Silicone Hydrogel Daily (Daily Wear [DW]) Lenses: As daily wear silicone hydrogel contact lenses are available in various specs from many manufacturers, some have very high Dk (oxygen permeability) values and a wide variety of base curves and diameters. Daily wear contact lenses are available in a spherical format and also with a reasonable range … Continued
Common Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lens Complications As the patient learns the best practices around caring for their silicone hydrogel contact lenses, as fitters, we must also familiarize ourselves with some mechanical complications associated with these lenses, such as Superior Epithelial Arcuate Lesions (SEAL), Mucin Balls, and Corneal Staining with certain solutions. Let’s dig into what … Continued
A Brief Look Into the Practitioner/Patient Interaction: Once you have determined that Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses are a good fit for your patient and you’ve gone through the proper fitting procedures, there are a few steps that must be taken to ensure that the patient understands the proper handling, cleaning, Do’s and Don’ts associated with … Continued
Therapeutic Soft Contact Lenses (TSCL) Now, the inception of Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses at the start of the new Millennium allowed for a wide range of uses. Although there were contact lenses that were used for certain therapies, one therapy that silicone hydrogel contact lenses were used for was a “Bandage Lens” or TSCL (Therapeutic … Continued
Introduction In today’s retail contact lens market, silicone hydrogel contact lenses are one of the most used and reliable materials utilized for soft contact lenses. Let’s explore some pros, cons, ins and outs of silicone hydrogel contact lenses! Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses, or “SiHy” for short, are currently the industry standard for the average soft … Continued
Click to download and print the course. To get the most out of this course, we recommend completing it in an environment free from distractions. Platform Instructions If you prefer to print the course and test questions, the PDF version is located below. Download & Print Courses are now broken down into Lessons. You can … Continued
References: Carlson, Nancy B. & Kurtz, Daniel (2004). Clinical Procedures in Ocular Examination. McGraw Hill Medical Publishing Division. Meister, D., & Sheedy, J. E. (2002). Introduction to ophthalmic optics. SOLA Optical. Tangella, Krish MD, MBA (2023) Autorefractors: Understanding the Eye Examination Tool. www.Dovemed.com. Kozlov, Yuval; Kinori, Michael; Armarnik, Sharon; Yahalomi, Tal; Ekshtein, Aya; Levian, Leora; … Continued
Troubleshooting Visual Concerns Despite our very best efforts, it is inevitable that not everyone will be happy with their new eyewear. It is crucial that we have a systematic and thorough process for evaluating prescription concerns. Often, a patient’s immediate self-evaluation is that they need to see the doctor again to get the prescription checked. … Continued
Determining Prism Binocularity testing is part of all refractions to determine how the eyes work together to create a singular image. Vergence tests the eyes’ ability to turn in unison to focus on the same object. Fusion is the brain’s ability to combine the images from both eyes into one. Stereopsis is the eye’s perception … Continued
Refracting for Hyperopia Hyperopia is a refractive error defined by the eye not converging light rays to a focal point within the eye. Light never reaches the potential focal point and would not converge until beyond its retinal target. The causes are the opposite of myopia, where the eye does not have enough plus power. … Continued
Visual Acuity Visual acuity (VA) measures the clarity of one’s vision compared to an individual with what is considered “normal” eyesight. We use the measure of 20/20 visual acuity to signify optimal vision, meaning at 20 feet away from something, you can see clearly and comparably what someone with good vision can also see from … Continued
Subjective Refraction Objective methods of refraction are solely relied upon for patients who cannot respond to subjective questioning. Otherwise, these techniques are used as preliminary data. Using the patient’s participation through choices and preferences, a subjective refraction fine-tunes the final prescribed power. This involves test lenses in spherical and cylinder power, along with acuity charts … Continued
Objective Refraction Obtaining the desired lens correction can be done with little or no patient participation. To objectively refract means to use light and lens adjustment to experiment and ultimately neutralize the power of the eye. This is commonly done through a process called retinoscopy. A retinoscope is a handheld tool that has a bright … Continued
Introduction The importance of a regular comprehensive eye exam goes well beyond obtaining a new prescription. Vision health screening is vital for early disease diagnosis and the prevention of permanent vision loss. Diseases such as glaucoma often have no discernible symptoms, and vision impairments from untreated macular degeneration can never be restored. Optometrists are often … Continued
Click to download and print the course. To get the most out of this course, we recommend completing it in an environment free from distractions. Platform Instructions If you prefer to print the course and test questions, the PDF version is located below. Download & Print Courses are now broken down into Lessons. You can … Continued
Use this link to access the simulator.
“SOAP” format Subjective exam, Objective exam, Assessment, Plan 20/20 Vision The 20 on the left indicates that the eye chart is 20 feet away. The 20 on the right means that from that distance, you can see what normal eyes see at 20 feet. In other words, you have normal vision. However, if your vision … Continued