reasons patients stop wearing lenses.(Panel Discussion)
September 15, 2004... Walter West (moderator): I would like to start our discussion by talking about contact lens dropouts. This is a serious issue. We all recognize that for the past decade or so there have been as many patients dropping out of contact lens wear as...

Causes of contact lens dropouts: dry eye and allergy workups are par for the course.
September 15, 2004... Dr. West: We have discussed discomfort and convenience issues. Now I would like to talk a little bit about dryness, because that is obviously one of the problems that improved wettability could help solve. Clearly a key age demographic at...

How lenses and solutions interact: optimal soft lens conditioning may be linked to patient comfort.
September 15, 2004... Dr. West: Previously in our discussion Dr. Lebow mentioned that he asks his patients to soak new soft lenses overnight in Opti-Free Express to enhance comfort. It was also mentioned that many optometrists were in the habit of soaking RGPs when...

Financial consequences of dropouts: each contact lens patient can be worth about $17,000.
September 15, 2004... Dr. West: To the average practice, what do dropout contact lens patients mean in terms of dollars and cents? Dr. White: Dropouts may not necessarily just switch to spectacle wear. There is a good chance they will switch doctors as well....

Part 1 of 2: business strategies for your dispensary; Words like "sales" and "business" may make some O.D.s cringe. But not this one. He makes the case for using tried-and-true, conventional business strategies in the dispensary.
September 15, 2004... While optical dispensing is a strong aspect of our profession's heritage, it seems that its status is declining as our profession concentrates on ocular disease management. Dispensing has long been a double-edged sword in our profession. On...

The lab experiment: two separate practices learned how to share a single "in office" (but offsite) optical laboratory.(Practice Management)
September 15, 2004... I once read a fortune cookie that said, "Discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or a nation." In this case, discontent was the first step in the progress of a shared off-site optical lab. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] About...

Allergy challenge series III: signs and symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis.
September 15, 2004... In previous months, we've used this forum to discuss the diagnosis of allergy, the challenges presented by the contact lens-wearing allergy patient and the identification and treatment of patients who get allergies during seasons that are...

Refraction: technicians should be permitted to perform subjective refractions.(Point/Counterpoint)
September 15, 2004... Technicians should be permitted to perform subjective refractions for two reasons: Optometric scope of practice continues to evolve, and technology has enabled technicians to perform the data-gathering portion of the refraction effectively. ...

Debate: only the optometrist should be permitted to perform subjective refraction.(Point/Counterpoint)
September 15, 2004... Opticians and technicians should not be permitted to perform subjective refractions--with or without automated technology--for two reasons: They do not have the necessary educational background to best serve patients, and without that...

Exposing the secrets of fringe eye care: what you can tell your patients about complementary and alternative eye care, including Bates' exercises, homeopathy and iridology.(Patient Care)
September 15, 2004... Seven years ago, I was visiting my mother when a book on her coffee table caught my attention. The book was titled Hidden Secrets for Better Vision (Fischer Publishing, 1995). Among the book's claims: You can cure glaucoma with herbal...

Intravitreal steroid injections for macular edema: will this therapy evolve into the new standard of care?(Clinical Care)
September 15, 2004... Macular edema is a common cause of vision loss in several retinal disorders such as vein occlusion, diabetic retinopathy, and idiopathic and post-surgical cystoid macular edema. However, intravitreal injections of Kenalog (triamcinolone...

Risk factors for glaucoma: the usual and unusual suspects; Recent studies indicate that intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness and cup-to-disk ratio are major risk factors. But these studies held some other surprises.(Patient Care)
September 15, 2004... As our understanding of glaucoma evolves, the risk factors we associate with the disease change with it. A risk factor such as intraocular pressure was at first thought to be an integral part of glaucoma, then was de-emphasized, and is now once...

The children's crisis: there is growing concern of type 2 diabetes in children. Here's how it affects your role as doctor and teacher.(Diabetes Report)(Cover Story)
September 15, 2004... Daniel Bintz remembers what it was like to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 25 years ago. He was only 19 at the time, and the news hit him like a right hook out of nowhere. Type 2 diabetes, he thought, was something that older people get....

Extend diabetes care beyond retinopathy: diabetes has numerous systemic and ocular manifestations of which you should be aware.(Optometpic Study Center)
September 15, 2004... Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common ocular manifestations of a systemic disease we encounter in primary care optometry. However, it is but one of the debilitating ocular sequelae that affects diabetic patients. As our scope of...

