On Friday, March 5, a new entity led by opponents of the American Board of Optometry (ABO) announced its formation. “The American Board of Clinical Optometry” (ABCO) is led by its executive director and president Art Epstein, O.D. Dr. Epstein is also an officer of the American Optometric Society. This new organization (ABCO) was formed over the course of eight months behind closed doors and its certification process was developed without the input of most of the organizations that guide and uphold the standards of the profession. Read the rest of this entry »
Healthy Vision on the Job is Everyone’s Business
March 2, 2010
In honor of March’s Save Your Vision Month, the AOA encourages Americans to prevent workplace eye strain and eye injuries.
Whether using a computer or a sledge hammer to get the job done, the AOA reports that visual discomfort, eye strain and eye injuries in the workplace are not only common, but cost billions in lost productivity each year. Research indicates that 2,000 workers each day in the United States sustain job-related eye injuries requiring medical treatment. Perhaps even more concerning is that safety experts and doctors of optometry agree that 90 percent of all eye and vision injuries could be prevented with simple safety steps such as wearing properly designed and fitted protective eyewear.
Go Easy on the PDA
According to the AOA’s American Eye-Q® survey, nearly half of all Americans (46 percent) spend five or more hours per day using a computer or a personal digital assistant (PDA). And while technology can easily improve the efficiencies of one’s life, prolonged use of electronic devices may lead to symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) such as eye strain, dry eyes, headaches, fatigue, blurred vision and inability to focus.
In this digital era, no one expects Americans to simply stop using these devices. Instead, the AOA recommends following these simple steps which can make big changes to ease vision strain:
Give It A Rest: Remember the 20-20-20 rule. At least every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away.
- Size Up: Smaller screens on hand-held devices usually favor tiny type that challenges your vision. Instead of bringing the screen closer to the eyes, increase the font size so the device can be used at a distance that is more comfortable for your eyes.
- Sharpen Up: Better resolution offers greater clarity and usually more comfort. Adjust the brightness of the screen to a comfortable intensity, neither too bright nor too dim.
- Reduce Glare: Hand-held devices present challenges in various lighting conditions. When possible, try to make sure lighting is not directly behind the head or in front. The AOA recommends users try to reduce glare, which may ease reading and can make a bigger difference than increasing the font.
ODs, Students Head to DC to Urge Medicare Payment Fix and Support Health Care Priorities
February 28, 2010Thanks to the AOA Congressional Advocacy Conference, Optometry will have an immediate chance to be heard on Capitol Hill on the massive Medicare physician payment cut set to take effect March 1.
Hundreds of optometrists and students traveling to the nation’s capital this week to build new support for AOA-backed legislation before Congress will also be calling for a swift correction of the 21% cut in reimbursement to ODs and other Medicare physicians and a long-term solution to the continuing payment uncertainty.
Congress’ failure to enacted long-term Medicare payment reform or even to extend the 60-day “patch” approved in December has allowed the payment cut to take effect, and led the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to place a temporary hold on fee-for-service claim processing. In a statement last week, CMS instructed carriers to delay processing claims for services provided for the March 1 – 10 period.
The AOA Congressional Advocacy Conference, Optometry’s largest annual Federal advocacy event, had been aimed at bolstering AOA’s year-long effort to make patient access / provider non-discrimination safeguards a foundation for any health care bill to be voted on by Congress. With the Medicare payment meltdown about to be felt by doctors across the country, the message that participating optometrists and students will be taking to the U.S. Capitol will include a demand for Medicare payment fairness.
AOA Remains Vigilant for Next Moves on National Health Care Reform
February 21, 2010The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate approved separate comprehensive health care reform bills in late 2009 with the intention of developing a merged bill – containing selected provisions from both – for final consideration in early 2010. However, in recent weeks, the considerable divisions that exist in Washington, D.C. and around the country on the issues surrounding health care policy have left it unclear as to how or when a final version will be put to a vote on Capitol Hill.
