CSI Dry Eye Software has announced the launch of its latest update, Version 5.0. This update represents a significant advancement in dry eye diagnostics and treatment recommendations. Developed after extensive research and input from key opinion leaders, Version 5.0 aims to improve efficiency, accuracy, and simplicity in pre-operative assessment and dry eye management.
Key features of CSI Dry Eye Software Version 5.0 include expanded language support with the addition of French and Spanish, enhanced visuals through integrated charts for better assessment analysis, and an integrated HIPAA compliant medical intake form that streamlines patient data management. Additionally, the software introduces a medication notification system for alerting users about drug side effects or eye disease-related issues, along with a referral center for managing incoming and outgoing referrals.
The new inbox system offers improved navigation and customization options for a better user experience, including notification management and centralized updates. Moreover, Version 5.0 provides simplified assessments with customizable pre-operative and dry eye screening tools to suit various clinic needs.
“We are thrilled to introduce CSI Dry Eye Software Version 5.0. It represents a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to revolutionizing dry eye management and diagnosis through technology. With its advanced features and user-centric design, Version 5.0 empowers practitioners to deliver exceptional care, improve patient outcomes and drive operational excellence”. Aftab Ahmad, Chief Technical Officer for CSI Dry Eye Software
Dr. Ahmed Al-Ghoul, MD, inventor and founder, will be speaking at ASCRS in Boston on “Machine Learning Model for Predicting Dry Eye Severity Using ASCRS Pre-Operative OSD Algorithm”. Visit booth #2377 for more information.
To learn more about CSI Dry Eye Software, please visit the website: https://csidryeye.com/
On April 8, Canadians will get to experience a total solar eclipse and it’s important to remember the significance of protecting their vision during this event.
The Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) wants to make sure Canadians are taking the proper precautions to keep their eyes safe when viewing the eclipse. Even a brief glance at the sun during this time can lead to irreversible eye damage, potentially causing vision loss, also called solar retinopathy.
Solar eclipse
When watching the solar eclipse, Canadians should take the following eye safety precautions:
Protect your eyes at all times using safe solar viewing glasses or a safe handheld solar viewer that comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard.
It’s important to make sure that the glasses are not torn, scratched, or otherwise damaged before use.
Do not look at the sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer, as the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and can cause serious eye injury.
Always supervise children using solar viewers.
What is solar retinopathy?
Solar retinopathy (also known as eclipse retinopathy) refers to photochemical injury to the macular tissue (central retina). It’s commonly associated with sungazing or eclipse viewing. A short duration of exposure, as little as a few seconds glancing at the sun, can cause solar retinopathy.
What are some of the symptoms associated with solar retinopathy?
Some of the symptoms associated with solar retinopathy include:
Blurry vision
Vision loss in the center of your sight
Eye pain
How is solar retinopathy treated?
Unfortunately, there is no known treatment for solar retinopathy, and those affected have to wait for it to go away. Your eye doctor may schedule follow-up exams to monitor you for any vision loss.
How long does it take for solar retinopathy to go away?
Most improve on their own over 3-6 months. Unfortunately, vision changes that are still present 6 months after the injury may be permanent. Some people will continue to have permanent distortions and blind spots in their central vision.
What should you do if you do get direct eye exposure to the eclipse?
The best way to avoid vision loss or injury is prevention. Make sure to wear protective eyewear during an eclipse. If you experience any symptoms of eye damage after accidentally looking directly at the sun, seek immediate treatment from an ophthalmologist/eye care professional.
NASA’s Eclipse Explorer – an interactive map designed to enhance your eclipse-viewing experience. Crafted to complement our existing static eclipse maps, this tool enables users to dive into this amazing celestial event like never before.
Eclipse America 2024 – The solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, will be total in a narrow path from Mexico to Eastern Canada and partial to the northwest and southeast. Yellow curves indicate how much of the Sun is covered by the Moon outside the path of totality. The difference between a total solar eclipse and a partial one is literally the difference between night and day, so get yourself into the path of totality if you can.
To help support its ongoing work to address myopia as a public health crisis and further the adoption of myopia management as the standard of care, the World Council of Optometry (WCO), in partnership with CooperVision, is appointing a team of ambassadors for their education, outreach, and practice-building initiatives. All four ambassadors serve a global role, representing a diverse set of regions, and are leading optometrists with extensive experience in myopia management in both clinical practice and educational settings.
