Optometric Physician
 


Vol. 21, #10   •   Monday, March 15, 2021

 

Off the Cuff: The End of an Era


Thirty-eight years ago may seem like a long time to some, and yet, just yesterday, to a few old timers. In the early 1980s, long before disposable lenses were introduced and contact lenses lasted a year or more, the contact lens market was expanding so rapidly it was difficult to keep track of all of the different brands and parameters. Some lenses came in myriad base curves and multiple diameters, and while fitting them could be challenging, keeping track of all of them was truly a herculean task.

Rarely does something appear that is so useful and so effective that its brilliance is immediately apparent. About 38 years ago, an Arkansas optometrist named T.T. Tyler Thompson came up with an ingenious idea—compile a comprehensive list of every contact lens made, put it in booklet form and update it quarterly. Tyler’s Quarterly quickly became a mainstay of optometric practice and helped many of us find the perfect lens for our most challenging patients.

In my specialty contact lens practice back then, my issue of TQ was used so often that my thumbprint became etched into the cover within a week. Sunsoft and Hydrasoft custom torics, Synsoft CSI Ts, Hydron, Hydrocurve and Wesley Jessen D3X4s, now names from the past, and others, were in each issue of Tyler’s, in precise detail and always up to date. Contact lens designs and materials are certainly better today, but those were truly the good old days, and Tyler’s was a clear window into all of it.

So, it is with tremendous gratitude and more than a little sadness that I note that the March 2021 issue of Tyler’s Quarterly will be its last. Dr. Tyler said his farewell and expressed his appreciation to his remaining subscribers, but I felt it important to thank him personally and to share the gratitude of our entire profession for all of those years of hard work and dedication. Tyler’s Quarterly helped countless eye doctors to be better at what they did and, as a result, countless patients to see better and more safely.

At a time when civility and common sense seems all too often absent, it’s important to recognize the good that surrounds us. Thank you, Dr. Tyler. Your Quarterly will be missed but not forgotten.

 


Arthur B. Epstein, OD, FAAO
Chief Medical Editor
artepstein@optometricphysician.com


Want to share your perspective?
Write to Dr. Epstein at artepstein@optometricphysician.com. The views expressed in this editorial are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Jobson Medical Information LLC (JMI), or any other entities or individuals.




 
 

 
 
 

Association Between Dry Eye Disease, Self-perceived Health Status and Self-reported Psychological Stress Burden


Dry eye disease is a common chronic ocular condition, which is acknowledged to have adverse impacts on quality of life and work productivity. The wide-reaching impacts of dry eye disease on mental health and quality of life have received growing attention in recent years. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate the relationship between dry eye disease, self-perceived health status and self-reported psychological stress burden. Three hundred and twelve community residents (178 females, 134 males; mean ± SD age, 38 ± 21 years) with no major systemic, ophthalmic or psychiatric conditions (other than dry eye disease) were recruited in a cross-sectional study. Self-perceived health status and self-reported psychological stress burden were assessed, and dry eye symptomatology, ocular surface characteristics and tear film quality were evaluated for each participant within a single clinical session, in accordance with the global consensus recommendations of the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society Dry Eye Workshop II reports.

Multivariate regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity and contact lens wear, demonstrated that improved self-perceived health status was associated with decreased odds of dry eye disease, aqueous tear deficiency and meibomian gland dysfunction (all p<0.05). Increased self-reported psychological stress burden was positively associated with dry eye disease, aqueous tear deficiency and meibomian gland dysfunction (all p≤0.01).

Dry eye disease was associated with poorer self-perceived health status and greater self-reported psychological stress burden. The findings of this study highlight the wide-reaching impacts of dry eye disease and the importance of minimizing the impacts of the condition with optimized management and inter-disciplinary referral for affected patients where necessary.


SOURCE: Wang MT, Muntz A, Wolffsohn JS, et al. Association between dry eye disease, self-perceived health status, and self-reported psychological stress burden. Clin Exp Optom. 2021; Mar 3:1-6. Epub ahead of print].

 
 
 
 

Real-life Management of Central and Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion: a Seven-year Follow-Up Study


Retinal vein occlusion is the second most common retinal vascular pathology after diabetic retinopathy and a major cause of vision impairment, researchers wrote. Nowadays, both central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) can be well-managed by intravitreal treatments. However, considering the long-life expectancy of the patients, few data are present in the literature about the very long-term outcome of CRVO and BRVO. The present study was an interventional, retrospective analysis of the morphological and functional long-term outcome of CRVO and BRVO patients, followed in an Italian referral center. Researchers collected data from 313 eyes (178 CRVO eyes and 135 BRVO eyes). Mean follow-up was 45 ± 25 months (range, 12 to 84 months).

Both CRVO and BRVO eyes experienced a significant visual acuity improvement secondary to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor/dexamethasone treatments (from 0.57 ± 0.25 to 0.41 ± 0.24 logMAR in CRVO, and from 0.53 ± 0.42 to 0.30 ± 0.41 logMAR in BRVO, respectively). Also, central macular thickness (CMT) resulted in significant recovery at the end of the follow-up (from 585.54 ± 131.43 to 447.88 ± 245.07 μm in CRVO, and from 585.54 ± 131.43 to 447.88 ± 245.07 μm in BRVO, respectively). CRVO eyes received a mean of 10.70 ± 4.76 intravitreal treatments, whereas BRVO underwent 9.80 ± 5.39 injections over the entire seven-year follow-up.

