Comanagement News

by Michael Steiner, PT, DPT

This three-part overview takes a look at where LASIK has been, where it is and where it is going.

The final entry for this corneal transplant miniseries will explore transplant-specific risks, recovery and expected time to visual stability of the different transplants, as well as postoperative astigmatism and suture manipulation.

ATLANTA – Noncontact selective laser trabeculoplasty, a drug-eluting contact lens and a sustained release therapeutic under development may expedite glaucoma management and increase compliance, according to a panel of experts here at the OIS@SECO meeting.

As an optometrist interested in the evolution of my profession to include more primary health care, I have my Healio email subscriptions and alerts set to receive the Primary Care News Wire. Although I often just skim these articles, I sometimes find an item of interest that has implications for optometry. Such was the case last month when I read, “New diabetes guideline reflects change in glucose therapy considerations.” Published online on Jan. 22, 2020, this article will affect my doctoring of patients with diabetes as well as those at risk for developing the disease.

Researchers in Wheaton, Ill., reported that patients with age-related macular degeneration were more likely to develop glaucoma and its risk factor, ocular hypertension, when treated repeatedly and frequently with anti-VEGF intravitreal injections.

It’s not unusual for us to have more than three dozen patients on our schedules the morning after a typical cataract surgery day. Because the vast majority are doing well 1 day postop, these are usually brief examinations.

Trabeculectomy, although effective at lowering IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma, has a low safety profile, according to a study by the Department of Medicine in the University of Udine in Udine, Italy.

A 20-year-old woman presented for a neuro-optometric exam with complaints of headaches, asthenopia, occasional diplopia, extreme light sensitivity, dizziness and loss of balance. She reported her symptoms started about 2 years ago with day-to-day fluctuations in her symptoms.

The hot topic of discussion in health care reform this winter revolves around patient access to their medical information.