Health Tap Selects Lasik Eye Surgeon Rajesh Khanna, MD as an Expert on Vision and Eyes

Health Tap taps Los Angeles LASIK eye Surgeon Rajesh Khanna, MD as a medical expert on LASIK and Vision Care. Dr.Khanna is Board Certified by American Board of Ophthalmology.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) August 23, 2011

Health Tap taps Top LASIK Doctor Rajesh Khanna, MD as a medical expert on LASIK and Vision Care. Health tap is a free health information portal for the patients. There is no sales involved, so the answers are likely to be genuine. Dr. Khanna felt "with an explosion in information on the internet, it is difficult for lay people to sift through it all. Many a time the information is misleading as non medical people have written it. " Cornea and Cataract Surgeon, Dr Khanna thinks this portal may be able to complement the health care in the country and could finally evolve into a cost saving for Health Insurance industry.
Dr.Khanna invites people to post their questions regarding lasik and cataract surgery on this portal. This may benefit even people living in other parts of the world.
Rajesh Khanna, MD is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He has specialized training in LASIK, Cataract and Corneal surgery from the University of Cincinnati.

Dr. Khanna is known as the LASIK surgeon to the stars, as he has performed over 10,000 vision correction procedures on many Olympic medal winners and Hollywood personalities like Disney stars Brenda Song and Corbin Bleu, "Hercules" Kevin Sorbo, UFC champion fighter Bas Rutten, and Butch Patrick who played Eddie Munster. He also performs Intacs Surgery for keratoconus.

Khanna is a voluntary member of the UCLA faculty, as well as of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive surgery.
The Khanna Vision Institute has centers in Beverly Hills at 240 S. La Cienega Blvd. #250 and Westlake Village at 179 Auburn Court #1.

Contact: Kelly Schneider
Company Name: Khanna Vision Institute
Telephone Number: (310) 482-1240
Fax Number: (805) 230-2199


For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prwebHealthtap/Lasikexpert/prweb8733203.htm

Academic Ophthalmologist Convicted for $3M in Resident Billing Fraud

Joseph Kubacki, MD, former ophthalmology chair at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, has been convicted of charging for $3 million in claims for care done by medical residents, according to an Associated Press report.

Dr. Kubacki was convicted of healthcare fraud, wire fraud and making false statements. He was taken into custody and denied bail, but he has not been sentenced yet.
In closing arguments, prosecutors alleged that Dr. Kubacki had been out of town when some of the care took place.



Related Articles on Dr. Joseph Kubacki:
Pennsylvania Ophthalmologist Accused of Filing $1.5M in False Claims
http://www.beckersasc.com/stark-act-and-fraud-abuse-issues/pennsylvania-ophthalmologist-accused-of-filing-15m-in-false-claims.html

Dr Brad Elkins Ophthalmologist in Encino, CA is Recognized as a “Super Doctor” for the Second Year in a Row

Award winning surgeon Dr. Brad Elkins has been named by Southern California Super Doctors as their top Ophthalmologist for the 2nd straight year. This is the 4th time in 5 years that Dr. Elkins has been honored by Super Doctors. Recognition does not end there for Dr. Elkins, he was also nominated by his peers to the U.S. News Top Doctors list. 

Dr. Brad Elkins who has been providing laser vision correction procedures since 1996, has conducted more than 8,000 LASIK procedures and thousands of cataract and corneal transplant surgeries at the Ophthalmology Associates of the Valley (OAV) - the oldest and largest ophthalmologic practice in the San Fernando Valley. Also, regarded as one of the premier cataract surgeons in the United States, he is frequently requested to speak on modern surgical techniques and new premium lens implants.

Throughout the decade Dr. Elkins has been recognized for many awards and honors, they include; “Outstanding Ophthalmologist in the Valley” by the Los Angeles Daily News; and in 2000, he received the VISX™ Star Surgeon award, given to the top 5% of LASIK surgeons in the United States.

“Dr. Elkins and his office staff have always been very professional and thorough, with an emphasis on thorough,” exclaimed Linda M., a long time patient of Dr. Elkins. “They never overlook anything. I'm 72 and my husband is 75 and we both got restorative implant surgery with Dr. Elkins. It took a period of a couple of years, but it was very well worth it. He's wonderful and I would recommend him to anyone who has any kind of eye problems.”

