Eye on Ocular Health

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Guest: Jaclyn Kovach, MD Geographic atrophy can develop long before traditional visual acuity testing reflects the true impact of disease, making early identification critical in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In this discussion with Dr. Brian McDonough, Dr. Jaclyn Kovach reviews the imaging findings and biologic drivers associated with ge...

Host: Marlana Orloff, MD Guest: Gregory Daniels, MD, PhD Guest: Jesse Keller, MD Dive into what sets metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM) apart from cutaneous melanoma and why that matters for clinical decision-making. Explore how HLA A*02:01 typing informs patient selection and how bispecific TCR therapy is changing the treatment landscape. Real-world cases and clinical trial data bring these concepts...

Emerging evidence reveals that air pollution may be an overlooked contributor to worsening uncorrected visual acuity in children. In this AudioAbstract, Ryan Quigley explores a large machine learning–based study examining nearly 30,000 East Asian students that revealed lower levels of PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide are independently linked to better vision—especially in younger children with mild to m...

Guest: Ryan Quigley Myopia is more than blurred vision; it's a chronic condition requiring lifelong attention that could affect up to five billion people by 2050. In response to this growing crisis, the World Council of Optometry (WCO) has issued standard-of-care guidelines built around three pillars: Mitigation, Measurement, and Management. Tune in to learn about this evidence-based framework and...

Guest: Jeffrey Walline, OD, PhD Many parents hesitate to allow young children to wear contact lenses, fearing poor hygiene or increased risk of infection. But evidence shows that kids between the ages of 7 and 12 are not at higher risk than teens; in fact, they actually have fewer complications than college-age wearers, and long-term studies reveal no difference in eye health between those fit wit...

Guest: Jeffrey Walline, OD, PhD Many eye care professionals and parents still believe children must wait until their teenage years to wear contact lenses, but as Dr. Jeffrey Walline explains, modern daily disposable lenses offer improved safety, comfort, and ease of use, making them a viable option for children as young as 7 or 8. And beyond the clinical benefits of slowing myopia progression and...

Host: Mary Katherine Cheeley, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FNLA Guest: Arghavan Almony, MD The production of biosimilar therapies is setting the stage for a shift in how we approach treating patients with wet AMD, diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, and other retinal diseases, but many questions remain regarding how their efficacy and safety compare to the reference products and how we can best talk to our...

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Anne Negrin, MD Since eye issues are becoming increasingly common in patients with rheumatological conditions, it’s now more vital than ever that physicians are aware of their common symptoms. Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle is Dr. Anne Negrin, an ophthalmologist in New York, to break down these symptoms and to focus on rheumatological concerns that ophthalmologists se...

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Jean Bennett, MD, PhD Guest: Albert Maguire, MD Power couple Drs . Jean Bennett and Albert Maguire discuss how their new therapy for the RPE65 gene, which causes retinal blindness, was recently approved by the FDA to become the first gene therapy treatment for a genetic disease in the United States and the first worldwide treatment for inherited blindness. Not only...

[Read the Article] Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a leading cause of vision loss in patients with diabetes, resulting in up to 24,000 cases of blindness each year in the United States. Laser therapy has been the most common treatment used to help reduce severe vision loss, but the procedure has many side effects including permanent loss of peripheral vision and swelling of the retina....

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Patrick Spencer, Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Grandview Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. Their discussion centers on primary care manifestations of sickle cell retinopathy, from early to late-stage presentations and the gold standard treatment approaches along this disease course.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr. Gail L. Torkildsen, staff ophthalmologist at Andover Eye Associates and one of the leading Dry Eye Principal Investigators in the world. Dr. Torkildsen has served as P.I. on over 20 client-sponsored Dry Eye studies since 2002. In this discussion she takes listeners on a tour of common eye problems faced in primary care, and how c...