To break the stalemate, President Obama has invited Congressional leaders from both parties to attend a special White House summit on health care reform on Feb. 25. The AOA, already closely following negotiations leading up to this meeting, is urging the Obama administration and Members of Congress to ensure that AOA-backed provisions are included in any final bill that emerges, including:
Federal Provider Non-Discrimination Safeguards (Harkin Amendment, Section 2706 of the Senate bill) – This important provision in the Senate bill is needed because health insurance plans routinely discriminate against the participation of qualified non-MD health providers, including optometrists. Such discrimination is anti-competitive, restricts patient choice of provider and availability of treatment options.
AOA launches EHR preparedness program
February 18, 2010The AOA is launching a new Electronic Health Records (EHR) Preparedness Program for Optometry to spur prompt implementation of EHRs in optometric practices and ensure optometrists are included in the nation’s rapidly developing EHR system. Read the rest of this entry »
Optometry continues push for priorities despite health care reform impasse
February 18, 2010The year-long effort by President Obama and congressional Democrats to enact sweeping national health reform legislation was dealt a serious setback by the victory of Republican Scott Brown in the Jan. 19 special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat held for more than four decades by Massachusetts Democrat Edward M. Kennedy. With their 60-seat Senate majority trimmed by one, Democratic leaders must now reconsider their health reform strategy as they no longer have the ability to overcome a Senate filibuster on a party-line vote. The president acknowledged growing uncertainty about the future of his signature initiative during his first State of the Union address, but also pushed lawmakers to continue work on advancing a health overhaul bill. Read the rest of this entry »
Taking the first steps
February 18, 2010This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the New York State Optometric Association’s (NYSOA) Winter Board of Trustees Meeting in Lake Placid, home of the 1980 Winter Olympics. While walking around Mirror Lake as temperatures hovered in the single digits Fahrenheit, my wife Bonnie and I compared notes, as we often do, on our impressions of the meetings that we attend together. Read the rest of this entry »
AOA offers free materials to promote SYVM
February 18, 2010 
March is the AOA’s annual Save Your Vision Month. This year’s observance is focused on “healthy vision in the workplace,” reminding employees of the importance of regular eye care and safety. New patient education pieces discuss the effects of prolonged computer and hand-held device usage has on the eyes and tips for preventing eye strain and visual discomfort; a second brochure highlights the proper selection and usage of eye safety wear for work and home environments. Read the rest of this entry »
Brooks responds to Surgeon General’s report
February 18, 2010In response to the Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation 2010 report, AOA President Randolph Brooks, O.D., sent a letter emphasizing the importance the AOA places on public health.
“The AOA recognizes that obese children are at a higher risk for a number of health problems; including type 2 diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis,” Dr. Brooks wrote. “As you point out, the immediate public health crisis is heightened by the fact that the complications associated with these chronic diseases are specifically related to duration of the disease process and level of control. Diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy and retinal arteriolar sclerosis/atherosclerosis are potentially blinding conditions, but also avoidable complications, of obesity. This places doctors of optometry, frontline providers of health care, in a unique position to intervene early and continuously in benefiting the eye health and general health of their pediatric patients, especially with respect to the prevention of complications arising from obesity in the child and adolescent period and beyond through adulthood.” Read the rest of this entry »
Sen. Harkin makes patient access top priority
February 18, 2010
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Senate's health committee, and AOA Washington office Director Jon Hymes meet prior to the president's State of the Union message.
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Senate’s health committee, and AOA Washington office Director Jon Hymes meet prior to the president’s State of the Union message to assess the outlook for the AOA-backed Harkin Patient Access Amendment to establish a federal provider non-discrimination law and proposals before Congress aimed at preventing a massive 21 percent cut in Medicare physician payments in early March.
Hymes also thanked Sen. Harkin for his successful efforts in 2009 to secure new federal funding to expand the reach of the AOA’s sight-saving and life-saving InfantSEE® initiative.