Dr. Elkins doesn’t only use the latest technology when performing surgeries and examining patients, he also updates and maintains a personal blog, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter accounts relating to all things Ophthalmology.

“Patients nowadays expect to be educated about their health, and I enjoy doing that,” said Dr. Elkins. “Anytime you can communicate with patients and provide them knowledge about their health, it benefits both us and the patients. One of my favorite tools is YouTube, we created a video about applying eye drops and our patients have absolutely loved it.”

Dr. Couser Joins Virginia Pediatric Ophthalmology Specialists

Former co-chief resident of Howard University Hospital, Dr. Natario L. Couser, is the newest staff member at Virginia Pediatric Ophthalmology Specialists.

Natario Couser, MD, has joined the staff of Virginia Pediatric Ophthalmology Specialists, located at Stony Point Surgery Center. Founding physician Edwin Wortham V, MD, noted that Dr. Couser's appointment reflects the practice's continuing commitment to excellent care of young patients.
Dr. Couser is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia. He performed his ophthalmology residency at Howard University Hospital, serving as co-chief resident in his final year. He then completed a fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology at Emory University, one of the most respected programs in the United States.
"We are delighted that Dr. Couser is joining our staff. His elevated advancement in pediatric ophthalmology and values add additional resources in our continuing effort to provide the best vision care in Virginia to our patients," Dr. Wortham noted. "Our first and foremost mission is to accommodate our patients' needs by offering optimum medical evaluation and treatment."
Virginia Pediatric Ophthalmology Specialists was founded in 2002 and is recognized as one of Virginia's premier providers of pediatric eye care. Pediatric ophthalmology is a highly specialized field, focusing on the development of the visual system in infants, children and young adults. The training for this specialized field involves an advanced medical degree, a four year residency in ophthalmology and an additional 1-2 year fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology.
The physicians at Virginia Pediatric Ophthalmology Specialists are trained in complex eye surgery, and conservative therapies such as medications and glasses; they also evaluate and treat musculoskeletal issues affecting vision. Although they specialize in the unique needs of children, these pediatric ophthalmologists also treat adults with eye movement disorders such as strabismus.
"Dr. Wortham and Dr. Couser share a great deal of expertise," said Bruce Kupper, CEO of Stony Point Surgery Center. "At Stony Point Surgery Center, we admire and appreciate their continuing contributions to patient care, both in terms of medical excellence and compassionate care. We are proud to be associated with such a superb practice."
For more information about Dr. Edwin Wortham and his practice, Virginia Pediatric Ophthalmology Specialists, or Stony Point Surgery Center, please contact Dave Saunders, President & Chief Idea Officer at Madison+Main, at daves@madisonmain.com or 804-521-4141.
About Stony Point Surgery Center
Stony Point Surgery Center is Central Virginia's pre-eminent outpatient surgical facility. Founded in the tradition of the former Richmond Eye and Ear Hospital, Stony Point Surgery Center leads the industry in innovative hearing and vision corrective treatments. Stony Point Surgery Center provides a broad spectrum of routine and special healthcare services in addition to its specialization in Vision and Hearing practices. For more information about Stony Point Surgery Center, please visit their website at www.StonyPointSC.com.

First UK Patient Enrolled into Luminous™ Programme – Novartis’ 30,000 Patient Observational Study in Ophthalmology

Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd (Novartis) has announced the enrollment of the first UK patient into the Luminous™ programme, which aims to advance the understanding of retinal vascular diseases which cause vision loss, including wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), visual impairment due to Diabetic Macular Oedema (DMO) and visual impairment due to macular oedema secondary to Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO). It also aims to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of Lucentis® (ranibizumab) in clinical practice across large populations, in order to further enhance patient outcomes. Luminous will collect prospective data from 30,000 patients across the globe attending ophthalmology clinics. The programme will also serve as a platform for pooling data from existing ranibizumab registries in several countries, including the UK. The design of the Luminous programme was developed by Novartis in consultation with leaders in the ophthalmology community and representatives from patient organisations, such as the AMD Alliance International.
“AMD Alliance International places patient safety as our main priority, and we expect the most robust level of drug safety monitoring for our members,” said Narinder Sharma, AMD Alliance. “We were happy to work with the broader ophthalmology community to shape the Luminous programme with this goal in mind.”
As part of the Luminous programme, physicians will be provided with instant visualisation of patient outcomes, and a real-time data analysis and comparison system to analyse patient data in their own practice compared with practices in the same country or worldwide.
Christopher Brand, Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, is leading the enrollment of the first UK patient and explains what the programme means for patient care: “This programme will enable us to facilitate real-time comparisons between the results seen in the UK with different ranibizumab treatment regimens in clinics around the world. The information we receive could help us provide better care for our patients and identify the best course of therapy for each individual.”
Dr. Timothy Cave, Chief Scientific Officer at Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd provides further details on the importance of the programme: “A wealth of data is already available on the safety and efficacy of ranibizumab from clinical trials, but we hope Luminous will further support this data and provide information on the long-term outcomes in clinical practice. Novartis is committed to ophthalmology and improving understanding and treatment of vascular diseases.”
-ends-
About LuminousLuminous is a five-year observational, international, multicenter programme that will provide long-term effectiveness and safety data for ranibizumab as well as assess the treatment patterns and health related quality of life issues of patients treated with ranibizumab. The goal is to recruit more than 30,000 patients from outpatient ophthalmology clinics in countries where Novartis markets ranibizumab, including Australia, Canada and select countries in Asia, Europe and South America, to create one of the largest ophthalmology observational studies in the world. The Luminous Steering Committee (LSC), an external advisory board made up of medical experts, representatives from patient organisations and other experts, will provide guidance and interpretation of the data as it is collected. As an observational study, Luminous will not direct therapy or recommend any specific therapy.
About Lucentis (ranibizumab)Ranibizumab is an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) licensed for the treatment of Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO) (central and branch), visual impairment due to Diabetic Macular Oedema (DMO) and wet Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) approved Lucentis for the treatment of wet AMD in 2008.
About NovartisNovartis provides healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Focused solely on healthcare, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, eye care, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, consumer health products, preventive vaccines and diagnostic tools. Novartis is the only company with leading positions in these areas. In 2010, the Group’s continuing operations achieved net sales of USD 50.6 billion, while approximately USD 9.1 billion (USD 8.1 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges), (16 percent of net sales), were invested in R&D throughout the Group. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 121,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

93% squint eye problems can be treated: Doctors

The overall incidence rate of strabismus or squint eye in India is 4% to 6%. However, it goes up to 30% to 40% in premature babies. These observations were made at a symposium on squint surgery, organized by the National Institute of Ophthalmology (NIO), in the city, on Sunday.

Noted ophthalmologist and squint-eye expert Kalpana Narendran said, "Early detection and treatment can help restore normal vision." She was speaking at a press conference held on the sidelines of the symposium. "With newer treatment modalities available and advancement in surgical procedures, the success rate of treating squint has gone up to 93%. More and more ophthalmologists are coming forward to treat squint nowadays than was the case a few years ago when very few doctors would think of entertaining such patients," said Narendran, who is the chief of paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus department at the Arvind eye hospital in Coimbatore.

Ophthalmologist Jeevan Ladi said, "Parents of children with squint eye usually avoid consulting doctor since they fear their children will have to undergo a surgery. But 30% to 40% of squint eye problems can be treated with the help of glasses and medical intervention."

Ophthalmologist Jai Kelkar of NIO stressed on newer modalities and advancements emerging in the field. "The aim of organizing the symposium is to disseminate knowledge about new and multiple approaches that can be adopted in treatment of squint. These approaches are not complicated and any ophthalmic surgeon can use them."

Ophthalmologist Milind Killedar, president of the Maharashtra Ophthalmic Society, said, "The conference aims to boost the confidence level of doctor performing squint surgery."

Organised under the aegis of the Poona Ophthalmic Society and the Maharashtra Ophthalmic Society, the symposium was attended by over 200 eye experts across Maharashtra.

