Amblyopia InfoGraphic

My good friends and colleagues at VisionHelp have created this wonderful infographic concerning amblyopia (lazy eye). You guys ROCK!! DM

Clinical Guidelines When Treating Preschoolers With ADHD Not Followed By 90 Percent Of Pediatric Specialists

Clinical Guidelines When Treating Preschoolers With ADHD Not Followed By 90 Percent Of Pediatric Specialists

....."It is unclear why so many physicians who specialize in the management of ADHD -- child neurologists, psychiatrists and developmental pediatricians -- fail to comply with recently published treatment guidelines," said Andrew Adesman, MD, senior investigator and chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park. "With the AAP now extending its diagnosis and treatment guidelines down to preschoolers, it is likely that more young children will be diagnosed with ADHD even before entering kindergarten. Primary care physicians and pediatric specialists should recommend behavior therapy as the first line treatment." ....

Comments: I wonder how many suggest a comprehensive eye and vision examination?  Binocular vision problems such as convergence insufficiency has been shown to be associated with attention problems. Do you think your child might have ADD, ADHD or problems with impulsivity? Developmental optometrists can help. To find such a doctor go to COVD or OEPF. If you live in Chicago-land consider the Illinois Eye Institute or Lyons Family Eye Care (the two places I tend to hand out at!) DM

The relationship between binocular vision symptoms and near point of convergence

The relationship between binocular vision symptoms and near point of convergence

.....a cutoff point of 9.5 cm correlated with the presence of symptoms with the testing procedures used in this study. ...The determination of NPC is helpful in the differentiation of symptomatic from asymptomatic subjects......

Comments: It is interesting that it has become harder and harder to get my primary colleagues to do a NPC on all there patients during a primary care evaluation. Time and again the NPC has been shown to be important in the determination of the presence of convergence insufficiency. I would also recommend that when you do a NPC that you use the red light method...which is very sensitive for the presence of convergence insufficiency. DM

Survey Of High School Football Players Shows Many Would Not Report Concussion Symptoms To A Coach

Survey Of High School Football Players Shows Many Would Not Report Concussion Symptoms To A Coach

.....The study of 120 high school football players in the Cincinnati area also found that one-quarter had suffered a concussion, and more than half acknowledged they would continue to play with symptoms of a concussion....

Comments: Teens are known to exhibit reckless behavior and unwarranted risk taking. The coaches and parents must take control of the situation and not allow these injured children to continue to play. The King-Devick Test has been shown to screen for concussion and should probably be used to help make a field side determination of the presence of concussion. DM

How do doctors get paid?

How do doctors get paid?

How do doctors get paid?

Imagine going to your favorite restaurant.  You are greeted at the door by the hostess, who seats you and takes your drink order.  You order through your favorite waiter, Andrew, who recommends the special of the day: prime rib with a dinner salad and a chocolate torte for dessert. Soon after, the food is brought out and it is delicious!  You have time to enjoy your food.  You then receive the bill and pay for your meal, returning to your home satisfied, all your dining needs met.  Let’s say, for simplicity's sake, you paid $75 for this meal: $50 for the steak, $10 for the salad and $15 for the dessert. 

A change then occurs in the restaurant industry.  A new form of eating out has been adopted.  Your favorite restaurant has now contracted with over 30 different ”restaurant insurance companies.”  .....

Comments: This is an article by Megan Lewis, M.D.. She tells this story that under normal circumstances might make you laugh. But because this is how doctors get paid and how patients are treated....well, crying is a better response. Just way until "O"care kicks in! Read the full story....you have too do this....by clicking on the title above. DM

Marketing Vision Therapy

This is an article I wrote for OM. Click on the title to read the whole article! DM

Marketing Vision Therapy

Once you’ve prepared to offer VT services, how do you spread the word?

by

DOMINICK M. MAINO, O.D., M.ED., F.A.A.O., F.C.O.V.D.-A. CHICAGO, ILL.

