09_05nOD_StreetSmartsRedesign
Wise to the World
Shedding Pounds May Save Sight
MOST AMERICANS
know that obesity increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and high
blood pressure, but few of them realize these systemic diseases can lead to sight-threatening
conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts.
"As optometrists, we focus on our patients'
eyes, therefore we have a duty to educate them about the visual risks of obesity,"
says Hal Bohlman, O.D. "The American Optometric Association encourages O.D.s to
teach patients that obesity isn't just a cosmetic problem."
Dr. Bohlman offers this advice on how
to explain the visual risks of obesity without offending patients.
"We
don't have the tools to calculate body mass index in our offices, so we have to
identify obese patients by visually assessing their waist-to-hip ratio," he says.
"Choose your words carefully so patients know you're concerned about their health
and not expressing an aversion to their appearance. The first few times I talked
to patients about their weight, I felt like I was committing a social faux pas,
but now I'm comfortable broaching the subject."
Phasing
Out Paper
ACCORDING
TO the
2005 American Optometric Association (AOA) New Technology Survey, 18% of optometry
practices have switched from paper records to electronic medical records (EMRs).
"EMRs enhance practice productivity because they directly incorporate data from
several diagnostic tests into a single record," says Richard Edlow, O.D. "Predictions
from the 2005 AOA survey suggest that the number of practices using EMRs will increase
by more than 50% in the next few years."
CL
SAVVY
No Bubble, No Trouble
Some of my patients who wear large-diameter
gas permeable contact lenses (10 mm and larger) complain that air becomes trapped
under their lenses during application.
I tell them to fill the bowl of the
lens with rewetting solution, look down and insert the lens as if they're dipping
their eye into a bowl of soup. The solution takes up space that otherwise would
be filled with air and prevents the lens from trapping bubbles against the eye.
Stephen P. Byrnes, O.D., F.A.A.O., Londonderry, N.H.
Glaucoma
to Hit New High in 2020
A STUDY BY
Quigley and Broman in the March 2006 issue of the British Journal of Ophthalmology
predicts that more than 80 million people worldwide will have glaucoma by 2020.
What can you do to prepare for and manage this growing disease burden?
"Thirty years ago, it was illegal
for optometrists to treat glaucoma," says Irving Bennett, O.D., F.A.A.O. "Fortunately,
times have changed. Our biggest problem now is letting the public know O.D.s are
well-equipped to deal with this disease."
Janice M. Jurkus, O.D., M.B.A., F.A.A.O.,
believes O.D.s can prepare for this impending crisis not only by honing their clinical
and medical skills, but also by educating patients. "Patients need to understand
that glaucoma is a sight-threatening condition," she says. "In addition to monitoring
IOP and detecting optic disc changes, O.D.s have to improve their communication
skills and teach patients about the importance of adhering to medical therapy."
To help prevent unnecessary blindness
due to glaucoma, be sure to:
• Use your practice newsletter and in-office
brochures to educate patients about the predicted spike in glaucoma cases.
• Encourage yearly diagnostic tests, such as tonometry, ophthalmoscopy
and pachymetry. Always explain the purpose of these tests to patients.
• Use technology, such as retinal nerve fiber layer analysis,
to perform glaucoma assessments.
Optometric Management, Issue: April 2006