Recent reports have revealed that 27-year-old Germanwings pilot, Andreas Lubitz, sought treatment for vision problems before he crashed a plane into the French Alps, killing himself and the 149 passengers and crewmembers.

Online optometry forum ODWire recently announced that it will be hosting a virtual conference next month. Dubbed CEWire, the event provides attendees with 30 hours of COPE-approved credit for $99 as well as a virtual exhibit hall offering interaction with vendors.

Accomplishing goals can be a challenge, even in the best-case scenario. A clear vision of your end goals will help mitigate the obstacles that lie ahead of you.

An online optometry school is aiming to join the ranks of educational institutions offering the Doctor of Optometry degree. One of the largest national online universities is planning an announcement in the coming weeks about adding optometry to its roster of degrees offered.

A new contact lens delivery service offers convenience to patients and financial benefits for practitioners-while offering an alternative to other online contact lens retailers.

It’s March Madness time, and the next few weeks will take college basketball fans on a roller coaster ride of synchronous alley oops and ill-timed, dribble-off-the-foot turnovers. I’m always looking for an apt sports metaphor to help pass the time and get me through the day. A guy can dream, can’t he?

Patients may soon be able to change their brown eyes blue through a quick laser procedure.

At the recent SECO meeting, optometrists and ophthalmic technicians sat side by side learning to perform microblepharoexfoliation (MBE), a new therapy for the treatment of blepharitis and ocular surface disease. The program aimed to train both doctor and tech about blepharitis and how to use the BlephEx device.

I get to spend a lot of time in OD practices talking about dry eye disease (DED). Many of these practices already do a lot for their dry eye patients, but many seem to fall into one camp or the other.

Two former Alcon employees have filed a $110 million lawsuit against Alcon and its parent company, Novartis, claiming the companies discriminated against the employees based on their gender.

The landscape of cataract surgery has changed rapidly-first with premium intraocular lenses (IOLs) and now additional refractive cataract options such as laser-assisted cataract surgery (LACS) and intraoperative aberrometry.

A new telescopic contact lens may help patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to researchers from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland.

A central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) represents a true ocular emergency. It is frequently caused by an embolus originating from carotid artery disease secondary to atherosclerotic plaques.

I recently read Dr. Ernie Bowling’s editorial in the February issue (“Embracing new contact lens technology”).

I have been an independent doctor of optometry leasing space next to a Walmart location for the past 18 years. So let’s cut to the chase-yes, I have been asked, “Are you a real doctor?”

Much has been made of the proliferation of new optometry schools. It seems every week there is a news release announcing yet another institution of higher learning studying the possibility of opening an optometry school, most recently in Arkansas.

The mainstay of our therapy today consists of artificial tear preparations, surfactant lid cleansers, warm compresses for the eyelids, and the occasional antibiotic solution or ointment-this is the exact same therapy that was in vogue for treating OSD 25 years ago!

Compliance is a common concern with glaucoma patients, but a study recently published in Ophthalmology found that generic medication may help increase adherence, possibly due to lower cost.

Modern ophthalmic cataract surgery now employs sophisticated techniques to improve outcomes and patient satisfaction. This includes surgical systems providing better control, lasers to perform manual techniques, and intraoperative evaluation to evaluate surgical endpoints before the patient leaves the operating room (OR).