Silence is golden during eye injections

If you're getting a drug injection for macular degeneration or another eye condition, a new study suggests you might want to make sure your doctor doesn't talk while doing the procedure.
Researchers found that in just a few minutes of talking over an imaginary patient, unmasked volunteers spewed out bacteria which could potentially land on eyes or injection needles and cause infection.
One in every few thousand injections for vision loss results in a serious eye infection called endophthalmitis, which at its worst can cause patients to go blind completely. But because patients typically need frequent injections, as many as 1 in 200 eventually get the infection.
Some of those infections are caused by a type of bacterium, Streptococcus, that's common in the mouth and also leads to bad breath and cavities.
The new finding "doesn't prove anything conclusively," said study author Dr. Colin McCannel, from the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Still, he said, "My advice to patients would be, until the injection is complete ... minimize conversation or talking with the physician."
McCannel and his colleagues simulated a typical eye injection appointment in an ophthalmologist's office. Volunteers stood in front of an exam chair, which had a plate for culturing bacteria placed where a patient's head would be.
There, they read from a script for five minutes under different conditions -- facing directly at the imaginary patient, with or without a mask, or facing sideways mask-free. Then, they stood in silence for five minutes. In a role reversal, the volunteers also took a go lying in the exam chair, reading the script with a bacteria plate mounted to their own foreheads.
When the 15 volunteers talked while wearing a mask or stood in silence, hardly any bacteria grew on the plates. But when they didn't wear a face mask, either while facing the patient or turned away, most plates sprouted bacteria colonies. And when "patients" talked themselves, about half of the plates grew bacteria.
That shows that even though the eye injections aren't major procedures and don't happen in an operating room, patients and their doctors should still take the possibility of eye or injection needle contamination seriously, researchers said.
"This is really a surgical procedure," said Dr. Charles Wykoff, an ophthalmologist from Retina Consultants of Houston who wasn't involved in the new study.
"You're putting a hole in someone's eye. It's a teeny tiny hole, but nonetheless, that's probably where an infection's coming from," he told Reuters Health.
Germs from a chatty doctor or assistant could be a concern in some other instances as well, the researchers wrote in Archives of Ophthalmology. McCannel pointed to a few cases where bacteria in a doctor's mouth were linked to meningitis cases in patients who had recently gotten spinal taps.
Both Wykoff and McCannel didn't go so far as to say that doctors should always wear face masks during the eye injections -- but they did say that if possible, both doctors and patients should try to keep talking to a minimum.
At the very least, "physicians should minimize conversation," McCannel told Reuters Health. "I've started using a face mask, because that way I can talk to the patient and have less concern of contamination."

Ophthalmologist on the Move: Dr. Terry Kaiura Joins San Luis Obispo Eye Associates in California

Terry Kaiura, MD, an ophthalmologist, has joined San Luis Obispo, Calif., Eye Associates, according to a release from the practice.

Dr. Kaiura specializes in cornea and external disease, keratorefractive surgery and comprehensive ophthalmology. She has degrees from UCLA and Cornell University.

The practice has also hired a new administrator, Ed Laski, who has owned several small businesses, including a mortgage banking company, an insurance agency and a medical supply company.


Read the SLO Eye Associates release on Dr. Terry Kaiura (pdf).

Risk Assessment Model May Predict Advanced AMD

A risk assessment model may predict the development of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to the results of a longitudinal analysis reported Online First August 8 in the Archives of Ophthalmology. "As progress in designing better preventive measures and earlier treatment options accelerates and new gene associations are identified that add to currently known risk factors, the desirability of having a reliable risk assessment model has become of considerable interest and potential value," write Michael L. Klein, MD, from the Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, and colleagues. "The optimal design might include known demographic and environmental risk factors, phenotypic risk factors derived from large population-based and interventional studies, and established genetic risk variants. The purpose of this article is to present a validated predictive model for AMD that incorporates these factors and can be used by the practicing physician."
The study sample consisted of 2846 participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study who had all levels of AMD at baseline, ranging from none to unilateral advanced AMD, defined as neovascular or geographic atrophy.
Cox proportional hazards analysis allowed evaluation of demographic, environmental, phenotypic, and genetic covariates and construction of a risk assessment model for the development of advanced AMD during follow-up (average duration, 9.3 years). The investigators used the C statistic and the Brier score to assess performance of the model, and they externally validated the model among participants in the Complications of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Prevention Trial.
Among participants with advanced AMD at baseline, 82% of those with geographic atrophy and 56% of those with neovascular AMD went on to have advanced AMD in the other eye.
Independent variables used in the final risk assessment model were age, smoking history, family history of AMD in a first-degree relative, phenotype based on a modified Age-Related Eye Disease Study simple scale score, and the genetic variants CFH Y402H and ARMS2 A69S.
Performance of the model was good, with a C statistic of 0.872 suggesting very good discrimination, and a Brier score of 0.08 at 5 years indicating excellent calibration and overall performance. The model was successfully validated in the external sample, and the investigators designed a risk assessment tool that could be used with or without the genetic component.
"We constructed a risk assessment model for development of advanced AMD," the study authors write. "The model performed well on measures of discrimination, calibration, and overall performance and was successfully externally validated. This risk assessment tool is available for online use."
Limitations of this study include an exclusively white study sample (ages 50 - 85 years) that was not derived from a population-based sample.
"We believe our current model is of substantial value in assessing AMD risk, and we expect that future advances will further improve its accuracy," the study authors conclude. "Unexplained heritability of AMD will be uncovered, studies on diet, other environmental factors, and serum biomarkers may identify new predictive factors, and better phenotyping methods are under development. As these new findings become available, we plan to update the model and maintain a current version for online use."
The Casey Eye Institute Macular Degeneration Fund; Research to Prevent Blindness, New York; the Bea Arveson Macular Degeneration Fund; and the Foundation Fighting Blindness, Columbia, Maryland, supported this study. A US patent entitled "Nutritional Supplement to Treat Macular Degeneration" was issued on December 9, 2003, and is owned by Bausch and Lomb. Study author Frederick L. Ferris III, MD, is one of the inventors; he has assigned his interest in the patent to the US government and receives government compensation.

