Advances in Understanding Glaucoma & Treating the Disease
No one wants to get glaucoma. It is the leading cause of blindness worldwide, and the number of people with this disease is expected to increase as the world population ages.While there are treatments, the most they can do is preserve remaining vision—they don’t restore vision that was lost. Researchers are seeking out ways to […]
(Not So) Extreme Makeover: Office Edition
Shows like This Old House and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition can help generate ideas on how to make improvements to your home. What about your office? While there isn’t a show called This Old Office, the home makeover shows can provide inspiration to transform your stuffy workplace into an office of your dreams. Granted, if […]
Energy Consumption or Working All the Time Causes Wear and Tear on the Eyes
The eyes are body parts that can’t be accused of being slackers. Eighty percent of what sighted individuals know comes from the information that the eyes receive. In turn, the eyes require an enormous amount of energy. Since they are big energy consumers and have little reserve energy, that may be a reason why eyes […]
The Evolution of Optometry
It’s no secret that optometry has evolved over the years. What started as a profession that focused on vision care and dispensing eyeglasses, has developed into a profession that provided medical eye care and the relationship with ophthalmologists has expanded into more of a partnership as opposed to a technician/expert relationship. What lead to this […]
Dry Eye Isn’t So Cut and Dry
Patient: My eyes hurt after a long day at work. Doctor: You have dry eye. Take these eye drops and call me in the morning. Yes, the above vignette is an exaggeration. Still, you need to be more of a detective when it comes to dry eye. You might ask patients the following: 1. Do […]
Is Buying a Practice the Right Thing for You?
We hear it all the time. There’s no such thing as 9 to 5 anymore. If you want job security you have to be your own boss. So, many optometrists decide to establish or buy an existing practice. While the independence of having your own practice seems appealing, is it the right thing for you, […]
Advances in Amblyopia and Myopia Treatment
Pediatric optometry is more than just kid sized phoropters and having a supply of stickers and lollipops. Just as there are advances the treatment of adult vision conditions, pediatric conditions have seen their share of advances. In particular, research on treatments for children with either amblyopia or myopia has shown promising results. Amblyopia For years, […]
Climate Change and Eye Health
It seems like every time there is a heat wave or a major snowstorm, climate change is blamed for the weather event. Still, when it comes to climate change, it isn’t just extremes in weather that have people worried. Eyes can be affected by climate change, especially since the cornea, eyelid, sclera and the lens […]
Eye Care Resources
Many people do not seek out eye care because they are not able to afford it. Over the past four years, the national uninsured rate has gone down approximately five percent. Even so, there are people who do not get routine eye exams or other eye procedures because of the costs involved. In […]
Patient Education – Survey Results!
Earlier this month, I reached out to our contacts and asked a series of questions concerning how they handle patient education. Some things I wanted to know were: how much time is spent educating each patient on average, what means are most commonly used to communicate information to the patient, and how confident are care […]