Lynda Charters

Industry keenly focused on innovations

Israeli researchers find a second booster shot was especially effective in individuals over 60 years of age, and “made them three times more resistant to serious illness."

Canadian researchers have found that rapid antigen tests to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus are associated with a very low rate of false positive results.

Diagnosing COVID-19 just got faster with a test that claims to provide rapid virus detection markedly faster than reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing.

Investigators report that maintenance hemodialysis does not seem to impact the effectiveness of vaccines against the COVID-19 virus in most study patients.

The WHO alerted the public to a new version of Omicron, BA. 2, following its predecessor, Omicron BA.1.

Significant differences were found in the pupillary diameters between when the virus was active and 3 months later, Turkish investigators report.

Manufacturing of the omicron-specific vaccine has already begun.

Saudi Arabian investigators have determined that Vitamin D levels are not protective against the severity or the outcomes of COVID-19 infections.

Genetics researchers reported identifying a genetic link to the biologic mechanisms responsible for COVID-19-related loss of smell or taste.

Signs of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in human ocular tissues samples post-mortem were found to be low in samples considered suitable for corneal recovery and transplantation.

Acute corneal endothelial rejection is a possibility soon after either the first or second dose of the COVID-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine (Moderna), according new research.

Danish researchers report a significantly increased association between the mRNA-1273 vaccination (Moderna) and development of myocarditis or myopericarditis.

Patients undergoing injections during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced increases in bacterial contamination of the periocular area of their surgical face masks when the masks were worn for longer than 4 hours, report Spanish researchers.

Investigators analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on outcomes of infectious keratitis reported that irreversible blindness was prevalent in a substantial number of patients.

An increase in popularity of the use of handheld electronics is resulting in changes in the postural and behavioral patterns of device users, as well as significant differences between presbyopes and non-presbyopes and between genders.

Researchers report “very good results" in assessing the visual results and patients satisfaction in a series of patients following following implantation of the AcrySof PanOptix trifocal IOL (Alcon).

Disrupted vaccination routines in children to blame

There was no increased risk of having a stroke, myocardial infarction, or pulmonary embolism.

Save the dates for this virtual interactive conference featuring top US optometrists

Sandra Block, OD, M Ed, MPH, speaking at the American Academy of Optometry 2021 annual meeting in Boston, discusses movements that have identified the scope of visual impairment worldwide.

During a presentation at the American Academy of Optometry 2021 annual meeting in Boston, Sherry Bass, OD, FAAO, described for attendees the circuitous path that clinicians have had to negotiate to establish a diagnosis in patients with inherited retinal diseases, how that path has become more straightforward, and examples of how genetic testing can help in the diagnosis of IRDs in tricky cases.

In a presentation at the American Academy of Optometry 2021 annual meeting in Boston, Stuti Misra, BOptom, PhD, offered insight into her research, which found that bariatric surgery may result in more benefits than just weight loss for patients.

During a presentation at the American Academy of Optometry 2021 annual meeting in Boston, Micaela Gobeille, OD, MS, FAAO, discussed keys to the successful management of retinitis pigmentosa.

In a presentation at the American Academy of Optometry 2021 annual meeting in Boston, Kamila Mikos, OD, and Harriette Canellos, OD, FAAO, explain how oxymetazoline hydrochloride is not just for treating acquired blepharoptosis. It also can be used for ocular pathologies that cause blepharoptosis.

In a presentation at the American Academy of Optometry 2021 annual meeting, Erin Rueff, OD, PhD, and Elaine Chen, OD, detailed how habits surrounding spectacle use and contact lens wear changed during the COVID-19 pandemic among faculty, staff and the student population of the Marshall B. Ketchum University.

Connor Robbs and Yi Pang, OD, PhD, FAAO, in a presentation at the American Academy of Optometry 2021 annual conference in Boston, highlighted a study focusing on a link between COVID-19 vaccinations and a lower rate of stress in ophthalmic personnel and students.