Dr. Flora Lum on Ophthalmology EHRs: Interoperability is Key

When the American Academy of Ophthalmology took on electronic health record standards in July, its Medical Information Technology Committee wanted to answer one main question: How can EHRs be designed to best help ophthalmologists, their staffs and the ophthalmology practice as a whole?

Flora Lum, MD, executive director of the H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr. Center for Quality Eye Care, and several other ophthalmologists within AAO accomplished this in its report, "Special Requirements for Electronic Health Records for Ophthalmology," published in Ophthalmology.

Dr. Lum says the meaningful use standards have spurred many healthcare entities to look at EHRs and how they can best improve patient care. However, a lot of the EHR systems have been originally developed for primary care physicians or other medical specialists and have not included some physicians like ophthalmologists, and in order for health IT to truly reach its peak, she says all systems must be able to work collaboratively. "What we're trying to promote is interoperability between devices in the office and EHR systems and across multiple EHR systems," she says. "You need meaningful use systems for basic functions, but ophthalmology has a lot of needs and requirements that hadn't been addressed."

Specifically, Dr. Lum and other physicians made four recommendations for future EHRs to accommodate certain areas of ophthalmic practice: that EHRs support standards for data from ophthalmic devices (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine), that EHRs support documentation in and transitions between the office and operating room; that they capture, track and display "vital signs of the eye"; and that they incorporate hand-drawn sketches or annotations into records. "A picture conveys a lot more than writing," Dr. Lum says. "We're able to notate where something is located on the eye, use colored pencils and pens to designate pathology. That's an important element."

Dr. Lum adds that after reaching interoperability and achieving specialized data standards, the next challenge will simply be the use of EHRs at all times — and making it work within one's practice. "We've been promoting these standards for a long time," she says. "The biggest barrier for ophthalmology has been how we work with an EHR efficiently in our workflow but also have a relationship with the patient as well."

Eyebuzz Announces the Launch of its Advanced Ophthalmology Job Portal

Eyebuzz.net has announced the launch of its more advancedand user friendly Ophthalmology Job portal. Eyebuzz is a leading ophthalmology job solution provider that has initiated an endeavor to bridge this void between the ophthalmic job providers to the ophthalmic job seekers. The site is aimed at providing a one stop recruitment resource for ophthalmic positions like ophthalmic technicians, ophthalmic photographers (certified retinal angiographers), ophthalmic administrators, ophthalmic scribes, optometrists, ophthalmologists, and ophthalmic nurses.
Optician jobs, also in great demand, can be found at eyebuzz.net. With the Baby Boom generation reaching retirement age, when eye diseases become more prevalent, practices are meeting the increase in demand by adding professional ophthalmology manpower. The popularity of this portal is increasing rapidly with the focus on its user friendliness and professionalism. In the not too distant future, this portal will be ruling the ophthalmology job information segment.
“Being in a highly specialized field, we offer an intuitive Click and Easy Post-a-Position or Find-a-Position feature on our website to help ophthalmic professionals get the latest ophthalmology job postings”, said Jane Shuman, President of EyeBuzz.net. Job seekers can register themselves at the site to post their resumes, receive job alerts by email while ophthalmic administrators and ophthalmologists can register to post jobs, search resumes and also receive resumes by email. Employers are able to post their position for 60 days for only $249.00. The site’s easy to use search function makes job searching simple, fast and effective. Eyebuzz.net’s intelligent search and matching saves jobs seekers the trouble of searching through hundreds of jobs and brings the candidates and recruiters together in one platform.
In addition to postings made directly on www.eyebuzz.net, ophthalmic job vacancies from other online job sites, periodicals and other agencies are added to the site every day. Are you searching for your dream ophthalmic technician job online? Visit this portal today at http://www.eyebuzz.net to explore opportunities and catch the buzz

