KY's OD's & MD's Brawl.

“The Senate approved a bill Friday to allow optometrists to perform some surgical procedures on the eye and eyelid, brushing aside warnings from medical doctors who said optometrists are not qualified and could harm surgical patients,” according to Kentucky's Lexington Herald-Leader.

Optician and Bus Nut Rolled into One

“Gerard, 53, meticulously logs the comings and goings of all the double-deckers on the route,” reports the Sun. “And more than 500 enthusiasts log on each week to keep up with every detail of the pink-and-white buses' operations. The X1 - thought to be the country's longest bus route - serves destinations along 120 miles between Lowestoft, Suffolk, and Peterborough, Cambs” in Great Britain.

Progressives May Help Myopic Kids

“The progressive addition lenses (PALs) used in this study [published in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 9 Feb. 2011] were found to have a statistically but not clinically significant effect on slowing myopia progression in children with high accommodative lag and near esophoria,” according to a MDLinx post.

A CEU Program Opticians Can Chew On

OpticalCEUs, a division of F.E. Enterprises, will run its 2011 Spring Continuing Education Conference for opticians and ECPs needing ABO and NCLE credits on May 1, 2011, at the luxurious Foxwoods Resorts and Casinos, in Mashantucket, Connecticut, according to Linda Conlin, founder of OpticalCEUs.

The semi-annual event, which has been running for more than a decade, will have its usual line-up of speakers and their excellent multimedia presentations. They will cover a variety of topics regarding vision care, eyewear, and contact lenses, providing opticians and ECPs with as many as seven ABO/NCLE continuing education credits, notes Linda Conlin.

As usual, the economical fee will include free coffee or tea for attendees arriving for the morning sessions. In addition, opticians and ECPs attending a full day of sessions (seven credits), sessions only in the morning (three credits), or sessions only in the afternoon (four credits) can enjoy a complimentary lunch. Here's the menu for OpticalCEUs 2011 Spring Conference for opticians and ECPs:

• Soup and Salads: hearty minestrone soup; crisp iceberg lettuce with pepperoncini peppers, garbanzo beans, chopped tomatoes, and crumbled feta cheese served with either a house vinaigrette or buttermilk ranch dressing; tortellini pasta salad.
• Make Your Own Hot Sandwich: Philly cheese steaks with shaved rib-eye beef, melted cheese, grilled mushrooms and onions; honey BBQ pulled pork; eggplant Florentine; all served with fresh Hoagie rolls and seasoned curly fries.
• Desserts: chocolate fudge cake, blueberry lemon meringue cake, mandarin Earl Grey cake, along with coffee and assorted teas.

Course information and registration will be available online by the middle of March 2011. For directions to the resort, follow this link: Directions by car to Foxwoods. For information about the conference, email Linda Conlin at F.E.Enterprises@opticalceu.com.

Partial Solar Eclipse Has European ECPs Concerned

European eye care professionals (ECPs) are concerned about people looking at the partial solar eclipse, which will be easily seen in Europe tomorrow (January 4). "When the partial solar eclipse occurs tomorrow morning, Tuesday 4 January, do not look directly at the sun or you risk permanently damaging your eyesight and even blindness, warns the UK government's Interim Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies," according to a MedicalNewsToday post.

MyOnlineOptical Attracting ECPs

"Essilor of America reported that it has built more than 600 online optical stores for independent eyecare professionals to date through its e-commerce initiative, MyOnlineOptical," according to a recent VisionMonday posting. "The company said the service has experienced a steady increase since its launch last spring, growing at a rate of approximately 100 ECPs per month."

Patients Avoid Eye Exams

Eye care professionals have something in common with dental professionals. Despite their fear of losing their vision, many people avoid eye exams, according to a posting in the NYTimes. "Joe Lovett was scared, really scared. Being able to see was critical to his work as a documentary filmmaker and, he thought, to his ability to live independently. But longstanding glaucoma threatened to rob him of this most important sense — the sense that more than 80 percent of Americans worry most about losing, according to a recent survey."

What Were Ophthalmologists Reading in 2010?

Medscape analyzed its website to find out what ophthalmologists were reading (and therefore thinking about) during the past year. It's always good to know what all ECPs are thinking. Here's its list of the top 10 articles:

1. Retinal Vein Occlusions: Could Recent Developments Be Practice-Changing?
A commentary on retinal vein occlusion treatment includes recent clinical trial data and newly approved drug devices.

2. Antiviral Treatment Thwarts Recurring Eye Problems From Herpes Simplex
Oral antiviral prophylaxis appeared to protect against recurrence of ocular herpes simplex virus.

3. FDA Clears Laser System for Use in Cataract Surgery
The FDA approved a laser system for anterior capsulotomy during cataract surgery.

A related article on this subject is also of interest: Femtosecond Laser Technology Applied to Lens-Based Surgery.

4. FDA Panel Recommends Premarket Approval for Ocular Stent
A stent for reduction in intraocular pressure was reviewed for use in mild-to-moderate open-angle glaucoma.

5. Does Anti-VEGF Therapy Cause Glaucoma?
Reports suggest that patients may experience increased IOP following anti-VEGF therapy.

6. Perforating Eyelid Injury Extending to the Brain Stem in a 17-Year-Old Woman: A Case Report
An apparently superficial eye injury turns out to be far more severe than initial presentation would indicate.

7. A 61-Year-Old Woman With Swelling of the Lower Eyelid
A 61-year-old woman presents with painful swelling of the left lower eyelid. What is your diagnosis?

8. The Next Wave in Cataract Surgery: Intraoperative Measurement of Sphere, Cylinder, and Aberrations
We are beginning to envision a future where refractive cataract surgery can achieve LASIK-like outcomes.

9. Incidence and Management of Acute Endophthalmitis After Intravitreal Bevacizumab (Avastin) Injection
What's the risk of acute endophthalmitis after intravitreal bevacizumab injection, and what can be done to lower the risk?

10. Healthcare Reform Resource Center
The evolving debate was chronicled by Medscape throughout 2010. Bookmark this page so that you'll have access to the latest information as it becomes available.