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Optometric Management

2023 News Archive

2024
2023
2022

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

OD Notebook: Prepare for an audit

“…Establish ahead of time a compliance program for proper documentation and billing, and review and troubleshoot billing practices,” suggests Brandy H. Sperry, COMT, COE, OCS, in this month’s “Coding” column.

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

OD Notebook: Provide financial support resources for glaucoma patients

For advanced glaucoma patients and/or for those whom generic glaucoma drops may not be appropriate, Dr. Austin Lifferth, Optometric Management’s clinical editor, suggests having patients stick with predictable branded drops, while utilizing financial support resources, in his latest “Glaucoma” column.

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

OD Notebook: Use staff to help with ocular nutritional supplements

“Our staff members are integral to ‘fact finding’ with patients, to learn about the symptoms that are affecting them,” writes Mark E. Schaeffer, OD, in the October article, “Dispense Ocular Nutritional Supplements From Your Practice.”

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

OD Notebook: Suspect keratoconus when faced with five clues

“While none of the following symptoms are specific to keratoconus, our suspicion must be heightened when reported by patients in their early to mid-20s, in whom other clinical explanations, such as diabetes, are much less unlikely,” writes Susan Resnick, OD, FAAO, in this month’s “Contact Lens” column.

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

OD Notebook: Recognize your importance in treating post-concussion syndrome

“An optometrist’s timely assessment (i.e., several batteries of oculomotor, vergence, accommodative, and visual-processing tests) of these patients’ visual function can aid in the diagnosis or triage of visual impairments associated with concussions,” write Patrick T. Quaid, MCOPT, FCOVD, PHD, and Brendan Mooney, CAT(C), in the September article “Collaborate on Concussion Management.”

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

OD Notebook: Prepare patients for presbyopia

Preparing patients for the onset of presbyopia makes them more amenable to accepting this inevitable change in vision and the vision-correcting options available, writes Timothy Earley, OD, in the Sept. issue article, “Satisfy the Needs of Plano Presbyopes.”

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

OD Notebook: Learn about gut dysbiosis and the associated gut-eye axis

An awareness of this relationship is particularly important in relation to glaucoma, as the gut-glaucoma axis may involve three main factors: (1) systemic bacterial dissemination, (2) neuroinflammation, and (3) obesity, writes Austin Lifferth, OD, FAAO, in his September “Glaucoma” column.

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

OD Notebook: Consider prescribing prosthetic contact lenses

Prosthetic contact lenses can be life-altering, in a good way, for patients who have corneal scarring, glare from traumatic aniridia or iris coloboma, or severe photophobia from albinism, writes Susan Resnick, OD, FAAO, in her latest “Contact Lenses” column.

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

OD Notebook: Use chair time to market practice offerings

In the August issue article, “How to Market New Offerings,” Jessilin Quint, OD, FAAO, suggests optometrists use chair time with the patient to accomplish this. The reason: Doing so helps to build the doctor/patient relationship, which creates trust and, therefore, patient buy-in to an applicable offering.

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

OD Notebook: Have staff pre-appoint patients

To maximize the schedule, have staff pre-appoint comprehensive exam patients before they leave the office, writes Tonya M. Reynoldson, OD, in her August article, “Schedule for Success.”

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

OD Notebook: Cover three bases in glaucoma

“Diagnosing glaucoma, and detecting glaucomatous progression directly depends on a reliable baseline data set of both structural and functional testing,” writes Austin Lifferth, OD, FAAO, in his latest “Glaucoma” column.

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

OD Notebook: Grade meibomian gland function and structure

During slit lamp evaluation, use a cotton tip applicator, a meibomian gland expressor, or your thumb to assess the quality of the meibum and the ease of the meibum expression, writes Cecelia Koetting, OD, FAAO, in this month’s “Dry Eye” column. 

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

OD Notebook: Stage Dry Eye Disease to Determine Treatment

Patients who have Stage 1 dry eye disease (DED), for example, have a standard patient evaluation of eye dryness (SPEED) score of less than 6 (asymptomatic), 5/5 meibomian gland expression in all three quadrants, cloudy gland secretion, and less than 25% of gland loss on meibography, writes Selena R. McGee, OD, FAAO, in the July issue article “Treat Dry Eye Disease by Severity.”

