The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has now launched its long-awaited scientific journal focusing exclusively on the retina subspecialty of ophthalmology, Ophthalmology® Retina.

The first new scientific journal from the AAO in more than a century, Ophthalmology Retina is the AAO’s response to the rapid growth of high-quality research in retina-related eye diseases and conditions. The journal creates a channel through which researchers can publish retina studies results sooner and reach a greater number of retina specialists than ever before. And the publication chose to feature ultra-widefield retinal imaging (UWF™) from Optos, on it’s cover. Ophthalmology Retina is a subspecialty companion to its parent journal, the American Journal of Ophthalmology, one of the world’s most widely read medical publications.

Ophthalmology Retina is on track to become the preferred journal for research in this subspecialty. “There is a tremendous surplus of high-quality retina manuscripts that deserve exposure,” said David W. Parke II, M.D., CEO of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “Ophthalmology Retina will provide a premier outlet for this work. It will allow the Academy to better serve the scientific and ophthalmic communities by providing what we fully expect will be a very high-impact factor journal that builds upon the stature of the Academy’s …

Ultra-widefield (UWF™) optomap^® technology sets a new standard for early detection and diagnosis by providing a wider view of the retina coupled with superior imaging capabilities.

“If you are not looking at the peripheral retina, you don’t have the whole picture, and you are not able to adequately assess risk. This is why we need to look at everybody and see what is out there.” Dr Jeffry Gerson

optomap – Illuminating a Wider Landscape

optomap imaging reveals an expansive view of the retinal landscape, exposing issues otherwise left undiscovered and untreated. Increasing utilization of UWF technology is also changing the landscape of ocular health care.

Unlike exploration prompted by patient reports of symptoms or history of retinal problems, optomap imaging captures a high resolution, 200° digital image of the peripheral retina in addition to the central pole in a single dynamic image.

Dr. Jeffry Gerson of Grin Eye Care in Kansas City adopted optomap early and has observed firsthand the evolution of the technology over 13 years. Gerson recognized the value of UWF optomap imaging immediately. Today, he says he cannot imagine practicing without it.

“Initially it impacted how I practiced. Because of an increase …

We are dedicated to helping eye care professionals diagnose, manage and treat ocular and systemic disease earlier when prompt treatment can save sight and even save lives. Our team takes pride in the support we provide our customers in their efforts to improve the lives of their patients.

We aim to provide the highest level of support to our clients by employing skilled and responsible people within the markets where our customers do business. We strive for E3 — Excellence Every Day in Everything we do, including providing support. Our quest for excellence attracts the best and brightest employees who are passionate about helping our customers improve care and treatment to their patients.

Convenient Customer Support

Our customers have access to “E3” worldwide support via phone, email, convenient & secure customer portals, a retinal image library for pathology identification, advanced learning tools such as and state-of-the-art flipbooks and apps and the ability for seamless and continuous access with our extended warranty. Our extended warranty helps you protect your investment, save on unexpected repairs, and provide support for your patients and your business.

Customer Portal Our Customer Portal allow you to download valuable marketing, training and product information at …

Ophthalmologist, Dr. Nikolas London and optometrist Dr. Aaron Werner understand the need for eye care professionals to work together for the overall benefit of their patients. Both practice in the San Diego, CA area and both use ultra-widefield retinal imaging (UWF™) devices from Optos in their practices.

Dr. Werner uses Daytona because it provides a fast, yet thorough, screening and assessment of the retina. As part of pre-testing protocol, Daytona gives optometrists important information about the retina at the beginning of the examination, so doctors like Dr. Werner can decide whether to spend additional time evaluating the retina.

Daytona gives Dr. Werner the ability to send the DICOM compatible digital retinal image to retinal specialist Dr. London. If Dr. London feels a condition is urgent, the two eye care professionals can begin formulating a treatment plan even before the patient arrives at Dr. London’s practice.

Dr. London uses a 200Tx™ UWF retinal imaging device, which is larger and slightly older than the desktop Daytona, but this larger device captures 200 degrees of the retina.The 200Tx guides the user through the process of positioning the patient’s head in the chin rest, allowing technicians to easily image patients.

The 200Tx allows the …

Optos is proud to announce its continued sponsorship of Optometry Giving Sight, an organization dedicated to transforming lives through the gift of vision.

Sight is the most important of the five senses. In fact, the brain receives 80 percent of its information from the eyes, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In a national survey, most Americans said that losing their vision would affect their lives more than losing memory, speech, hearing, an arm or a leg.

Blindness and vision impairment affect more than 600 million people around the world, according to Optometry Giving Sight. Many cases are because individuals do not have access to the eye exams and eyeglasses they need. Optos is dedicated to helping people across the globe receive the quality eye exams and corrective lenses necessary for good vision.

Optometry Giving Sight

Optometry Giving Sight works with a number of organizations towards the common goal of eliminating avoidable blindness. The organization has eight fundraising offices around the world that secure financial support for projects in 37 countries. Through the support of donors and sponsors, Optometry Giving Sight transforms lives through the gift of vision.

