Volume 6, Issue 38│September 23, 2022
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On-Site Registration Begins Saturday for the
2022 Annual Meeting in Springfield
We hope you will be able to join us for the 2022 Annual Meeting in Springfield, IL, taking place September 29 - October 2, 2022.
Beginning Saturday, any registrations made will be considered on-site. Register now to save $25.
Optometrists can earn up to 18 hours of CE at the Annual Meeting. All courses except the workshops are available tested, so attendees can complete all tested hours in one weekend. Paraoptometrics can earn ten hours of AOA & ABO CE over two days.
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Attendees can browse the Exhibit Hall on Saturday and Sunday to explore all the latest in the ophthalmic world. On Saturday night, IOA will host Illinois Optometry's Celebration where attendees can meet and network with colleagues, the 2022 award winners will be recognized, and Howl at the Moon dueling pianos will play into the night.
Meeting Highlights:
- Win cash prizes during Exhibit Hall
- Earn 18 hours of CE
- Celebrate the installation of the 2022 Board of Directors and 2022 award winners
- Get a headshot photo taken in the Exhibit Hall on Saturday
- Network and enjoy the sounds of Howl at the Moon on Saturday night
You will not want to miss this year's Annual Meeting!
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Keyperson Training at Annual Meeting
Keyperson Training event is open to all IOA member ODs. If you already volunteer as a Keyperson or are interested in becoming involved, this 1-hour session is a great way to learn how to build or grow a relationship with legislators.
The Keyperson Training session will be held on Friday, September 30 at 4:45pm and will take no more than an hour. Please note: this course will not count for CE credit.
What is a Keyperson?
A Keyperson is an individual OD who serves as a contact to their local senator and/or representative. The relationship with a legislator can be made and maintained by attending their political fundraisers, calling their office, writing letters to the legislator, and/or inviting the legislator for an optometry office tour.
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We are celebrating the contributions of paraoptometrics all month long. Share your stories of how they help your practice succeed and be sure to send us a photo. You appreciate them, and we know they’ll be grateful for the recognition this month in Insight. |
Former Optometrist's Test to Detect Brain Injury in Athletes is Gaining Traction
He hopes to get professional sports leagues to formally adopt it as its concussion standard.
In sports at all levels, coaches and trainers and athletes are paying more attention to the dangers of concussion and traumatic brain injury. But beyond blurry vision and a ringing in the ears, diagnosis is rarely precise. It turns out that the best test, devised by a former suburban Chicago optometrist, is practically as easy as reading numbers off a sheet of paper.
It’s called the King-Devick test, originally devised by IOA member Steve Devick, OD and Al King in the 1970s as a graduate school thesis proving in a survey of elementary school students in Downers Grove that small, subtle eye movements could predict whether a student would read well in class. Devick remembers that his professor was unimpressed at the time: “We didn’t even get an A for our efforts.”
Recently, the King-Devick test is getting belated recognition as a spate of scholarly studies, authored by researchers at the Mayo Clinic and the Journal of Science & Medicine in Sport, among other places, have shown that the test is close to 90% accurate in diagnosing concussions in athletes. No other test is nearly as good.
As head injuries rise, Devick is pressing hard this year to get the test more widely accepted by leagues and schools around the U.S.
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Report illegal and unsafe contact lens sales to the FDA & FTC
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2022 Medicare Fee Schedules
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Treating Glaucoma: A Complex Puzzle
Michael Chaglasian, OD, Illinois College of Optometry, Chicago, and Eric Schmidt, OD, Omni Eye Specialists, Wilmington, NC, shared guidelines for ODs on diagnosing glaucoma correctly during the 2022 Vision Expo West in Las Vegas.
The key is knowing a patient’s risk factors, they emphasized.
In clinical practice, identifying these patients begins with a risk factor assessment that includes the family history of glaucoma and the presence of diabetes and systemic hypertension.
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(Right) Clint Taylor, O.D. and Illinois State Representative Patrick Windhorst
(Below) Clint Taylor, O.D., Chase Rudolph, O.D. and Illinois State Representative Paul Jacobs
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CE & UPCOMING EVENTS:
Blackberry Oaks Golf Course
2245 Kennedy Road
Bristol, IL 60512
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Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!
Optometrist Position - Full Time or Part Time - We are a privately owned family practice with six locations in Chicago suburbs and Northwest Indiana. (Read more)
Recent Graduates and Experienced Optometrists are welcome to apply to join our dynamic team! Chicago Cornea Consultants seeks to hire a highly motivated Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) to join our busy and growing practice (Read more)
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Encourage patients who have had a positive experience to leave a Google Review for you and your practice.
Google reviews are becoming more reliable and more important.
Online reviews have a direct correlation with your business’s online reputation, and customers will look for your reviews before making a decision.
