New School of Optometry

...The optometry school will open next year .... There hasn't been a new school of optometry opened in the U.S. for more than 20 years............There is only one existing school of optometry in Texas, at the University of Houston. ...But the optometric industry hasn't been pushing for new schools, said Marty Wall, executive director of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry. "It's a free market system, and schools start because of a perceived need," Wall said. "Texas may have unique needs." Western University of Health Sciences in California also is opening an optometry school, which just received pre-accreditation. Wall said hiring faculty is a major issue that any new school will face as much as existing colleges of optometry. Teaching doesn't pay nearly as well as practicing the profession. Agnese said an optometrist in Texas can expect to make $150,000 a year immediately after graduation.

Comment: It is my personal opinion that we probably have enough schools/colleges of optometry to meet the needs of the American people. As a faculty member at an existing school/college of optometry, it is going to be interesting to see how these new schools can attract qualified faculty. Many of the existing schools have to work very hard to hire only the very best. DM

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Why do doctors fixate on diagnosis, not treatment?

..............The real trouble is that doctors—somewhat paradoxically—are simply not focused on actually treating disease.............

Comment: Those of us who do therapy know the importance of not only diagnosis but also therapy. Diagnosis, oftentimes, is easier than therapy. Therapy requires committment, compliance, and an incredible understanding of the disease or functional anomaly that is being treated by both the patient and the doctor. DM

Stereoacuity Testability in African-American and Hispanic Pre-School Children

Eighty percent of children aged 30 to 72 months can be tested using the Randot Pre-school Stereoacuity test. Testability increases steadily with age, and 97% of children over 48 months of age can complete the test. Testability does not differ between children of Hispanic and black ethnicity.

Comment: Young children should be examined at 6-12 months of age...and yearly after that. DM

Preterm motor performance at age 4

Sullivan MC, Hawes K.A decade comparison of preterm motor performance at age 4.
Res Nurs Health. 2007 Dec;30(6):641-54.

.... Motor problems continue to affect preterm children at age 4, .... despite a decade of neonatal intensive care advancements.

Comment: If you have a preterm child, you should have a functional optometrist evaluate fine motor, visual motor, visual motor integration and related areas. These may benefit from optometric vision therapy. DM

Survey Finds Many Americans Clueless About Eye Disease

Findings point to need for education, outreach efforts, experts say
Many Americans are unaware of the warning signs of eye diseases that could blind them if not detected and treated soon enough, a new survey shows.

Comment: While this Healthday.com article primarily talks about eye health issues, it should be pointed out that Americans also need to be educated about learning related vision problems, visually efficiency anomalies, and vision information processing abnormalities that, if left untreated, could have devastating effects on academics, sports participation, self-esteem and other areas....especially for children. The educated patient benefits most from the eye and vision care given at Northwest Optometric Associates. If you want to know something...or just ask a question, please ask us! DM

Post brain injury: New nerve cells originate from neural stem cells

...in an injured region of the brain, adult neural stem cells exist that could later serve as a source of new nerve cells....

Parents May Be Jailed Over Vaccinations

Two sets of parents in Belgium were recently handed five month prison terms for failing to vaccinate their children against polio. Each parent was also fined 4,100 euros ($8,000).

Comment: Have your child vaccinated. Polio is a horrible disease that could once again occur in the US if you do not protect your children. The governement should not have to put parents into jail to protect a child's health. DM

WebMD Video on Vision Therapy

Fictional show enters autism-vaccine area

From Infectious Diseases in Children

Eli Stone’s pilot failed to present mountains of evidence exonerating thimerosal

ABC gets a “D” or, more accurately, an “F,” for the failure of their writers to do their homework.

In the network’s show, Eli Stone, the “successful attorney’s” recovery of damages for his plaintiff in a lawsuit that claimed that a made-up mercury-based preservative in a vaccine was to blame for his client’s autism was irresponsible. Although the show includes statements that science has refuted any link between autism and vaccines, the episode’s conclusion delivers a contrary impression.

Quick Quiz on Eye Health

A new report shows many of us aren't doing everything we can to save our sight.It's estimated one in every 28 Americans aged 40 and older will have some sort of vision loss.

Objectively monitored patching regimens for treatment of amblyopia: randomised trial

Substantial (6 h a day) and maximal (12 h a day) prescribed occlusion results in similar visual outcome. On average, the occlusion dose received in the maximal group was only 50% more than in the substantial group and in both groups was much less than that prescribed. Younger children required the least occlusion.

Comment: Patching for 2hrs per/day with active vision therapy improves amblyopia....with less hours of patching required. DM

Visual Processing Problems in Autism

This video program featuring my friend and colleague, Dr. Charles Shidlofsky looks at autism and the dianosis and management of individuals with autism. DM

Training Eyes after Stroke-Induced Hemianopia Changes the Brain

Increasing brain activity is the key to improving eyesight by visual training for stroke patients with hemianopia...

Comment: The brain remains "plastic" (changeable) well into our adult years. We can use optometric vision therapy to help those with stroke and other forms of acquired brain injury. Go to the College of Optometrists in Vision Development and the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association websites for more information. DM

Early Glasses Do the Trick for Bilateral Amblyopia

Early prescription of glasses for children with bilateral refractive amblyopia may prevent a lifetime of visual disability, a team of pediatric ophthalmologists has found.


Comment: The American Optometric Association recommends the child's first eye examination to occur between 6-12months of age. If we can examine children as an infant, toddler or pre-school child...we could eliminate amblyopia!! Check out the InfantSee program today! DM

Providing Eyeglasses a Boon for Nursing Home Residents

The simple expedient of giving glasses to nursing home residents to correct refractive error improved their quality of life and decreased depression.....

