I get a real hoot out of some the letters we receive from family and friends this time of year. In that spirit, I thought I would share an Optometric Physician holiday letter with you.

What an odd year this has been. We saw the start of federally sanctioned groping at airports and an election where disenchanted voters changed the very fabric of our government. The economy didn't get any better, and the reality of the depth of our financial problems has really started to sink in. Heathcare reform is now in critical condition, but insurers and bureaucrats haven't noticed the laser target aimed at their hearts just yet.

Personally, this was a year where I've rediscovered the meaning of true friendship; the kind where people stick with you when thick turns to thin. I've come to appreciate old friends all the more and I better comprehend how stark the contrast is between decency and malice. I figured out that doing the right thing is not always easy and that honesty is still the best policy, but apparently not everyone agrees. I've witnessed politics at its worst, but I've also learned the virtue of patience and the value of listening and seeking counsel.

Optometry in 2010 reflected turmoil and dissention. Our profession remains fragmented and many feel angry and disenfranchised. Yet despite all of this angst, I see glimmers of hope starting to emerge from the fog of discord.

2010 was a banner year for new drugs and flopped launches. An absurd and perverse regulatory environment has made it increasingly difficult to care for our patients. Sadly, appreciating just how good the good old days were has less and less to do with my age.

This is the last issue of 2010. I wish all of you joyful and peaceful holidays and I look forward to sharing a much better 2011 with you. Thank you for your friendship, your support and for welcoming me into your homes and offices every week.

Arthur B. Epstein, OD, FAAO Chief Medical Editor [email protected]

 

 

A 30-year-old female presented with ocular pain and epiphora in both eyes. These symptoms developed after she had undergone facial intense pulsed-light (IPL) treatment. She was wearing cosmetic contact lenses throughout the IPL procedure.

At presentation, her uncorrected visual acuity was 20/200 in both eyes, and the slit-lamp examination revealed deposition of the color pigment of the cosmetic contact lens onto the corneal epithelium. The corneal epithelium was scraped using a no. 15 blade. Seven days after the procedure, the corneal epithelium had healed without any complications.

This case highlights the importance of considering the possibility of ocular complications during IPL treatment, particularly in individuals using contact lenses. To prevent ocular damage, IPL procedures should be performed only after removing the lenses and applying eyeshields.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of acupuncture treatment on dry eye syndrome. This was a prospective observational study conducted at a clinical evaluation center for acupuncture and moxibustion of the Korean Institute of Oriental Medicine. The subjects were patients with dry eye disease (n = 36), defined by Schirmer test scores of <10 mm/5 min and tear film break-up times (BUTs) of <10 seconds. Participants were treated with acupuncture three times per week for four weeks. Schirmer test scores, BUTs, symptom scores, ocular surface disease index (OSDI) scores and dry eye symptom questionnaires were compared before and after treatment to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture treatment.

After treatment, symptom scores, OSDI scores and the number of dry eye symptoms were all significantly lower. Although tear wettings were significantly higher, there were no significant differences in BUTs.

This study suggests that acupuncture treatment can effectively relieve the symptoms of dry eye and increase watery secretion.

Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging of the optic disc was performed on healthy eyes, eyes suspected of having glaucoma and eyes diagnosed with glaucoma to characterize peripapillary atrophy (PPA) zones in glaucomatous eyes. From the peripheral β-zone, the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), the junction of the inner and outer segments (IS/OS) of the photoreceptor layer, and the Bruch's membrane/retinal pigment epithelium complex layer (BRL) were visualized.

Nineteen consecutive eyes of ten subjects were imaged. The RNFL was observed in the PPA β-zone of all eyes, and no eye showed an IS/OS complex in the β-zone. The BRL was absent in the β-zone of two eyes. The BRL was incomplete or showed posterior bowing in the β-zone of five eyes.

The common findings in the PPA β-zone were that the RNFL was present, but the photoreceptor layer was absent. Presence of the BRL was variable in the β-zone areas.