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP A clinical pearl in the arena of eye care is that serious eye problems tend to manifest serious symptoms and signs, which makes vision loss one of the key findings in a diagnostic workup. Yet vision testing is commonly neglected in primary care practice even when patients present with eye-related complaints. What are the most important steps a clinician can take...

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP On average, more than 90% of adults spend more than two hours each day using a digital device, and for 60% of the population, that daily use pattern extends beyond five hours. Regardless of the reasons why, all that time can take a toll on the eyes and lead to digital eye strain. Speaking on the health implications of digital eye strain is Dr. Dora Adamopolous,...

Guest: Stephen Orlin, MD This Excerpt from the Podium comes from Prova Education's "From Guidelines to Practice" program in New York City and features Dr. Stephen Orlin, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Orlin speaks on the various types of conjunctivitis, their common etiologies, and their respective management approaches.

Guest: Stephen Orlin, MD This Excerpt from the Podium features Dr. Stephen Orlin, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, speaking on the patient workup for red eye at Prova Education's "From Guidelines to Practice" program in New York City.

Guest: Stephen Orlin, MD The classic "red eye" presentation by your patient may be a common sighting in your clinical practice, but are you truly up to date on the various causes, treatments, and pitfalls that clinicians encounter when confronting ocular problems? Discussing this issue is Dr. Stephen Orlin, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Director of the Cornea Department, and Co-Director of...

Host: Lee Freedman, MD Guest: Jean Bennett, MD, PhD Host Dr. Lee Freedman and Dr. Jean Bennett, the FM Kirby Professor of Epistemology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, explore how the study of molecular genetics of inherited retinal degenerations can help develop treatments for congenital eye disorders, as well as adult-onset diseases and possibly disorders that affect the bod...

Host: Steven Edelman, MD Guest: Azza El-Remessy, PhD, RPh Retinopathy is one of the most common complications for patients living with diabetes but there are few treatment options and no early-stage interventions. How is research helping to pinpoint potential targets for early intervention and a possible oral treatment? Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, assistant professor and director o...

Host: Roy Levit, MD Guest: Alan Ruby, MD The standard treatment for proliferative and non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy is laser photocoagulation, but novel methods, including injectable steroids or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor, are also showing promise. What tests can help opthamologists determine the area of leakage in the eye that needs treatment? How soon after surgery will pat...

Host: Roy Levit, MD Guest: Alan Ruby, MD The eyes can yield clues to vascular issues elsewhere in the body. How can the two forms of diabetic retinopathy, which are non-proliferative and proliferative, affect vision, and how might retinopathy be associated with somatic effects resulting from diabetes? Dr. Alan Ruby, opthamologist and clinical assistant professor of biomedical sciences at the Eye R...

Host: Roy Levit, MD Guest: Saad Shaikh, MD Although floaters in one's vision are common, this symptom can be a key indicator of a retinal tear or detachment. What is the incidence of retinal detachment in the U.S., and when should a primary care physician suspect this condition? Dr. Saad Shaikh, associate professor and member of the teaching faculty at the University of Central Florida College of...

Host: Steven Edelman, MD Guest: Paul Tornambe, MD Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in American adults. Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, ophthalmologist Dr. Paul Tornambe, an instructor in the departments of ophthalmology and family practice at the University of California, San Diego, as they discuss early diagnosis, tele-healt...

Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP Guest: David Abramson, MD Survival rates for retinoblastoma now approach 100 percent, but in years past, enucleation was the only sure way to cure this rare pediatric malignancy. We're now seeing advances in chemotherapy that not only spare the child's eye, but can preserve vision as well. What makes this chemotherapy regimen so effective, and how can we build on its e...

Host: Lee Freedman, MD Guest: Frederick Vivino, MD Sjogren's syndrome is a commonly overlooked autoimmune disorder. Dry eyes and whole-body dryness are just two of the symptoms of Sjogren's syndrome that can suggest other conditions as well. How does Sjogren's present itself beyond dry eyes, and how severe is the condition? Dr. Frederick Vivino, clinical associate professor of medicine at the Univ...