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

Optometry news

Ocular allergies and dry eye disease: Overlapping treatment options

Euin Cheong, OD

It is safe to claim that the gap between the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis and the therapy of dry eye illness is narrower than it has ever been. Although the 2 diseases have different pathophysiologies, etiologies, and demographics of individuals who are affected by them, the treatments for the 2 diseases overlap more than ever before.

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Enhance surgical outcomes through effective dry eye disease management

Lynda Charters; Selina R. McGee, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO

Achieving the best vision possible by managing existing dry eye disease is necessary for all patients prior to undergoing cataract consultation and for managing postoperative cases.

In this article, Selina McGee, OD, FAAO, founder and chief optometrist of Bespoke Vision in Edmond, Oklahoma, walks clinicians through how she handles these cases with a discussion of 2 patients.

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Neural adaptation in refractive care

Marc R. Bloomenstein, OD, FAAO

One of the positives of technology—and especially social media—is the ability to find short clips or unique content that was not accessible unless you specifically sought it out. For example, the TikTok algorithm finds topics and videos that it intuitively knows you will enjoy. The Tiny Desk Concert series from PBS perfectly represents the “who knew?” And “where have you been my whole life?”One that stands out is Cypress Hill. Yes, that Cypress Hill. “Who you trying to get crazy with, ese? Don’t you know I’m loco?”

For those of you who are still reading this article and have not questioned whether you inadvertently picked up Rolling Stone, you only need to hum that 1993 classic from the Black Sunday album: “Insane in the membrane, insane in the brain, crazy insane got no brain.” The irony of that statement is such that as clinicians we are almost always thinking this exact sentiment. As optometrists we rely more on our patients’ cognitive abilities—or neural adaptation—as an answer to most of our patients’ visual complications.

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CRU 2023: Navigating challenges in corneal irregularities

Brooke Messer, OD, FAAO, FSLS; Sheryl Stevenson, Eye Care Group Editorial Director

Brooke Messer, OD, FAAO, FSLS, who is part of the faculty for the CRU Eye Symposium, caught up with Sheryl Stevenson, Eye Care Group Editorial Director, to talk about 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; Stephanie Woo, OD, FAAO, FSLS; and John D. Gelles, OD, FAAO, FIAOMC, FCLSA, FSLS, FBCLA, are the co-chairs of the meeting, with honorary ambassador Vance Thompson, MD, FACS.

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Multifocals for all ages

Erin Tomiyama, OD, PhD, FAAO

The versatility of multifocal contact lenses is sometimes lost with the addition of new contact lenses every year. There is a place for these lenses in every phase of life. Traditionally, multifocal contact lenses were introduced to the market to address the needs of presbyopes by containing multiple prescriptions (distance and near) in 1 lens. But these lenses truly can be used for any age.

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Dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes causes severe and frequent ocular symptoms in adolescents and young adults

Lynda Charters

Anne X Nguyen, MD, and colleagues reported the occurrence of severe and frequent ocular symptoms more likely among young individuals who ever used both cigarettes and e-cigarettes. She is from the Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.

According to the study authors, numerous adverse effects have been associated with the use of e-cigarettes since they were introduced into the marketplace. Among those are increased blood pressure, heart rate, air resistance in lungs, and immunomodulatory cytokines production.

When smokers used both cigarettes and e-cigarettes, studies showed additional detrimental findings, such as lower general health, increased sleep latency, and higher vascular disorder risk.

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