I didn’t get up screaming. I didn’t hurl my computer across the room. I didn’t even let my inferiority complex show through the emotions I was feeling. Instead, I calmly and politely wrote a short letter to the news organization explaining what optometrists are, and that glaucoma was what I, as an optometrist, spent most of my days dealing with.

As you perhaps have gathered by now, I really enjoy being an optometrist and would wager you do, too. One of the things I cherish about our profession is our collegiality.

The innate properties of amniotic membrane make it ideal for wound healing/tissue regeneration and in eye care, the management of corneal and conjunctiva disease/reconstruction.

Drchrono, Inc. recently launched its application programming interface (API) that will allow developers to build their own healthcare applications.

CareCredit recently launched an optimized mobile site designed to provide a secure, user-friendly experience for smartphone users.

The American Optometric Association offers a digital supplement with information on an optometrist’s role in caring for a patient with diabetes.

Gulden Ophthalmics now offers 2 new magnetic D-15 color blindness diagnostic kits. The test can help determine between congenital or acquired, moderate and strong defects in deutan, protan, or tritan color discrimination.

According to a recent study, women who have taken oral contraceptives for 3 or more years are twice as likely to suffer from glaucoma. What do your patients need to know?

Recently, the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) launched a program to offer board certification to optometrists, with the first test taking place in March 2014. A new non-profit entity, NBEO-Board Certification, Inc., (NBEO-BC) was created to grant board certification. The company worked with the NBEO to develop the Continued Professional Development in Optometry (CPDO) exam.

For many ophthalmic practices, the elderly make up a large portion of the patient base. Ensuring that your office is elderly friendly keeps these older patients more comfortable during their visits and more likely to return as well as to refer others.

Approximately 2.5 billion people will be affected by myopia by 2050, while another 1.5 billion people will be affected by presbyopia. Through a series of collaborations, the Brien Holden Vision Institute is developing technology to slow the progression of myopia, treat cataracts, and detect and treat blinding eye diseases.

It wasn’t too long ago that I did not know anything about the optometric field, and now by going through the training process, I am learning everything. It is such a great feeling. I am grateful to my mentor, boss, and friend, Dr. Davis, for giving me this opportunity to advance my skills and become a certified paraoptometric technician.

VMA is an OCT finding. Once the adhesion progresses to abnormalities in the retina and becomes symptomatic, some patients become candidates for Jetrea treatment. Careful selection of symptomatic patients with focal areas of adhesion and/or small holes have produced the best post-injection results. I look forward to offering Jetrea treatment to more of my patients.

The role of women in optometry has long held an important place in my heart. Recently, I was invited to attend a Women in Optometry meeting at Vistakon’s The Vision Care Institute, the second event the company held. Vistakon gathered a group of women optometrists who have been in practice fewer than 10 years. Vistakon plans to hold more Women in Optometry seminars in 2014. If you have the opportunity, go!

As eyecare professionals, we have an obligation to protect our patients and our staff from infection while in our offices.

The Georgia Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of a group of optometrists in a case against Spectera Inc., a vision care insurer. The case alleged that Spectera's independent participating provider agreement violated the Georgia Patient Access to Eye Care Act.

The American Academy of Optometry and the American Academy of Ophthalmology recently announced that they are planning to work together on joint educational initiatives. These initiatives are not yet planned, and the organizations anticipate that they will launch sometime in 2015.

Nicox agreed to acquire 100% of the shares of Eupharmed, a privately-held Italian ophthalmic company for €3.5 million.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology reminds parents to exercise caution when considering the purchase of toys that commonly cause eye injuries this holiday season.