Category Archives: Optometry

Early Detection & Eye Exams Needed to Prevent Macular Degeneration Vision Loss

“As Prevent Blindness America has designated February as National Age Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month, on behalf of the eye doctors at D’Ambrosio Eye Care we want to stress the need for regular eye exams to ensure early detection of macular degeneration as the key to preventing vision loss,” shared Massachusetts Ophthalmologist Francis D’Ambrosio Jr., M.D. “Patients-especially those 50 and over-need to know that age related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in Americans older than 50,” explained Dr. D’Ambrosio Jr. “While it is not possible to actually cure AMD, our clinical experience demonstrates that with early detection, diagnosis and treatment when necessary we can be quite effective in helping patients prevent vision loss and in many instances we can help recover some lost vision.”

It is advisable for everyone older than 50 to have a comprehensive, dilated eye examination every one to two years to ensure that AMD is detected as early as possible. If anyone in your family has macular degeneration it is critical to be seen even earlier and more often. “We want to be as certain as possible that if you are at risk for macular degeneration or show any signs of “Wet” AMD such as the growth of unwanted blood vessels under the retina-we make sure you have access to treatment with Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) inhibitor injections such as Lucentis® as soon as possible. By learning the symptoms to watch for, bringing to our attention and getting treatment as quickly as possible we can stop the blood vessel growth, reverse it and at a minimum prevent further vision loss and often actually improve vision,” explained Dr. D’Ambrosio Jr.

Patients can also help to decrease their risk of developing age related macular degeneration (AMD) by not smoking, moderating alcohol consumption to less than 15g per day, eating a heart-healthy diet rich in fish, fruit and green leafy vegetables, avoiding foods with trans fats, exercising and controlling blood pressure and weight.

D’Ambrosio Eye Care is a leading practice serving the greater Boston and central Massachusetts area including Acton, Athol, Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Boxborough, Chelmsford, Clinton, Concord, Fitchburg, Gardner, Greenfield, Groton, Harvard, Hudson, Lancaster, Leominster, Lexington, Littleton, Lowell, Lunenburg, Marlborough, Milford, Shelburne Falls, Shirley, Sterling, Stow, Sudbury, Templeton, Westminster, Westborough, Winchendon and Worcester, Massachusetts.

Staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services.

To learn more about D’Ambrosio Eye Care you may visit
http://www.dambrosioeyecare.com or http://www.facebook.com/dambrosioeyecare or
follow our eye care blog at http://dambrosioeyecare.blogspot.com.

Via EPR Network
More Healthcare press releases

Housing Market Crash and Rising Medical Costs, Is There A Connection?

As millions of American homeowners know, the housing market crash was fueled by inflated home values and bank loans that were high above the equity or actual value of “underwater” homes. According to Trisha Lotzer, JD., health-care attorney and CEO of Physis, Inc., a similar threat for banks, borrowers and owners of many of the nation’s medical, dental, optometry and veterinary practices must be averted.

Like residential real estate, medical practices may be marketed and sold by brokers. Brokers in the business of selling medical practices commonly charge 7-12% commission. The commission alone can add $80,000 to $2,000,000 to the purchase price, depending on the size of the facility–and drive up the bank note accordingly.

Like real estate agents, the job of the practice broker is to get the seller the highest selling price possible. Unlike real estate agents, however, brokers are often the only ones who value the practices they have for sale–giving them a built in incentive to inflate the value of practices and increase their commission. Ross Landreth, MBA, explains that the problem occurs when a practice is arbitrarily valued, purchased and financed at $1,500,000, but only has an actual fair market value (per USPAP approved valuation standards) of $850,000. This could mean that the practice does not cash-flow at $1,500,00 and that the new purchasers would have to raise the price of services in order to maintain profitability and pay back the bank note. This increase in the cost of health care does not increase the earnings of the practice owners or physicians but is passed along to patients and insurance providers.

Via EPR Network
More Healthcare press releases

Non-corneal Tonometry Glaucoma Eye Test Independent of Central Corneal Thickness (CCT) and Biometric Properties Featured at ESCRS, Paris France

Unique non-corneal Tonometer Diaton, which allows to measure intraocular pressure (IOP) through the eyelid and sclera, unlike others that obtain IOP through cornea was featured at The European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons ESCRS meeting in Paris, France.

Unique non-corneal Tonometer Diaton, which allows to measure intraocular pressure (IOP) through the eyelid and sclera, unlike others that obtain IOP through cornea was featured at The European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons ESCRS.

Diaton tonometry is a unique approach of measuring intraocular pressure without touching the surface of the eye, takes tonometry reading over the upper eyelid and over the sclera. This revolutionary tonometry method allows physicians to obtain intraocular pressure without influence of central corneal thickness (CCT) and other known and unknown biometric properties and parameters of the cornea.

Unlike Goldmann tonometry which is based on the Imbert–Fick law and is effected by CCT and other corneal parameters and corneal diseases, where small area of the membrane is flattened to measure pressure of the internal fluid. Evidence shows that variations in CCT may greatly influence Goldmann tonometry reading. Parameters such as membrane elasticity, rigidity and other biomechanical properties can influence the accuracy of the intraocular pressure readings.

Diaton tonometry solves most of the corneal issues by implementing Newton ‘s Second Law and a Ballistic principle to obtain IOP. Readings with Diaton Tonometer are taken over the upper eyelid, at the tarsus and over the sclera, not the cornea.

