I am delighted to welcome you to the Spring 2020 edition of US Ophthalmic Review. This edition features some wide-ranging and insightful articles from top names in ophthalmology from around the globe.
We begin with an insightful Expert Interview with Deborah K VanderVeen, from Boston Children’s Hospital, about the rationale for the use of orthokeratology for the prevention of myopic progression in children, following the recent American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) report on this subject. Then, in a Practice Pearl article, I discuss my tips for the successful removal of mature brunescent lenses, which can often present a challenge, even for expert cataract surgeons. We were delighted to receive a Commentary article from Arnold J Wilkins, inventor of the FL–41 lens that featured in the article “Optical Lens Tinting—A Review of its Functional Mechanism, Efficacy, and Applications” by Jared Raabe, Ashwini Kini, and Andrew Lee, which appeared in the last issue US Ophthalmic Review. Prof. Wilkins gives his opinions on the lens and on the causes and treatment of photophobia.
We feature an interesting selection of review articles, on a range of important topics. Noncompliance with prescribed eyedrop treatment following surgery has always been a problem; Cynthia Matossian addresses this in a review of studies into the issue of noncompliance, which can have serious ramifications for clinical outcomes. Syed Shoeb Ahmad et al. then review the evidence for the advantages and disadvantages of clear lens extraction in primary angle-closure disease, which remains a controversial subject. Subhan Tabba et al. discuss some of the common eye conditions that a general ophthalmologist or a primary care provider needs to be aware of and help treat or refer these patients for further management, thereby improving quality of life for elderly patients. The fourth review looks at strategies to treat and prevent radiation retinopathy, a common and devastating visual side effect of radiation therapy for uveal melanoma and other ocular cancers. In the article, Hannah J Yu and Amy C Schefler review the review the history of radiation retinopathy treatment and discuss recent prospective studies in anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment.
Finally, Spencer C Cleland and colleagues present an interesting case of a 27-year-old man who was seen in the emergency department for an epithelial defect and subsequently developed worsening visual acuity. The vision loss was attributed to proparacaine abuse, a topical anesthetic widely used in ophthalmic practice.
We would like to extend our gratitude to all contributors to this edition, to our editorial board for their ongoing involvement, and to all organizations and society partners for their support. We hope that you will enjoy reading this edition of US Ophthalmic Review.