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

OD Notebook: Have an Awareness of Hyaluronic Acid

In artificial tears, hyaluronic acid helps increase the natural tears’ viscosity, writes Cecelia Koetting, OD, FAAO, in her latest “Dry Eye” column. This leads to increased tear film stability, tear retention time, tear break-up time (working to optimize ocular surface hydration), and lubrication.

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

OD Notebook: Recognize the Signs of Burnout

Burnout, or a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, manifests in both psychological and physiological ways, writes Danielle Richardson, OD, in the June issue article, “Beat Burnout.”

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

OD Notebook: Ask Patients About Allergies

Don’t wait for patients to tell you about their possible allergies, stresses Glenn S. Corbin, OD, in the “Leading Off” item, “Spread the Word That You Can Provide Allergy Relief.” 

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

OD Notebook: Inform all Patients About the Drop Debacle

With the multiple recalls on OTC drops, due to concerns regarding bacteria, Cecelia Koetting, OD, FAAO, recommends optometrists inform all patients, not just those who have a history of using drops.

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

OD Notebook: Overcome Patient Skepticism Regarding Keratoconus

Discuss with patients the condition’s expected course over time and refer to the Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Keratoconus Study, writes Nicholas J. Bruns, OD, FAAO, in the article “Break the Barriers to Corneal Cross-Linking.”

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

OD Notebook: Detect Outer Retina Impairment Caused by Diabetes

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), OCT-angiography, spectral-domain OCT, enhanced-depth imaging OCT, and electroretinogram can aid in detecting outer retina impairment caused by diabetes, writes Sherrol A. Reynolds, OD, FAAO, in her article on the topic in the May issue.

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

OD Notebook: Offer Different Learning Opportunities

“People have different learning styles, so having a mixture of hands-on, didactic, visual, and audible learning opportunities helps information sink in deeper,” writes Jessilin Quint, OD, FAAO, in her latest “Optical” column.

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

OD Notebook: Act as Mediator Between Staff Members

A first step to ending staff conflict is to “gather them together, with you as the mediator, and create an environment of open communication,” writes Jennifer Jabaley, OD, in her April article, “Resolve Conflicts Among Staff.”

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

OD Notebook: Make Your Office Fun

“In this labor market, employers need to consider why people leave jobs, and take steps to prevent excessive attrition,” writes Steve Vargo, in this month’s “CEO Challenge.”

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

OD Notebook: Emphasize the Importance of Anti-Glaucoma Drops

Emphasizing the importance of the glaucoma therapy at the time the drops are prescribed is an action step optometrists can take to increase patient compliance to their anti-glaucoma drops, says Austin Lifferth, OD, FAAO, in the March issue article, “Overcome Patient Non-Compliance to Therapies.”

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

OD Notebook: Consider Time-Saving Features of OCT

One step to establish clinic efficiency with OCT is to have a “general understanding of various OCT instruments now commercially available, and the individual features they offer,” write Chris Wroten, OD, and Onyale Warnock, OD, in their article “Improve OCT Imaging Efficiency in Glaucoma.”

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

OD Notebook: Sharpen Your Interviewing Skills

“A good interview leaves candidates excited about the prospect of joining your team,” writes Steve Vargo, OD, MBA, in this month’s “CEO Challenge.”

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

OD Notebook: Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

In her latest, “Inspire. Lead. Succeed” column, Dori M. Carlson, OD, MAL, FAAO, recommends optometrists try saying “yes,” more than “no,” when it comes to invitations to events and such that are outside their comfort zone:

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

OD Notebook: Create Optical Packages

Offering optical packages that bundle contact lenses with spectacles may help patients see the value in purchasing more than one refractive product at a time...

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

OD Notebook: Recognize Employee Contributions

Consider giving employees a small gift card, voucher, or celebrating them via a social media post for a job well done, writes Tonya M. Reynoldson, OD, in her article, “Incentivizing Employees:

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

OD Notebook: Explain Orthokeratology

One reason for parent hesitancy regarding orthokeratology can be a lack of understanding about what it is, writes Cary Herzberg, OD, FIAOMC, in “Orthokeratology: Overcome Patient Hesitancy.”

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

OD Notebook: Tackle Tight-Fitting Lenses

As a tight-fitting lens can cause conjunctival hyperemia, which can induce lens discomfort or ocular dryness and could lead to drop out, it makes sense for optometrists to keep it on their diagnostic radars...