Eye Doctors held their latest ‘Grand Round’ event in late October at Novotel, Greenlane, with subjects including epiretinal membranes, eye drops and strangely, erectile dysfunction, shared.
Dr Penny McAllum welcomed guests before questioning, ‘Are generic eyedrops the same as branded ones?’ In reaching the conclusion that, in short, ‘probably’, Dr McAllum outlined benefits, differences and issues pertaining to generic versus branded eye drops. She urged optometrists to remind patients of the ‘very high safety and testing standards’ that exist here in New Zealand, which surpass those offered in the USA and Australia, while urging optometrists to report any efficacy or side effect concerns to the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (CARM).
During the Q & A that followed, discussions around incorrect prescribing and dispensing ensued, with Richard Johnson sharing an anecdote of a Scottish woman who needed hospital earlier this year after she was mistakenly given erectile dysfunction cream Vitaros for dry eye, when she should have been given Vitapos.
The audience was introduced to Dr Joel Yap, newly-appointed locum ophthalmologist with Eye Doctors and vitreo-retinal (VR) specialist who works with both Auckland and Counties Manukau District Health Boards. Malaysian-born University of Otago graduate Dr Yap recently completed his fellowship in Toronto, where he gained experience in pneumatic retinopexy (PR), a procedure he explained is a commonplace alternative to vitrectomy for repairing retinal detachments there. His video and slide presentation illustrated the technique, which involved pure gas injection into the vitreous cavity, followed by the use of an indirect laser or preceding cryotherapy.
Dr Yap quoted a study of about 160 patients with superior retinal detachments, about half of whom were treated with vitrectomy and the other half with PR. Of those treated with vitrectomy, 60% needed subsequent cataract surgery, compared to only 16% of those with PR.
