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Keratoconus is a disease of the cornea that, if left untreated, can lead to loss of vision, decrease in quality of life, and potentially blindness. As optometrists, we are the [...]

Blepharoptosis is a common eyelid disorder that can cause significant visual impairment, (1) but the issue has long been overlooked in clinical practice because, other than surgery, optometrists were unable [...]

As an optometrist, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative impact that refractive surgery can have on patients' lives. Refractive surgery, such as LASIK, small incision lenticule extraction, and photorefractive keratectomy [...]

As an optometrist at a practice specializing in contact lenses, I treat many patients who have keratoconus. However, keeping them comfortable can be a struggle, particularly when they have comorbid [...]

The increased use of technology such as medical imaging, artificial intelligence, and patient communication tools provides opportunities for private practices, universities, community health centers, management centers, and other optometric clinics [...]

May 16, 2024 When patients ask me about refractive procedures, they tend to be impatient. They are tired of wearing glasses and contact lenses and want a procedure that will [...]

As optometrists, we frequently deal with the complex diagnosis of glaucoma. Although most patients have some awareness of glaucoma, many confuse it with other conditions and often misunderstand the intricacy [...]

Although the world often seems fixated on negativity, and optometry is certainly not immune to that trend, there are many things to celebrate in the profession. An example of this [...]

Professional practice guidelines can help to establish a level understanding for how a particular condition should be diagnosed and managed. Formal guidelines bridge the gap between different generations of optometrists, [...]

With the recent approval of pegcetacoplan (Syfovre; Apellis) and the pending review of intravitreal avacincaptad pegol (Zimura; Iveric Bio), the treatment paradigm for geographic atrophy (GA) is shifting. Previously, there [...]

Evolving technology is wonderful. It improves processes, cuts down on chair time, gives optometrists a better look at the eye.... The list goes on and on. One of the many [...]

The retina terrified me. I graduated from optometry school with many ocular pathology courses and disease-heavy rotations, but I still felt trepidation when examining, diagnosing, and managing diseases of the [...]

Optometrists and ophthalmologists gathered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to learn about some of the hottest topics in eye care at the 2024 Optometry Times EyeCon[R]. From dry eye with Laura [...]

Easy-to-use modality offers exciting benefits for patients. An amniotic membrane has long been used to promote faster healing on the eye postoperatively or for treatment of diabetic corneal ulcers. The [...]

With an aging population, optometrists will be seeing more glaucoma patients in their practices. It is estimated that approximately 3 million Americans currently are being treated for glaucoma and that [...]

Optometry has a representation problem, and Black EyeCare Perspective is challenging the industry to address it with their 13% Promise. As of 2020, 1.8% of practicing optometrists are Black, and [...]

All optometrists take the 'Optometric Oath,' which is as follows (1): With full deliberation, I freely and solemnly pledge that: I AFFIRM that the health of my patient will be [...]

Jun 13, 2023 Graham B. Erickson, OD, FAAO, FCOVD Pinakin G. Davey, OD, PhD, FAAO, FARVO Optometry Times Journal June digital edition 2023 Volume 15 Issue 06 The right nutrients [...]

Jun 15, 2023 Daniel Laroche, MD Kara Rickford Grimes, MS Optometry Times Journal June digital edition 2023 Volume 15 Issue 06 The Laroche Glaucoma Risk Calculator is a valuable tool [...]

For optometrists, patient experience is paramount. It affects relationships with patients, patients' trust in their care team, a practice's bottom line, business growth opportunities, staff satisfaction, and, ultimately, a patient's [...]

Oluwatosin U. Smith, MD, shares why she is excited for the conference and why it is relevant for today's ophthalmologists and optometrists. In December, The Optometry Times EyeCon[R] 2023 will [...]

Although optometrists do many things well, contact lenses are an area in which we especially thrive. Contact lenses are tools to enhance a patient's vision, an opportunity for us to [...]

Let's look back at 2020. Optometrists thought 2020 would be the Year of Vision, and... it wasn't. The Optometry Times[R] team wondered what ODs learned from 2020, what were their [...]

I am a firm believer that if your practice is not growing, then something is dying. One great way to grow your practice is to incorporate injections into it. Most [...]

Optometrists know glaucoma to be a serious sight-threatening disease and therefore treat it as such. The goal with glaucoma treatment is to slow--and ideally prevent--vision loss. But ODs could do [...]

Pre-COVID-19, most optometrists thought relatively little about ocular triage. Aside from an OD or staff worker fielding a phone call from a patient and deciding how urgently he needed to [...]

May 1, 2023 My experience has not always been easy, but it has always been fulfilling. I first started my journey to become an optometrist when I was getting my [...]

