optoblog.com

I know that contact lens reps give us pamphlets all the time about their products, but I think it’s cool that they also have them online. I would much rather have it online since I usually just read it once then toss the very nice, cardstock, glossy paper away.

Here is an example of B&L PureVision. I originally got the link in a mass e-mailing from Review of Optometry.

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Someone wrote about allowing patients to schedule on-line using the new Google Calendar.

Aside from any HIPAA issues, I think on-line scheduling done by patients themselves is a very bad idea. As one commenter mentioned, triage is a very important issue regarding when/how soon you get someone it. Also, practice consultants have various scheduling schemes to help us maximize our time for seeing full exams, follow-ups, special testing, etc. Given that we pay for their advice, why would we place control of scheduling into the hands of the general public?

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There are great 2.5 minute healthcare podcasts done by D.O.s at the Ohio University. Actually, the program is called Family Health and is broadcast on radio stations. Overall, I rate the D.O.s involved very favorably towards optometry. They had two different podcasts devoted to “which type of eyecare provider should you choose.” While I felt like they emphasized a little to much that “optometrists are not physicians” it was still pretty good. Even though we go by the name optometric physicians, maybe he meant not a whole body physician?

The bone I would pick is the episode about sports-related eye injuries. I’ve seen several cases, and the majority I was able to handle without referral to a surgeon. Your healthcare dollar would be better spent seeing a private practice optometrist for your sports-related eye injury evaluation. Most should offer 24-hour emergency eyecare. If there were a big problem like retinal detatchment needing referral to a retinal surgeon, you would still pay less for the optometric physician visit than going to the ER. I personally wouldn’t go to your family physician right off the bat (assuming you only have an eye injury and not some multiple system problems) because most don’t have dilating eyedrops, eye pressure testers, biomicroscopes to check for inflamation in the eye, and special lenses for seeing every part of the retina to rule out detatchment.

But really a great site. Great information in little 2.5 minute snippits. You can browse their archives yourself, or I compiled a quick list of eye-related podcasts that I picked up as I quickly scanned their archives:

http://fhradio.org/MP3/26142.mp3
orbital cellulitis

http://fhradio.org/MP3/26113.mp3
uveitis

http://fhradio.org/MP3/26112.mp3
Poor Eyesight and Aging

http://fhradio.org/MP3/26111.mp3
Eye Floaters

http://fhradio.org/MP3/26093.mp3
Astigmatisms and 20/20 vision

http://fhradio.org/MP3/26092.mp3
Eye exercises won’t improve vision

http://fhradio.org/MP3/26091.mp3
Subconjunctival Hemorrhages

http://fhradio.org/MP3/26052.mp3
Antioxidant supplements

http://fhradio.org/MP3/26050.mp3
Pinkeye

http://fhradio.org/MP3/26055.mp3
colorblindness

http://fhradio.org/MP3/25246.mp3
Treatments for Macular Degeneration

http://fhradio.org/RAM/archives/25210.ram
photosensitivity

http://fhradio.org/RAM/archives/25129.ram
Dry Eyes

http://fhradio.org/RAM/archives/25124.ram
Eye-care professionals

http://fhradio.org/RAM/archives/25123.ram
Vision changes in middle age

http://fhradio.org/RAM/archives/25099.ram
Causes and treatment of Glaucoma

http://fhradio.org/RAM/archives/25007.ram
The Eye Doctors

http://fhradio.org/RAM/archives/24215.ram
preventing macular degeration

http://fhradio.org/RAM/archives/24214.ram
Macular Degeneration

http://fhradio.org/RAM/archives/24205.ram
Pinkeye

http://fhradio.org/RAM/archives/24140.ram
Vision problems and young children

http://fhradio.org/RAM/archives/24121.ram
The causes of glaucoma

http://fhradio.org/RAM/archives/24051.ram
Eye Injuries cuased by sports

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April fools has REALLY jumped the shark when people start claiming they have an in home, do-it-yourself solution for LASIK.
The domain is registered by proxy, so we don’t know who is perpetrating this fraud. I seriously hope the general populous doesn’t believe it. The comical cartoon of someone performing LASIK on themselves really gives this away as some sort of joke. I also like the “No-Blink” eye drops so that you won’t blink while lasing yourself.
I’m pretty sure this has to be an ophthalmology resident with too much time on their hands and wanting to make a couple bucks from google adsense advertizing. Trying to order the “kit” only causes an error message, so at least they aren’t trying to hoodwink anyone out of $100.
Also, even if it were for real, wouldn’t the home user be prosecuted for practicing medicine without a license?

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I saw this from an Optometric Physician e-mail newsletter. Coopervision has a website that will attempt to keep track of legislation regarding contact lenses.
I especially enjoyed the letter they wrote to the Utah Attorney General.
Coopervision also has an interesting news site regarding its own contact lenses.
Here’s what I think. Since Utah law makers are so keen to pass laws helping thier own Utah businesses instead of protecting patients and free market enterprise, why don’t all contact lens companies establish offices and factories inside Utah? Then lawmakers won’t know which Utah company to help, so in the end they’ll just have to look at the facts instead of special interests.

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