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Google is currently the fastest-growing review platform, and therefore reviews on Google have become more critical than ever. Reviews directly impact the local SEO ranking and are an important part of local search marketing strategy. |
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Supplements Slow AMD Progression, Study Data Confirm
September 19, 2022
Optometry Times Journal, September digital edition 2022, Volume 14, Issue 9
AREDS2 formula doesn’t contain beta carotene, reducing the risk of lung cancer.
New research data from the National Eye Institute (NEI) confirm that dietary supplements can decrease the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In a report on a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study recently published in JAMA Ophthalmology, investigators examined 10 years’ worth of data from the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS and AREDS2).1,2
They discovered that the AREDS2 formula—which substituted antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin for beta carotene—not only reduces the risk of lung cancer from beta carotene but is also more effective in reducing the risk of AMD progression, compared with the original formula, according to an NIH news release.3
Emily Chew, MD, director of the NEI’s Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Application, as well as lead author of the study report, said that because taking beta carotene increased the risk of lung cancer for current smokers in 2 NIH-supported studies, the goal with AREDS2 was to create an equally effective supplement formula that could be used by both smokers and nonsmokers.
“This 10-year data confirm that not only is the new formula safer, it’s actually better at slowing AMD progression,” Chew stated in the release.
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Women In Optometry Announces 2022 Theia Awards of Excellence Winners
An Illinois College of Optometry Graduate is Among the Winners.
NEW YORK—Women in Optometry has announced the winners of its 2022 Theia Awards of Excellence. The Awards will be presented toward the end of the Women In Optometry Women’s Leadership Conference, held in conjunction with the American Academy of Optometry in San Diego, California. Each year, WO asks readers and friends to submit the names of women who have been extraordinarily influential in the industry, with the WO advisory board voting on the year’s winners. This year, more than 250 nominations were submitted.
Julie A. Schornack, OD, MEd, president of Marshall B. Ketchum University, Fullerton, California, has been a valued member of the Marshall B. Ketchum community for more than 30 years prior to becoming the institution’s second president. Dr. Schornack received her optometry degree from the Illinois College of Optometry in 1984. One nominator called her “a pioneer for women in leadership positions in optometric education. She has been a mentor for many of us.” Even beyond her own rising responsibilities at the university, another nominator said her vision for the future of the profession is key.
“Dr. Schornack is a trailblazer and sets the tone for others to follow, including administrative policies to enrich our profession. She makes herself available for anyone who needs her and has been an ‘optometric mother’ to so many. For these reasons and more, I am sure that the committee will find her accomplishments worthy of recognition. She is winner of the Leadership Award."
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Dismissal of Virtual Try-On Class Action Illustrates Power of Health Care Exemption as BIPA Defense
A powerful defense has emerged for the targets of VTO suits, and online eyewear retailers in particular—BIPA’s health care exemption.
For almost two years now, online retailers that utilize virtual try-on (“VTO”) tools have faced a barrage of class action litigation alleging that their technology violates the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”). During this period, a powerful defense has emerged for the targets of VTO suits, and online eyewear retailers in particular—BIPA’s health care exemption.
Relying on this exemption, Frames for America, Inc. (“FFA”) defeated a class action lawsuit alleging it improperly collected shoppers’ face geometry data through its VTO tool in violation of Illinois’s biometric privacy statute. The opinion—Svoboda v. Frames For America, Inc., No. 21 C 5509, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 162077 (N.D. Ill. Sept. 8, 2022)—illustrates the strength of this defense to procure outright dismissals in BIPA class actions involving eyewear brands.
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National Health Panel Calls for Anxiety Screenings in Adults
Almost one in five adults have reported anxiety disorders in the last year, driven in part by the pandemic, doctors say
By Michael Rosenfield • Published September 21, 2022 • Updated on September 21, 2022 at 5:58 pm
For the first time a national task force has recommended that doctors screen all adults under 65 for anxiety at routine visits.
The recommendations come from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which has been studying the issue.
"By screening for anxiety disorders we’re able to catch people early," said Dr. Lori Pbert, a task force member and professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.
She says almost one in five adults have reported anxiety disorders in just the last year, driven in part by the pandemic which has led to stress, isolation, and fear.
"We’re hoping these recommendations move the needle and shine a spotlight on the need to expand mental health services in this country," she said.
Dr. Edward Silberman, a psychiatrist at Tufts Medical Center, says screenings could help to identify any issues, but follow-ups will be key.
"Nothing good will come of it unless people have adequate access to services," he said. "Adequate access to mental health care. Without that it’s just kind of a tease."
Dr. Luana Marques, a clinical psychologist at Mass General Hospital, has studied anxiety for two decades.
"I think recommending screenings for anxiety are great in principle," she said.
She says screenings could help to identify patients with issues, but there needs to be investment in mental health.
"We are in the middle of a mental health crisis," she said. "We really need a lot more mental health professionals, psychiatrists, people that can identify and treat emotional challenges."
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THANK YOU TO OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS! |
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