Pupillary Pathways

What is your current mode of optometry practice?

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Last month I became a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. I'm not going to lie, the process was tough!

I had to write three case reports and a review of my residency, have them reviewed by a panel, and then re-submitted with appropriate edits. After all this was complete, I studied arduously to prepare for the oral portion. The final piece was the oral exam at the Academy meeting in Anaheim.

Although it was a lot of work, it was so worth it! I am so proud to now have those extra 4 letters after my name, F.A.A.O.! 

Are you thinking about potentially becoming a Fellow? Watch this video to see why your colleagues decided to make the same decision that I did, and what F.A.A.O. means to them. 

Here is our latest optometry quick question:

Which of the following tests would you perform to assess the function of cranial nerve V?

Be sure to check out our other quizzes!

Optometry Student, Did You Know that he most common cause of eye injuries in the U.S. is related to falling? And... the second most common cause of an ocular injury is fighting!  Be sure to check out our other fact posts!

Are you taking NBEO Part 2 this week?  Take this quick poll, and if you are curiuos about the test day, be sure to check out this article.

Be sure to also take out past polls!

 

Clipper's point guard, Chris Paul has been arguably the league's best player, and his 2016-2017 season is off to a fantastic start. Why does he believe he's been so hot in the first games of the season?! An offseason LASIK procedure! Paul shared with reporters that for several years he's been cheating his way through eye tests and squinting to see play calls from the sidelines.

He was always too afraid to have corrective eye surgery and was not a fan of contact lenses. He believed that as long as he could see the basketball hoop, he'd be fine! 
Although this is an unlikely explanation of course, other NBA stars such as Amar'e Stoudemire, Richard Hamilton and even Dwayne Wade have credited LASIK with helping them on the court. I wonder what CP3's refractive error was before surgery! 

With NBEO Part II coming up this week, we want to ensure that you are completely prepared for what to expect during the PAM (Patient Assessment and Management) examination so that you show up with everything you need, understand the process, and feel comfortable with how the day will proceed. We don't want any surprises come NBEO test day that can throw you off your game! 

 

A recent review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports that approximately 30% of young doctors have depression or symptoms of it. Does this statistic surprise you at all? With all the stresses of classes, exams, proficiencies, clinic, labs, studying, sleepless nights, poor eating habits, missing out on family and friend's events, would you expect this number to be higher or lower?
Although this study was done on medical school students, do you feel that the same applies for optometry school, or even dental school? 

Here are some Important Optometry Residency Dates to Know up until April of 2017.

October 5, 2016

A complete list of all of the optometry residency programs participating in ORMatch was made available by this date. Additionally, the ORMatch registration also became open for applicants. 

 

One of the biggest downfalls when it comes to topical ocular medications for the treatment of eye diseases is patient compliance. Patients often forget to put their drops in as directed, think they are getting the drops instilled into the eyes (but actually do not), and some patients just have physical difficulty with bottles. Much research is going into other methods of medication instillation and sustained release of meds, such as contact lenses, implants, injections, etc.

Is a Sustained Medication Delivery System on the Horizon?

This article describes a study in which a latanoprost-polymer film was incorporated into a hydrogel lens to create latanoprost-eluting contact lenses. The effects of these lenses were then studied and compared to standard treatment using traditional drops. 

Results showed that the contact lenses were at least as effective as the use of daily latanoprost ophthalmic solution, and at some time points showed a statistically significant improvement in reduction. Additionally, the latanoprost-eluting contact lenses provided relatively steady IOP reduction with less variation in IOP during diurnal measurements. These results appear very promising for the future of medication delivery in the eye care industry!