The new rules of conduct for Ontario optometrists will take effect April 15, 2014.

 

The new regulation will change the rules concerning conflict of interest, advertising, relationships between optometrists and opticians, and patient access to eye care and prescriptions. The changes are listed in a document released by the Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO). (http://www.collegeoptom.on.ca/images/pdfs/PM__COI_Guidelines_FINAL.pdf)

 

The OAO is pleased with the implementation of these new changes, particularly the removal of restrictions that prevented optometrists from associating with opticians. “Doctors of optometry will now be able to employ opticians and, further, practice with anyone including optical corporations, as long as the doctor of optometry practices as an independent contractor,” said president Farooq Khan.

 

The College of Optometrists of Ontario also approves the changes. “The public of Ontario will benefit from more options when seeking eye care now that several of the restrictions that prohibited optometrists from working in association with opticians, have been removed,” said Paula Garshowitz, registrar at the College.

Source:

http://www.collegeoptom.on.ca/index.php/resources/news/209-new-professional-misconduct-regulation-including-conflict-of-interest-provisions-effective-april-15-2014

http://www.healio.com/optometry/regulatory-legislative/news/online/144a303c-1e20-4448-9982-39b769ed03da/new-regulation-in-ontario-may-increase-collaboration-between-optometrists-opticians  

 

 

Researchers from Stanford University have developed inexpensive adapters that enable a smartphone to capture very precise images of the eye.

 

The adapters allow anyone with minimal training to take a picture of the front and back of the eye, to share this image securely with other eyecare professionals or to download it to the patient’s electronic record. One of the developers of the device, ophthalmologist Robert Chang, likens it to “Instagram for the eye.”

 

Such a device would be extremely helpful in providing eye care in remote locations or in disadvantaged regions where paying for leading-edge medical equipment is a challenge. This could also accelerate diagnoses in emergency rooms.

 

“Imagine a car accident victim arriving in the emergency department with an eye injury resulting in a hyphema. Normally the physician would have to describe this finding in the patient’s record with words alone. Smartphones today not only have the camera resolution to supplement those words with a high-resolution photo, but also the data-transfer capability to upload that photo securely to the medical record in a matter of seconds,” explained Dr. Chang.

Source:

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140307111056.htm

 

A remote screening system performed well in identifying patients with treatable diabetic eye disease.

 

The researchers evaluated the performance of the EyePACS tele-ophthalmology system to detect edema resulting from leaky blood vessels at the back of the eye. “Edema that is detected close to the line of sight can and should be treated to slow or avoid any loss of vision,” said Dr. Anthony Adams, editor-in-chief of Optometry and Vision Science. “However about one-third of all people with diabetes don’t realize they have diabetes and about 20% of those with recently diagnosed diabetes already have some changes in the blood vessels.”

 

The study included 103 adults with type 2 diabetes, seen at a public health clinic, who were considered at high risk for macular edema. A digital camera was used to take a magnified view of the interior of the eye, without the use of eye drops to dilate the pupil. The photos were sent over the Internet to ophthalmologists, who looked for hard exudates as an indicator of macular edema. “The presence of hard exudates allowed correct detection of actual edema 90% of the time,” explained Dr. Adams.

Source:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140225111816.htm

IRIS The Visual Group announced that it has partnered with Nikon to launch MyLab^TM, an integrated Nikon-Iris laboratory. Since IRIS opened a lab in the spring of 2013, its stores have been integrating MyLab^TMtechnology to meet growing demands.

MyLab^TM provides patients with exclusive IRIS products, namely Nikon’s brand new digital progressive lens series, the I-View Series2.

Thanks to this new association, the MyLab^TM integrated lab has access to the latest generation of manufacturing equipment, allowing it to produce high-quality lenses that are manufactured and tested with precision and speed.

“Our partnership will prove that vertical cooperation is more effective than vertical integration,” said Dr. Francis Jean, optometrist and president of IRIS.

Nikon Optical Canada’s president, Pierre Longerna, says that, on behalf of Nikon, he is proud “to be associated with IRIS in the creation of MyLab^TM, a specialized structure that offers IRIS patients the most sophisticated Nikon lenses available.”

 

Source: Iris, The Visual Group

 

A simple vision test performed on the sidelines may help determine whether athletes have suffered a concussion.

 

The King-Devick test usually takes less than one minute. It involves quickly reading numbers on index cards. During the study, 217 members of the University of Florida men’s football, women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse teams took the test at the beginning of the season. Thirty of the athletes had a concussion during the season and were tested again at the time of the injury.

 

The time to complete the test was longer for 79% of the athletes after the injury. The test requires eye movements, language and concentration, all of which can be impaired as a result of concussion.

 

“The visual pathways are commonly affected in concussion,” said Laura Balcer, lead author of the study. “Adding a vision-based test to evaluate athletes on the sidelines may allow us to better detect more athletes with concussion more quickly. This is particularly important since not all athletes reliably report their symptoms of concussion, including any vision problems.”

Source:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140226165110.htm