Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that progress gradually, stealing sight, without showing symptoms. The word ‘glaucoma’ is actually an umbrella term for a group of eye diseases that damage the delicate fibers that run from your eye to your optic nerve, which is the nerve that carries information about the images your eye sees to your brain. Damage is often the result of high fluid pressure inside the eye. Glaucoma can affect people of all ages but is most prevalent in middle-aged adults and the elderly. While there is no cure, surgery or medication can slow its effects and help to prevent further vision loss.

Results of a recent study shows excellent agreement in the assessment of the peripheral retina and suggest that optomap imaging is a useful tool in the assessment of eyes with peripheral retinal lesions, with a high sensitivity and reproducibility. 

UWF Retinal Imaging - And update on recent advances

Each year, November 14th is recognized as World Diabetes Day. IDF and the World Health Organization created World Diabetes Day in 2011 in response to escalating health issues surrounding diabetes and diabetic eye diseases.

The spookiest day of the year is just around the corner, where all the ghosts and ghouls come out to play.  Halloween is a holiday built for all ages but, particularly children, but tends to be particularly busy for eye doctors due to scary and spooky injuries that can happen!  While enjoying a holiday encompassed with costumes, trick-or-treating and parties, it is important to also remember eye safety.  Every year there are hundreds of costume-related and other completely avoidable eye injuries are treated in emergency rooms throughout the United States.

World Sight Day (WSD) is an annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October each year.  WSD aims to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment. The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) members work together to raise public awareness of blindness and vision impairment, influence governments to participate and designate funds for national blindness prevention funds, and to educate target audiences about blindness prevention. World Sight Day 2020 takes place on October 8th. This year’s theme and call to action is: “Hope in Sight”. 

It’s natural for patients, and even some professionals in the sector, to feel a bit apprehensive about returning to practices and adapting to new changes.

This is why we’ve been working hard to help our customers get back to business in the safest way possible, while providing guidance and support to help them reassure their patients and staff.  It’s critical we come together to support practices on the frontline, as they get back on their feet and also prepare for any potential future disruption.

Just like any other part of the body, your eyes age as you get older. In honor of Healthy Aging Month, we want to bring to light some helpful tips to keep your eyes healthy as you age.  Despite age related changes to vision, ocular health is often overlooked.  Aging is a process that brings many changes. Vision loss and blindness, however, do not have to be one of them. There are several simple steps you can take to keep your eyes healthy for the rest of your life.

Athletes of all levels need to protect themselves from injury. Injuries are unfortunately a part of playing sports – anyone from weekend warriors to professionals, has probably nursed some sort of injury. In some cases, these injuries happen directly to the eye, from orbital blowout fracture, ruptured globe, or a detached retina and some can be detected, along with other types of pathology, by looking at the health of the eye. Because the retina is the only place in the body where vasculature can be viewed non-invasively, eyecare professionals are looking to the retina to assist them in identifying, diagnosing, and treating ocular issues in athletes. Many of these eyecare professionals choose the ONLY ultra-widefield retinal image, optomap, to assist them like no other retinal imaging technology can.

The mandatory stay at home orders that COVID required left many eyecare professionals wondering how they would treat their patients. Louise Sclafani, OD decided that telemedicine, including virtual visits, would be the best route for her patients. Little did she know the optomap technology that she relies on in her practice would become essential to her as both a doctor and a mother.