“With cases of myopia soaring among children, there is an urgent need to adopt myopia management as a standard of care on a global scale. It is an important cause to each of our ambassadors, and I’m thrilled to collaborate with them to expand awareness around the world. Each ambassador will play a crucial role in our efforts, using their platforms to engage with the optometry community and reach a broader audience. While more eye care professionals have embraced evidence-based approaches focused on the mitigation, measurement, and management of myopia—there is still much work to be done. We have new and exciting endeavors planned for this year, and we’re ready to hit the ground running.”
Dr. Sandra Block, President, World Council of Optometry
The WCO myopia management standard of care resolution was developed in partnership with CooperVision and introduced in April 2021. It includes the three main standard of care pillars of mitigation, measurement, and management.
All four WCO ambassadors are actively involved in day-to-day myopia management. They are:
Nicola Logan, World Council of Optometry ambassador
Nicola Logan, PhD, MEd, MCOptom, SFHEA, FHEA, Global Representative: Nicola Logan is a professor of optometry and physiological optics at the School of Optometry at Aston University in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Logan is also director of research for the Optometry & Vision Science Research Group. Her research includes the Aston Eye study, which investigated refractive error prevalence in school children.
Logan was also the principal investigator of the MiSight® 1 day study and runs a myopia clinic that offers myopia control spectacles, myopia control soft contact lenses, and orthokeratology lenses. She collaborates with other researchers through the Myopia Consortium UK and has received the Neil Charman Award for Excellence in Research from The College of Optometrists, UK. Logan’s areas of interest are the epidemiology of refractive error, the development and aetiology of myopia, and myopia control.
Jagrut Lallu, World Council of Optometry Ambassador
Jagrut Lallu, MSc Specialty Lenses, BOptom, FIAOMC, Asia–Pacific Representative: Jagrut Lallu is a partner of Rose Optometry in Hamilton, New Zealand. He is also the director of Innovatus Technology, which develops software to make contact lens design accessible to contact lens practitioners. In 2009, Lallu set up the first myopia control clinic in New Zealand devoted to evidence-based methods for management.
In 2023, he established the New Zealand Eye Research Centre, focusing on clinical trials and research in a new Hamilton location. Lallu is also a clinical senior lecturer at the Deakin School of Optometry in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, and is an honorary teaching fellow at the University of Auckland. His areas of interest include keratoconus, dry eye, orthokeratology, and myopia management.
Síofra Harrington World Council of Optometry Ambassador
Síofra Harrington, PhD, FAOI, European Representative: Síofra Harrington is a lecturer, researcher, and clinical supervisor with the School of Physics, Clinical and Optometric Sciences at Technological University in Dublin, Ireland. She is also a fellow of the Association of Optometrists Ireland. Harrington supervises pediatric clinics that address several conditions, including myopia, amblyopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and more. She was the principal investigator for the Ireland Eye Study, which reported the prevalence of ametropia, amblyopia, and vision impairment in school children.
She was also the principal investigator for the Child Eye Health Study and co-investigator for the BLU-RAY Project investigating blue light phototoxicity. Harrington is the author of multiple peer-reviewed academic publications and numerous academic poster presentations reporting Ireland Eye Study findings.
Ashley Wallace Tucker World of Optometry Ambassador
Ashley Wallace Tucker, OD, FAAO, FSLS, ABO Diplomate, U.S. Representative: Ashley Wallace Tucker is a partner at Bellaire Family Eye Care and The Contact Lens Institute of Houston, a private practice in Houston, Texas. There, she primarily treats patients needing specialty contact lenses and myopia management. Tucker is also a visiting assistant professor at the University of Houston College of Optometry, where she is the course master for the Ophthalmic Optics Laboratory.
Through her affiliation with the University of Houston, Tucker regularly provides continuing education on myopia management and other topics. She is also a lecturer for the STAPLE (Soft Toric and Presbyopic Lens Experience) program. She specializes in corneal diseases, complex contact lens fits, and myopia management, particularly orthokeratology.
As the year winds down, personal tax planning opportunities with a year-end deadline demand attention. Though RRSP contributions can wait up to 60 days into the new year, some financial moves should be made before December 31.
