While many may feel that children have excellent vision simply because they are young and healthy, eye care professionals know better. With research showing between 5 and 10 percent of preschool aged children being affected by a vision impairment and 1 in 4 school-aged children having a vision impairment, several organizations dedicated to eye and vision health have declared 2014 as the Year of Children’s Vision.

The Year of Children’s Vision (YOCV) is a joint initiative formed by Prevent Blindness America (PBA), PBA’s National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health, the National Head Start Association and other like-minded groups. The goal of the initiative is to help standardize the approach early childhood care and education programs take toward vision screenings for young children. Another goal is to make improvements in follow-up care for those that don’t pass vision screenings and providing educational materials for families, among others.

Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of PBA, said of the YOCV initiative:

“Our children depend on their eyes to learn and view the world around them. They also depend on us to make sure they have healthy vision and can reach their full potential. With this new, comprehensive program …

While performing what was expected to be a demonstrative optomap eye exam, a Wellingborough optician noticed an unusual hole in his son’s retina. Dr. Bob Halsey, owner of Halsey Opticians, credits optomap with showing him the “suspicious hole” in his son’s retina.

Upon the discovery, Dr. Halsey sent his son, Alex, to Northhampton General Hospital. There, a specialist used the optomap images to pinpoint the location of the hole. Afterwards, Alex was sent to surgery to repair it. Dr. Halsey says without having such technology in his practice, the discovery and diagnosis of the hole in Alex’s retina wouldn’t have been possible, which could have led to further issues.

“A conventional eye test wouldn’t have spotted the hole, as it was in the periphery of the retina, which can’t be seen without a more in-depth examination,” Dr. Halsey shared. “We’re hopeful that the surgery has been successful and will continue to monitor Alex’s eye health with our optomap.”

Following this experience, all patients at Halsey Opticians are now offered an optomap as a part of the practice’s advanced eye testing.

Thousands of practitioners around the world have made sight-saving discoveries thanks to optomap, with over 40 …

As we have shared before, glaucoma cases continue to rise here in the U.S., as well as in other parts of the world. New estimates from the National Eye Institute suggest as many as 4 million people in the U.S. suffer from this eye disease and that half of those individuals aren’t even aware of it.

Prevent Blindness America expects these numbers to continue to grow as America’s population of older adults increases. And as the number of glaucoma cases grow, so does the cost of treatment. Glaucoma is said to cost about $5.8 billion annually, with individuals paying as much as $2,170 for treatment. Since January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, it’s time once again to help your patients understand whether or not they are at risk of developing this condition, which is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, and what they can do to prevent it.

Below are a few facts patients should be aware of regarding glaucoma:

– Typically, there are symptoms of glaucoma. Vision loss is first experienced in peripheral vision and is usually noticed once the condition becomes severe. – There are two main types of glaucoma, open-angle and …

Discussing a patient’s body weight during an eye exam may once have been considered a strange or unnecessary question. These patients might wonder, “What does my weight have to do with my eyes?” However, it’s a subject that many eyecare practitioners are now addressing. As obesity rates continue to rise, researchers are noticing more instances of eye disease and vision loss in overweight and obese patients.

The connection between obesity and vision loss lies within the many health issues associated with carrying extra weight, according to Kimberly Reed, OD, FAAO. Systemic conditions such as Type II diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia and carotid artery disease, Dr. Reed writes, can “pose [an] additional threat to the ocular and visual system in the form of diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy, vascular occlusive disease, optic neuropathy, glaucoma, and others.”

With this information at hand, it’s important to start discussions with patients on how maintaining a healthy weight can benefit their eyes. Take the time to, in a non-judgmental manner, talk about how achieving a healthier weight, as well as a healthier diet and regular exercise, can lead to a longer life and better overall health, as well as better ocular and visual health.

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We all seem to have a few of those people on our holiday gift lists that seem impossible to shop for. It is highly likely that your patients have a few of these people on their holiday shopping lists, too. These individuals seem to have everything they could possibly want or need, making it difficult to give them a gift with meaning. Rather than buy these individuals more “stuff,” suggest that your patients take a cue from Europeans by gifting their loved ones with an optomap® this holiday season.

