Progress in Practice

When Walt, Selina, and I returned from the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) annual meeting held in our nation’s capital, we felt that one thing was abundantly clear based on our conversations with colleagues and the sessions we attended: Optometry is primed to handle the medical eye care of our communities. Each of us provided educational courses as part of the meeting, and the rooms were filled with ODs who were excited about providing exceptional care and practicing to the fullest extent of their scope.

The course list was chock-full of advanced procedures for optometrists, such as myopia management, systemic disease management, cataract and refractive surgery care … the list goes on. If you would like to continue to advance our profession together, please consider joining us at MOD Live this September 8–10 in Nashville, Tennessee. We have an amazing lineup of educators who are ready to help you take your practice to the next level.

In this issue of Modern Optometry, our cover focus is on the vital and ever-evolving role of the optometrist in the management of patients with cataracts who are considering refractive surgery. The optometrist is the ideal individual to discuss IOL implant options and postoperative expectations with the patient before the surgery takes place. The work of preparing our patients for cataract and refractive procedures is imperative for their satisfaction. A patient who undergoes an uncomplicated procedure but did not have proper expectations for their vision set before surgery will likely become an unhappy patient. We offer multiple articles written by our colleagues who face such considerations on a daily basis and have shared their insights and expertise. Hitting both ends of the comanagement conversation, M. Nabila Gomez, OD, FAAO, provides a pre-surgery checklist for patients going through refractive intraocular surgery, and Ian McWherter, OD, FAAO, maps the OD’s role in follow-up care. Christopher Kuc, OD, FAAO, and Brian M. Shafer, MD, provide a roadmap of how to match the right IOL implant to the needs and preferences of the individual patient, and Miriam Korik, OD, offers some insights to take into consideration when recommending IOLs to patients.

In the subfocus, our authors dive into the hot topic of myopia management. With research and innovation continuing to expand rapidly, what do optometrists need to know to stay current? Vittorio Mena, OD, MS; Angie Wen, MD; and James S. Wolffsohn, BSc(Hons), MBA, PhD, provide a global perspective on the subject. You’ll get a rundown of treatment options available now, as well as those we are likely to have at our disposal in the near future, courtesy of Ashley Tucker, OD, FAAO, FSLS, Dipl ABO. The last article in the subfocus comes from Andrew D. Pucker, OD, PhD, FAAO, who sets out to myth-bust the 20/20/20 rule.

We hope you enjoy this issue. I know I speak for my co-chiefs when I say we are excited to continue to have discussions around all the exceptional care that ODs are providing across the United States. It was evident at AOA, and we look forward to continuing the discussion at MOD Live this September. Please consider joining us—visit modlivemeeting.com to register today!

—Justin Schweitzer, OD, FAAO