Working hard to fight blindness

Every year, millions of lives are ruined or at least hampered as people lose their sight, something that can effect families and stop people doing the things they love.

Across the planet, experts are hard at work on new studies looking to identify the causes of many diseases and reduce the effect that they are having on people, while many organisations receive regular donations to help fund this research.

However, these smaller donations are often not enough to help get to the root of the problem, which is why larger benefactors are so vitally needed.

One of these is Dr Geneva Matlock, a retired anaesthesiologist and graduate of the University of Louisville School of Medicine, who has a personal interest in curing one particular disease.

The expert was diagnosed with wet macular degeneration ten years ago and, through treatment, has been able to retain her vision and is still able to drive.

However, Dr Matlock's mother, who died at the age of 99, was blind for the last decade of her life and, though she was never officially diagnosed, her family is of the opinion that she may have suffered from the disease as well.

This is why Dr Matlock recently contributed $4 million (£2.4 million) to the University of Louisville to fund research in macular degeneration, bringing her total contributions to the facility to more than $5 million in the past three years as she looks to continue her effort to fight the disease she believes took her mother's eyesight.

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in people aged 55 and over and often manifests itself gradually, with many failing to notice any symptoms at first, which makes it all the harder to detect.

Over time, as the retina degenerates, patients can begin to experience a loss of the sharp, central vision that allows them to see objects clearly.

There are two forms of macular degeneration - wet macular degeneration, which occurs when abnormal blood vessels begin to grow beneath the retina and leak blood and fluid, quickly causing damage to the central retina.

Meanwhile, dry macular degeneration develops when the light-sensitive cells in the retina slowly break down, gradually blurring vision and also eventually leading to the loss of central vision.

Dr Henry Kaplan, Evans Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the university, which will receive the donation, paid tribune to Dr Matlock's generosity and devotion to find a cure for macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of global blindness.

"Dr Matlock's extraordinarily generous support of our research in macular degeneration speaks to the compassionate and selfless person she is, both as a physician and as a human being.

"We continue to be humbled and incredibly grateful for the confidence she has shown in us," he explained.

His tribute was echoed by Dr James Ramsey, University of Louisville president, who said Dr Matlock is a "perfect example" of the university's 'family'

He noted that the facility's graduates are well-known for making their mark on the world, before giving back to the university.

Such unselfishness creates opportunities for others and a chance to avoid some of the "terrible diseases" that experts are fighting every day, Dr Ramsay added.

Dr Matlock revealed that the personal quest at the heart of her donation will not be complete until major developments have occurred in the treatment of macular degeneration.

"I'm focusing on the eye because of my personal experience. I'm hoping that no one else will go blind as my mother did or as I probably would have if I were not getting the care I am now," she added.

As an estimated ten million people suffer from macular degeneration in the US alone, according to the latest American Macular Degeneration Foundation, and millions more round the world, the sooner a cure is found for the disease, the better.

Ophthalmologists Eye EHRs

Electronic health record systems designed for primary-care physicians and other generalists won't work well for ophthalmologists unless they include features tailored to the specialty, the American Academy of Ophthalmology says.

For one thing, electronic health records must incorporate hand-drawn sketches and annotations, ophthalmologists told EHR vendors last month. The academy says EHRs for ophthalmology practices also should:

    * Capture, track and display "vital signs of the eye," such as visual acuity.

    * Allow documentation in and transitions between the office and surgical suite.

