At Schaeffer Eye Center, my colleagues and
I have adopted a wellness philosophy to eye
care. No matter what the patient’s condition
or disease stage, we ensure that we have
considered prevention, recognition, and
treatment. Our approach to…
Author: Advanced Ocular Care
Could Dry Eyes Be a Sign of More Serious Conditions?
During the past 10 years,
primary eye care physicians
have started looking more
closely at dry eye disease
(DED) and its etiologies. In
the past, we relied on such
measures as tear breakup
time and Schirmer testing
to confirm the presence…
Fast In-Office Testing Helps Identify Ocular Allergies
Allergies affect almost 60 million people
in the United States, and of that number,
40% have ocular allergies in some form.1
Patients with symptoms of ocular allergies
frequently present to the eye care
practitioner’s office with…
Stopping the Tidal Wave of AMD
In my 28 years of practice, age-related macular
degeneration (AMD) has claimed the
independence of many of my patients. It is
the leading cause of vision loss for people
over age 65. One in 10 individuals from
age 65 to 75 and one in three ov…
Contacts and Allergy
Fitting contact lenses for patients with allergies
can pose substantial challenges, especially trying
to balance patient comfort with quality of
vision. This article suggests guidelines to help
with this sometimes difficult process.
Re…
Clinical Applications for Functional Electrophysiologic Testing
In optometry and ophthalmology,
a number of
functional tests and structural
tests are used to help
determine ocular health
and to detect abnormalities.
In the past 10 years, there
have been major advances
in structural analysis thanks to o…
Running A Tight Ship: Pearls for Conducting A Clinical Trial
There is much to consider when conducting
a clinical trial, and there is not much
wiggle room to change parameters once
the trial has been initiated. The high number
of procedures that are performed during
a study visit requires that everythi…
Including Clinical Trials at Your Practice
The decision to include clinical trials at your practice is one that should be arrived at after careful consideration and planning. Conducting research is quite different from traditional practice, and will require additional ti…
Customizing Cataract Surgery
Cataract surgery options have evolved dramatically in the past decade, and so have patient expectations. The smorgasbord of choices when it comes to lens options can seem confusing to both doctor and patient. To help customize t…
The Making of a Good Diagnostician
With the speed, ease of testing, and reliability of objective findings now available with imaging technologies such as optical coherence tomography (OCT), clinicians may overlook the utility of some older diagnostic tools when t…
Eye Care a Key Element in Healthy Outcomes for Those With Diabetes
According to the 2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report, 29.1 million Americans (9.3% of the population) have diabetes mellitus, including about 8 million people who are undiagnosed.1 The preva…
Rethinking Cataract Surgery in Advanced AMD
The progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can lead to a decline in the ability to see fine detail and a loss of central vision in one or both eyes. Every day, more than 15 million senior citizens in the United St…
Reducing Cataract Risk With Clinical Nutrition
Age related cataract is responsible for 48% of world blindness, and cataract is an important cause of low vision in both developed and developing countries.1 Studies are consistent with utilizing nutrition for reducin…
Alright Stop: Let’s Collaborate and Listen
The most certain uncertainty is change. With significant changes in the health care landscape, optometry needs to find ways to adapt, to adopt, and to evolve our profession to ensure our place in the delivery of services. In the…
Early Detection of Uveal Melanoma
Routine eye examinations are an important regimen for patients, not only because they help evaluate visual acuity, but also because they can help detect eye disease and other adverse health conditions. A check for glaucoma is a…
Caring for Geriatric Patients
Patients today are living longer than in previous generations. According to data from the US Census Bureau, from 1900 to 1994, the elderly population (age > 65 years) increased 11-fold, while at the same time, the group aged…
Diagnosing and Treating Meibomian Gland Dysfunction
For the past 35 years I have dedicated my clinical and research efforts to the meibomian glands. With the passing of the years, dysfunction of the meibomian glands has been shown to be the root cause of almost all so-called dry…
Round Table: Managing Contact Lens Wear in Patients With Diabetes
For years, the prevalence of diabetes has been on the rise. In 2012, according to the American Diabetes Association, 29.1 million Americans—9.3% of the population—had diabetes, and the incidence was 1.7 million…
Meibomian Glands: The Nerve Fiber Layer of the Anterior Segment
A dry eye disease (DED) epidemic is upon us. You can choose to recognize this and actively seek out patients to treat or you can miss an opportunity for practice growth by ignoring it. If you look, you will find that the majorit…
Five Things Every Cataract Surgeon Must Know About the Retina
Cataract surgery is the most common intraocular procedure performed worldwide. Because cataract surgery is usually performed on elderly patients, many of whom are at risk for retinal disease, it is important that the surgeon be…