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With changes from COVID-19 come opportunity. Applying more technology can help position your practice toward success. During the pandemic, practices that rely heavily on optical and contact lens sales did [...]

Anterior uveitis has been a major part of my practice for my whole career. These seven steps are a culmination of 25 years of insights I've gleaned from managing hundreds [...]

With last month's announcement of Texas ODs being able to independently manage glaucoma patients and Massachusetts's law in January allowing topical glaucoma prescription authority, all 50 states now allow our [...]

The first new DED drug in more than 13 years is finally here. How does it work and what are the potential implications for optometry? Studies estimate more than 30 [...]

During the last decade, 14 companies have unsuccessfully attempted to secure FDA approval for a dry eye drug. There are just two underlying explanations for this seemingly insurmountable hurdle: drug [...]

This month I talked all about the retina with one of the best, John Kitchens, MD, a previous chief surgical fellow at Bascom Palmer who practices at Retina Associates of [...]

A number of new and exciting pharmaceuticals to help manage ocular disease are on the horizon. Get to know them here. We're currently in a growth phase for pharmaceutical management [...]

This month's issue showcases recent strides in cornea care, a somewhat sleepy category that doesn't always get the attention it deserves. Among the other topics covered in this issue, dry [...]

Thinking has literally gotten deeper in refractive surgery with the release of studies on penetrating procedures that appear to optimize visual outcomes while treating diseased corneas. Conventional refractive surgery also [...]

Dear Colleagues: Thus far in the 2011 update to our series of mono-graphsy we have examined octdar allergy, conjunctivitis and dry eye. As the others in this series did for [...]

Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a chronic disease, one that has been estimated to affect more than 3.2 million middle-aged and older women and nearly 1.7 million men in the [...]

Now that we know meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is a common contributor to ocular surface disease, we can apply a number of new treatments that directly address the unique biology [...]

Glaucoma patients using topical therapy often spiral into chronic dry eye. Here's why. As optometrists, we are integral to treating both dry eye disease (DED) and glaucoma at the earliest [...]

Dry eye disease (DED) is a chronic disease that negatively impacts quality of life comparably to other severe diseases. (1) Symptoms of DED such as feeling of dryness, burning, foreign [...]

New hypochlorous acid options are making this a viable antimicrobial solution. Here's how to choose--and use--it correctly. Hypochlorous acid (HOC1) has a multitude of uses in wound care, dermatology, dentistry [...]

As decades of research have revealed, the tear film is exceedingly complex, and maintaining its integrity is essential to visual quality. The precorneal tear film forms the primary refracting surface [...]

Dry eye therapy has taken several unexpected turns over the years, with a new class of drugs and several new formulations of a tried-and-true therapy. Now, it seems neuroscience is [...]

Untreated, some forms of superficial punctate keratitis (SPK) can cause pain, impair vision, and produce other symptoms. Topical corticosteroids can effectively control the inflammation that drives symptom formation in SPK, but the safety of these drugs must be carefully considered when selecting a treatment. My drug of choice for the treatment of SPK is LOTEMAX® (loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic suspension 0.5%), a potent corticosteroid that combines excellent steroid efficacy with a safety profile that makes it a highly appropriate agent for treating inflammatory conditions of the cornea., Superficial punctate keratitis (SPK) is characterized by the destruction of small clusters of cells on the corneal epithelium. SPK can result from a number of different underlying conditions and can [...]

The cornea is rather dumb. At least that's what Daniel Durrie, MD, told me during my cornea fellowship in the mid '90s. These words of wisdom from one of the [...]

Neurotrophic keratitis (NK) is a corneal degenerative disease characterized by reduced corneal sensation, chronic superficial keratopathy (SPK), persistent epithelial defects and other corneal changes. Although an 'orphan disease' affecting fewer [...]

Despite the growing need for medical eye care services, more than 70% of the average optometrist's income still comes from goods and services related to glasses and contact lenses. (1) [...]

At the beginning of a new year, we have an incredible opportunity to take stock of the previous year's successes and failures. We also have a chance to reposition our [...]

Are you customizing treatment to the specific form of anterior blepharitis present? You should be. Here's why. One of the biggest challenges in ocular surface disease is that the term [...]

Although it's hard for me to believe how time passes, I started my first dedicated dry eye disease (DED) clinic in 1998. Things were limited back then--we had crude diagnostics, [...]

In a busy practice, you can't do it all. But added emphasis on this aspect can help many patients with relative ease. This month's theme of diagnostic skills and techniques [...]

Once restrictions and safety concerns let up, pent-up demand will unleash a much-needed rebound year. Last year reminded us that predicting the future is tough. Who would have thought 2020, [...]

PART 1: EPIDEMIOLOGY AND ETIOLOGY OF KERATITIS Dear Colleagues: We have finally reached the last installment in this series of monographs on diagnostic and treatment algorithms for ocular surface disease [...]

This year, presentations at ARVO discuss the effects of visual rehabilitation, the likelihood of cataractogenesis in cancer patients due to radiation therapy, and the role that intraocular lenses may play [...]

Over the last few decades, there has been much discussion about the systemic health benefits of drinking red wine in moderation (about one to two glasses a day). The "French [...]

Dry eye is one of the most common side effects that patients experience following LASIK. An estimated 85% of LASIK patients experience dry eye symptoms one week following surgery, and [...]

An estimated 20.5 million (17.2%) Americans past age 40 have cataract in either eye, and the total number of persons who have cataract is estimated to rise to 30.1 million [...]

Studies presented at this year's Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting revealed two possible causes of LASIK-induced dry eye and showed how phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) may be [...]

Many of us primarily consider topical medications to treat dry eye disease. At times, however, alternative treatments, particularly oral medications, may be of greater benefit for patients who have ocular [...]

When a patient needs cataract surgery, you have a big decision to make: which surgeon is best? Patients rarely know who is the most talented, knowledgeable and compassionate, and they [...]

Since focusing on dry eye disease (DED) in 1997 and starting a dry eye/cornea practice two years later, I've made a lot of mistakes and learned from legends like Donald [...]

The COVID lockdowns have accelerated a trend that some of us in eye care have long expected, which is that a growing number of patients prefer to make purchases online. [...]

There's no playbook for the pandemic but these three considerations will help: (1) protect your practice from both a health and liability perspective; (2) adapt with hybrid strategies for medical [...]

Finding the right combination of ocular health screening and patient convenience is the name of the game in contact lens fits--now more than ever with COVID-19 disrupting the traditional care [...]

When I ask patients which tests they dislike most, visual field (VF) testing, IOP measurements and, believe it or not, refraction are the top three. A simple plan to improve [...]

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common ocular manifestations of a systemic disease we encounter in primary care optometry. However, it is but one of the debilitating ocular sequelae [...]

Despite the COVID-19 lockdown, the FDA has continued to approve new therapeutics, many of which will impact how we manage glaucoma. The approval of Durysta (bimatoprost implant, Allergan), for example, [...]

To rebuild stronger amid the coronavirus pandemic, more optometrists must provide, and be paid for, medical eye care services. However, becoming a medical care provider takes more than just applying [...]

With COVID-19 sending the world into lockdown, the main goal for many is simply survival. Despite high hopes for the year of optometry, 2020 has quickly become the most challenging [...]

Optometrists handling anterior segment concerns have a few new tools at their disposal lately. Here's an overview: Corneal crosslinking. Still relatively new in the US but a mainstay internationally for [...]