    * Support data from ophthalmologic measuring and imaging devices.

Those recommendations were made in a webinar for EHR vendors led by Flora Lum, deputy director of the H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr. Center for Quality Eye Care in San Francisco, according to an academy news release and an article in Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Review.

A more detailed list of EHR requirements is included in a paper, "Special Requirements for Electronic Health Records for Ophthalmology," published in this month's issue of the journal Ophthalmology (subscription required). The guidelines are intended to help ophthalmologists identify important features to look for when selecting EHR systems, the academy says.

In the paper, Dr. Michael F. Chiang listed 17 "essential" and six "desirable" features for EHRs in the above areas as well as laboratory studies, medical management and surgical management. Chiang, an assistant professor of ophthalmology and biomedical informatics at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, chairs the academy's Medical Information Technology Committee.

Eyes can help detect many diseases, say doctors

Eyes need not just be our window to a person's soul, they can even be helpful in signifying the advent of various diseases and their early detection. Ophthalmology has grown beyond the diseases like cataract and glaucoma with the doctors using the science in conditions like diabetes and even some types of cancer. These facts were reinforced by the medicos present at a CME titled 'Ocular Imaging - The Third Eye', organized by the department of ophthalmology and medical education technology (MET) unit of NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre.
"Not just having an in-depth information about the person and the earliest possible detection of various diseases using the latest technologies of imaging can even help in management of diseases," said well-known eye surgeon Dr Narendra Patil.

Dr Nitin Shetty, the vitreo retina consultant at Manipal Hospital of Bangalore, said, "The improved techniques are especially useful in diabetes as a non invasive method of investigating the extent of the disease." He said not only has this just reduced the time of gathering information about the patient but also made follow-up treatments a lot easier.
"Till a few years ago, age related deterioration of vision was thought to be untreatable. Only a few people would be aware that this can be arrested and even reversed with timely intervention," Shetty added.
"Some minor changes in retina can say a lot about the start of some diseases even before the physical manifestations can be observed. This can be especially used by neurosurgeons as the eyes can provide much information about the condition of the brain. Several times it has been useful to detect brain tumours particularly in children," informed Dr Rekha Khandelwal, head of the ophthalmology department at Salve Institute.
"Even in cases of traumatic accidents, deformities of bones near the eyes can affect one's vision. In most such cases, detection of the vision related problems takes a long time and sometimes the problem has grown beyond control," informed Dr Milind naik, head of the aesthetic clinic at LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad. He suggests that any team that is monitoring the condition of a victim of a tragic accident should consist of an ophthalmologist.
Supporting his colleague, Dr Patil recollected a case when the patient had been rejected by some of the most reputed hospitals of the country. "The young man had cancer in lacrymal glands which are located near the eye. After a 12-hour long reconstructive surgery, we were able to save his life. Five years after the surgery, he is still living a happy and healthy life," he said.

Frequent Tests Help Track Progression of Glaucoma, Study Finds

Frequent visual field testing may help doctors detect progression of the eye disease glaucoma at an earlier stage, a new study says.It's important to identify patients whose disease is progressing faster so that they can receive more aggressive treatment or more frequent follow-up, the researchers explained.

Their study, published online Aug. 8 in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology, included 381 glaucoma patients, aged 35 to 80, who were followed for anywhere from about 3 to 13 years. Glaucoma progression was more likely to be detected in patients who had more visual field tests (a median of 20) than in those with fewer tests (a median of 12).
"In summary, we found that a twice-yearly schedule of visual field testing resulted in earlier detection of glaucoma progression compared with a yearly schedule, especially with global trend analyses," wrote Dr. Kouros Nouri-Mahdavi and colleagues at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, in a journal news release.
"Validation of these findings in other patient populations would be desirable. Our results have significant health care policy implications with regard to determining the frequency of visual field testing in patients with glaucoma," they added.
One expert agreed that more frequent testing would end up helping patients.
"Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide," noted Dr. Mark Fromer, an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "Left untreated, patients will suffer a permanent loss of vision. This disease is treatable with both topical medications, laser therapy and microsurgery."
He said the new study "has wide implications for the detection of disease in millions of patients."

Age-Related Vision Loss Predicted by New Online Tool

A simple risk assessment tool incorporating baseline retinal characteristics can help predict a person's likelihood of developing age-related macular degeneration, researchers suggested.

