At the time of this writing, the optometric community is gearing up for the beginning of the spring optometry conference season. Attending large meetings throughout the year is quite inspiring. These gatherings offer opportunities to connect with other eye care professionals, add to our knowledge base, and gain exposure to best practices and new testing and treatment options.
This year will be particularly exciting for us. The first BMC Vision Summit will take place in Philadelphia, September 25-27, 2020. As program chairs alongside Walter O. Whitley, OD, MBA, FAAO, and Aaron Lech, OD, FAAO, we are thrilled to bring a new style of learning to optometry. We will keep you updated on developments over the upcoming issues. For now, though, let’s shift our attention to the current issue, which takes a deep dive into cornea and anterior segment disease.
It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul and that they hold particular value to one’s appearance and to how the world around us is experienced and perceived. Mother Nature has equipped the eyes with many protective barriers to allow them to be exposed to the environment without injury while maintaining optimal vision. When the eyes and their associated physiologic structures perform suboptimally, or when the barriers of protection are breached, it can cause pain, blurred vision, and anxiety to our patients. In this issue we offer a great mixed bag of articles on various cornea and anterior segment diseases and how to manage them.
Aaron Bronner, OD, explains the proper diagnosis and management of corneal ulcers in “Microbial Corneal Ulcers A to Z.” If you’re looking to learn more about herpetic eye disease, you’ll want to read the piece by Leslie Small, OD, FAAO. Scott G. Hauswirth, OD, FAAO, and Bita Asghari, OD, FAAO, provide a comprehensive explanation of how medical management and the use of scleral lenses can improve outcomes for patients presenting with limbal cell deficiency. Charles Roseman, OD, FAAO, discusses how to reduce the risk of corneal ectasia in patients who have had refractive surgery. Rebecca Miller, OD, tackles the topic of corneal collagen crosslinking, getting into what it is and when it’s best to refer a patient for treatment. Even our Complex Cases column offers one more cornea topic for those of you who just can’t get enough. Click here for insights into recognizing and managing myobacterial ocular infections from Stephanie Frankel, OD.
Of course there’s much more to this issue as well. We invite you to venture inside and see for yourself. As always, we thank you for taking the time to read these pages. We base many of the topics in each issue on feedback we get from readers like you. We hope you find value in this issue that you can use regularly in patient care in your practice.
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