Rewriting the standard of care in diagnosis, management and intervention assessment.(Optical Coherence Tomography)
September 15, 2004... Over the years, many innovations have impacted the eye care industry. Soft contact lenses radically changed the standard of care in the 1970s. With the increased use of fluorescein angiography, laser photocoagulation totally rewrote...

The best way to treat migraines: appropriate treatment depends on frequency, triggers and severity.(Comanagement Q & A)
September 15, 2004... Q Last month's column discussed how to determine the etiology of a patient's headache. Once migraines are diagnosed, what is the best course of treatment for these patients? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A The answer depends, in part, on how...

A clear cause of CLARE? What is responsible for contact lens-induced acute red eye?(Cornea & Contact Lens Q & A)
September 15, 2004... Q What causes the Cornea and Contact lens Research Unit's (CCLRU) definition of contact lens-induced acute red eye response (CLARE)? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A The Institute for Eye Research (IER)--which incorporates CCLRU, a core...

'Funny' nerve is no laughing matter: unusual appearance in right eye is accompanied by significant headaches.(Retina Quiz)
September 15, 2004... A 23-year-old Hispanic female was referred for the evaluation of a "funny-looking optic nerve" in the right eye. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] She reported no ocular problems, but her medical history was significant for headaches that...

Are monocular trials valid? New research underscores why you should assess each eye individually.(Glaucoma Grand Rounds)
September 15, 2004... A 55-year-old white female presented in August 2004 with a bump on the nasal aspect of her right lower lid. The nodule was not tender, she said, but it had been enlarging somewhat since it appeared three months prior. She said the cyst was...

What causes hemorrhage? There are many causes of subconjunctival hemorrhage. Some may be serious.(Therapeutic Review)
September 15, 2004... Subconjunctival hemorrhage (SCH) is a common presentation. It may be spontaneous, secondary to systemic disease, or the result of trauma. These patients present with focal or diffuse areas of blood under the conjunctiva and without pain or loss...

Diabetes care: don't forget the cornea; Besides retinopathy, diabetes can have significant effects on the front of the eye.(Research Review)
September 15, 2004... We often think first of diabetic retinopathy when we consider the ocular effects of diabetes. However, diabetes has a significant effect on the morphological, metabolic, physiological and clinical aspects of the cornea. These effects on the...

Breathable lenses.(Contact Lenses)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... O2Optix, the newest silicone hydrogel contact lens from CIBA Vision, has a Dk value of 138. The new lens is made of lotrafilcon B, spawned by the company's lotrafilcon A material used in its Night & Day lenses. Lotrafilcon B contains 33% water...

Expanded range.(Ophthalmic Lenses)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Johnson & Johnson Vision Care's polycarbonate offering of its Definity progressive lenses now comes in a wider prescription range: from +4.00D to -7.00D with -0.25D to -4.00D cylinder. The company has also expanded the available add range to...

New color.(Ophthalmic Lenses)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Essilor's Varilux Panamic polarized sunglasses are now available in gray. The lenses combine the company's Airwear technology and Crizal Alize coating to reduce glare and provide impact resistance. Varliux Panamic Airwear Polarized Gray lenses...

Photochromics.(Ophthalmic Lenses)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Rodenstock America now offers its ColorMatic Extra brown in a 1.56 lens index. The ColorMatic extra is available in both Progressiv AT and Cosmolit single vision lens designs. The company says unique in mass technology creates uniform color by...

Cleaning on the go.(Contact Lens Care)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... CIBA Vision's new Aquify 5 Minute Multi-Purpose Solution provides a quick way to clean, disinfect and moisturize contact lenses. The product's HydroLock formulation includes Dexpant-5, an ingredient found in dry eye and wound healing...

Added comfort.(Contact Lens Care)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Renu Multipurpose solution from Bausch & Lomb now features a MoistureLoc formula, which the company says may improve comfort in patients experiencing contact lens-related dry eye. The company says its MoistureLoc formula conditions lenses and...

New label.(Dry Eye)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Many LASIK patients seek relief from postoperative dry eye with artificial tears. Allergan's Refresh Plus now carries FDA-approved labeling that indicates its use for these patients specifically. A regulatory release supporting a new reference...

Preservative free.(Dry Eye)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... VIVA Lubricating Eye Drops will now be marketed through a collaboration of MediNiche and Corneal Science Corporation. VIVA is a preservative-free, antioxidant-fortified artificial tear drop. It contains five antioxidants and comes in a...

