As we have shared before, glaucoma cases continue to rise here in the U.S., as well as in other parts of the world. New estimates from the National Eye Institute suggest as many as 4 million people in the U.S. suffer from this eye disease and that half of those individuals aren’t even aware of it.

Prevent Blindness America expects these numbers to continue to grow as America’s population of older adults increases. And as the number of glaucoma cases grow, so does the cost of treatment. Glaucoma is said to cost about $5.8 billion annually, with individuals paying as much as $2,170 for treatment. Since January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, it’s time once again to help your patients understand whether or not they are at risk of developing this condition, which is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, and what they can do to prevent it.

Below are a few facts patients should be aware of regarding glaucoma:

– Typically, there are symptoms of glaucoma. Vision loss is first experienced in peripheral vision and is usually noticed once the condition becomes severe. – There are two main types of glaucoma, open-angle and …

Discussing a patient’s body weight during an eye exam may once have been considered a strange or unnecessary question. These patients might wonder, “What does my weight have to do with my eyes?” However, it’s a subject that many eyecare practitioners are now addressing. As obesity rates continue to rise, researchers are noticing more instances of eye disease and vision loss in overweight and obese patients.

The connection between obesity and vision loss lies within the many health issues associated with carrying extra weight, according to Kimberly Reed, OD, FAAO. Systemic conditions such as Type II diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia and carotid artery disease, Dr. Reed writes, can “pose [an] additional threat to the ocular and visual system in the form of diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy, vascular occlusive disease, optic neuropathy, glaucoma, and others.”

With this information at hand, it’s important to start discussions with patients on how maintaining a healthy weight can benefit their eyes. Take the time to, in a non-judgmental manner, talk about how achieving a healthier weight, as well as a healthier diet and regular exercise, can lead to a longer life and better overall health, as well as better ocular and visual health.

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We all seem to have a few of those people on our holiday gift lists that seem impossible to shop for. It is highly likely that your patients have a few of these people on their holiday shopping lists, too. These individuals seem to have everything they could possibly want or need, making it difficult to give them a gift with meaning. Rather than buy these individuals more “stuff,” suggest that your patients take a cue from Europeans by gifting their loved ones with an optomap® this holiday season.

In many European countries, such as Germany, it is a common practice to give a gift that promotes health and wellness. While gym memberships and other similar gifts are thoughtful, there is always a chance that the recipient may only use it for a month or two before they stop going altogether. The gift of an optomap®, on the other hand, is a thoughtful gift that can be used to ensure the recipient’s eyes and vision are healthy.

As an added benefit, the gift of an optomap® can potentially save an individual’s vision, if not their life, as many systemic diseases and other issues that threaten one’s vision can be …

Optos and the AOA have collaborated on disease-related tools including diabetes education and resources for AOA member optometrists and their practices since 2008.  This year, Optos sponsored a formal multi-year diabetes initiative focused on providing clinical education and resources to AOA members.  The overall goal was to make the doctors aware that they are essential health care providers for patients with diabetes relating to their visual and retinal health.  Through this sponsorship, AOA and Optos have provided a valuable resource to help AOA doctors increase patient awareness about the condition, facilitate early detection, and assist in disease management and treatment.

The supplement is called Optometrists Form Front Line in Battling Diabetes and it can be found at http://www.aoa.org/diabetes.

A study published in Diabetes Care comparing Optos nonmydriatic UWF imaging to mydriatic ETDRS 7-field photography in screening for DR found that the two methods showed considerable agreement in identifying clinically significant macular edema and grading DR level. However, UWF permitted visualization of a substantially larger retinal area, which may be advantageous in the diagnosis and management of DR. Because UWF does not require dilation, it also may be more acceptable to patients, thereby improving compliance with screening programs, and could facilitate remote image generation and interpretation through telemedicine.

Kernt M, Hadi I, Pinter F, Seidensticker F, Hirneiss C, Haritoglou C, Kampik A, Ulbig MW, Neubauer AS. Assessment of diabetic retinopathy using nonmydriatic ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (optomap) compared with ETDRS 7-field stereo photography. Diabetes Care. 2012: 1-5.

