Andrew S. Gurwood, OD, FAAO

LAS VEGAS – Optometrists often see patients who may have cancer on their head and neck, so they should know how to evaluate the signs, according to Andrew S. Gurwood, OD, FAAO, and Marc D. Myers, OD, FAAO, at Vision Expo West.

Many organisms have the ability to infect human tissue. Of these organisms, some have developed a propensity for tissues of the eye. Bacteria, viruses and, less often, fungi result in mild to severe infections that have the ability to affect the adnexae and superficial ocular surface as well as tissue of the posterior pole.

Andrew S. Gurwood, OD, FAAO, is an associate professor of clinical sciences and an attending optometric physician at The Eye Institute of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. He is also a member of the clinical staff in the Department of Ophthalmology at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. Dr. Gurwood can be reached at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, 1200 West Godfrey Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19141; (215) 276-6134; fax: (215) 276-1329; e-mail: Agurwood@pco.edu. Dr. Gurwood has no direct financial interest in the products mentioned in this article, nor is he a paid consultant for any companies mentioned.

While povidone iodine has long been used by surgeons as a preoperative antiseptic, researchers have been looking at the agent for treating viral conjunctivitis as well as other ocular diseases.

Acne rosacea is a chronic condition characterized by acute exacerbations of the skin. Manifestations include persistent erythema, telangiectasias, papules, pustules and sebaceous gland hypertrophy in the flush areas of the face and neck. Rhinophyma and hypertrophy of the sebaceous glands of the nose are considered hallmark signs of what is known as facial rosacea. The common age range of those affected with rosacea is 40 to 50 years. Rosacea without ocular involvement involves women twice as often as men. However, no gender difference is found among those who manifest ocular findings.