Motility testing.(Exam Equipment)(Gulden Ophthalmics )(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... New color fixation sticks from Gulden Ophthalmics are meant to help you save time while testing ocular motility and confrontation visual fields. The set includes five colored fixation sticks in white, red, blue, green and yellow, and a leather...

Patient Diary.(Patient Education)(National Rosacea Society )
September 15, 2004... The National Rosacea Society offers a new tool to help patients identify and avoid environmental and lifestyle factors that may trigger their rosacea. The Rosacea Diary includes daily pages with a checklist of the most common triggers of...

Wavefront refraction.(Instruments)(Ophthonix)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Ophthonix new Z-View Aberrometer uses wavefront technology to measure both high and low order optical aberrations. The company says the instrument performs like a high-end surgical aberrometer. The Z-View measures over 11,300 data points over a...

File sharing software.(Instruments)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... RTA viewer software from Talia Technology allows you and your staff to view RTA exam results throughout the office network. Any PC loaded with the software is capable of viewing patient reports, analyzing scans, generating new reports and more....

Office design.(Product Review)(Eye Designs)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... The Viewpoint collection of furniture is the latest offering from Eye Designs. This collection of modular, semi-custom displays and furniture includes multiple styles in both modern and traditional designs. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Call...

Magic magnets.(Ophthalmic Frames)( \)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Viva International has added two new metallic frames to its Gant line featuring the company's patented Pure Magic magnetic technology. This technology features micro-xanadium magnets on the clip and no magnets on the frame. G Lend is a modified...

New York style.(Ophthalmic Frames)(REM Eyewear)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Five new ophthalmic and sunwear styles are part of REM Eyewear's Jones New York Autumn 2004 collection. In both plastic and metal styles, the new styles complement the existing line. * Plastics. Both J706 and J707 are made of Italian zyl....

Masculine style.(Ophthalmic Frames)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Safilo USA launches the first Valentino men's collection of ophthalmic frames. Three metal/wood combinations are offered in various rectangle shapes. VAL 1151, VAL 1152 and VAL 1153 come in rich neutral colors like gold, bakelite, brown and...

Sophisticate.(Ophthalmic Frames)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... The latest extension to Luxottica's Brooks Brothers line includes five new styles in metal and plastic. * B 322. A slim, metal nylon mount in a narrow rectangle shape, this frame comes in colors such as chocolate, brown marble,...

New beat.(Ophthalmic Frames)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Viva International introduces the Glimmering Eyes collection to the company's Bongo line. The double laminate plastics feature crystals on the front of the frame and the Bongo logo on the inner left temple tip. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Sun clips.(Sunwear)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Custom polarized sun-clips are now available from Hilco to fit the company's line of ready-to-wear frames. This alternative to polarized lenses includes polarized lens blanks in either gray or brown, clip hardware, tools to complete the job,...

Fun with sun.(Sunwear)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Four new sunglass models are part of Luxottica's latest addition to its Ray Ban line. * RB 3204. This unisex frame features an interesting design; the lens is supported by an eyewire behind the top of the lens. Frame and lens colorations...

Counter cards.(Merchandising)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Guess Eyewear by Marchon offers a new four-piece display. The counter card measures 19.5 X 16 X 8 inches and features the GU 1210 optical styles. The left side of the card display accommodates four optical frames, to be displayed on the Guess...

Multi-purpose instruments.(In-Office LAB Preview)
September 15, 2004... The new ME-1000 Multi-Function Edger from Nidek and Santinelli International offers proprietary 3-D drilling and grooving features, as well as polish safety beveling. The unit's Flexible Tiling Function (FTF) mode automatically adjusts to the...

Patternless Edger.(In-Office LAB Preview)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... National Optronics introduces the 7E Patternless Edger to assist in finishing lenses. The company says the drilling angle provides excellent frame fit. The edger-resident drilling database permits users to add and edit frame information. A...

Rimless guide.(In-Office LAB Preview)
September 15, 2004... Breitfield and Schliekert offers a free guide on rimless applications for your office technicians. The 24-page, full-color guide was written by opticians for opticians. Features include step-by-step instructions and handy working tips. The...

Meetings & conferences.(Calendar)
September 15, 2004... September * 24-26. Nebraska Optometric Association's Fall Convention, Kearney, Neb. CE hours: 10. Contact Cynthia Peterson, P.O. Box 81706, Lincoln, NE 68501; call (402) 474-7716; e-mail cpeterson@assocoffice.net; go to www.noaonline.org....