Recent clinical study “Comparison of Accuracy of Diaton Transpalpebral Tonometer Versus Goldmann Applanation Tonometer, Dynamic Contour Tonometer and Ocular Response Analyzer “ concluded: “Transpalpebral Tonometry is an accurate method of IOP measurement that is also independent from the biomechanical characteristics of cornea. It can be recommended for IOP measurements of patients diagnosed with glaucoma including those cases where cornea pathology or cornea characteristics have been altered”.

BiCOM Inc. ( New York , USA ) covers the full scope of customer service, which involves client training, follow ups, hotline support, sales support, etc. To get more information on the device or to make a purchase, visit the official website –http://www.TonometerDiaton.com, or call BiCOM at the toll free number 1-877-diatons (877-342-8667).

Via EPR Network
More Healthcare press releases

Joint Venture Seeks To Market Affordable And Stylish Prescription Eyeglasses

GlassesUSA.com and Cardinal Health, Inc. launched a partnership recently aimed at promoting an affordable and practical option in vision care. The partnership, in which Cardinal.com will promote GlassesUSA’s products and service for prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses at severely discounted prices is geared towards making the purchase of quality eyeglasses less expensive.

Joint Venture Seeks To Market Affordable And Stylish Prescription Eyeglasses

GlassesUSA.com, a New Jersey-based company, specializes in selling high-quality prescription glasses online at affordable prices with worldwide shipping options. GlassesUSA provides affordable eyewear to millions of people worldwide who cannot afford the high-price of glasses offered at many offline retail locations.Many of the eyeglasses sold at GlassesUSA.com are priced at 75% lower than the cost of traditional eyewear.

Cardinal Health, Inc. is an Ohio-based Fortune 18 company that “improves the cost-effectiveness of health care. As the business behind health care, Cardinal Health helps pharmacies, hospitals and ambulatory care sites focus on patient care while reducing costs, improving efficiency and quality, and increasing profitability.”

Jay Englemayer, the Vice President of Business Development at GlassesUSA, states that “Cardinal Health is a perfect partner for GlassesUSA as our overall missions are symbiotic. Affordable health care – including vision care for everyone.This alliance will help bring the reality of quality eyecare to millions who are used to paying an excessive amount for glasses.”

Via EPR Network
More Healthcare press releases

GlassesUSA Offers Customers Generous Discount On Prescription Glasses During Sale

GlassesUSA is keeping prescription eyeglasses affordable. Staying in line with their philosophy of ensuring eyeglasses are an affordable necessity and not an expensive luxury, GlassesUSA recently launched a new marketing campaign for their customers. The newest campaign is aimed at selling a selected portion of their most popular, fashionable eyeglass frames at a discount to their customers.

Unlike many retailers who keep their sales under wraps and hidden in the dark corners of their websites with special landing pages in hopes that customers will not use the discount, GlassesUSA launched their “Autumn Sale 2009” campaign first via email to customers who signed up for their seasonal newsletter. After the successful email campaign was launched, GlassesUSA launched the promotion on their website – inviting customers to take 10% off any of the selected eyeglasses.

The final steps in the promotional campaign launch was reaching out to bloggers and affiliates in order to get the word out about the 10% discount. The campaign was well-received among bloggers and those running coupon and discount sites.

GlassesUSA, a company that endured many changes recently including moving their shipping outfit to St. Joseph, Michigan, is an international cooperative group with offices in New Jersey as well as Tel Aviv, Israel. The company believes that vision care should be within arms reach and that high-quality eyeglasses should not cost a fortune. In conjunction with their business philosophy, GlassesUSA established efforts for their customers to not only recycle broken glasses but to donate old and used eyeglasses in order to ensure that those around the globe who cannot afford eyeglasses will receive them free of cost.

Since launching as a company, GlassesUSA transformed into an organization committed to philanthropy as well as consumer education. Their customers have a blog available to find the best ways to keep themselves informed on anything new in the vision world. GlassesUSA also reaches out to its customers with creative and innovative ways to save money – such as their Autumn Sale 2009.

Via EPR Network
More Healthcare press releases

GlassesUSA announced a partnership with the Lions Club this week

GlassesUSA announced a partnership with the Lions Club this week. The partnership will consist of taking used eyeglasses and returned prescription eyeglasses and donating them to the Uniontown Lions Club.

The partnership is a new development for GlassesUSA as it hopes to change the way people view eyecare and eyeglasses. Vision care has long been a luxury in the United States as opposed to a necessity. Lions Clubs all over the United States have taken to the streets to find old and used eyeglasses in order to produce a wearable eyeglass frame with new lenses. The new eyeglasses are then given to those who need them most – people who cannot afford eyeglasses.

GlassesUSA is proud to be a part of such a union. Eyeglasses returned by customers will be sent to the Uniontown Lions Club for collection. The glasses will then be recycled and sent to a re-manufacturing plant. From there, new lenses are manufactured suited to fit the needs of the future wearer. The eyeglasses are then sent to the people who need them the most.

As part of the partnership, GlassesUSA will give customers who donate their used eyeglasses a 10% discount on future frames with the presentation of a receipt from the Lions Club. Those interested in sending in their frames should send them to:
Uniontown Lions Club
C/O Bob Kendall
81 Pontius RD.
Mogadore, OH 44260

Once customers have sent their glasses in along with their email address, a receipt will be given to them via email. In order to receive the discount, the customer must email the receipt to support@glassesusa.com to receive the coupon code.

For additional information, contact Hillary or visit GlassesUSA.com.

Via EPR Network
More Healthcare press releases