HB 527, which would allow expanded privileges to optometrists, was not brought to the Louisiana House floor last week as planned.

Topcon's new software solutions division will encompass the company's software products, including EyeRout and Synergy.

"Look for evidence, and don't fall for iffy claims," says Liz Seegert in Associations of Health Care Journalists blog.

Are 3D movies not only box office blockbusters, but also an emerging public health opportunity for optometry? As 3D and stereoscopic 3D (S3D) become more common in movies and television, video games, mobile devices, and in the classroom and the workplace, many people will discover that they can’t appreciate this new technology because of vision problems.

Jack Sutton, OD, never had any intention of becoming a journalist. During college, he never stepped foot in a writing class. He never wrote for the school’s newspaper. He never even applied for journalism jobs.

Retailers do it. Utility companies do it. Even mortgage lenders. So why not optometrists?

For Eric White, OD, “going green” started as a family affair. His son Tyler, a recent college graduate, proposed greening the practice. Tyler White observed, analyzed, and put an eco-friendly makeover into action.

Capital investments can seem risky, especially when the economy has been anything but flourishing. And when you are one of few providers in a rural area, it is easy to assume that purchasing the latest computer systems and diagnostic equipment is unnecessary. However, my optometry practice in a small rural town has done just that, and the result has been improved patient care and excellent returns to the bottom line.

As Facebook continues to soar past one billion users and expand its geographic reach, practice owners might consider pulling the plug on their Web site in favor of having Facebook as their sole representation in the digital space.

Half of the U.S. population will be part of one racial or ethnic minority group or another by 2050, presenting both challenges and opportunities to optometrists nationwide. It definitely won’t be business as usual.

Astigmatism is not a disease. Many of our patients have been told they have “stigmatism” and equate this term with familiar eye diseases, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration.

A 56 year-old black female attended to clinic for a 6-month follow-up of macular hole (MH) OD with mild vitreous traction at the macula OS. Aside from the MH and minimal refractive correction, the ocular history is unremarkable. She has been systemically treated for hypertension and diabetes for 20 years. Examination revealed best-corrected visual acuity of 10/400 OD and 20/25 OS. At that time, an OCT baseline was performed. The figures show baseline fundus photographs taken 3 months earlier (See Figure 1).

I have a simple message to share with any ODs contemplating retirement: Sell your practice before either it dies or you do. I consider myself fortunate to have sold my practice sooner than I had anticipated; only much later did I realize it was at exactly the right time.

Justin Bazan, OD, tells why he abandoned his practice Web site in favor of social media. According to Dr. Bazan, social media outshines Web sites and adds features that Web sites could never incorporate as effectively.