Pupillary Pathways

 

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? 

 

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! 

 

Many people are wondering how the results of the general election will affect themselves and their family/friends with regards to many different topics. Have you wondered how optometry will be affected? AOA President, Dr. Andrea Thau, highlights some of the major optometry-related topics in the AOA 2016 General Election Report, what has been done so far, what the plan is for the future, and how you can help! 

 

The data breach involving optometrists and optometry students has still not been cracked. Although many have their own speculations as to which profession database was compromised, no one has stepped forward to take responsibility yet.  Were you a part of it?

However, the AOA has pressured the NBEO to change their requirements for registration to protect registrant's social security numbers. In the past the full 9-digit social security number was required and was kept in the NBEO database.  AOA's Privacy Appeal to NBEO Prompts Change at the Testing Organization.

Recently, the NBEO changed it's requirements and is now using the new OE tracker number system and only the last 4 digits of the SSN. Additionally, the full SSNs of existing registrants have been truncated to only the last 4 digits. Although the effects of the breach are still causing many issues, at least this will help protect new students who have not signed up with NBEO yet. 

We also have 10 steps you should take to prevent identify theft.

 

I am often amazed by the advances in medical technology. Robotic surgeon devices used to assist in surgical procedures have been around for many years. Now, this technology seems to be making it's way into the ocular surgery world.

A new surgical robot is claimed to be able to make the micro-scale movements required for the particularly delicate procedure of cataract surgery.  It is even designed to operate with greater accuracy than a human! Check out the article below which describes the new, incredible robotic device and how these robots remove cataracts.

 

Learning and perfecting retinoscopy was one of the hardest things for me to master in optometry school. I struggled to figure out what reflex I was seeing, how to align the cylinder axis, what to do with small pupils and unclear media, and how to deal with the dreaded "scissors" reflex.

After I completed my proficiencies early in school, I thought I could forget about retinoscopy and just use an autorefractor for my patients in clinic. But I was wrong! Retinoscopy is tested during Part 3 of NBEO and aside from that, it is a technique that is actually very helpful in clinical practice; especially when examining children.

If you are also struggling with retinoscopy, the link below is a great way to take it back to the basics so that you can fully understand the concepts and foundation of retinoscopy, and then you'll be better at it when it comes to examining real eyes.

In this simulator, you can change your working distance, try different types of refractive errors, and even have the system come up with a random patient! What a great way to practice!

 

If you see a lot of children at school or on rotation, you are bound to get questions from parents about the potential hazards of their kids using devices such as iPads and iPhones. Previously, pediatricians had recommended no screen time for kids under the age of 2.

New studies have determined that the guidelines can be adjusted as we are inundated with screens in our daily lives. Now, it is recommended that for kids under the age of 18 months, video chatting is fine, but no other screen time should occur. For 2-5 year olds, they now state that it is ok to look at screens for no longer than 1 hour per day.

Children 6 and over can have more, but they also need an hour of exercise. Media should be used with the family together and not before bedtime. This news clip does a great job at summarizing these points. You should be aware of these recommendations so you have an educated answer the next time a parent asks! 

 

Intraoperative abberometry gives surgeons vital data in real time—while the patient is on the operating table—increasing accuracy. This device uses pinhole optics to increase a patient’s depth of focus, improving vision at intermediate and near while still maintaining distance vision. Check out this article and video for more information! 

 

Is That Conjunctival Lesion Cancerous? Easily mistaken for a benign pinguecula or pterygium, conjunctival intraepithelial neoplasm is far more ominous. You can avoid invasive procedures and still ensure effective treatment.

 

Intraoperative abberometry gives surgeons vital data in real time—while the patient is on the operating table—increasing accuracy.