According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 347 million people in the world have diabetes. While the WHO estimates that diabetes will be the seventh leading cause of death by 2030, the condition is currently the leading cause of blindness in people ages 20 to 74. Unfortunately, many patients don’t have their eyes screened until they notice a problem – and in many of these cases, the affects of diabetic-related eye diseases have already caused irreversible damage. With these statistics in mind, it’s important to make sure that diabetic or pre-diabetic patients understand how diabetes can affect their eyes and the importance of yearly eye exams.

Start off by providing patients with educational materials regarding diabetic eye diseases in this month’s mailings or newsletter. Explain the characteristics and differences between diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and glaucoma, all of which fall under the umbrella of diabetic eye disease. For example, diabetic retinopathy is the most common of the three and because it has no symptoms, is generally not diagnosed until damage is very severe. While treatment doesn’t reverse the damage, it can help the disease from progressing any further.

Also, share with patients how their risk of developing …

Oftentimes, patients aren’t as familiar with their medical conditions until after a famous name admits they suffer from the very same disease or condition. Take Tom Hanks for example. The star of the new film “Captain Phillips” recently revealed on the “Late Show with David Letterman” that he has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes after battling high blood sugar for many years. After the diagnosis, he started taking steps to manage the disease, such as maintaining a healthier weight and diet. His admission about the state of his own health will hopefully encourage other people to be more vigilant about preventing or managing their diabetes.

Hanks’ diagnosis serves as a reminder to eye care professionals that they play an important role in the fight against diabetes, especially since November is World Diabetes Month. Also, World Diabetes Day is just around the corner. Observed on November 14, 2013, World Diabetes Day was established to recognize the profound effect diabetes has on the health of 347 million people around the world. According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes are likely to be diagnosed with common eye problems like blindness due to diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts. Optos is banding together …

A prospective comparative study published recently in Ophthalmology found substantial agreement (80%) between Optos UWF and ETDRS 7-standard field images of eyes with DR. However, by identifying additional lesions in the retinal periphery, UWF imaging led to a more severe DR assessment in 10% of eyes, compared to assessments based on conventional photography. The authors call for further prospective study to evaluate the implications of these lesions for DR progression within different levels of severity.

Silva PS, Cavallerano JD, Sun JK, Soliman AZ, Aiello LM, Aiello LP. Peripheral lesions identified by mydriatic ultrawide field imaging: Distribution and potential impact on diabetic retinopathy severity. Ophthalmology. 2013: 1-9. [Epub ahead of print]

Most advances in medical technology are very beneficial for improving a doctor’s abilities to both diagnose and treat a particular disease or condition. For ophthalmologists, advanced imaging devices are a must. But, as Ravi D. Patel, MD, an associate vitreoretinal surgeon and director of clinical research at Retinal Vitreal Consultants Ltd., Chicago, recently shared with Ophthalmology Management, there are few imaging devices that “change the way we think about a disease or fundamentally alter clinical management.”

Dr. Patel focuses on ultra-widefield imaging (UWF), noting that this form of imaging has helped practitioners study areas they previously couldn’t with conventional imaging devices, especially in the vitreoretinal subspecialty. He looked at several different UWF imaging devices, but lists the ultra-wide views of up to 200° that Optos’ 200Tx scanning laser ophthalmoscope provides as incomparable to most. The enhanced view of the periphery, Dr. Patel shares, has helped lead researchers to some new clinical findings over the past few years, as well as new insights to the role of peripheral pathology in retinal vascular and degenerative diseases, among others. Dr. Patel also noted UWF imaging has helped uncover potential new disease markers.

Other benefits of newer UWF imaging devices Dr. Patel …

October 10^th marked World Sight Day, a day where the international health community banded together to raise awareness around blindness as a public health issue. The European Forum Against Blindness (EFAB) used World Sight Day to further emphasize the importance of comprehensive eyecare for all in order to reduce costs associated with blindness and other vision issues. They released their findings in a six-country study analyzing the economic impact of blindness.

The study revealed that eye diseases and blindness currently cost the European society about 20 billion Euros. Optometry Today further reported that the estimated cost of blindness alone to the six countries in the EFAB study is 7 billion Euros annually, while day-to-day care for those suffering from blindness account for the rest of the associated costs. The study echoes what many eye care professionals in Europe and the US have been saying for a few years now: the best way to offset the cost of 20 billion Euros is to create a comprehensive intervention plan.

The EFAB is among many groups working diligently towards making blindness a public health priority, due to how costly the issue is to the European society. In order to decrease the cost, …