BVPPO Section Newsletter

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A Message from the BVPPO Section

BVPPO Section Newsletter - May 2019

In This Issue:

Message from the Section Chair
2019 BVPPO Educational Program
Diplomate Program
Currently Recruiting Research Studies
BVPPO Section Members in the Spotlight
Publications (December 2018-Present)

Message from the Section Chair

Happy Summer! Right now October seems like a long time away, but it is not too late to start thinking about attending Academy 2019 Orlando and the 3rd World Congress of Optometry, October 23-27, 2019. This year, the BVPPO Section has planned some exciting events.

The BVPPO Section will have its first joint symposium with the Nutrition, Disease Prevention and Wellness (NDPW) Special Interest Group. The topic for the joint symposium is “Current Perspectives of Vision Disorders and Patient Wellness in Concussion Management.” The featured speakers are involved in the cutting-edge concussion research involving the visual system and the overall health and wellness of patients with concussion. The panel will include John Leddy, MD, Anne Mucha, DPT, MS, NCS, Tara Alvarez, PHD, and Gerald Grant, MD.

If you are in the process of becoming a Diplomate or have an interest in pursuing a Diplomate, we urge you to strongly consider attending our annual Diplomate Preparatory Course. This course will occur on Tuesday October 22, before the joint meeting begins. In addition to the excellent continuing education in binocular vision, perception, and pediatric optometry presented by our current Diplomates, the program will also provide a clear overview of the Diplomate process and many opportunities to ask questions throughout the session. This year, attendees can register for the entire day or just a half day of classes.

For the first time, the BVPPO Section will be hosting a Residency Information Session for optometry students who are interested in pursuing a residency in pediatric optometry, vision therapy/binocular vision or vision rehabilitation. This is a great opportunity for students to connect with residency supervisors and current residents from a number of institutions, who will be in attendance to discuss their programs. More information on this event will follow in the coming months, so stay tuned.

Finally, there will be a number of high quality continuing education courses related to binocular vision and pediatrics presented at the meeting. A full list of binocular vision and pediatric courses is included in this newsletter.

Many thanks to those of you who responded to the survey that was sent out by the Section at the end of last year. We are always looking for ways to improve the Section and your opinions are much appreciated. We have received many valuable comments and are working to implement some of these ideas at this year’s meeting.

Marie

2019 BVPPO Educational Program

Section Symposium

Friday October 25, 2:00 - 4:00 PM

BVPPO Section and NDPW SIG Joint Symposium: Beyond the Basics: Vision Disorders and Wellness Factors in Patients with Concussion

Moderators: Tawna Roberts, OD, PhD, FAAO, Christine Winter-Rundell, OD, FAAO

Speakers: John Leddy, MD, Anne Mucha, DPT, MS, NCS, Tara Alvarez, PhD, and Gerald Grant, MD.

Details: This symposium will feature speakers involved in the cutting-edge concussion research that impacts the visual system including topics of vestibular-ocular disorders, convergence insufficiency, and other eye movement disorders. Additionally, the symposium will dedicate time to current research on issues concerning the overall health and wellness of our patients with concussion.

Diplomate Preparatory Course

Tuesday October 23, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Topics/Speakers:

Pediatric Pharmacology for the Anterior Segment – Marie Bodack
Pediatric Neuro Eye Conditions – Marie Bodack
Visual Information Processing Diagnosis and Treatment – Christine Allison
Lunch Time Information Session – Angela Chen
Strabismus Diagnosis and Exotropia Management – Erin Jenewein
Correspondence and Esotropia Management – Kelly Frantz

Registration Details: Please register for this course along with your Academy meeting registration. The early registration fee is $164 (full day) or $82 (half day), both of which include the cost of lunch. At the time of registration, please sign up for two half days to register for a full day course. You will receive 4 hours of CE for half a day and 8 hours of CE for a full day.

Additional details for the courses listed can be found in the attached information sheet .

BVPPO Courses at the Academy Meeting

Media Use and Vision in Children - Yin Tea, Raymond Chu
Dry Eye Disease in Children and Teenagers: A Rising Concern - Yi Pang, Jennifer Harthan
Evidence Based Amblyopia Treatment: A Current Perspective and Implications for Practice - Susan Cotter
Evaluation and Management of Abnormal Head Postures - Suzanne Wickum
Fixation Disparity: What, How, Why, When? - Mark Rosenfield
Strabismus for the Primary Care Optometrist - Angela Chen, Susan Cotter
Pediatric Special Populations: Primary Care Examinations - Amy Waters, Amy Sullivan
A Primary Care Approach to Binocular Disorders - Sarah El-Khazendar, Kelly Frantz
Managing Digital Device Use in Young Children - Glen Steele
Double Vision in Adults - Katie Connolly
Evidence-based Practice for CI - Angela Chen, Kristine Huang
Prescribing for Pediatric Hyperopia - Ann Morrison
Restrictive Strabismus: Shedding Light on a Conundrum - Debora Chen, Yu-Tai Wu
The Role of Primary Care Optometry in Managing Sports-related Concussions - Katherine Green, Amar Sayani
Childhood Headaches: Differential Diagnosis for the Optometrist - Susan Cotter
Infantile Esotropia - Evaluation and Management - Curtis Baxstrom
Evaluation and Treatment for Children with Special Needs - Cathy Stern
Acquired Brain Injury Diagnosis and Treatment: Cases from the Trenches - Marc Taub
Are We Being Myopic about Myopia? Evidence-based Clinical Care of Myopia - Fuensanta Vera-Diaz
Timeless Truth in Vision Development - Glen Steele
Introduction to the Visual Perception Evaluation - Tamara Petrosyan

For more information on the dates and times of the aforementioned courses, please visit the BV Lectures webpage.

