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This week in optometry: April 3-April 7
A look back on what happened in optometry during the week of April 3-April 7.
Catch up with what Optometry Times®' shared this week:
Image credit: Adobe Stock/Viacheslav Yakobchuk
Optometry news
New topical therapies for dry eye disease
By Bria George, PharmD; Brandon Grama; Araliya Gunawardene; Isabella Ortiz; Reine Victome; Monique Barbour, MD
The prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) has increased in recent years, reportedly affecting as much as 60% of some populations.1 The number of adults with DED has increased since 2001, when studies indicated that up to 20% of people aged 45 years or older experienced symptoms.2 Not only are so many individuals affected, but the disorder is misunderstood. Depending on its severity, quality of life can be significantly undermined. It is the quiet ophthalmic pandemic.
The goals of DED treatment are restoration of natural tear film, protection of ocular surface, and eye comfort.3 Topical therapy has been the principal approach, and artificial tears have been its mainstay, improving symptoms up to 25%.4 A number of brands, like Systane, Refresh, TheraTears, Similasan, and iVIZIA—the latest to hit the market—are available without prescription. Systane Lubricating Eye drops, in particular, have been shown to relieve the symptoms of moderate DED.5
Learn more about varenicline and its role in patient care...
Geographic atrophy, pegcetacoplan, and the future of care with Dr. Euin Cheong
By Emily Kaiser, Assistant Managing Editor
Euin Cheong, OD, weighs in on the Syfvore approval for geographic atrophy and how optometrists should participate in geographic atrophy care.
Going virtual with visual field perimeters
By Chris Wroten, OD
In early 2021, one of our visual field perimeters developed a technical problem. We contacted the manufacturer, who remotely determined it was necessary to send it in for further evaluation and repair, which we did. After a few days, we were notified a part needed to be replaced, but it was out of warranty and due to supply chain issues, the repair could not be completed, and the unit returned to us for at least another 2 months. We requested a loaner, willing to pay a loaner fee, but the company did not have one available at the time.
Our practice provides a high percentage of medical eye care, managing a large volume of patients with glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), so our visual field perimeter is a critically important instrument for ensuring quality outcomes. Not having access to it would negatively affect quality of care, inconvenience patients who would have to be rescheduled and/or return for a separate visual field-testing appointment, and adversely affect practice revenue, so we began exploring our options.
Dozens of contamination violations found at recalled eye drop manufacturer's facility
Martin Harp, Associate Editor
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently conducted an inspection of a Global Pharma Healthcare facility in India. The company is the maker of EzriCare Artificial Tears, which was recalled in early February and has since resulted in 3 deaths, 8 reports of permanent vision loss, and 4 reports of enucleation.
According to inspection records released by the FDA,1 federal inspectors visited the site in mid-February and found dozens of issues. These issues included dirty equipment and clothing, as well as missing safeguards and procedures.
Study: Alcohol misuse may negatively affect corneal endothelial cells
By Lynda Charters
Alcohol misuse may have a detrimental effect on the corneal endothelial cells,1 according to Ranit Karmakar, BTech, from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, and colleagues.
Because of the prevalence of alcohol misuse worldwide, he and his associates retrospectively analyzed the images obtained from 10,322 eyes of 5,624 donors from 1 eye bank. The donor demographic information and medical histories were available for each tissue. The investigators used a standardized protocol to assess the endothelial cell density, hexagonality, and variations, they explained.
Inaugural IKA symposium shines a light on diagnosing and managing keratoconus
By Elizabeth Yeu, MD; Sheryl Stevenson, Group Editorial Director
Elizabeth Yeu, MD, cochair and executive board member with International Keratoconus Academy of Eye Care Professionals (IKA), and an ophthalmologist with Virginia Eye Consultants in Norfolk, Virginia, caught up with Optometry Times®’ Group Editorial Director Sheryl Stevenson on what she is looking forward to at this year’s inaugural IKA Keratoconus Symposium: Front to Back and Everything In Between.
The inaugural symposium will promote discussion and education around state-of-the-art diagnosis and management of keratoconus and other forms of corneal ectasia. The conference will take place April 22 and 23 at the Scottsdale Marriott at McDowell Mountains in Arizona.
Practical management EP 11: Knowing you're in a good place to purchase a practice
By Maria Sampalis, OD; Kassi Jackson, Editor
As we continue our conversation on practice management, Maria Sampalis, OD, gives pointers on evaluating a practice for sale and how to know if you are in a good investment spot.
Identifying domestic violence through ocular injuries
By Lynda Charters
A recent study found that sex, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic level may be risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) in the US. Investigators led by first author Maya Alik, BHSc, from McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and colleagues reported their findings that call attention to ocular trauma among victims.1
Acute- and delayed-onset endophthalmitis: Visual acuity and clinical features after open globe injuries
By Lynda Charters
Julia Hudson, MD, and colleagues from the Department of Ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, reported that endophthalmitis infections generally result in poor visual outcomes after an open-globe injury.
In addition, delayed-onset endophthalmitis can develop in patients who sustained open globe injuries despite injection of intravitreal antibiotics at the end of the corrective surgery because of zone 1 wound leaks and infections.1
AI to predict Graves’ orbitopathy severity
By Lynda Charters
Factors identified in the initial finds of patients may predict the severity of Graves’ orbitopathy based on risk prediction scores that the investigators constructed,1 according to Seunghyun Lee, MD, and colleagues. He is from the Department of Ophthalmology, Konyang University, Kim’s Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Having this predictive ability is important because, as they explained, based on the initial ophthalmic findings, it is difficult but important to predict the patients’ progression to a specific level of disease severity.
