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

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Optometry news

Myopia Awareness Week

Myopia Awareness Week was May 22-26.

Interested in all-things myopia?

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Adherence and persistence: When patients take their health into their own hands

Mile Brujic, OD, FAAO; Jeffry Gerson, OD, FAAO; Dorothy Hitchmoth, OD, FAAO, ABO, ABCMO Dipl

dherence has always been a challenge in health care. Adherence defines the degree or extent of conformity to the provider recommendations about day-to-day treatment with respect to timing, dosage, and frequency.¹ Persistence refers to the act of continuing treatment for the prescribed duration.² Both adherence and persistence are critical to optimize outcomes for conditions that we manage in our offices on a daily basis.

If a patient has a high level of persistence but low level of adherence to their treatment, they continue with the treatment but use the treatment incorrectly. This is common in contact lens wearers. Patients will be persistent with treatment by continuing to wear contact lenses but are often nonadherent with the regimen of cleaning, disinfecting, and appropriately maintaining their lenses. These patients persist with the treatment of contact lens wear but adhere poorly to the care regimen.

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Newly approved Miebo holds power for the treatment of dry eye disease

Katherine M. Mastrota, MS, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO

For decades, eye care practitioners have struggled with replacing the lipid layer of the tear film when the Meibomian glands are not producing adequate amounts or poor-quality meibom. We have tried petroleum-based ointments, lipid-containing artificial tears of various formulations and delivery platforms, and other natural oils in and around the eye to bolster the lipid layer of the tear film.

With the approval of Miebo (perfluorohexyloctane; Bausch + Lomb, Novaliq), we now have a first-in-class drug with a novel mechanism of action to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease (DED) associated with Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).

Miebo is a 100% perfluorohexyloctane eye drop. 100%! No other ingredient. No water. No preservatives. Nothing else. It is a non-aqueous liquid, non-blurring wetting agent. Honestly, how great is that? No wondering if the drop excipient ingredients or a preservative are cause for irritation vs the active ingredient. Miebo is not a steroid, NSAID or immunomodulator. Perfluorohexyloctane demonstrates strong spreading properties due to low surface tension, facilitating small drop sizes and interacting with the lipophilic part of the tear film to form a layer at the film-air interface and to prevent evaporation.

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Q&A: What role do optometrists play in the treatment geographic atrophy?

Steven Ferrucci, OD, FAAO; Emily Kaiser, Assistant Managing Editor

With the recent approval of pegcetacoplan (Syfovre; Apellis) and the pending review of intravitreal avacincaptad pegol (Iveric Bio), the treatment paradigm for geographic atrophy (GA) is shifting. Previously, there was no treatment available to slow lesion growth. Now that there are options entering the market, eye care must shift to meet the changing demands.

Steven Ferrucci, OD, FAAO, weighs in on how optometrists can lead the charge against geographic atrophy. From diagnosis to lesion growth monitoring, optometrists play a vital role in the management of the disease. Optometrists have the most frequent touchpoints with patients and can identify candidates for treatment, and they are often the first to notice at-risk patients.

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Factors affiliated in increasing myopia rates identified

Lynda Charters

An epidemiologic study of myopia in a Chinese province found that economic status, gender, and age were associated with rates of myopia.¹ Tainan Lin, MD, from the Departments of Ophthalmology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital Fuzhou, and Fujian Provincial Governmental Hospital, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China, led the study.

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Stating the facts about combination myopia management treatments

Andrew D. Pucker, OD, PhD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA

Myopia management options and knowledge have proliferated over the past decade. This pursuit of new knowledge has been fueled by the understanding that the worldwide prevalence of myopia is increasing, and that this spike in myopia cases may increase the population’s ocular pathology burden.^1,2 With this dynamic landscape and urgent need to curb the onset and progression of myopia, it is imperative that clinicians explore every avenue for improving myopic progression treatment outcomes.

Although most studies have focused on evaluating monotherapy options, there is growing evidence suggesting that dual therapy may further slow myopic progression. Thus, the purpose of this literature review is to explore the current state of knowledge related to using low-dose atropine as an adjunct therapy in patients who are also being treated with optical-based myopia management strategies.

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Digital health care evolves in the aftermath of the pandemic

Anar Maurya, OD

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has brought a surge of at-home digital technology that eye care practitioners can incorporate into their practice.

Are these new devices beneficial? When should they be implemented? We will explore novel technologies that have emerged in recent years: the iCare HOME tonometer and Notal Vision’s ForeseeHome (FSH) monitoring device.

These tools allow patients to monitor and manage their eye health from home, which can greatly improve convenience, adherence, and access to care. Artificial intelligence technology is the wave of the future; it is up to eye care providers to investigate the design, efficacy, and clinical utility of each digital device.

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