Management of Mild Glaucoma With SLT

John P. Berdahl, MD; Tanner J. Ferguson, MD; and Mitch Ibach, OD, FAAO

Eyetube

John Berdahl, MD; Tanner Ferguson, MD; and Mitch Ibach, OD, FAAO, discuss a case of a female patient in her late 70s with a history of cataract surgery and mild glaucoma. She was taking topical medication to manage her glaucoma but experienced conjunctival hyperemia and ocular surface disease from the drops. The three hosts review the potential treatment options for this patient and outline the decision to perform selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) to eliminate medication burden.

Presbyopia: The Future Is Here

New treatment options are helping us meet patient needs better than ever before.

Neena James, OD

Modern Optometry

Presbyopia is universal; if we live long enough, we will all experience it. Researchers reported that 1.8 billion people were presbyopic in 2015 and that, by 2030, this number will reach 2.1 billion.1 The need for more treatment options is vast, and innovation in this field is welcome. Growth is the name of the game; think of how many patients who rely on readers alone have never had a comprehensive eye examination. That makes presbyopia not only a treatment opportunity but also a gateway to preventative eye care and broader eye health education. To optometrists, presbyopia feels routine. We know there is nothing wrong, and we know it is inevitable. For many patients, however, struggling to see up close is life-changing. It can be scary, frustrating, and often embarrassing, especially in a world that depends on smartphones. Presbyopia has been shown to cause more symptoms and reduce quality of life more than hypertension, glaucoma, and macular degeneration combined.2 Even in its earliest stages, presbyopia can interfere with daily routines. Our role, and the role of our staff, is not only to offer solutions but also to show compassion and help patients feel understood and seen (pun intended).

Navigating a Winding Path

Make your journey your own and be prepared to handle what life may throw at you.

Cecelia Koetting, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO

Modern Optometry

Every career in health care is full of unexpected turns, opportunities, challenges, and moments that test both skill and character. In this article, I share my journey through residency, practice transitions, and personal health challenges, including a cancer diagnosis during a pandemic. My hope is that these experiences offer lessons on resilience, adaptability, and empathy, both for your career and for the patients you serve. I started my career in optometry not as a doctor, but as a technician, gaining firsthand experience in the clinic while I applied to school. From early on, I knew I wanted to complete a residency, but with a GPA that wasn’t exactly stellar, I had to prove my drive and commitment. That determination carried me forward, and during my residency in Cincinnati I not only discovered how much I loved the work, but also met my husband. In a funny twist, he had been living in Memphis, where I went to optometry school, and although we shared many mutual friends, our paths hadn’t crossed until then. ON THE ROAD AGAIN After residency, we moved to Tucson, Arizona, where I was offered the opportunity to help open and run a brand-new medical center. It felt like a leap, but I said yes. Only 6 months later, the practice was acquired by private equity, and the plans for the center were put on hold.