SOCIAL

  “ODs ON FACEBOOK”

A PROMISING FUTURE

EARLY DETECTION, VISUAL STABILIZATION AND THE “COMBO” TREND

ALAN GLAZIER, O.D., F.A.A.O.

TIMBUK 3’S “The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades” could easily apply to optometry. Advances in research and technology are revealing compelling diagnostic data and procedures that hold great promise for our patients and our practices.

“ODs on Facebook” members enjoy sharing news of these advances and their thoughts on them. Here are two such posts:

AMYLOIDOPATHY/ALZHEIMER’S

One member of “ODs on Facebook” posted a news item from Science Daily, which reveals how a new technology may enable practitioners to detect Alzheimer’s disease before the start of the condition’s symptoms.

Specifically, by using hyperspectral endoscopy on mice, researchers were able to identify amyloidopathy, which predisposes mice to Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study in June’s Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.

“We saw changes in the retinas of Alzheimer’s mice before the typical age at which neurological signs are observed,” says one of the researchers.

Apparently, clinical trials of the technology in humans have begun.

This post received 17 likes.

CORNEAL CROSSLINKING

Another member of “ODs on Facebook” posted about a European device, called C-Eye (EMAGine, Geneva) that enables practitioners to perform corneal crosslinking at the slit lamp for keratoconus and infectious keratitis.

To use it, practitioners would have to apply a topical anesthetic, remove debris with a dry sponge at the slit lamp, instill riboflavin to reclined patients and apply irradiation at the slit lamp.

The device, which does not yet have CE Mark approval, features multiple intensities, real-time fluorescence measurement and a sterile cap to protect the corneal surface, according to the company. C-Eye was presented at the European Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting in Copenhagen in September.

This post received five likes and two replies:

• “NICE.”

• “We are just scratching the surface of this exciting area & what we can do to impact natural history of KC disease . . .”

From epi-off and epi-on and now crosslinking technology for the slit lamp, rest assured we are only seeing the beginning of many crosslinking technological improvements.

THE COMBINATION TREND

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that several “ODs on Facebook” threads have been dedicated to the recent trend of combining multiple diagnostic technologies into one unit and the miniaturization of some types of these technologies. I have no doubt this movement will continue in the future. OM

DR. GLAZIER is founder of Shady Grove Eye and Vision Care, a five-doctor medical-model practice in the Rockville, Md. suburbs of Washington DC. He is an author, inventor, industry consultant and frequent lecturer on ocular disease and Internet marketing. He can be reached at aglazier@youreyesite.com. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @EyeInfo or PM him on Facebook.