Astronomers and photographers have understood the proven physiologic principle of small aperture optics for centuries. When applied to a camera, the lens aperture or f-stop adjusts the amount of light [...]

As an optometrist in a progressive surgical practice, I know that dry eye disease (DED) is a major reason for dissatisfaction after cataract and/or refractive surgery. A poor-quality tear film [...]

Thirty years ago, in the summer of 1989, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted a patent to a retinal surgeon Gholam Peyman, MD, for a 'Method for Modifying Corneal [...]

Technology and innovation has improved many aspects of health care and eye care, including ocular aesthetics. The options at optometrists' disposal to treat periorbital skin changes are increasingly more effective, [...]

The specialty lens-fitting optometrist has a variety of lenses in the arsenal to choose from for the simplest to the most complex patient. Armed with patient goals in mind, increasing [...]

We practice a few blocks from each other in a tertiary-care surgical practice and a primary-care optometry practice, respectively. Although we comanage different types of surgical cases, one of the [...]

As director of optometry at a surgical center where almost all of our patients are referred by their ODs, high-level comanagement is part of what I do every day. My [...]

COVID-19 CONTINUES TO RAPIDLY alter optometry and health care. The year 2020 marks a novel year of unanticipated change for all optometrists and clinicians, including updated cleaning protocols, integration with [...]

Until recently, if someone had asked me about electroretinography, it would have brought to mind the large equipment stored in the basements of optometry schools, textbooks I've never revisited, and [...]

As optometrists, we are taught to treat and manage many ocular diseases. But 1 disease sits on a pedestal in our training: glaucoma. According to the National Eye Institute, more [...]

The first descriptions of scleral lenses for vision correction came independently from ophthalmologists Adolf Gaston Eugen Fick (German) and Eugene Kalt (French) in 1888. By the early 2000s, high and [...]

As the scope of optometry practice expands, office-based glaucoma surgical procedures are becoming more common in the handful of US states that allow them to be performed. Whether utilizing lasers, [...]

A Chiari malformation (CM), named after Austrian pathologist Hans Chiari in 1891, is a structural defect in the inferior area of the brain (both the cerebellum and brain stem). These [...]

With all of the recent publications concerning dry eye disease, as well as updates on technology and pharmacologic agents to diagnose and treat it, many practitioners are tuning out of [...]

Optometrists can play an important role in detecting and managing glaucoma. In healthy eyes, the mean intraocular pressure (IOP) is 15 mm Hg, whereas the mean IOP in patients with [...]

What are your glaucoma vitals? How do we monitor and predict glaucoma progression in the modern practice of optometry? Technology is shaping clinical education models, demonstrating the importance of corneal [...]

Keratoconus (KC) affects approximately 1 in 2000 individuals, with the prevalence of the disease possibly higher in certain populations. (1-3) Younger patients progress more rapidly, (4,5) so it is important [...]

A group of educators and private practice clinicians developed practical, evidence-based guidelines that can be implemented in any eyecare practice to allow for better disease detection.These ODs include myself; Glenn [...]

At the Rosenberg School of Optometry (RSO) at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in San Antonio, all fourth-year students participate in a mandatory perioperative care rotation--to my knowledge, [...]

Optometrists choose continuing education (CE) for a variety of reasons, all of which have merit. (See box on page 18 for a list of common factors.) Rather than choosing CE [...]

This article, written by Benjamin P. Casella, the Chief Optometric Editor of Optometry Times, discusses the need for continuous improvement in the field of optometry. Casella reflects on his own experiences and emphasizes the importance of striving for betterment in various aspects of life, including optometry. He acknowledges the efforts of leaders in the industry and highlights the need for advocacy to expand the scope of optometry and improve access to care. Casella also shares his observations from a visit to another country where optometry is regulated differently, prompting him to reflect on the legislative process in the United States. Overall, the article encourages optometrists to recognize the room for improvement and to ensure that aspiring professionals remain aware of this as well. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the importance of advocacy in the field of optometry, as highlighted at Optometry's Meeting hosted by the American Optometric Association (AOA) in 2024. Optometrists from across the country gathered to learn, debate, and explore advancements in the field. The meeting emphasized the need for advocacy and allyship in eye care, with discussions on coverage and reimbursement fairness. The article also mentions the focus on pediatric eye care, including the introduction of the Early Detection of Vision Impairments in Children Act and the Myopia Collective's efforts to shift the focus of myopia treatment. Additionally, the article highlights the AOA's ongoing efforts to protect optometrists' rights, including partnerships and support from various organizations. [Extracted from the article]