It’s also worth noting that while focusing on personal year-end tax planning, one shouldn’t overlook the potential integration with corporate year-end planning, which may not align with the calendar year end. Bringing together both aspects can facilitate a more holistic approach to tax optimization.
🎓 RESP Withdrawals
If you have a post-secondary student, consider an additional Education Assistance Payment (EAP) before year-end. EAPs are comprised of grants and growth and are taxable in the student’s hands. Understanding your student’s expected 2023 income and the 13-week window from a child’s very first EAP will help you decide.
🏫 RESP Contributions
If you haven’t taken advantage of the annual grant room, consider adding to your child’s RESP prior to year-end. Remember, there are additional rules around grants with a lifetime maximum of $7,200 until the end of the year in which your child turns 17 and restrictions if you haven’t met certain criteria prior to the end of the calendar year in which they turn 15.
♿ RDSP Contributions
Registered Disability Savings Plans have annual grant allotments that need to be completed prior to year-end. If you have an eligible child, become familiar with the grant and bond process.
🗓️ Strategic TFSA Withdrawals
December is the right time for TFSA withdrawals if your tax planning includes recontributions in 2024, as withdrawn amounts are returned to your contribution room on January 1.
First Home Savings Account Contributions
If you are saving for your first home, the FHSA is a new option that permits you to contribute up to $8,000 in the year you open the account. The big perk here is that contributions are tax-deductible, like RRSP contributions, in the year they are made, helping to reduce your 2023 income taxes. In addition, the growth on the investment is treated as tax-free when it is withdrawn as intended, and the plan can be used in conjunction with the Home Buyers Plan linked to your RRSP.
📊 Tax-Loss Selling of Investments
Offset capital gains with losses in non-registered accounts. These capital losses can be carried back three years or carried forward indefinitely. Be cautious not to trigger a superficial loss, which applies if repurchased within 30 days.
💍 Prescribed Rate Loan for Spousal Income Splitting
You can lower your household tax bill through the use of a prescribed rate loan for income splitting if your spouse is in a lower tax bracket. The current prescribed interest rate is 5% for loans set up in the fourth quarter of 2023. Once the loan is set, the interest rate remains for the duration of the loan. Discuss this higher level strategy with your advisor.
Charitable Donations
Receipted donations offer federal and provincial tax credits. The federal credit jumps up for total donations exceeding $200 in a calendar year. There are also substantial tax breaks where investments or life insurance are donated to registered Canadian charities in-kind.
🏦 So Many Options
There are so many options and opportunities to save with proper tax planning. Of course, the best fit is based on your personal situation and goals. Consulting a Certified Financial Planner® who acts as your fiduciary and communicates well with your accounting and legal team allows you to maximize tax mitigation strategies effectively.
Roxanne Arnal is a Certified Financial Planner®, former Optometrist, Professional Corporation President, and practice owner. She is dedicated to empowering individuals and their wealth by helping them make smart financial decisions. This article is for information purposes only and is not a replacement for personalized financial planning. Errors and Omissions exempt.
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In the world of fashion, there are certain pieces which encapsulate a distinct aesthetic. A vibe that can take a basic expression into one which speaks volumes with the addition of specific accessories. There are few adornments that speak quite so loudly as the aviator. Donning a pair immediately imbues the wearer with an air of power, confidence, and rebellion.
From the moment the media captured images of US General MacArthur landing on the beaches of the Philippines in World War II in 1944, the Air Force issue aviator transitioned from a standard piloting necessity to a badge of heroism. Although the aviator shape had been a military staple since the 1930s, the demand for them grew exponentially with the general public soon sporting the classic shades as a symbol of support for their forces, pride swelling as they donned their tear drop shape. Although no single item can be gendered as specifically male or female, the aviator’s genesis on the faces of American fighter pilots was instrumental in their masculine and heroic appeal. In 1947, Ray-Ban created a marketing campaign featuring Amelia Earhart to advertise the shape as a patriotic statement piece that women could also wear.
The Celebrity Endorsement: Fueling the Fire
In the 1950s, edgy celebrities like Marlon Brando helped transition them from Air Force allotment to culturally cool when they began wearing the shades as a fashion statement. Throughout the 60s and 70s, they continued to grow in popularity when provocative musicians and celebrities the likes of David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and Steve McQueen were photographed wearing modern iterations of the classic shape. As the paparazzi captured the palpable sexuality and masculine energies these celebrities exuded behind their tinted lenses, the aviator became an enviable expression of male machismo.
