Catch up with what Optometry Times®' shared this week:

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Optometry news

Dry eyes: An integrative clinical approach from a holistic health perspective

Carrie Roitstein, OD

As the prevalence of dry eye disease continues to rise, we have an opportunity to influence healthy lifestyle habits while recognizing the key impact of balanced nutrition on disease prevention. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines nutrition as “the act or process of nourishing or being nourished.” Nutrition encompasses the holistic contributions from internal and external factors for whole body balance. This balance represents a vital component of tackling dry eye disease.

To begin, how do we change the mindset of patients to link holistic wellness with dry eyes? No daily activity has more ability to change our biology than choosing what to eat. As frequent repetition aids in the formation of a habit, we must provide patients with consistent education about holistic solutions to support healthy eyes. And it makes sense to combine approaches: from the inside, through targeted dietary adjustments or additions, as well as from the outside, through prescriptive treatments and reduction of toxic contributors. This holistic approach is doubly important because chronic disease is prevalent among patients presenting with dry eyes.

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Corneal cross-linking effective for keratoconus relapse after penetrating keratoplasty

Lynda Charters

Treating eyes with cross-linking (CXL) after keratoconus relapses following keratoplasty is safe and effective and results in stabilization of the vision,¹ according to Noa Kapelushnik, MD, and Noa Avni-Zauberman, MD, the study’s lead authors. They are from the Goldschleger Eye Institute, Sheba Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Hashomer, Israel.

While this scenario is rare, visual deterioration and corneal graft thinning can result. To preclude that the authors advised that a corneal stabilizing treatment be performed.

They evaluated the safety and efficacy of this approach in a retrospective analysis of eyes in which keratoconus relapsed after a penetrating keratoplasty and the eyes were treated with CXL.

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Victoria Conference 2023

Peg Achenbach, OD, FAAO, Executive Director of Global Ambassador Strategies Ophthalmology and Optometry for MJH Life Sciences®, the parent company of Optometry Times®, was at the Victoria Conference, presented by the Pacific University College of Optometry, was held July 13-16, 2023, in Victoria, BC, and caught up with some presenters.

Victoria Conference 2023: Staying up-to-date on ophthalmic surgery options with Ami Halvorson, OD.

Victoria Conference 2023: Identifying glaucoma suspects with Dina Erickson, OD, FAAO.

Victoria Conference 2023: Staying current with the AMD landscape with Jay M. Haynie, OD, FAAO, FORS.

Study finds significant variance across imaging modalities on sizes of geographic atrophy areas

Lynda Charters; Noor Chahal, BS

Fundus autofluorescence, a common imaging modality used to assess the retina, may be under-reporting the sizes of geographic atrophy across various phenotypic features, according to Noor Chahal, BS, who reported these findings at the 2023 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting.

Chahal and colleagues compared the results of geographic atrophy (GA) measurements obtained using color fundus photography, fundus autofluorescence, and infrared reflectance. They evaluated the agreement among measurements obtained from the imaging modalities with an emphasis on the relationship with phenotypic GA features.

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Akari Therapeutics provides update on long-acting PAS-nomacopan candidates for treatment of geographic atrophy

Martin David Harp, Associate Editor, Ophthalmology Times

Akari Therapeutics announced it has completed evaluation on long-acting PAS-nomacopan candidates and has selected a version the company plans to take into clinical trials for the treatment of geographic atrophy (GA).

In a press release from the company,¹ it describes the selected version as having “a product profile with characteristics important for a GA therapy, including fully active drug potency, planned small (<100µL) injection volume, viscosity enabling intravitreal injection with a fine needle, and pre-clinical half-life that supports a potential clinical dose interval of 3 months or longer.”

Akari remains on track and plans to submit an IND application to the US FDA in the first half of 2024, and plans on starting clinical trials in the second half of 2024.¹ Wacker Biotech GmbH will be the manufacturing partner to support production of PAS-nomacopan for use in clinical trials.

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CRU 2023: Education that offers comprehensive overview and perspective, empowering OD and MD collaboration

John D. Gelles, OD, FAAO, FIAOMC, FCLSA, FSLS, FBCLA; Kassi Jackson, Editor; Marlisa Miller, Editorial Intern

John D. Gelles, OD, FAAO, FIAOMC, FCLSA, FSLS, FBCLA, co-chair of the CRU Eye Symposium, caught up with Optometry Times®' editor, Kassi Jackson, to talk about the education portion of the meeting.

CRU is an acronym that stands for "current, relevant, useful," and the second annual symposium will be held November 10-12, 2023, at the Silverado Resort in Napa Valley, California. S. Barry Eiden, OD, FAAO, FSLS, and Stephanie Woo, OD, FAAO, FSLS, are also co-chairs of the meeting, with honorary ambassador Vance Thompson, MD, FACS.

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Low-dose atropine drops, 0.01%, ineffective in stopping myopia progression in children

Lynda Charters

The use of low-dose atropine 0.01% to slow the progression of myopia in children is not supported by a recent randomized clinical trial study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03334253).¹

This finding is in contrast to the results of a trial conducted in East Asia that reported atropine’s effectiveness in children,² according to Michael X. Repka, MD, MBA, lead study author from the Wilmer Eye Institute, Baltimore.

While high-dose atropine, 1%, seemed to slow progression of myopia, there were too many substantial side effects, such as persistent ocular dilation, light sensitivity, and inability to see at near, to support its use.

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Fitting scleral lenses for Bell palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome

Jon Bundy, OD

Bell palsy, and its less common counterpart Ramsay Hunt syndrome, are well known to primary eye care providers. Both maladies cause significant negative impacts on quality of life, especially when the ocular surface is involved. The following review presents 3 separate but related cases in which each patient’s quality of life was greatly improved with the addition of a scleral lens.

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How to improve visual function with vision therapy following mild traumatic brain injury

Maureen Oyaide-Ofenor, OD, MSC

There has been evidence of reduced visual functions in patients after mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).^1-5 Such visual functions include reduced near point of convergence, anomalies of accommodation, binocular vision dysfunction, photosensitivity, dry eyes, reduced functional and peripheral visual fields, dizziness, blurred vision, unilateral spatial inattention, abnormal egocentric localization, difficulty concentrating, reading problems, poor spatial or depth perception, interference with learning, starry-eyed appearance, low blink rate, and ambient visual system instability.^1,3,4,6-8

Studies show that vision therapy can improve visual function after an MTBI.^5,6,9-13 Following is some guidance for doing so. The aim is that optometrists and patients will be aware of what each party can do to improve visual function with vision therapy after an MTBI.

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Meet the LEO founding board: Dr Diana Canto-Sims

Diana Canto-Sims, OD; Emily Kaiser, Assistant Managing Editor; Marlisa Miller, Editorial Intern

Diana Canto-Sims, OD, sat down with Optometry Times®' assistant managing editor Emily Kaiser to talk about her role on the founding board of Latinos en Optometry (LEO).

Founded by Diana Canto-Sims, OD, LEO has 5 goals:

1. Increase the number of Latino students in optometry schools
2. Provide resources and communication for Latinos in optometry
3. Provide resources and communication for the eye care community who serve the Latino community
4. Be a conduit between the Latino community and the eye care industry
5. Provide CE to all optometry

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