In our Myopia Prevention and Control discussion area, Richard Anderson, OD has proposed hashing out a Myopia Protocol. He's already laid the groundwork at his website. You can read it here: http://www.myopiaprevention.org/protocol.html . If you're an OD or Optometry Student... or an educator at a School of Optometry, you're invited to join our Core Conversations topic and share your ideas and opinions.  Walt 
 

If you haven't started seeing these in your office, they are truly amazing. These eyes tend to look great after the post-op period. Walt 


 

Source: liebertonline.com

There was no significant difference in IOP and BCVA between both groups. There were more patients who reported a VRS score of more than 3 in the physostigmine group (P=0.021). PAS or (anterior) lens dislocation was not observed.

http://bit.ly/tblVNL

Optometrists have been asking about the specifics of what it will require to get involved in this modality of treatment. This article in Ophthalmology Management answers most of those questions. Note the statement that there is a "low learning curve". This article is a must read. Walt

Source: ophmanagement.com

One big reason for crosslinking's potential success, say proponents, is the low learning curve. Removing the epithelium is something that nearly every ophthalmologist is already familiar with, and for those who already own an excimer laser, it will be relatively easy to incorporate the treatment into practice, says Gregory Pamel, MD, of New York City. 

http://bit.ly/trnuKX

Something for us to watch for? Patients we send off for retinal consults might require continued IOP monitoring in our offices, particularly if they live a significant distance from the retinal specialist. 

Source: news-medical.net 

Two major drug trials conclude there was little risk from a drug aimed at age-related macular degeneration. Yet a Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist began to note something concerning in some of her patients: an increase in pressure inside the eye. It led to a retrospective study and findings that will be presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Orlando. 

http://bit.ly/rX86j9

Read this article and make up your own mind. Walt

Source: Ocular Surgical News

“For many years, we have tried different approaches to slow myopia. The bottom line is nothing really works, at least not consistently and at least not practically,” Roberto Warman, MD, OSN Pediatrics/Strabismus Board Member, said in an interview with Ocular Surgery News.

http://bit.ly/vOWcaF

I want to see how these same young docs feel after they've been in practice a while and have had to deal with the aftermath of not getting kids vaccinated. If you've never seen a BAD disease, you tend to discount what it really means to go through it. If my pediatrician discouraged me from getting my kid vaccinated against... uh.. say Pertussis... and my kid got and died, well, you get the idea. Walt 

Source: ChicagoTribune.com 

At a time when enthusiasm for vaccination is waning among parents in the United States, a new study shows younger doctors are less likely than their older peers to be staunch believers in the effectiveness and safety of vaccines. 

http://trib.in/tig284

We have an opportunity to become far more immersed in the overall provision of primary care services. We can all become more involved in diabetes care, nutrition, lifestyle management, obesity, hypertension control. ALL of it impacts our patients vision... and this isn't even debatable. The growing lack of primary care coverage in the US represents a somewhat hidden opportunity for OD's everywhere. Walt 

Source: KevinMD.com 

After seven years of practicing primary care, I can’t imagine going back and choosing to become a specialist.  My days consist of solving medical mysteries, guiding my patients through managing chronic conditions, and sometimes just doing my best to provide some comfort from physical or emotional pain.  I know at the end of each day that I have touched the lives of my patients, and this had led to immense career and life satisfaction. 

http://bit.ly/pwwnd5

Many of us have seen this sort of thing... but these two are dramatic examples. Walt

Source: Nature.com

Two contact lens wearers presented with an upper eyelid mass, one after previous loss of a lens and the other 40 years after a failed trial of RCL wear; this latter case appears to be the longest delay in diagnosis reported in the ophthalmic literature. 

http://bit.ly/pgCWtI

Nice blog site... several noted OD's discuss dry eye management on a regular basis.

The Dry Eye Review http://bit.ly/mUyImk 

Take a 10-step approach to help ensure a complete diagnosis.
Optometric Management http://bit.ly/nIhFwa 

Cool article!

(Reuters Health) - Hallucinated scents can, rarely, be a part of the "aura" that some people perceive before a migraine attack, a new study finds.

About 30 percent of people with recurrent migraines have sensory disturbances shortly before their headache hits.

Those disturbances, known as aura, are usually visual -- such as seeing flashes of light or blind spots. They can also include problems like tingling sensations or numbness, or difficulty speaking or understanding language.

http://reut.rs/og2phi 

Purpose: To assess the reversibility of clinical benefits of cyclosporine 0.05% (Restasis^®; Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA) therapy and the therapeutic gain after its delayed use by switching treatment modalities in patients with dry eyes who completed a 1-year course of therapy with artificial tears (Refresh Endura^®; Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA) or cyclosporine 0.05%.

 

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. - Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics - 0(0): http://bit.ly/oJt1eD 
 

From SigmaPharmaceuticals.com:
At the request of Optcom members, we have put together the document below that provides some additional information on the various Tranquileyes products as well as a few recommendations based on our experience with patient use.

Sigma Pharmaceuticals - Resource Detail http://bit.ly/pAHzoq

SECO International is accepting abstract educational poster proposals for publication in the Advanced Media Learning Center (AMLC) during SECO 2012, February 29 - March 4, 2012. SECO offers a unique multimedia poster program unlike any other in optometry. SECO publishes educational posters on computers within the AMLC in a unique multimedia-format presentation similar to a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. 

SECO will publish approved posters during SECO 2012 in the Advanced Media Learning Center, located within Optometry’s Marketplace exhibit hall in Building A of the Georgia World Congress Center. Additionally, SECO International will recognize authors in an edition of the SECO Daily, an on-site trade publication SECO will distribute to attendees during SECO 2012. SECO International also will publish abstracts summaries on www.seco2012.com. Finally, SECO will publish SECO 2012 posters online at www.secointernational.com for up to three years.

http://bit.ly/pW1R7t

Kids with blocked tear ducts at higher risk for 'lazy eye' http://bit.ly/nhXkfF

Floppy eyelid syndrome is associated with obstructive sleep apnoea: a prospective study on 127 patients - CHAMBE - 2011 - Journal of Sleep Research - Wiley Online Library http://bit.ly/osDybq

 

Green Tea Prevents Hyperglycemia-Induced Retinal Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats: http://bit.ly/rnMEWG 

Comparison of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) in primary open angle glaucoma and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma. From Clinical Ophthalmology:  http://bit.ly/rgGUJW

http://www.modernmedicine.com —Results of a phase II study indicate that a novel small-molecule integrin antagonist is a promising anti-inflammatory treatment for dry eye, said researchers at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. http://bit.ly/nQKo88