For many patients, the eyes are treated a lot like the rest of the body – until there is an obvious sign or symptom that something is not right, routine exams are often avoided. What some patients don’t realize is that a variety of factors can adversely affect eyesight, and if they aren’t caught soon enough it can lead to blindness or vision loss that could have been prevented.

Since August is National Eye Exam Month, it’s a great time to give patients a nudge and encourage them to schedule an appointment for an exam. Use this time to remind them that, as AARP writer Jeff Yeager says, “Investing in your health – particularly in preventative and early detection measures – is one of the smartest investments you can make.” Explain to patients some examples of common issues that eye exams can uncover and detect, such as the following:

– Nearsightedness or farsightedness – The need for a new prescription for glasses or contacts – Signs and symptoms of glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and other eye diseases – Systemic conditions and diseases ranging from hypertension and sickle cell anemia to multiple sclerosis

One good way to entice patients …

Optos is pleased to announce that its founder, Douglas C. Anderson has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK).  The national Academy brings together the most successful and talented engineers from across the engineering sectors for a shared purpose: to advance and promote excellence in engineering.

The national Academy has a global outlook and uses international partnerships to ensure that the UK works with international engineering networks, expertise and investment. They take a lead on engineering education and invest in the UK’s world class research base to underpin innovation.

CEO, Roy Davis commented, “We’re immensely pleased for Douglas at his election to this distinguished group of the UK’s most eminent engineers.  His involvement with the development of ultra-widefield retinal imaging has enabled ophthalmic professionals around the world to see more, diagnose more and treat more diseases earlier thus saving sight and lives.  It is the technology at the core of Optos’ vision to be recognised as The Retina Company and one that is unmatched in the industry”.

As a Fellow, Douglas will be working to support the Academy’s strategic objectives, each of which provides a key contribution to a strong …

Optos believes all people should have access to the resources necessary to maintain healthy vision and prevent blindness. That’s why we are proud to support The Himalayan Cataract Project, an organization dedicated to providing vision care in order to reduce blindness in the Himalayan regions.

In addition to supporting organizations like The Himalayan Cataract Project, we are constantly seeking opportunities to help communities around the world by providing vision screenings. Most recently, our team provided screenings at the Special Olympics Opening Eyes events in Omaha, Nebraska, and Ewing, New Jersey. Opening Eyes was founded through a multi-year, multi-million dollar grant given to the Special Olympics by the Lions Club International. The events provide eye care for Special Olympics athletes around the world in over 80 countries. Athletes receive screenings that include color vision testing and visual acuity testing as well as a pair of glasses or sports goggles.

Optos also recently participated in screenings at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the National Urban League (NUL) convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Between the two events, 785 people were imaged. For these events, we provided technicians and equipment for screenings. Many of the people …

Getting ready for the start of the new school year while squeezing in last-minute vacations can make August a very busy month for many patients and their families. In all the flurry of activity, it can be easy for parents to overlook an important step – scheduling an eye exam for their children.

Since August is Child Eye Health and Safety Month, it’s a great time to make an effort to reach out to patients with children, reminding them of the importance of bringing their children in for an annual eye exam. While some parents may think an eye exam for their child isn’t necessary, they may feel more motivated to schedule an appointment if they know some facts about why eye exams for kids are important and beneficial. So when you are sending out reminders to patients about scheduling exams, include some facts about common children’s vision issues and the prevalence of vision issues among kids, such as the following identified by Prevent Blindness America and Envision:

– One in four school-age children have some form of a visual impairment. – More than one in 20 preschool-age kids have a vision issue that could lead to permanent …

Retina Today is running a contest to find the cover image for their September 2013 issue! This is your chance to land the cover of an important ophthalmic publication. All ophthalmic photographers and clinicians are invited to enter the 2013 Eyetube Ophthalmic Imaging Central Contest now through August 5, 2013 for their chance to win and get their image on the cover. Finalists will be announced later in August before a final winner is selected.

For this contest, Retina Today is looking for “striking digital images of posterior segment disease states.” The magazine’s editors are specifically interested in images that feature “hallmark symptoms” or those that present a difficult and challenging diagnosis, such as the following:

–          Chorodial Neovascularization

–          Retinal Detachment

–          Diabetic Macular Edema

–          Retinal Vein Occlusion

–          Ocular Tumor

–          Macular Telangiectasia

Ophthalmic photographers and clinicians are welcome to submit multiple images to illustrate the case in point, but please identify which image you’d like to be considered for the cover art of the magazine. Images can be taken with any imaging device. Ophthalmic photographers and clinicians can also submit as many entries as they wish. All images deemed eligible will be posted on the Eyetube …

How much time do you spend in front of a screen each day? According to a survey of American adults conducted by The Vision Council, over one-third of adults admitted to spending between four and six hours a day using a digital gadget of some sort. The report of the survey’s findings, “Screens, Phones, Tablets and More: Keeping Your Eyes Safe in a Digital Age,” further revealed that 14 percent of adults said they spend as much as 12 hours a day using such devices.