In many European countries, such as Germany, it is a common practice to give a gift that promotes health and wellness. While gym memberships and other similar gifts are thoughtful, there is always a chance that the recipient may only use it for a month or two before they stop going altogether. The gift of an optomap®, on the other hand, is a thoughtful gift that can be used to ensure the recipient’s eyes and vision are healthy.

As an added benefit, the gift of an optomap® can potentially save an individual’s vision, if not their life, as many systemic diseases and other issues that threaten one’s vision can be …

Optos and the AOA have collaborated on disease-related tools including diabetes education and resources for AOA member optometrists and their practices since 2008.  This year, Optos sponsored a formal multi-year diabetes initiative focused on providing clinical education and resources to AOA members.  The overall goal was to make the doctors aware that they are essential health care providers for patients with diabetes relating to their visual and retinal health.  Through this sponsorship, AOA and Optos have provided a valuable resource to help AOA doctors increase patient awareness about the condition, facilitate early detection, and assist in disease management and treatment.

The supplement is called Optometrists Form Front Line in Battling Diabetes and it can be found at http://www.aoa.org/diabetes.

A study published in Diabetes Care comparing Optos nonmydriatic UWF imaging to mydriatic ETDRS 7-field photography in screening for DR found that the two methods showed considerable agreement in identifying clinically significant macular edema and grading DR level. However, UWF permitted visualization of a substantially larger retinal area, which may be advantageous in the diagnosis and management of DR. Because UWF does not require dilation, it also may be more acceptable to patients, thereby improving compliance with screening programs, and could facilitate remote image generation and interpretation through telemedicine.

Kernt M, Hadi I, Pinter F, Seidensticker F, Hirneiss C, Haritoglou C, Kampik A, Ulbig MW, Neubauer AS. Assessment of diabetic retinopathy using nonmydriatic ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (optomap) compared with ETDRS 7-field stereo photography. Diabetes Care. 2012: 1-5.

According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 347 million people in the world have diabetes. While the WHO estimates that diabetes will be the seventh leading cause of death by 2030, the condition is currently the leading cause of blindness in people ages 20 to 74. Unfortunately, many patients don’t have their eyes screened until they notice a problem – and in many of these cases, the affects of diabetic-related eye diseases have already caused irreversible damage. With these statistics in mind, it’s important to make sure that diabetic or pre-diabetic patients understand how diabetes can affect their eyes and the importance of yearly eye exams.

Start off by providing patients with educational materials regarding diabetic eye diseases in this month’s mailings or newsletter. Explain the characteristics and differences between diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and glaucoma, all of which fall under the umbrella of diabetic eye disease. For example, diabetic retinopathy is the most common of the three and because it has no symptoms, is generally not diagnosed until damage is very severe. While treatment doesn’t reverse the damage, it can help the disease from progressing any further.

Also, share with patients how their risk of developing …

Oftentimes, patients aren’t as familiar with their medical conditions until after a famous name admits they suffer from the very same disease or condition. Take Tom Hanks for example. The star of the new film “Captain Phillips” recently revealed on the “Late Show with David Letterman” that he has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes after battling high blood sugar for many years. After the diagnosis, he started taking steps to manage the disease, such as maintaining a healthier weight and diet. His admission about the state of his own health will hopefully encourage other people to be more vigilant about preventing or managing their diabetes.

Hanks’ diagnosis serves as a reminder to eye care professionals that they play an important role in the fight against diabetes, especially since November is World Diabetes Month. Also, World Diabetes Day is just around the corner. Observed on November 14, 2013, World Diabetes Day was established to recognize the profound effect diabetes has on the health of 347 million people around the world. According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes are likely to be diagnosed with common eye problems like blindness due to diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts. Optos is banding together …

A prospective comparative study published recently in Ophthalmology found substantial agreement (80%) between Optos UWF and ETDRS 7-standard field images of eyes with DR. However, by identifying additional lesions in the retinal periphery, UWF imaging led to a more severe DR assessment in 10% of eyes, compared to assessments based on conventional photography. The authors call for further prospective study to evaluate the implications of these lesions for DR progression within different levels of severity.

Silva PS, Cavallerano JD, Sun JK, Soliman AZ, Aiello LM, Aiello LP. Peripheral lesions identified by mydriatic ultrawide field imaging: Distribution and potential impact on diabetic retinopathy severity. Ophthalmology. 2013: 1-9. [Epub ahead of print]