February is national age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and low vision awareness month. Since AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 50, it is imperative to provide education and awareness about the disease to try to protect people’s vision. With our aging population, preventing unnecessary vision loss is critical.

One of the most problematic facts in regards to AMD is that before most people realize they have a problem with their vision, substantial permanent damage has already occurred. To prevent such a situation from occurring, early detection of AMD is essential to prevent vision loss.

Maintaining a regular comprehensive eye exam schedule is one of the first walls you can erect as a safeguard from AMD. Unfortunately, though, many people do not think about their eyes needing to be thoroughly checked until there is a problem, which is why regular eye exams are a necessity to get across to patients to limit the number of cases of new blindness.

Curious about how it feels to develop AMD? Located at the back of the retina, the macula is responsible for sharp, central vision. Keeping one eye closed, form a fist in front of …

Not only is January the beginning of a new year, it is the month to raise awareness about the most common cause of preventable blindness. Glaucoma is an eye disease that if it diagnosed in its earliest stages, the outcomes for patients are very positive. Unfortunately, since many people are not aware of how common this disease is and that it can destroy up to 40 percent of a patient’s vision before they notice it, not enough people are screened regularly for the disease through comprehensive eye exams. Along with many other organizations, Optos would like to ask you to help increase awareness and encourage people to get their eyes examined regularly and include optomap^® as part of your comprehensive eye exam.

Glaucoma Facts:

— There are 2.7 million Americans 40 and older suffering from this eye disease. The National Eye Institute expects this figure to rise by 58 percent, to 4.2 million by the year 2030. — Experts estimate that 50 percent of people are unaware they have the disease which means there may be a blindness epidemic due to our aging population. — More than 120,000 people in the US are blind due …

Living with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes can lead to many other health issues, especially if your blood sugar is not kept in a healthy range. What many diabetics do not take seriously enough is the effect it can have on your vision. One of the leading causes of blindness for Americans with diabetes is diabetic retinopathy. Unfortunately, it is also the most common eye disease associated with diabetes. Early eye disease detection is critical if you are diabetic and wish to maintain your eyesight.

Understanding Diabetic Retinopathy At the back of your eye is the retina, which senses light and is vital for healthy vision. The retina has many very small blood vessels which can be damaged easier than most of your other blood vessels. Diabetic retinopathy occurs when these blood vessels undergo changes as a result of diabetes.

The Silent Vision Thief Diabetic retinopathy is often called a “silent thief” because it is rare for a patient to notice changes in their vision until after the disease has progressed significantly enough to cause permanent damage. Left untreated, this eye disease goes through stages of progression that rob the retina of nourishment, eventually …

In several ocular diseases, the peripheral retina is the site of pathology. From conditions such as diabetic retinopathy to familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR), to retinal tears and detachments, the peripheral retina has been an area of interest for many eye care professionals throughout the ages.

Searching for a better means of treating conditions of the peripheral retina has been a challenge for researchers for well over a century, and during that time, advancements in imaging technology have allowed for easier evaluation by use of photography.

Listed below is an abbreviated history from the Review of Ophthalmology of how imaging the peripheral retina has evolved into the ultra-widefield imaging of today:

— 1851- The first ophthalmoscope was invented by Hermann Von Hemholtz.

— 1926- The first fundus camera that could provide a 20 degree view of the retina is invented, allowing ocular fundus structure documentation. Many years later, a camera with the capability of a 30 degree view would be the new standard. Although this allowed a view of the posterior pole and the optic nerve, periphery viewing was very limited.

— In time, doctors were able to use a regular fundus camera …

A 49 year-old Caucasian male presented a recent decrease in vision. For the past 12 years, he had a history of chronic central serous retinopathy and his vision had always recovered after each recurrence. At this visit, his visual acuity was 20/80 in the right eye and 20/40 in the left eye. The patient had no other systemic diagnosis.

Examination

optomap® af images were obtained and showed multifocal areas of hyper- and hypofluorescence reaching into the mid-periphery. The ‘gutter-like’ appearances of the broad hyperfluorescent areas are characteristic of chronic central serous retinopathy. Additionally, FD-OCT images were acquired and showed massive fibrinous exudates in the subretinal space. The patient underwent a fluorescein angiogram after optomap af images were acquired, which confirmed the diagnosis of CSR.

Discussion

Multimodal imaging was required to determine the diagnosis of CSR. The mottled appearance of the focal lesions and the broad hyperfluorescent streaks on the optomap af images are indicative of chronic central serous retinopathy as well as the “smoke-stack” leakage in the late fluorescein angiogram images. The benefit of the widefield optomap images is it can help identify patterns which are not discernible when focusing on a …

A 15 year-old African American female with a history of bilateral threshold retinopathy of prematurity was seen for a routine annual visit. As an infant, she was treated with scatter laser photocoagulation two months after her birth. At this visit, she was asymptomatic with a visual acuity of 20/25 in the right eye and 20/15 in the left eye.