While those statistics are hard to swallow, what doctors find even more troubling is that patients are often unaware of the adverse affects all that screen time can have on their eyes, both now and later on in life. A major point of concern for practitioners is digital eye strain.

Digital eye strain is a result of the constant need for the eyes to “refocus and reposition to process content like graphics and text” on digital devices. As many as 70 percent of American adults have experienced a form of it, but more than 70 percent aren’t even aware that they could suffer from digital eye strain, the study revealed. The condition usually …

Since launching our blog, we’ve shared several strategies for investing in the growth of your optometry or ophthalmology practice, such as how to improve digital communication with patients and the how to keep staff members engaged and motivated. However, a recent edition of Optometric Minute on the Review of Optometric Business website outlines another way to invest in the success of your practice – by purchasing the latest, most cutting edge instruments.

In the video, Richard Baker, OD, of Lamorinda Optometry in Lafayette, California provides insight into what practitioners should take into consideration when selecting instruments for their practices. He says that practitioners should “first, study the data to ensure that a new piece of equipment is effective,” stressing that It’s important to understand the clinical value it will bring to your practice before you buy.

Dr. Baker shares the example of when his practice purchased a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO). After thoroughly reviewing the data, they were confident that the machine would in fact present “a new and novel way” to quickly evaluate the retina. They later learned it was just as effective as a fundus camera for monitoring diabetic retinal changes, making it a perfect fit …

All healthcare professionals must encourage patients to live a healthy lifestyle and maintain a balanced diet. Eye healthcare professionals, specifically, should make sure patients are getting the right types and amounts of vitamins and other nutrients to support eye health. As a recent email update from EyeWorld reminded us, this is especially important for your patients over the age of 50.

EyeWorld cites a review published in the Journal of Clinical Interventions in Aging that says, “Many Americans over the age of 50 do not consume enough key nutrients to support ocular health.” According to a press release on the review, nutrition researcher Elizabeth Johnson, Ph.D., and Helen Rasmussen, Ph.D., R.D. of Lesley University along with other researchers, in an effort to link specific nutrients to eye health as people age, identified antioxidants vitamins C and E, lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc and the omega-3 fatty acids eicosahexaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) among the most important nutrients for protecting aging eyes. This was concluded using data from several surveys, including one from the Ocular Nutrition Society, which revealed 78 percent of adults between the ages of 45 and 65 consider vision as the most important of their senses, but …

Adding optomap® to a traditional fundus examination enhances detection of retinal pathology compared to traditional ophthalmoscopy. In research published in Eye and Brain, investigators evaluated the benefit Optos UWF-image assisted fundus examination in 339 eyes (including patients with a history of ocular findings and patients with no known eye disease). The additional information provided by the optomap helped identify 30% more retinal lesions than the traditional dilated exam alone. Differences between UWF and traditional ophthalmoscopy were adjudicated by a retinal specialist, revealing a statistically significant advantage for UWF in detecting pathological changes in the posterior pole/macula and the mid-to-peripheral retina.

Brown K, Sewell JM, Trempe C, Peto T, Travison TG. Comparison of image-assisted versus traditional fundus examination. Eye and Brain. 2013; 5:1-8.

Research continues to show the increasing role of ultra-widefield imaging in retinal care. An article previously published in Retina Today emphasized not only the importance of advanced technology in the field of UWF imaging, but also how it’s currently being used to treat and diagnose issues. It also discussed what the future holds for UWF imaging.

Advanced UWF technologies provide practitioners with a much wider view of the retina than a traditional fundus camera. This wider field of view, up to 200 degrees, provides practitioners a better chance of detecting an eye or systemic issue in its earliest stages, which can often lessen the impact the issue will have on a patient’s vision and health. Advanced UWF technologies, such as Optos’ optomap exam, also help practitioners monitor methods of treatment for issues that have been diagnosed.

As for the use of UWF imaging as a diagnostic tool, Retina Today shares one case study in which a man with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes came in for a retinal evaluation. A traditional 7 standard field ETDRS photograph was taken, which revealed mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy changes. However, an optomap UWF fluorescein angiography was also taken and it revealed extensive peripheral nonperfusion …