Identify and Manage Retinal Vascular Tumors

Ocular vascular tumors are rare, and you may have few opportunities to diagnose one. However, when present, they may be the initial finding of one or more serious systemic deficits, which will require you to mobilize and perhaps even lead a multidisciplinary team to provide collaborative patient care.

Contact Lenses and Comfort: It’s a Material World

Influenced by clinical feedback that discomfort is the number one cause of dropout, the latest contact lenses have evolved significantly to improve ocular comfort. Researchers have been trying to improve comfort by increasing water content, decreasing the modulus, lowering contact angle hysteresis and adding surface coatings and plasma treatments. They are also unsure if lubricity is the only variable that correlates well with in vivo contact lens comfort. So while new, more comfortable materials emerge (though older materials are not eliminated), patients are benefiting from newer, more comfortable silicone hydrogel contact lens materials. With wider parameters and replacement modalities, more patients than ever are finding successful contact lens designs that fit their daily needs. This article discusses the latest silicone hydrogel contact lens materials and how they affect patient comfort.

Going Old School: A Refresher on Retinoscopy

Retinoscopy began to be used on a regular basis approximately 100 years ago. In the past decade or so, for many practitioners an autorefractor has replaced the use of the retinoscope to objectively determine a patient’s refractive error. However, there are still a variety of patients who are better served by an evaluation using something other than an autorefractor or a phoropter. 

Five Ways to Connect Lens Care with Comfort

Whether you’re working with a first-time contact lens patient or an existing wearer who is having difficulties, you need to play every card you hold if you want to win them over to long-term lens wear. During the contact lens fitting process, the influence of case systems on comfort is often sidelined for a proper fit and correction, and with a 24% contact lens dropout rate directly due to discomfort, it can feel like a no-win scenario. However, choosing the right lens care system can help minimize discomfort. Here are some of the most important things to keep in mind when recommending an effective and comfortable lens care system for your patients.