The COVID-19 pandemic and the early shutdown of non-essential medical visits propelled innovation on the front of home monitoring, diagnostics, and treatment. Some systems are available now, some in the works, and some still on ophthalmologists’ wish list.
All surgical specialties, particularly ophthalmology, are facing steep across-the-board cuts to reimbursement—through a reduction in the conversion factor—if the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 2021 policies for evaluation and management (E/M) go into effect without modification.
Many ophthalmologists have fielded questions about marijuana use and eye health, particularly if they are in a state where medical marijuana is legal.
Monovision is a proven and trustworthy option to attain spectacle independence in patients undergoing cataract surgery. According to Ehud Assia, MD, the best results are attained by waiting for the outcomes of the first-eye surgery before moving on the create monovision.
any practitioners are now reaching for Xiidra (lifitegrast, Shire, Lexington, Massachusetts) 5% for dry eye cases, but sometimes a patient may not initially be considered a success. Here’s what leading practitioners are doing to help more patients find respite with Xiidra.
Though FDA approved, the Light Adjustable Lens (LAL, RxSight, Aliso Viejo, California) is not yet currently available in the U.S. Robert Maloney, MD, Los Angeles, John Doane, MD, Leawood, Kansas, David F. Chang, MD, Los Altos, California, and Kevin Waltz, MD, Indianapolis, discussed their experience with the lens in clinical trial, how it works, and for what corrections it has approval.
The right questions can be key to the early and correct diagnosis of various types of conjunctivitis.
About 1 in 5 Americans use antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications. With that large percentage, ophthalmologists probably encounter patients daily who use or have used these medications.
Today the goal of cataract surgery is to provide patients with the best possible quality of vision. While it is common to see patients post-cataract surgery with a visual acuity (VA) of 20/20, many patients remain dissatisfied with their quality of vision. This is due to several factors, including problems with the ocular surface, pseudophakic dysphotopsia, and optical aberrations in general.
Dry eye is the single most common reason that patients come into a practitioner’s office, with a prevalence of around 40% of those seeking ophthalmic care, according to Hank Perry, MD, Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island, New York. What may not be clear in an office visit is that the patient’s sleep position may be a prime factor in his or her condition.