Aviators in Hollywood
The 1986 blockbuster film Top Gun solidified the aviator’s cultural status as an outward expression of masculinity and sex appeal. Tom Cruise, donning the iconic shades of the character Maverick – a charming combination of bravery, danger, and romance – is likely one of the first images many think of when the word ‘aviator’ comes to mind. With men and women alike wanting to personify the characteristics of this role, the Ray-Ban aviator saw an increase of 40% in sales after the movie premiered.
Overtly masculine characters have continued the story line of machismo in Hollywood. Personas played by Al Pacino as a mobster in Scarface, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt as assassins in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Daniel Craig as secret agent James Bond have all assisted in creating the linear thread between the aviator and manliness.
The Dark Side of Aviators
Of course, no article on aviators could be complete without the mention of the phrase “serial killer glasses”. With what has been termed the “golden age of serial murder” happening between 1970 and 2000, it is simply a statistical fact that the shape was quite popular during that time and that a great many men wore them. A quick Google search will however provide a list of criminals longer than you would hope who all wore the classic aviator shape. Although wearing a pair certainly does not make you a criminal, there is a cultural connection between crime and fashion when it comes to aviators. The dark perspective on this eyewear can be seen to have a connection between perceived power and the double bridged tear drop style. This connection is not only made in real life, but also in Hollywood with TV and movie personalities like Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones, Ethan Hawke in Black Phone, and Christian Bale in American Psycho.
Beyond the Hollywood screens, an association of machismo with the iconic shape also exists. What Halloween costume of a police officer is complete without a set of aviators?
International border agents may seem a touch more intimidating if you pull up and find them sporting these shades. “Shooter” aviators with the trademark circle in the bridge were created for gun enthusiasts who needed a place to hold their cigarette when they needed to free their hands to hold their firearm.
Eyewear Evolution
Since the original aviator was created nearly a century ago as a purely functional appliance to assist pilots in the very bright high altitudes they flew, it has morphed itself into a cultural symbol of masculinity and gritty sex appeal. Its embodiment of danger, rebellion, and power have all contributed to its long running popularity as a fashionable icon in optics. So pull out your aviators, strike a powerful pose, and revel in the potent aura they project.
…Oh, and please don’t become a serial killer.
Sarah Bureau has been a licensed dispensing Optician in Niagara, Ontario for more than 20 years. She is the woman behind sbspecs, specializing in repairing and customizing eyewear for Opticians all across North America. Her love for restoring eyewear and modifying frames for unique fits is evident in the care she puts into each pair that crosses her workbench.
The Canadian Association of Optometrists says optimizing optometric scope of practice is key to improving access to safe, timely eye care across Canada.
Warby Parker has launched Warby Parker Sport, a new performance eyewear category featuring sport-focused frames and polarized lenses for active lifestyles.
Alcon and ARVO are continuing their partnership on the 2026 Eye Pitch event, which will showcase early- and mid-stage innovations in eye and vision research at the ARVO Annual Meeting.
The Canadian Association of Optometrists says optimizing optometric scope of practice is key to improving access to safe, timely eye care across Canada.
Warby Parker has launched Warby Parker Sport, a new performance eyewear category featuring sport-focused frames and polarized lenses for active lifestyles.
Alcon and ARVO are continuing their partnership on the 2026 Eye Pitch event, which will showcase early- and mid-stage innovations in eye and vision research at the ARVO Annual Meeting.
The Canadian Association of Optometrists says optimizing optometric scope of practice is key to improving access to safe, timely eye care across Canada.
Warby Parker has launched Warby Parker Sport, a new performance eyewear category featuring sport-focused frames and polarized lenses for active lifestyles.
Alcon and ARVO are continuing their partnership on the 2026 Eye Pitch event, which will showcase early- and mid-stage innovations in eye and vision research at the ARVO Annual Meeting.
The Canadian Association of Optometrists says optimizing optometric scope of practice is key to improving access to safe, timely eye care across Canada.
Warby Parker has launched Warby Parker Sport, a new performance eyewear category featuring sport-focused frames and polarized lenses for active lifestyles.
Alcon and ARVO are continuing their partnership on the 2026 Eye Pitch event, which will showcase early- and mid-stage innovations in eye and vision research at the ARVO Annual Meeting.
