With getting in shape and working toward a healthier self as a top choice for New Year’s resolutions, it’s highly likely that some of your patients decided to get in shape for 2014. Things seem easy for the first week or so, but as we settle back into post-holiday routines, it’s quite easy to let these good intentions fall to the wayside. What many need is an incentive to keep them motivated in their pursuit of a healthier life, so it’s the perfect time to remind patients that regular exercise will not only make them look and feel good, but will also help keep their eyes in shape as well.

Whether it’s through reminders during an exam, your practice’s newsletter or posts on your Facebook page, here are a few things to share with your patients that they may not know about.

– Exercise helps improve circulation throughout the body, and improved circulation in the tissues of the eyes can help remove certain toxins. – Regular exercise can also reduce intraocular pressure, which aids in the prevention of glaucoma. – Engaging in physical activity can also help lower one’s risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). One study of 3,800 people revealed that …

In addition to February being American Heart Month, it’s also AMD and low vision awareness month. According to Prevent Blindness (formerly Prevent Blindness America), over 2 million adults over the age of 50 in the US suffer from AMD, and the National Eye Institute shares that nearly 3 million Americans have low vision.

Both AMD and low vision rob patients of their sight and, unfortunately for patients with AMD, the condition is often not officially diagnosed until severe vision problems are experienced. Making sure patients understand the importance of routine eye exams is an essential step in detecting AMD before it causes irreversible damage. It also helps to educate patients on these issues, providing them with information on risk factors, symptoms and giving extra resources they can turn to for more information.

Below are a few talking points to help you get the conversation started with your patients.

AMD – The risk factors of AMD include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking, as well as genetic factors such as age, family history and race. Symptoms include blurred vision, blind spots and straight lines appearing wavy.

Low Vision – Low vision is typically caused …

Research conducted in Sweden has revealed that babies born prematurely face a greater risk of retinal detachment later on in life. According to EyeSmart, these babies are 19 times more likely to develop retinal detachment than others.

Researchers studied national registries to find individuals who were born at less than 8.6 months gestation from 1973 to 2008. These individuals were then divided into two groups; one of those born between 1973 and 1986, prior to the establishment of the national retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening program. The group contained those born between 1987 and 2008 and individuals that received ROP screening. The study revealed the following results:

– The risk of retinal detachment for those born extremely premature (approximately 6.5 months) was 19 times greater for those born prior to 1987 – Individuals born very prematurely (approximately 6.5 to 7.2 months) had a risk of retinal detachment four times greater prior to the establishment of the ROP screening program – The risk is three-fold for those born between 6.5 and 7.2 months after the ROP screening program was created.

As babies born prematurely are at a greater risk for ROP and other eye and vision problems, it’s important that their eyes …

In March 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of the first retinal implant device. The device, Argus II, was designed to replicate some of the retina’s functions for patients suffering from retinitis pigmentosa. At the America Academy of Ophthalmology’s annual meeting last fall, research presented revealed Argus II as having strong potential in aiding those suffering from the genetic disease to better recognize common items by enhancing their outlines.

Researchers studied eight patients wearing the retinal prosthesis, asking them to identify white or metallic objects placed in front of a dark background. They were then asked to identify the same items a second time with enhanced outlines. This test was conducted three times per patient – once with the retinal prosthesis in standard mode, once in scrambled mode as a positive control and then again with the device turned off to serve as a negative control.

The results of the identification of “solid objects” increased from 12.5 percent correct with the device turned off to 32.8 percent when the device was turned on. 26.2 percent were identified correctly when the device was placed in scrambled mode. When the items’ outlines were enhanced, 9.4 percent …

With Valentine’s Day falling in February, it’s only natural for the American Heart Association to declare February American Heart Month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women, accounting for one in four deaths annually.

While your patients may not believe it, there are some connections between the eyes and heart disease. Studies have shown that when higher levels of lipids are found in one’s blood, they “develop raised yellow patches of skin around the eyelids, known as xanthelasma,” (The New York Times Well Blog). Once thought to be purely a cosmetic issue, Danish researchers later found these spots indicators of underlying cardiovascular disease, and that those with spots were more likely than others to suffer a heart attack or death due to heart disease.

Researchers at the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) also studied the topic in a project funded by the Medical Benevolence Foundation (MBF). The study showed that “blood vessels of the retina can be photographed and the images analyzed by a computer to accurately determine a person’s risk of heart attack or stroke.”

Even if your practice isn’t located in the …

We’ve shared before that eyes can provide practitioners with signs and symptoms of a variety of systemic issues, such as chronic myelogenous leukemia and hypertension. Early last fall, researchers shared that a possible clue to detecting Alzheimer’s disease may be found through eye exams, and now, a new study reports that damaged blood vessels in the eyes could help doctors diagnose a heart-rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation.