The analyses highlighted different time points indicating the best obtainable improvement. This was the first year for CRVO (12-month follow-up) and the second year for BRVO (24-month follow-up). After these two time points, both visual acuity and CMT were stable up to the end of the follow-up. Ischemia was associated with significantly worse outcomes.


SOURCE: Arrigo A, Crepaldi A, Viganò C, et al. Real-life management of central and branch retinal vein occlusion: a seven-year follow-up study. Thromb Haemost. 2021; Mar 11. [Epub ahead of print].

 
 

 
 
 

A Multicentric Study of Pharmacological Treatment for Presbyopia


A non-randomized, retrospective, multicentric case series was developed to evaluate the safety, efficacy and patient satisfaction with a pharmacological treatment of presbyopia performed with Benozzi's method. Patients presenting to five centers of Argentina between January 2010 and June 2019, between 40 and 60 years old at baseline, with binocular uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) of 25/20 or better, and with uncorrected near visual acuity (UNVA) at least Jaeger (J) 2 or worse were included. The treatment was performed with a patented formulation (pilocarpine and diclofenac preservative-free eye drops). The main outcome was binocular UNVA and UDVA. Differences were evaluated by paired t-test. The presence of side effects and patient's satisfaction were also evaluated. Data was analyzed in separated groups according to their follow-up time, from two to 10 years.

A total of 148 patients were included. At baseline, the UNVA for the different groups was between J3 and J8, which improved to J1 to J2. The mean baseline UDVA ranged between 0.02 and 0.04 logMAR. The mean baseline UDVA ranged between 0.02 and 0.04 logMAR, and after treatment between 0.01 to 0.03, without a statistically significant improvement. Side effects spontaneously resolved, and subjective evaluation showed that patients were satisfied.

Researchers wrote that the multicenter study showed that Benozzi's method for presbyopia treatment was safe and improved the UNVA without affecting the UDVA, maintaining efficacy after 10 years.


SOURCE: Benozzi G, Cortina ME, Gimeno E, et al. A multicentric study of pharmacological treatment for presbyopia. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2021; Mar 11. [Epub ahead of print].

 

 
 
 

 


Industry News


AAOF Announces Jill And George Mertz Fellowship Recipient


The American Academy of Optometry Foundation announced Justina Raouf Assaad, OD, as the recipient of the Jill and George Mertz Fellowship. Dr. Assaad is a primary care optometry resident at the University of Houston College of Optometry. Her research goals are to establish a posterior segment imaging protocol for keratoconus patients. Read more.

 

 

 

Eaglet Eye Launches eLearning Platform


Eaglet Eye launched an eLearning platform, Eaglet Eye Academy, to increase eye care professionals’ knowledge about 3D data driven specialty contact lens fitting. The platform is accessible to all ECPs and offers a library of additional resources, as well as a protected area for all global Eye Surface Profiler users. The initial courses include an ESP Induction Training to onboard new users. Learn more.


Oculus Pentacam AXL Wave Receives FDA Clearance


The new Oculus Pentacam AXL Wave—which features retroillumination and a Hartman-Shack sensor for total eye wavefront and objective refraction, in addition to established functions of anterior segment tomography and optical biometry—received FDA 510(k) clearance. It incorporates reports with network compatibility and full operability of all Pentacam software and exams. The measuring process is intended to be fast and patient-friendly, and a guide allows both eyes to be examined in less than five minutes. In addition, the new device comes with an overview display showing all parameters for corneal screening, IOL power selection, IOL power calculation, ICL selection and calculation, and pupil diameter under dimmed and dark conditions. Read more.


Teva Launches Generic Version of Azopt


Teva Pharmaceuticals launched the first available generic version of Azopt (brinzolamide ophthalmic suspension) 1%, approved by the FDA to treat high pressure inside the eye due to ocular hypertension and open-angle glaucoma. Brinzolamide ophthalmic suspension 1% works by decreasing the amount of fluid within the eye. Read more.




Visus Announces $36 Million Series A Financing


Visus Therapeutics announced the close of a $36 million Series A Preferred Stock financing. Proceeds will be used to advance the clinical development program for the company’s lead asset, BRIMOCHOL, an investigational drug designed to be a once-daily eye drop to correct for the loss of near vision associated with presbyopia. Read more.
 

 

Optometric Physician™ (OP) newsletter is owned and published by Dr. Arthur Epstein. It is distributed by the Review Group, a Division of Jobson Medical Information LLC (JMI), 19 Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073.

To change your email address, reply to this email. Write "change of address" in the subject line. Make sure to provide us with your old and new address.

To ensure delivery, please be sure to add Optometricphysician@jobsonmail.com to your address book or safe senders list.

Click here if you do not want to receive future emails from Optometric Physician. HOW TO SUBMIT NEWS E-mail optometricphysician@jobson.com or FAX your news to: 610.492.1039.

Advertising: For information on advertising in this e-mail newsletter, please contact sales managers Michael Hoster, Michele Barrett or Jonathan Dardine.

News: To submit news or contact the editor, send an e-mail, or FAX your news to 610.492.1049