Whether you practice in a small private practice, a commercial setting, or a large hospital-based institution, Windows withdrawal of support for Windows XP as of April 8, 2014 needs to be seriously addressed by you or your organization.

By now, we have all heard about the SELECT trial and the ensuing media fish-oil frenzy concerning prostate cancer.1 A broad cross-section of industry and academic experts has slammed this study as nonsense. The SELECT study was a secondary analysis study that did not provide subjects with fish oil supplements nor monitor what type of fish or fish oil supplements were consumed

Dr. Mile Brujic and Dr. Jason Miller debate the need for contact lens follow-ups.

A healthy ocular surface is critical for the visual acuity and comfort of soft contact lenses. Despite this, treating dry eye is often an afterthought. Instead, contact lens practitioners may make multiple changes to the lens material, lens modality, and/or cleaning solution in an attempt to improve comfortable wear time and avoid dropout.

Optic disc pits are infrequently encountered clinical findings that are diagnosed through biomicroscopy during routine examination. Visual acuity will be normal unless the macular structure is compromised.

This morning, I saw a patient who came to our office complaining of discomfort, itching, and irritated eyes. She said she had done nothing different with her two-week soft contact lenses over the past three years. Her lenses were fogging up and would dry out after a few hours of wear. Upon examination, slit lamp biomicroscopy showed Grade 3 giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC) in both eyes. Her lenses were moving excessively. Naturally, I assumed that this patient was non-compliant in her lens care. Doctors have been dealing with compliance issues with contact lenses since they were invented.

The profession has long awaited the release of the Eye Care Workforce Study. The project was jointly commissioned by the American Optometric Association (AOA) and the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) and was conducted by the Lewin Group. The date of the study is listed on the Executive Summary as April 25, 2014, and the results were made public June 10. Congratulations to the AOA and ASCO for commissioning the study. The last one by Abt was in 1999, so this was quite timely and in fact long overdue.

ClearVision Optical introduces its new collection of IZOD frames that can be personalized through color. Volk Optical’s Eye Check, an electronic handheld ocular measurement device, aids in the diagnosis of ophthalmic abnormalities. Rudy Project and Shamir recently announced they would collaborate on prescription sports solutions.

As I sit here to write this editorial, it’s 97 degrees outside. That’s an unusually high temperature for mid June in the Philadelphia area. I’m hoping that it’s not quite so hot and humid when the industry will soon convene in the City of Brotherly Love for the annual American Optometric Association (AOA) Optometry’s Meeting. Of course, by the time you read this, that meeting will be one for the history books, and we’ll be looking ahead to Vision Expo West in Las Vegas (also hot; don’t let the month of September fool you) and the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) annual meeting in Denver.

I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. Timothy J. Smith's letter strongly condemning NBEO's board certification (“Plea for NBEO,” May 2014).

The Cooper Companies, Inc. announced it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire Sauflon Pharmaceuticals for approximately $1.2 billion. Sauflon forecasts revenue of approximately $210 million for its fiscal year ending October 31, 2014, up approximately 22 percent year-over-year.

Nicox Inc. is launching expanded access to Sequenom Laboratories’ RetnaGene portfolio of genetic tests-RentaGene AMD and RetnaGene LR-which asses an individual’s risk for advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Alcon has released a compliance kit will help eyecare professionals educate their patients on how to take care of their contact lenses while also providing consumers with a clear doctor recommendation.

Santen Pharmaceutical recently announced that it has entered into an agreement with Merck & Co. to purchase Merck's ophthalmology products-Cosopt (dorzolamide/timolol), Cosopt PF, Trusopt (dorzolamide), Trusopt PF, Timoptic (timolol maleate ophthalmic solution), Timoptic PF, Timoptic XE (timolol maleate ophthalmic gel), Saflutan (tafluprost), and Taptiqom(tafluprost timolol)-in Japan, Europe, and Asia Pacific.

A recent report from BCC Research, a publisher of technology market research reports, projects the contact lens market to grow from $18.9 billion in 2013 to $20.1 billion by 2018, a compound annual growth rate of 1.2 percent over the five-year period.

It was my second “real” job. It was an opportunity when Alcon was building its optometric sales organization, it’s first endeavor as Vision Care. I was one of the first hires back in 1986. I was previously working in consumer products, totally unrelated area with Oscar Meyer.

In the previous articles in this series, the focus of lowering your practice’s financial risk was through maximizing cash flow and retaining key employees. Risk avoidance and risk mitigation may seem like common sense, but sometimes are not always intuitive when your day-to-day concentration is on patient care and running a practice. Identifying your practice’s risk should be a disciplined and creative process that includes brainstorming and creating lists of negative financial implications. All thoughts and ideas are welcomed during this evaluation, and the more thorough your checklists and evaluations are, the easier it is to make decisions to accept the risks of each activity.

During the American Optometric Association’s Optometry’s Meeting, Diana Shechtman, OD, FAAO, and Jeffry Gerson, OD, FAAO, addressed some of the controversies surrounding the results of the Age-Related Eye Diseases Study 2 (AREDS2), including fish oil, lutein/zeaxanthin, and genetic testing.

During the American Optometric Association’s Optometry’s Meeting, Jay Binkowtiz, CEO of Gateway Professional Network, shared his tips for being profitable in the age of managed vision care plans.