Practice Tip: Recognize the ocular signs of psoriasis
As psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that affects more than 7.5 million U.S. adults, it should be on the OD’s radar. The ocular manifestations of psoriasis are redness, itching, foreign body sensation, or photophobia, points out Mohammad Rafieetary, OD, FAAO, of Charles Retina Institute in Germantown, Tenn., in this month’s “Leading Off” item, “The Optometrist’s Role in Managing Psoriasis.” He adds that changes in the tear film or conjunctival surface, lesions on the eyelids, or disruption of the meibomian glands can also signal psoriasis as a possible underlying etiology. For the entire “Leading Off” item, visit https://www.optometricmanagement.com/issues/2023/september-2023/leading-off-the-optometrist-8217;s-role-in-managin.
Centre for Ocular Research & Education director to participate in
Vision Expo West 2023 Global Contact Lens Forum
Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) Director Lyndon Jones has joined Vision Expo West’s 2023 Global Contact Lens Forum. The Forum will occur Wednesday, Sept. 27, in Las Vegas from 8:30 am to 3:15 pm PDT and will provide, “practical, timely clinical and business processes tips for any professional who recommends, fits, or prescribes contact lenses.” Vision Expo West pre-registration for educational courses is required at west.visionexpo.com.
HOYA Vision Care participates in 4th World Congress of Optometry;
introduces new versions of spectacle lenses for myopia
HOYA Vision Care took part in the 4th World Congress of Optometry (WCO4), held recently in Australia, hosting the symposium “Lighting the way: new evidence and advances in myopia management.” During the symposium, experts discussed a 12-month observational study conducted in the UK, that showed the company’s MiYOSMART spectacle lenses significantly decreased myopia progression and axial elongation in UK children, according to the press release. Additionally, HOYA Vision Care introduced sun-protection versions of MiYOSMART:
MiYOSMART Chameleon and MiYOSMART Sunbird. MiYOSMART spectacles are currently not available stateside.
Neurotech elects new director
Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced that Alex Gorsky has been elected to the company’s board as lead director. Mr. Gorsky is the former chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson.
Prevent Blindness offers inflammatory eye disease education
Prevent Blindness declared Sept. 18 to Sept. 24, 2023, as the third annual Inflammatory Eye Disease (IED) Awareness Week. The organization is debuting a new episode in the online Focus on Eye Health Expert Series, “Uveitis and Inflammatory Eye Diseases,” in addition to fact sheets and social media graphics to educate the public on ways to protect vision and prevent unnecessary vision loss. In other news, Prevent Blindness has joined the 2023 World Sight Day Initiative “Love Your Eyes at Work,” which kicks off Oct. 12.
RetinalGeniX releases webinar
RetinalGeniX Technologies, Inc., released OTC Markets, a video webinar regarding the retinal screening medical device technology being developed by the company to help prevent blindness and multiple systemic diseases. RetinalGeniX is developing technologies to diagnose and treat systemic disorders by combining high-resolution imaging, pharmacogenetic portal software, and diagnostic testing all based on data to be obtained from the RetinalGeniX DNA/RNA GPS platform and related test kits, according to the press release.
Sight Sciences names chief commercial officer
Sight Sciences, Inc., appointed Matthew Link as chief commercial officer, effective September 11. Mr. Link has more than 20 years of experience building teams and leading innovation in the health care and medical technology industries, most recently serving as Managing Partner at Orion Healthcare Advisors, LLC, a consulting services provider, according to the press release.
Transitions Optical Annual Survey reveals interest in premium eyewear options
The Transitions Optical 2023 Workplace Wellness Survey shows employees are interested in premium eyewear options. Specifically, among employees who wear glasses and have vision benefits, nearly all (95%) say they are willing to pay more than what their insurance fully covers for premium lens benefits. Additionally, close to half (46%) say they are willing to pay more than what their insurance covers for photochromic lenses, particularly Transitions lenses. Finally, roughly 70% say they are much or somewhat more likely to enroll in a vision plan that offers Transitions lenses when armed with the knowledge of their protective benefits.
Treehouse Eyes adds to leadership team
Treehouse Eyes made additions to its leadership team recently to accelerate growth in its partnerships and dedicate center models, according to a press release. Dr. Thanh Mai, OD, FSLS, joined Treehouse Eyes as VP, Innovation & Myopia Development. Rachel Donovan joined Treehouse Eyes in the newly created role of VP, Marketing. Kyle Bigos is an eye care industry veteran who has joined Treehouse Eyes in a new role as director of Center Operations.
Vision Council report finds providers weighing return on investment in 2023
The Vision Council released a report, “Focused inSights 2023: Vision Equipment Use and Purchasing,” exploring sentiments related to lens processing equipment. The report reveals that providers consider equipment costs and return on investment as the main factors that influenced their purchases of vision equipment in 2023. Read the report in full at The Vision Council download center: https://thevisioncouncil.org/research-reports.
OD Notebook is published weekly on Wednesdays. Unless otherwise noted, the information presented is based on press releases and/or announcements by the respective organizations. Find earlier editions here. To submit a press release to be considered for publication, click here.