Ophthalmologists need to prepare their practices for the Value-Based Payment (VBP) program for Medicare services. VBP is a strategy to promote quality and value of health care services, with providers being paid based on value-of-care-delivered rather than volume. Regardless of the perspectives, the fact remains that reimbursement can increase or decrease substantially with the VBP program.
New agents and devices offer promise to control IOP and slow, perhaps even stop, the advancing vision loss that is common in glaucoma. Research and development to restore vision is starting to show significant results in preclinical models and early stage clinical trials.
Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole can be used both acutely and prophylactically in patients with Toxoplasma gondii retinochoroiditis.
Recently, I attended two public addresses. Neither of the speakers, I believe, are stupid. But neither (obviously) had a science background.
The intravitreal injection of a recombinant AAV2/2 vector with the wild-type ND4 gene might provide a safe and effective avenue to treat patients with Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy.
Tailor antibiotic choices for each patient, as resistance remains high, according to the 2015 Antibiotic Resistance Monitoring in Ocular micRoorganisms (ARMOR) update.
Dr. Harrie started a vision-screening program at a youth detention center which gives him and his team an opportunity to screen adolescents in the criminal justice system before they are assigned to a rehabilitation program or a long-term incarceration facility.
In the medical field, it is very common to see long distance relationships amongst healthcare professionals including medical students, residents, and fellows who are often in different training programs across the country.
So the next time you hand this task off to the human resources person to do, try jumping back in the saddle and taking the reins.
In the most recent update from the ARMOR study, Penny Asbell, MD, FACS, MBA, explained that clinicians must choose their antibiotics carefully.
Cataract surgery technology continues to advance with improvements that enhance surgical performance every step of the way.
Postoperative endophthalmitis remains a potentially devastating complication of cataract surgery. However, a good visual outcome is possible if the infection is recognized early and treated appropriately, said Harry W. Flynn Jr, MD.
It is no secret consumers use reviews to make buying decisions. The more consumers have to pay out of pocket, the more research they will do to investigate a medical procedure and to choose a surgeon.
Selective two-photon collagen crosslinking has been shown to stiffen any three-dimensional region inside corneal tissue without damaging surrounding tissues.
Compared with daily wear contact lens wear, wavefront-guided LASIK results in better binocular uncorrected visual acuity and comparable subjective outcomes.
Laser-assisted transcanalicular dacryocystorhinostomy is a quick, minimally invasive procedure that may yield a higher success rate than more traditional dacryocystorhinostomy approaches.
A scleral implant surgery system for presbyopia is being evaluated in a phase III study. One investigator talks about his experience.
Rainbow glare rarely occurs after femto-LASIK surgery and is usually transient. Phototherapeutic keratectomy of the flap undersurface targets the cause of the glare and has been used to immediately resolve symptoms in patients with persistent disabling rainbow glare.
In this first of a two-part series, Arun C. Gulani, MD, MS, explains how approaching keratoconus as a refractive surgery will change the way both ophthalmologists and patients will approach this condition to bring in a new era of not only relieving but also enhancing the lifestyle of this patient population. In Part 2, Dr. Gulani will share strategies and cases of patients with keratoconus with different case scenarios in action.
At the 10-year time point after Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty, the endothelial cell density is comparable to that after penetrating keratoplasty at the same time.
If we make the presumption that we will stay reasonably healthy and cognitively intact but cannot live forever, what would be ideal would be to at least know how much time each of us has left upon this green earth.
Dry eye is common in patients with glaucoma and often presumed to be related to the preservative in IOP-lowering medications. Considering alternate causes should also be weighed, in addition to a variety of management techniques.
Understanding the distinction between covered and non-covered services is vital to successful practice management.
Research on the composition of tears and their secretory processes is generating insights that may lead to earlier detection and treatment of Sjögren’s syndrome.
"How can I have a successful private practice and still ensure life balance?" In 2016, this is the question I hear most frequently. It should come as no surprise to you that busy eyecare practitioners need help with time management issues.
A unique, third-generation Flying Eye Hospital is giving wings to Orbis' mission to prevent blindness worldwide. The hospital is the world’s only mobile ophthalmic teaching hospital located on an MD-10 aircraft, and is the byproduct of six years of work by experts in aviation and hospital engineering.
Retinal ganglion cells can be generated from patient-specific, induced pluripotent stem cells and serve as an in vitro model for pharmacologic screening and pathophysiology studies.
In March 2016, the lens regrowth hypothesis was transformed into a distinct clinical possibility. Investigators from China and the United States reported their findings in Nature detailing a series of experiments in animals and children up to 2 years of age
Excimer laser ablations to the cornea (PresbyLASIK) to create a multifocal cornea may be an alternative treatment for patients with presbyopia
In a randomized study, patients receiving bupivocaine had lower pain scores than the control group in the first 30 minutes after surgery. However, other factors may also play a role.
