Michael D. DePaolis, OD, FAAO

The Vision Council has launched PolicyWatch, an online regulatory monitoring service for the optical industry to improve access and understanding of teleoptometry-related legislative issues, the nonprofit announced in a press release.

If you fly at all, you can’t help but be a bit unsettled in the wake of two commercial airline tragedies over the past 6 months. What’s even more concerning is that both involved the same aircraft, the Boeing 737 Max 8.

Falls happen. They are an inevitable part of life. Simply watch an infant take their first step or a highly skilled athlete on the field of play, and it’s pretty clear we’ll all have our share of falls through life’s journey.

It’s a scenario that plays out all too often. You consult with a complex patient, perhaps at the request of a colleague or primary care physician. After listening intently and a careful examination, you provide a well-orchestrated management plan, the cornerstone of which is a specific therapeutic agent. The patient is in complete agreement with your recommendation, thanks you and heads to the pharmacy for their medication.

As I write this editorial, the National Football League’s regular season is winding down, providing some clarity to the much-anticipated post-season and who will vie for the coveted Lombardi Trophy.

Statistics support the assertion that we are an inflamed society. According to Medscape, over 70 million NSAID prescriptions are written annually in the U.S. If you factor in over-the-counter drugs, more than 30 billion doses of NSAIDs are consumed annually (Weigand).

Every year during the American Academy of Optometry’s annual meeting I find myself reflecting on all I’ve witnessed during my career. AAO is the perfect venue for such reflection, as it epitomizes the tremendous strides our profession has made.

As many of our long-time readers can attest, Primary Care Optometry News devotes a fair share of editorial content to the subject of diabetes, as does pretty much every other publication in eye care ... or primary care or endocrinology for that matter. This is for good reason.

In 1983 I had the privilege of co-authoring my first paper on keratoconus, “Does the Boston II Contact Lens correct keratoconus?” (Shovlin et al.). This began a career during which I’ve seen my share of patients, continued to publish and participated in clinical trials involving all aspects of keratoconus management.

A presentation at Digestive Disease Week concluded that, “AI detects polyps better than colonoscopists.” Another study in Annals of Oncology online reported, “AI beats dermatologists on skin lesion images.” On Medscape, Linda Brookes asked, “Diabetic retinopathy: Can artificial intelligence provide a better way to detect disease?”