 You’ve determined how much space is needed for a room dedicated to vision therapy (VT). You’ve purchased the starter equipment. You have a few patients scheduled to begin therapy. An enthusiastic staff member has been trained as the in-office vision therapist.

Now, how do you market your VT services?

Follow these four steps to increase your number of VT patients and referrals.

1. Obtain credentials.

Consider becoming a Fellow in the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) (http://www.covd.org/Portals/0/2013FellowshipCertificationGuide.pdf) and a member of the Pediatrics/Binocular Vision Section and/or a Diplomate in the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) (www.aaopt.org/) in the VT area.

When you obtain these additional credentials, you are then networked into each organization’s referral system. Also, potential patients seek these organizations for the names of doctors they can trust to provide the best care possible. COVD has a very active public information program to help the public learn about VT services.

In the near future, third-party payers may require proof of expertise and board certification in VT before considering your patient’s request for coverage. The aforementioned advanced credentials assure that you have and continue to maintain the education and training to best serve your patients’ needs.

2. Look within.

Instruct your staff to inform everyone they know that you now offer VT services.....

3. Go outside your practice.

The two primary ways to market your VT practice externally:

1. Contact professional individuals. ....

2. Use the Internet. ....

Also, take advantage of the major social media platforms:

Facebook.... 

Twitter. ....

LinkedIn....

Pinterest. ....

Blog. ....

4. Invest in computerized technology.....

Providing help

By following the marketing steps outlined above, you’ll not only increase VT patient flow, you’ll also help many families realize that VT is the answer that they have been seeking. OM

Dr. Maino is a Professor of Pediatrics/Binocular Vision at the Illinois Eye Institute/Illinois College of Optometry, Distinguished Practitioner of the National Academies of Practice, a Leonardo da Vinci Award for Excellence in Medicine recipient and practices at Lyons Family EyeCare. E-mail him at [email protected], or send comments to [email protected].

For more information about the technology noted below, please read the full article on the OM website or in the magazine.  DM

Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technology*

• ADR iNet. 

• Amblyopia iNet. 

• Brainware Safari. .

• BVA. 

• Computer Orthoptics. Therapy procedures

• Computerized Perceptual Therapy.

• HTS iNet. 

• Neuro-Vision Rehabilitator

• Perceptual Visual Tracking Program. .

• Play Attention. .

• PTS II iNet.

• PTS Test. 

• ReadAlyzer Eye Movement Recording System. 

• Sanet Vision Integrator. 

• Sub iNet. 

• TOVA (Test of Variables Attention).

• Track & Read. 

• Visagraph. 

• Vision Builder.

• Visual Information Processing Skills (VIPS). 

• Visual Thinking 101. 

 

New Study Examines How Individuality Develops: How Experience Leads To The Growth Of New Brain Cells

New Study Examines How Individuality Develops: How Experience Leads To The Growth Of New Brain Cells


......The adult brain continues to grow with the challenges that it faces; its changes are linked to the development of personality and behavior. But what is the link between individual experience and brain structure? Why do identical twins not resemble each other perfectly even when they grew up together? To shed light on these questions, the scientists observed forty genetically identical mice that were kept in an enclosure offering a large variety of activity and exploration options. .....

2014 COVD Call for Courses

New Study Links Lutein, Zeaxanthin And Omega-3 Supplementation With Eye Health Benefits

New Study Links Lutein, Zeaxanthin And Omega-3 Supplementation With Eye Health Benefits


..... a 12 month period, the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel clinical trial ..... A total of 172 individuals with nonexudative ...  AMD were recruited to evaluate the effects of the administration of either a capsule containing 10+1 mg of lutein and zeaxanthin ... and 100 mg DHA + 30 mg EPA or twice these dosages ... on the plasma xanthophyll concentrations and fatty acid profiles, antioxidant capacity in plasma, and optical density of the macular pigment. The results demonstrate that the study supplementation significantly improved the plasma antioxidant capacity, circulating macular xanthophyll levels, and the optical density of the macular pigment. These are important factors that could help reducing the risk of progression to wet AMD, what would be particularly relevant in the studied population.....