Ouch! That lens burns my eye.(Diagnostic Quiz)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... History A 25-year-old white male presented for a contact lens fitting. The technician noticed ocular redness, burning, photophobia and lacrimation in the patient's left eye following lens insertion. His systemic history was unremarkable....

The American society of corneal and refractive technologies.(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... The American Society of Corneal and Refractive Technologies is pleased to bring you this supplement containing highlights of our Inaugural Symposium held last June in Scottsdale, Arizona. The mission of the ASCRT is to provide advocacy and...

Wavefront technology: understanding clinical applications for your practice.
September 15, 2004... Over the next decade, you will see rapid advancement in the area of diagnostic applications, phoropter prescriptions and wavefront applications in everything from spectacles to contact lenses to refractive surgery, and it's time to start...

Corneal refractive therapy for hyperopia and presbyopia: an update.
September 15, 2004... When we began to look at reshaping the cornea to treat hyperopia and presbyopia in a less invasive manner, we were fortunate to have a wealth of antecedent research to reference from the approved surgical strategies for hyperopic PRK, LASIK and...

Clinical management of CRT the pre-fitting evaluation: what to know before you go.
September 15, 2004... The pre-fitting evaluation of patients for Corneal Refractive Therapy provides the eyecare practitioner with information fundamental to the clinical success of the modality. Therefore, the preliminary examination should include a detailed...

Emerging treatment technologies: hyper-Dk GPs.
September 15, 2004... Increased involvement with Corneal Refractive Therapy has been an impetus for many practitioners to get back into GP lens fitting. For those practitioners who are reacquainting themselves with GP lenses, it is an opportunity to expand your...

CRT adds patients and profits to your practice.
September 15, 2004... I have been involved with Paragon CRT since 1999, beginning with the daily wear clinical through the overnight study. In our practice, CRT has a proven track record of patient satisfaction and real contribution to the bottom line. We have...

Implementing CRT in your practice: utilizing staff and planning are key.
September 15, 2004... A concern of many practitioners starting CRT may be that their marketplace is too small for CRT. I'm from Athens, Georgia, with only 100,000 people in the greater Athens area. I'm now doing almost nothing but CRT and specialty contact lens...

Managing patient expectations: when and how to say when.
September 15, 2004... As with any specialty lens fit, managing CRT patient expectations is critical, from the initial presentation, through the fitting process, to the successful completion of treatment. One of the "mottos" I've espoused for a long time is, "What we...

Successfully integrating CRT into your practice.
September 15, 2004... Why do you want to fit CRT? The bottom line is that we get pumped up after reading or attending a seminar discussing this exciting technique, but then get caught up in our daily routines. If you don't know why you are incorporating CRT into...

CRT profitable? Prove it!
September 15, 2004... As I work with practitioners, one thing I struggle with is that they get excited about incorporating new technologies into their practice without knowing if it's going to be profitable. They have never sat down to figure out whether or not this...

CRT and refractive surgery: competitive or complementary?
September 15, 2004... Both CRT and refractive surgery are attractive to consumers who want freedom from corrective lenses during their daily activities. So, as frequently occurs when people are faced with options that achieve similar goals, we tend to polarize our...

CRT: your sports vision game plan.
September 15, 2004... Athletes can be tough patients, whether their interest in sports is recreational or they qualify as amateur or professional. Not only do they lead an active lifestyle, but these patients are demanding, well-educated, convenience driven, quality...

Forum follows function.(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... As the inaugural meeting of the American Society of Corneal Refractive Therapies (ASCRT) got underway I was reminded of the old saying, "Form follows function." When I think of changes in form I think of the telephone and the changes it has...

Therapeutics and today's optometric practice: the panel discusses the profession's evolving roles.
September 15, 2004... John Schachet, Moderator: How have therapeutics factored into the evolution of optometry as a profession? Alan G. Kabat: Historically, optometry has always been a work in progress, and therapeutics are the latest chapter. The very birth of...

Ocular allergy: topical vs. systemic meds; Should we be treating ocular disease topically?
September 15, 2004... Dr. Schachet: What percentage of the population suffers from ocular allergy and how are they currently finding relief? We estimate somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 percent of the population has allergic rhinitis, and of those about 60...

How to diagnose and manage ocular allergy: spotting the disease is more difficult than treating it.
September 15, 2004... Dr. Schachet: Why is it important to identify allergy patients at each patient visit, regardless of the season? Dr. Ramsey: If the doctor is not aggressive in diagnosis, he or she will miss a large percentage of these patients. A good...