Call for Abstracts

Scientific Program Abstracts

Submission of abstracts for the Academy 2019 Orlando and the 3rd World Congress of Optometry Scientific Program is open from May 1-31, 2019 . Please consider submitting an abstract to share your research in paper or poster format.

Submit Your Abstract

Residents Day Abstracts

Attention all residents! Do you have an interesting and unique patient case to share with your fellow residents? If so, the Academy invites you to submit your abstract for Residents Day. The Residents Day submission window will be open from August 1-19, 2019 .

Learn More

Diplomate News

Whether you are currently working towards a BVPPO Diplomate or are considering going through the process, detailed information about the Diplomate program can be found on the Academy website.

See what Erin Jenewein, OD, MS, FAAO, one of our new Diplomates from 2018, has to say about her Diplomate experience:

"I first became interested in the Diplomate process because many of my mentors who I greatly admire are Academy Diplomates in their respective sections. They all spoke very positively about both the Diplomate process and how being a Diplomate greatly helped them in their careers. I looked forward to challenging myself to learn more about pediatrics, binocular vision and perception, and I knew that completing this process would make me a better clinician and teacher.

One of the best aspects of the Diplomate process is the mentorship that you receive both from your personal mentor and also other section members that are helping guide you through the case reports and the written, practical and oral examination. Writing case reports on various topics forced me to take time to reflect on how I approach the treatment of different conditions. Although it can be humbling to have your case reports critically reviewed, I really believe that it is the best way to grow and improve as a clinician. Preparing for the written, practical and oral examination allowed me to strengthen any weaknesses that I had and also review many of the things that I had learned as a student and resident, but now on a more advanced level.

Completing the Diplomate process has had an enormous impact on how I practice optometry and how I teach my residents and students. Although I felt like I knew a lot of information after I completed my residency, this process has truly elevated me to a higher level as a clinician and teacher. I am honored to be part of this esteemed group and I look forward to serving the section and helping others reach their goal of becoming a BVPPO Diplomate."

Currently Recruiting Research Studies

Research is crucial to the advancement of our field. Please consider referring potentially eligible patients to your colleagues who are recruiting for the studies below.

Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group

ATS20 - Binocular Dig Rush Game Treatment for Amblyopia **

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of 1 hour/day of binocular game play 5 days per week with continued optical correction to optical correction alone, in children 4 to <7 years of age.

ATS21: Evaluation of accommodative behavior in children with and without Amblyopia **

Objective: To determine the proportion of amblyopic children 5 to <11 years of age with “abnormal” accommodative behavior (amplitude, accuracy, and variability) in the amblyopic eye.

The results of this study will ultimately decide whether the network will pursue a randomized clinical trial comparing bifocal therapy to single vision lenses in the treatment of amblyopia.

MTS1 - Low-Dose Atropine for Prevention of Myopia **

Objective: To determine, 1) The efficacy of daily low-dose atropine (0.01%) for slowing myopia progression over a two-year treatment period in children aged 5 to less than 13 years with myopia -1.00 to -6.00D at the time of enrollment (Primary Outcome On-Treatment), and 2) The efficacy of atropine treatment on myopia progression 6 months following cessation of low-dose atropine treatment (Secondary Outcome Off-Treatment).

** Participating clinics in your state can be found here.

BVPPO Section Members in the Spotlight

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the following members on their recent awards:

Leonard Press, OD, FAAO, FCOVD

Presidential Medal of Honor

Conferred in April 2019, by the Pennsylvania College of Optometry

Paula McDowell, OD, FAAO

“Young Optometrist of the Year” Award

Conferred in January 2019, by the Michigan Optometric Association

Emily Wiecek, OD, PhD, FAAO

Career Starter Grant from Knights Templar

2019 – 2020, Boston Children’s Hospital

Publications (December 2018 to Present)

Our BVPPO Section members are really leading the way in our profession! The following peer-reviewed articles were recently published:

Authors: Hussaindeen JR, Mariam EG, Arunachalam S, Bhavatharini R, Gopalakrishnan A, Narayanan A, Agarkar S, Sivaraman V

Title: Comparison of axial length using a new swept- source optical coherence tomography-based biometer - ARGOS with partial coherence interferometry- based biometer -IOLMaster among school children

Journal: PLoS One

Publication date: December 2018

Publication details: 13(12):e0209356

Authors: Manh, V

Title: Invited Commentary: Establishing Prescribing Guidelines in School-Based Eye Health Programs in Children Aged 11 to 15 Years -The Conundrum of Cost vs Benefit

Journal: JAMA Ophthalmology