WELCOME TO THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE. Compiled here are practical tips from the articles that appear in this issue of Optometric Management. For your convenience, each tip includes the article headline and page number.

HOW TO EVALUATE MYOPIA STUDIES

When reviewing myopia studies, the rigor with which they were conducted is of paramount importance. The following are meritorious: multiple years of data, randomization and masking of both examiners and patients; a control group matched by or analyzed, accounting for age, ethnicity and other confounding factors; and refractive error and myopia progression measured by cycloplegic autorefraction, writes Mark A. Bullimore, MCOptom, Ph.D., in “The State of Myopia Management."

BE AWARE OF PRESBYOPIA DROPS IN THE PIPELINE

Pharmacologic solutions may soon join the current presbyopic treatment options. They include pilocarpine-based treatments, separate miotic-based therapies and crystalline lens-based therapies, writes Cecelia Koetting, O.D., F.A.A.O., in “Getting the Drop on Presbyopia."

AMBLYOPIA: PRESCRIBE NEAR VISION ACTIVITIES

One action step of the clinical plan for treating patients who have amblyopia is to prescribe a regimen of near vision activities, such as coloring, tracing, dot-to-dot drawing, beading, puzzles, Legos, reading, handheld games and/or distance vision activities, writes Barry Tannen, O.D., F.C.O.V.D., F.A.A.O., in “A Primary Care Optometric Guide to Treating Amblyopia.” 

IMPROVE MULTIFOCAL CONTACT LENS FITTINGS

In evaluating multifocal contact lenses on the eye, an additional key fitting consideration is optical alignment, as haloes, monocular diplopia and ghosting have been attributed to the misalignment of the contact lens optics with the visual axis, writes Susan A. Resnick, O.D., F.A.A.O., F.S.L.S., in “Optimize Clinical Outcomes.”

END-STAGE DED TREATMENTS

When dealing with patients who have end-stage dry eye disease, consider prescribing vitamin A ointment, amniotic membranes/drops or autologous serum to provide symptomatic relief, writes Cecelia Koetting, O.D., F.A.A.O., in “When DED Cases Don’t Improve."

REMEMBER GLAUCOMA

When it comes to caring for myopic patients who present for a routine exam, avoid the nearsighted approach of just prescribing glasses or contact lenses. Instead, take a farsighted approach by looking for individual risk factors for glaucoma at each exam. Doing so may help to diagnose glaucoma earlier and/or detect disease progression sooner, writes Austin Lifferth, O.D., F.A.A.O., in “Is Myopia a Risk for Glaucoma?”