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Day 2 at PCON New York meeting: pediatrics to diabetic retinopathy
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NEW YORK -- The second day of the Third Annual Primary Care Optometry News Symposium featured the well-regarded ocular therapeutics update from Ron Melton, OD, FAAO, and Randall Thomas, OD, MPH, FAAO. Among other prescribing pearls, the duo recommended povidone iodine 5% ophthalmic solution for adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis. “The FDA has not approved this agent for the way Dr. Melton and I use it,” said Dr. Thomas. In a closing remark, Dr. Thomas summarized: “Just keep in mind: inflammation is extremely common; infection is extremely rare.” Michael Bartiss, MD, OD, FAAO, who specializes in pediatric ophthalmology, shared recommendations for caring for children and infants in your practice. “Children are not little adults,” he began. “You need to address their needs as well as their parents’ needs”.
Dr. Bartiss emphasized the importance of getting your staff “on board” to make the changes in the practice necessary to care for this patient population. He also addressed childproofing your office as you would childproof your home.
A new proposed international classification for diabetic retinopathy was just announced in October, according to Anthony Cavallerano, OD, FAAO. Experimental therapies for this condition include vitamin E, unoprostone, Envision TD, Celebrex and protein kinase-C inhibitors.
Leonid Skorin Jr., OD, DO, FAOO, FAOCO, joined Dr. Cavallerano to discuss the primary eye care clinician’s approach to laboratory and imaging studies. Dr. Skorin stressed the importance of “thinking outside the box” when evaluating these results and not focusing on one suspected diagnosis.
Tomorrow, the final day of the symposium, will cover fluoroquinolones, contact lenses and refractive surgery.