Each year on the second Thursday …

More than 3 million people in the United States have glaucoma, according to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, and the number of people with this eye disease will increase 58 percent to reach 4.2 million by 2030. Much of this epidemic is the result of an aging population, but a great deal has to do with awareness. Recognizing January as Glaucoma Awareness Month gives billions of people the opportunity to learn more about this vision-robbing disease. About Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States, according to the National Eye Institute, but about half of all people with glaucoma do not realize they have the eye condition because there are no symptoms. In fact, a person can lose as much as 40 percent of his vision without noticing.

Glaucoma is the cause of 9 – 12 percent of all cases of blindness in the United States today, robbing approximately 120,000 people of their sight. There is currently no way to restore vision once it is lost, but treatment can control glaucoma and prevent severe vision loss.

The word ‘glaucoma’ is actually an umbrella term for a group of eye diseases that damage …

One of the questions ocular health practitioners ask about ultra-widefield retinal imaging (UWF™) is regarding the justification of a voluntary procedure that entails added cost. Will patients really be interested in a new and possibly unfamiliar diagnostic procedure that’s not covered by insurance?

The core issue is patient perception. If a procedure is not paid for by insurance, is it really necessary? Here are some practical suggestions about how to talk to your patients about the importance of optomap.

The Patient Wants to Hear From You

While your office staff are an important part of your practice, your patients want your opinion. Even if your staff has already discussed optomap with the patient, take the time to personally explain how optomap works and its benefits. Focus on the advantages over conventional imaging, including ease of use, a wider field of view, and the ability to review and store high-resolution images.

Your personal attention to your patients’ questions and your own enthusiasm about the technology will send a powerful message.

What About Scripts?

Every practice can benefit from the use of scripts to guide discussions about the use of UWF imaging. This helps assure patients get concise, accurate information …

We’ve all laughed at the desperate schemes of Ralphie Parker. He’s the 9-year-old narrator of the movie “A Christmas Story,” which follows his desperate attempts to convince his parents, his teachers and even Santa Claus that what he really wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun with the compass in the stock.

Well, we all know how well that turned out.

“A Christmas Story” reminds us that we need to take extra care around the holidays to make sure the toys and gifts our children receive are safe and age-appropriate. It’s why Prevent Blindness America has declared December “Safe Toys and Gifts Awareness Month.”

Consider the risks presented by the wrong toy. A survey by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that each year toy-related mishaps injure more than 1/4 million children under the age of 15. Almost 100,000 of these accidents occurred in infants and toddlers under 5 years of age. Another study found that over the course of one year toy makers around the world recalled more than 19 million toys because of safety concerns.

Holiday Child Safety — Everyone’s Job

Every parent, relative and gift-giver has a role to play …

One of the ways to measure the impact of a diagnostic technology is its ability to reveal insights into the origins and progression of disease. A recent study¹ using ultra-widefield (UWF™) imaging is providing researchers and practitioners with a new look at diabetic retinopathy (DR). It suggests a novel way to characterize DR that may lead to a better understanding of where and how it develops.

Diabetic Retinopathy and Ultra-widefield Imaging

Over the past decade, UWF imaging has become an important tool in the assessment and treatment of DR. UWF optomap^® color imaging, performed without pupil dilation, is recognized as providing diagnostic accuracy equal to the gold standard, ETDRS seven-field color fundus photography (7SF)². Similar results have been documented for UWF fluorescein angiography, or optomap fa. Studies using optomap fa uncovered significantly more retinal vascular pathology in DR patients as compared to 7SF imaging.³

Both optomap and optomap fa give the practitioner a 200° view of the retina – a significant improvement of the 90° view afforded by 7SF imaging. This wider view of the peripheral retina has created an opportunity to develop a more complete picture of how DR develops and progresses.

Definitions and Methods

The core question posed by …

November is National Diabetes Month. Many of this month’s events encourage those with diabetes to pay special attention to their vision health. The problem? Forecasts suggest that increasing numbers of diabetic patients will have difficulty accessing vision screening and care. Recent developments in telemedicine are pointing the way to a solution.

More Patients, Not Enough Vision Care Providers

There are an estimated 415 million people in the world with diabetes. That population will climb to 642 million by 2040. The 104 million diabetes patients now in North America and Europe will grow at a slower rate, but by 2040 will still total over 132 million people.

The public health issues presented by diabetes are numerous, but vision care is of particular concern. Some level of diabetic retinopathy (DR) will affect as many as 40% of those with diabetes. Of these, a significant percentage will develop diabetic macular edema (DME). Complicating the picture is the high rate of undiagnosed diabetes – it’s estimated at over 27% of cases in the US. Finally, early stage DR is often asymptomatic, giving patients no reason to seek vision care.

Access is another part of the problem. It’s no surprise …