A patient with a simple risk score of one, indicating the presence of a single retinal abnormality in one eye, had a hazard ratio of 6.38 (95% CI 3.48 to 11.69, P<0.001) for having advanced macular degeneration at ten years, according to Michael L. Klein, MD, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, and colleagues.

And with a risk score of just two out of four at baseline, the hazard ratio reached 14.12 (95% CI 8.06 to 24.75, P<0.001), the researchers reported online in the Archives of Ophthalmology.
A number of risk factors have been linked with age-related macular degeneration, such as smoking, dyslipidemia, and certain genetic polymorphisms.
While previous risk models have relied on these factors, Klein and colleagues sought to refine the accuracy by incorporating patient phenotypic characteristics.
Accordingly, they analyzed data from the longitudinal Age-Related Eye Disease Study, which followed almost 3,000 patients for the development of macular degeneration and cataracts.
All participants had detailed histories and ocular examinations done, and DNA samples were available for 2,846 of those who were white and therefore would not have race-related allele differences.
The two retinal abnormalities used to calculate the simple risk score were the presence of large yellow extracellular deposits known as drusen (125 μm in diameter or more), and any abnormality in retinal pigmentation.
A total of 24% of patients without severe abnormalities at baseline developed advanced macular degeneration during follow up.
In 46% of these, the degeneration involved geographic atrophy, or "dry" macular degeneration, while the remainder had the neovascular or "wet" form.
Univariate analysis identified numerous factors that might be associated with progression of macular degeneration, including age, family history, the simple risk score, smoking, and variants in several genes such as ARMS2 and CFH.
Then on multivariate analysis, the largest hazard ratios remained for the simple risk score -- much higher than any of the other significant variables:

• Risk score 4, HR 50.65 (95% CI 28.86 to 88.89, P<0.001)
• Very large drusen (≥250 μm), HR 1.79 (95% CI 1.50 to 2.14, P<0.001)
• Smoking, HR 1.78 (95% CI 1.37 to 2.31, P<0.001)
• TT allele of ARMS2, HR 2 (95% CI 1.59 to 2.50, P<0.001)
• CC allele of CFH, HR 1.44 (95% CI 1.14 to 1.83, P=0.003)
• Family history, HR 1.40 (95% CI 1.16 to 1.70, P<0.001)
• Advanced macular degeneration in one eye at baseline, HR 1.21 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.45, P=0.03)
• Age, HR 1.03 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.05, P<0.001)

When the researchers tested the performance of the model by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, they found the C statistic to be excellent, at 0.872 (with 1.0 being perfect).
The findings of this analysis, according to the researchers, suggest that genetic testing alone or in addition to demographic and environmental factors -- as has been proposed by some -- is inadequate in screening for macular degeneration among older people.
"We believe that the first priority for individuals at potentially increased risk for developing [age-related macular degeneration] based on age, family history, and other factors should be to obtain an eye examination," asserted Klein and colleagues.
During this examination, which should include evaluation of the macula, information can also be obtained about the person's likelihood of other ocular disorders, along with relevant phenotypic, environmental, and demographic data.
Based on their analyses, Klein's group also developed a risk calculator (available online) that can be used to advise the patient immediately about prognosis.
They noted that greater advancements are likely to come in identifying environmental and genetic influences on macular degeneration. As information becomes available the authors plan to update the online model for use by clinicians.
Limitations of the model were its inclusion of only white participants and those ages 50 to 85, but the model could be adapted for use in other groups, they said.
The findings of this study "can be of potential value in clinical practice by helping determine the frequency of follow-up examinations, the use of home monitoring of central vision, and the advisability of initiating preventive measures including beneficial lifestyle changes such as dietary alterations and nutritional supplement use," Klein and colleagues concluded.

New hires at SLO eye doctor group

Local ophthalmology practice San Luis Obispo Eye Associates recently brought on Dr. Terry Kaiura, a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in cornea and external disease, keratorefractive surgery and comprehensive ophthalmology.
She has degrees from UCLA and Cornell University

Also joining the group is new practice administrator Ed Laski, who has owned several small businesses including a mortgage banking company, an insurance agency and a medical supply company.
San Luis Obispo Eye Associates formed in 1995 when three subspecialty ophthalmology practices merged, according to a recent news release.