Buying Contact Lenses on Internet Symptomatic of Risky Eye Care

Buying contact lenses directly from doctors is more likely to lead to prudent [better and more appropriate] eye care than is patronizing Internet sites or optical chain stores....

Binocular Vision and Pediatrics Forum

The Binocular Vision and Pediatrics Forum is a unique conference which includes one day of binocular vision and pediatrics education for eye care professionals and a multi-disciplinary day which provides timely information on assessing and managing children with learning problems from a multi-disciplinary perspective.

The 2008 Binocular Vision and Pediatrics Forum will be held April 17-18 in Columbus, Ohio. Insights will be shared from the perspectives of optometry, education, psychology, audiology, speech/language, and occupational therapy. This year’s program will include the following:

• April 17
  • Infant eye exams (Dr. Don Lyon)
  • Evaluation of Children with Special Needs (Dr. Don Lyon)
  • Vision Therapy for Non-strabismic Binocular Vision Disorders (Dr. Don Lyon)
  • Strabismus (Dr. Don Lyon)
• April 18
  • Educational Implications of Traumatic Brain Injury in Children (Dr. Keith Owen Yeates)
  • Common Vision Disorders in the School Population (Dr. Don Lyon)
  • Evidence-Based Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Dr. Jane Case- Smith)
  • Why Telling Children Doesn't Work ...(When Words Get in the Way) (Dr. Yvonne Gustafson)
  • Teaching at Point of Difficulty (Dr. Lea McGee)
  • Auditory Processing and Learning Deficits: Hearing’s Piece of the Puzzle (Ursula M. Goss)

More information about this conference is available on our website at http://optometry.osu.edu/BVPF.

We hope to see you there!

Dr. Marjean Taylor Kulp
Associate Professor
The Ohio State University
College of Optometry
338 W. 10th Ave
Columbus, OH 43210
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://optometry.osu.edu/BVPF

Birth-Defect Research Breakthrough

Scientists have discovered how to prevent certain craniofacial disorders in what could ultimately lead to at-risk babies being treated in the womb.

Development Of Guidelines For Computer Use By Children Recommended

A new study by human factors researchers in Australia suggests that students' posture is affected by the height at which they view classroom learning materials. The researchers cited computer screen displays positioned at mid-level as causing less musculoskeletal strain than high- and book-level displays. Their findings were published in the February 2008 issue of Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Comment: Also search "computer vision syndrome". DM

Who Is Likely To Get Dry Eye Syndrome After LASIK Surgery

Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute have found that people with a certain low level of tear production are more likely to develop chronic dry eye syndrome after LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis), laser refractive surgery to correct near- and far-sightedness than those with more plentiful tears...

Comment:Always have a complete dry eye work-up (and binocular vision evaluation) before refractive surgery. DM

The psychosocial aspects of strabismus in teenagers and adults and the impact of surgical correction

Strabismus surgery to restore ocular alignment has a significant effect on patients’ self-esteem and self-confidence in patients with childhood-onset strabismus

Comment: Non-surgcial intervention, optometric vision therapy, can also postively alter self-confidence and self-esteem.

Jaundice: Why your baby may look yellow

Jaundice is a common condition that affects six out of 10 newborns, according to the March of Dimes. CNN learned more about infant jaundice from Dr. Anne Hansen, a neonatologist at Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

Hypermetropia and esotropia in myotonic dystrophy

Children with myotonic dystrophy should receive detailed eye examinations with emphasis placed on recognition and management of hypermetropia and strabismus

Seeing the face through the eyes: a developmental perspective on face expertise

Most people are experts in face recognition. We propose that the special status of this particular body part in telling individuals apart is the result of a developmental process that heavily biases human infants and children to attend towards the eyes of others. We review the evidence supporting this proposal, including neuroimaging results and studies in developmental disorders, like autism. We propose that the most likely explanation of infants’ bias towards eyes is the fact that eye gaze serves important communicative functions in humans.

Ten Amazing Brain Facts

What part of you is only 1% to 3% of your body’s mass, yet uses 20% of all the oxygen you breathe? Your brain! Here are ten more brain facts.

Controversy in the management of convergence excess esotropia

What is the clinical problem? Children with a significant esotropia for near but a smaller or no deviation for distance. What is the controversy? There are two treatment strategies. Patients may be managed either with optical correction (bifocal glasses) or with surgery. What are the important issues? Are we treating a homogeneous group? What are the objectives of treatment? What are the outcome measures? Is one treatment strategy more effective than the other? What are the complications of each treatment strategy? Can we create an evidence based treatment strategy?

Comment: It is sad that these authors do not recognize a third alternative...and that is optometric vision therapy. DM

Aromatherapy Sniffs Down the Garden Path

..........The only unambiguous positive effect the researchers found was that lemon oil genuinely lifted mood, according to an objective clinical evaluation as well as participants' self-assessment...

Comment: Sometimes just smelling something good makes it a much better day! DM

Non-stimulant curbs ADHD in fragile X syndrome

L-acetylcarnitine (LAC)...may be considered an alternative to stimulants to control attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children with the genetic disorder known as fragile X syndrome, researchers conclude based on study they conducted.

Fragile X Research

Drosophila drug screen for fragile X syndrome finds promising compounds and potential drug targets

Scientists using a new drug screening method in Drosophila (fruit flies), have identified several drugs and small molecules that reverse the features of fragile X syndrome -- a frequent form of mental retardation and one of the leading known causes of autism. The discovery sets the stage for developing new treatments for fragile X syndrome.