Orbits in orbit: the weightless eye
Outer space may be filled with wondrous mysteries and the promise of discovery, but a forgiving environment for the human eye it is not.
Jakob Sauppe5 min read
Optometry Comment
GNZ: Facing the challenge
There is no doubt 2021 was an unusual year. We have come to realise that Covid-19 will be part of our landscape for the foreseeable future. While this hinders eyecare providers, for patients with glaucoma the challenges are threefold.
Professor Helen Danesh-Meyer2 min read
CASE STUDY: non-neovascular subretinal fluid in AMD
A 65-year-old European man was referred to the retinal clinic for ongoing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) management. On a routine examination by his optometrist, he was found to have bilateral subretinal fluid (SRF) and drusen. He was asymptomatic with visual acuity of 6/9 in both eyes. A si
Dr Leo Sheck4 min read
Two years: the impacts of Covid-19 on eyecare
Being geographically isolated, New Zealand’s Covid-19 elimination strategy was extremely effective during 2020 and most of 2021. In early December 2021, although there had been a total of 12,000 cases of Covid-19 in Aotearoa, the mortality rate was just 0.36% (44 deaths). In stark contrast, the UK,
Dr Himanshu Wadhwa, Dr Jie Zhang and Professor Charles McGhee9 min read
Thyroid disease, Covid-19 and conjunctivitis and Myopia app
Teprotumumab for TED: early response not required for benefit
Dr Kenneth Chan7 min read
Farewell, optometry class of 2021!
Graduates from the School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Auckland ended 2021 on a high with an extravagant graduation dinner. Despite Covid restrictions forcing the cancellation of the annual Eyeball and the postponement of the graduation ceremony to May 2022, I’m happy to say
Rishi Khattar1 min read
Cataract surgery and dementia
As well as benefitting vision, cataract surgery has tremendous implications for quality of life, avoiding falls and cognitive deterioration. It’s also a very efficient option for better care, lower costs and patients’ independence. Now a new study has shown cataract extraction is associated with a 3
Drs Francesc March de Ribot and Mo Ziaei3 min read
NZAO: Getting busy at the Beehive
Over two wonderfully sunny October days we were finally able to hold our 90th New Zealand Association of Optometrists (NZAO) conference at the Beehive in Wellington. Having already postponed our 2020 conference due to Covid-19, the most recent lockdowns in Auckland and Hamilton meant many of our mem
Inhae Park3 min read
Neuroprotection and nicotinamide
In ophthalmology, ‘neuroprotection’ usually refers to methods of preventing progressive glaucomatous visual field loss that are not intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction treatments. The term also includes the possibility of recovery of optic nerve function in glaucoma. Nicotinamide is a form of vitam
Dr Mark Donaldson5 min read
Chalkeyes presents: When Facebook says ‘no’!
Frustrated by Facebook’s decision to stop her promoting her business-to-business-focused Facebook sites after she declined to share confidential proof-of-identity details with the social networking behemoth, Lesley Springall sought answers on what to do when you’re left in the lurch by Facebook.
Lesley Springall9 min read
NZOSS 2021 in the rear-view mirror
This year wraps up the New Zealand Optometry Student Society’s (NZOSS) ninth year as a student-run society. It has been a challenging, exciting and rewarding year to say the least, but we’re glad to have made it to the finish line.
Rishi Khattar4 min read
Mitigating the cyber-risk for your business
Businesses have traditionally been overconfident in their cyber controls or buried their heads in the sand when it came to best cyber security practice, resulting in the number of data breaches increasing exponentially from malicious hacking and accidental disclosures by staff. So business owners ne
David Pearson5 min read