Examination

optomap^® color images were obtained and showed a reddish orange, slightly elevated lesion at 2 o’clock in the far periphery of the right eye, anterior to the equator. Images also confirmed areas of previous laser treatment in the temporal periphery. optomap fluorescein angiogram images were obtained and showed the lesion to be hyperfluorescent and that the lesion had feeding and draining retinal vessels. The left eye did not have similar lesions, but did have evidence of previous laser treatment in the temporal periphery.

Discussion

optomap color and fluorescein angiography were used to document the appearance and investigate the characteristics of the peripheral lesion. The lesion was determined to be reactive angiomatous proliferation – a rare vascular proliferation which has been reported to occur in various chronic retinal diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa …

By now you are likely aware that optomap® ultra-widefield (UWF™) retinal imaging technology is the only clinically backed ultra-widefield retinal imaging technology that allows you to see up to 200 degrees of the retina in a single capture. UWF lets you see more and diagnose eye problems earlier, resulting in better patient outcomes.

If you are using optomap® retinal imaging in your practice, there are some marketing tools you should take advantage of to maximize your return on investment. You may wish to keep the following checklist in mind to help optimize optomap acceptance rates in your practice.

Entrance and Reception Room

— Is your optomap decal applied to your door or front window? — Have you set up the optomap reception program to run on your television in the reception room? — Do you have the current version of the patient brochures displayed where they will be easily noticed? — Have the current posters been put up for patients to see while they are in the waiting room? — Are the patient fact sheets displayed so that they are easily found?

Behind the Scenes

Website:

— Have you featured optomap retinal imaging on your …

Eyecare professionals generally recommend that adults should have a comprehensive eye exam every two years and children and seniors should have one annually. Unfortunately, many cases of lost or damaged vision occur each year because people neglect eye exams until they experience a problem with their vision.

By the time vision changes are noticed, the damage could be permanent. While vision alone is a significant reason to maintain regular exams, a retinal screen could also help save your life.

Here are some of the ailments and illnesses a comprehensive eye exam, including a retinal screen, can detect:

— Glaucoma – Usually caused by extra pressure in the eye, glaucoma rarely has any symptoms before damage to your optic nerve has already happened. A loss in peripheral vision and, at more advanced stages, a loss in central vision is permanent and unable to be restored. Your doctor would be able to detect changes that signify glaucoma during a regular eye exam and begin treatment immediately to get the best results for your vision. — Diabetic Retinopathy – Poorly or uncontrolled blood sugar can cause damage the vessels in the eye resulting in diabetic retinopathy. While blindness can be caused …

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, and it’s a great chance for people to increase awareness and encourage others to have their eyes tested regularly. Labeled as “the sneak thief of sight,” glaucoma currently affects 2.7 million people in America, with that number expected to nearly double by 2030. Glaucoma can damage as much as 40 percent of a person’s vision before they realize there is a problem, and by that point, the damage is permanent.

If any of your vision is lost due to glaucoma, it cannot be restored. This is why eyecare professionals emphasize the need for regular eye exams to protect ones eye health. Here are some facts about glaucoma that may help you develop a better understanding of this eye condition:

— There are several risk factors that increase your odds of contracting glaucoma. Some of these include a family history of the disease, extreme nearsightedness and aging eyes. — Vision loss due to glaucoma starts in your peripheral vision, which makes it difficult to detect on your own. Gradually it will progress to what people refer to as “tunnel vision” and may affect your central vision as well. — The only …

For more than forty years, Dr. Anthony Clark of Clark Optometric Center has balanced the optical and medical aspects of being an OD, and has strived to use the highest levels of technology in an effort to provide consistent excellence to his patients.

Dr. Clark never wanted to be the last practice in town with newer technology, and this consistent approach has been a practice builder. Accordingly, when Optos introduced Daytona with ultra-widefield retinal imaging, he was one of the first practices to purchase.

New technology can certainly help build a practice and improve patient flow and profitability. Dr. Clark recommends including the optomap® as part of an annual comprehensive eye exam. By doing so, eye care professionals are able to create a complete patient record that, over time, helps identify changes to the retina.

Recently he saw a 56-year-old patient who never misses her annual appointment. She had no new complaints, with no change in refraction and 20/20 acuity in each eye. All other findings were normal and unchanged – that is, until he looked at her optomap, where he saw what he thought was a choroidal nevus in the right eye that he didn’t remember …