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

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Optometry news

AI advancements in eye care: What’s new in 2023 so far

Sydney Crago, Editor, Modern Retina

This year has already seen new advancements in technology that have the power to change the way that eye care providers image, diagnose, and monitor patients and their conditions. The rapid pace of news can make it difficult to keep with the ever-evolving industry. As new tools and treatments come to market, it can be important to take stock of how these products and solutions have moved through development and testing.

As the entire medical community looks toward the future and the solutions these advancements may provide, here is a look back at the first half of 2023 as we explore the role of AI in the eye care field in anticipation of the changes to come.

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Estimated 9.6 million people in the US have DR and 1.84 million people have VTDR, new study finds

Marlisa Miller, Editorial Intern

A newly published study titled, “Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in the US in 2021,” found that an estimated 9.6 million people in the United States, 26.4% of those with diabetes, had DR and 1.84 million people, 5.1% of those with diabetes, had VTDR.¹ The number of people aged 40 years and older living with diabetes-related eye disease has more than doubled since last estimated in 2004. VTDR has also almost doubled since last estimated in 2004.²

The study is the first of its kind to estimate the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and VTDR in people younger than 40 years. In the youngest age group, ages 0-24 years, more than 1 in 10 people with diabetes had DR, which increased to nearly 1 in 5 among people with diabetes ages 25 to 39 years.²

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Prevent Blindness announces July as Dry Eye Awareness Month, with exciting updates

Marlisa Miller, Editorial Intern

Prevent Blindness has declared July as “Dry Eye Awareness Month” in efforts to educate the public on dry eye. With nearly 16 million Americns having dry eye,¹ it is imperative that there is more education, awareness, and treatment.

This year, Prevent Blindness is debuting a new episode of the Focus on Eye Health Expert Series, “Dry Eye and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD),” featuring April Jasper, OD, FAAO, Advanced Eyecare Specialists, where she shares her unique experience as a dry eye patient as well as an eyecare provider.

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AOA Optometry’s Meeting 2023 introduces new president and collaborative efforts to move the profession forward

Kassi Jackson, Editor

The American Optometric Association (AOA) and American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) concluded a historic Optometry’s Meeting last month, including education, networking, advocacy, a 13% Promise signing, Eye Deserve More highlights, and Optometry’s House of Delegates.

The meeting took place on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, from June 21-24, and hosted the AOA+ experiences for students, faculty, and new doctors in the field; as well as the AOA’s single-largest annual advocacy event, AOA on Capitol Hill.

With something for everyone from doctors, paraoptometrics, and optometry students, over 190 educational credit hours were available over the meeting’s 4 days in the form of hands-on workshops, integrated education, panel discussions, and peer-to-peer forums.

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Ocular structural differences in patients with OAG, high myopia, and both diseases

Lynda Charters

Researchers from the Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania, in collaboration with researchers from the Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, reported differences in the ocular structural and blood flow characteristics in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG), high myopia, and both conditions concurrently in the same patient.¹ The patients with both diseases were more adversely affected.

These findings are important because they demonstrate the exact association between high myopia and changes in the ocular blood flow, which heretofore had not been established, according to senior author Alon Harris, MS, PhD, Vice Chair of International Research and Academic Affairs at The Mount Sinai Hospital; Director of the Ophthalmic Vascular Diagnostic and Research Program, and Professor of Ophthalmology, and Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

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Bausch + Lomb announces acquisition of the Blink OTC line of eye drops

Kassi Jackson, Editor

Bausch + Lomb has announced the acquisition of the Blink over-the-counter (OTC) line of eye drops from Johnson & Johnson Vision for the agreed upon price of $106.5 million. This most recent purchase adds to the company’s commitment to continue increasing consumer convenience with OTC eye care products.¹

A variety of a half dozen products of eye drops and contact lens rewetting drops make up the Blink portfolio. These products include: Blink Tears Lubricating Eye Drops, Blink Tears Preservative Free Lubricating Eye Drops, Blink GelTears Lubricating Eye Drops, Blink Triple Care Lubricating Eye Drops, Blink Contacts Lubricating Eye Drops, and Blink-N-Clean Lens Drops.

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Fixational eye movements: The eye motion no one is talking about, but should be

Jacqueline Theis, OD, FAAO

We spend over 80% of our visual day fixating our gaze on stationary objects, but when was the last time you thought about or evaluated your patient’s fixational stability? Fixation is not a static passive state, but rather an active neural process.

These microscopic flickers of motion may seem insignificant, as they are unnoticed by most people and undetectable on standard clinical exam; however, these minute eye movements play a vital role in our visual perception, cognitive function, and are instrumental for our ability to see the world around us with 20/15 clarity and precision.

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