News

International Vision Expo West, a leading educational forum and new-product showcase destination for the eye-care community, marks its 20th anniversary in 2008.

Non-profit vision care benefits provider Vision Service Plan (VSP) has acquired Melville, NY-based eyewear manufacturer/distributor Marchon Eyewear Inc. for $735 million.

Asking young athletes key questions during the eye exam or at the dispensing table can enable eye-care professionals to recommend the appropriate protective eyewear for children involved in sports.

Clinicians who have been wary of fitting younger children with soft contact lenses may want to consider findings from a three-year study of myopic progression.

Managers or operators of optical dispensary shops can learn how to increase their sales by taking a page from the major department stores' playbook-a dispensary is most effective when it is located at the entrance of the practice, adjoining the waiting room and adjacent to checkout.

It is just as important to create a supportive and friendly atmosphere in a negotiation so that continuous relationships can form, as well as a good reputation. Here are ten Commandments for carrying out a negotiation in the ophthalmology practice.

An ophthalmic practice must create an environment in which employees are engaged with their work and are motivated to perform it well. Such an environment can be achieved by obtaining information about employee strengths, weaknesses, and goals and tying these to the practice goals.

The particulars of partnership agreements often vary depending on the circumstances and culture of a practice, in almost all cases they cover four subjects: practice buy-ins, division of net income, governance issues, and buy-outs. The three elements, which a person is essentially buying, are a practice's tangible assets, accounts receivable, and goodwill.

The leaders of two professional ophthalmology organizations discuss ways to hire top talent and retain them. Included in their tips are over-looked sources for potential employees such as national chains, the importance of job descriptions and what to include in them, and training.

With the flattening of the LASIK market comes the need to diversify and one procedure in particular to accomplish this is cataract surgery with an IOL implant.

Change in the practice setting can affect acquired skill sets, physician expectations and, perhaps most significantly, delivery of patient care. Major sources of change in ophthalmic practices include: technology, personnel, compensation, workload, patient mix, and payers.

People, whether they are the patients, co-workers, or just a stranger re-affirm why some people are still in the field of patient care. They give the opportunity to "care."

An animal study evaluating the safety of intravitreal antiVEGF agents found no evidence of retinal toxicity with repeat dosing based on electroretinography and histologic evaluation. Retinal penetration and pharmacokinetics were also investigated.

Daniel S. Durrie, MD, explains corneal hysteresis as measured with the Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA, Reichert) and why he believes further research with the ORA may enhance understanding of corneal biomechanics.

Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, and fish oils in patients with dry eye probably will decrease the overall inflammatory state of the eye based on subjective evidence, but objective placebo-controlled trials should be conducted to validate this recommendation.

Two new instruments designed by Y. Ralph Chu, MD, and available from Katena Eye Instruments are useful aids for cataract surgeons performing limbal relaxing incisions.

A set of four instruments for cataract surgery (Devgan Cataract Set, Bausch & Lomb Storz Instruments) simplifies the needs of surgeons.

The new Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty transplantation technique in which the surgeon pulls the donor cornea through without folding, rather than pushing it with the forceps, helps to prevent damage to the endothelial. ASICO's forceps have a firm grip without sharp points and a single shaft to easily maneuver in a small area.

A proprietary IOL cutter (Packer/Chang IOL Cutter, Microsurgical Technology) is a micro-scissors that can be inserted through a paracentesis incision while the surgeon holds the optic with a forceps through the phacoemulsification incision. The instrument facilitates safe removal of IOLs.

Proper care of surgical instruments is essential to patient safety and surgical outcomes.

Several sterilization methods can be used for microsurgical instruments, although steam remains the most widely used method.

The Donnenfeld Limbal Relaxing Incision (LRI) kit (Accutome) contains a set of tools to simplify LRI surgery, including the Donnenfeld LRI Diamond Knife that enables patient treatment at the slit-lamp.

A proprietary titanium caliper (Steiner Titanium Caliper, Stronger Medical Instruments) was designed to maintain accurate measurements and resist deforming of the tips even after numerous cycles of cleaning.

A line of single-use, silicon surgical knives (BD Atomic Edge Safety Knives, BD Medical-Ophthalmic Systems) offers benefits for patients, ophthalmologists, and health-care workers.

Proper decontamination of microsurgical ophthalmic instruments takes time and effort and is not a place for shortcuts.

In the age of toxic anterior segment syndrome, proper care of ophthalmic surgical instruments is of even greater importance to patient safety.

Most of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology's advocacy efforts in the United States take the form of educating members of Congress about the work its members do to help prevent and cure vision disorders and blindness.

A cluster of cases of postoperative endophthalmitis at the Prince Charles Eye Unit, King Edward Hospital, Windsor, England, over a 4-month period led to a thorough investigation of etiologic factors and multiple changes in the perioperative routines.

Exchanging an IOL is the only choice when the optical clarity of the implant is compromised by internal calcification or glistenings.

There is an inherent tension between the appeal of maintaining a successful, secure business and the desire to expand the business. According to Dr. McDonnell it is much more common for practices and departments to wait too long before beginning the process of adding excellent people to build upon a successful and vibrant operation.