According to U.S. News Health, the study led by Sunil Agarwal of Johns Hopkins University followed over 10,000 middle-aged patients for about 14 years. The results of the study “found that microvascular changes – trouble in the smaller vessels of the eyes or kidneys – appeared to be linked to the presence of atrial fibrillation.”

About six of every 1,000 people monitored during the study with no microvascular disease did develop atrial fibrillation, increasing to nine out of every 1,000 people that had micro-bleeds or micro-aneurysms in the small vessels of their retinas. Those with vessel damage present in their kidneys accounted for 17 out of every 1,000 people followed in the study, increasing to 24 out of every 1,000 with damage to the vessels of the kidneys and eyes.

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As we shared a few months ago, a study published in Diabetes Care comparing Optos’ nonmydriatic UWF imaging to mydriatic ETDRS 7-field photography as screening tools for DR showed UWF imaging as having an advantage in screening for DR. As Healio recently reported, UWF imaging is also considered “a viable option that may improve the efficiency of diagnostics for [DR] and diabetic macular edema.”

Jan Lammer, MD, shared at the Advanced Retinal Therapy Meeting that in addition to the standard methods of assessment and follow up for DR and diabetic macular edema (DME) – which include fluorescein angiography, fundus photography and others – Optos’ UWF imaging was utilized in a study of 206 eyes of 103 patients. Optos’ UWF imaging was used because it allowed practitioners to “detect peripheral alterations of the retina that would otherwise go undetected.”

The study compared the results of UWF imaging with conventional non-mydriatic fundus photography (NMFP). While the UWF images identified similar results in terms of rates and severity of DR as NMFP, it also “identified additional peripheral lesions” in over 24 percent of patients, which Lammers said may have indicated more severe cases of retinopathy severity grading in about …

With glaucoma affecting as many as 4 million people in the U.S. alone and thousands upon thousands more around the world, it’s important for practitioners to be diligent in making sure patients understand their risk factors, as well as providing proper screenings to detect, diagnose, and monitor the condition.

In New York, Sanjeev Nath, M.D., had a 37-year-old female patient come in for an exam. She had a 20-year history of an “untreatable” retinal degeneration. At that time, she used high plus reading glasses and, with difficulty, was able to read magazine print from 4-inches. The patient felt her vision was worsening and also was experiencing difficulty seeing at night.

The patient’s vision was 10/400 in each eye unaided, and Goldmann IOP’s were 23 OD and 24 OS. An exam with a fundus with a slit lamp provided the explanation for her visual difficulties, and additional testing performed revealed Pachymetry to be 498u OD and 505u OS. Threshold fields showed the patient’s central Scotomas at about 12×15 degrees in size with erratic fixation. Her flash ERGs were normal.

However, the additional testing also revealed pisciform flecks and the appearance of the patient’s macula as presenting Stargardt’s disease. …

While many may feel that children have excellent vision simply because they are young and healthy, eye care professionals know better. With research showing between 5 and 10 percent of preschool aged children being affected by a vision impairment and 1 in 4 school-aged children having a vision impairment, several organizations dedicated to eye and vision health have declared 2014 as the Year of Children’s Vision.

The Year of Children’s Vision (YOCV) is a joint initiative formed by Prevent Blindness America (PBA), PBA’s National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health, the National Head Start Association and other like-minded groups. The goal of the initiative is to help standardize the approach early childhood care and education programs take toward vision screenings for young children. Another goal is to make improvements in follow-up care for those that don’t pass vision screenings and providing educational materials for families, among others.

Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of PBA, said of the YOCV initiative:

“Our children depend on their eyes to learn and view the world around them. They also depend on us to make sure they have healthy vision and can reach their full potential. With this new, comprehensive program …

While performing what was expected to be a demonstrative optomap eye exam, a Wellingborough optician noticed an unusual hole in his son’s retina. Dr. Bob Halsey, owner of Halsey Opticians, credits optomap with showing him the “suspicious hole” in his son’s retina.

Upon the discovery, Dr. Halsey sent his son, Alex, to Northhampton General Hospital. There, a specialist used the optomap images to pinpoint the location of the hole. Afterwards, Alex was sent to surgery to repair it. Dr. Halsey says without having such technology in his practice, the discovery and diagnosis of the hole in Alex’s retina wouldn’t have been possible, which could have led to further issues.

“A conventional eye test wouldn’t have spotted the hole, as it was in the periphery of the retina, which can’t be seen without a more in-depth examination,” Dr. Halsey shared. “We’re hopeful that the surgery has been successful and will continue to monitor Alex’s eye health with our optomap.”

Following this experience, all patients at Halsey Opticians are now offered an optomap as a part of the practice’s advanced eye testing.

Thousands of practitioners around the world have made sight-saving discoveries thanks to optomap, with over 40 …