VIDEO: Optometrists play critical role in evaluating headaches
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Anthony DeWilde OD, FAAO, director of the tele-eye imaging program at VA Kansas City Health Care, discusses highlights from his presentation at Academy on the optometrist’s role in evaluating headaches in this Healio video.
“We want to take all headaches seriously, because there’s the potential for vison-threatening and life-threatening problems,” he said.
In his presentation, DeWilde discussed strategies to determine the urgency of a patients’ headaches and when to refer to another specialist. He also spoke about how to do a thorough case history, listen for clues to distinguish between types of headaches and how to approach conditions such as trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias.
“As optometrists, we can take that role of being the first person who sees them for these headaches and figure out is this eye related, and, if it’s not, who needs to see this patient in addition to me?” DeWilde said. “Oftentimes, it’s getting them into the hands of a neurologist.”
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DeWilde, A. What a pain! An optometrist’s guide to headaches. Presented at: Academy; Oct. 26-29, 2022; San Diego.
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