Buzz builds for AOA Virtual ePosters Event
Migraine with aura, home monitoring of age-related macular degeneration patients, wavefront-guided optics, myopia progression in children, parental understanding and utilization of vision insurance benefits—all are among the research subjects being tackled by doctors of optometry and being showcased at AOA’s ePosters Virtual Event, June 13-14.
And attendees can see so much more of the latest optometric research being generated by doctors of optometry at live and online events.
A record number of presentations were submitted and pared to 156 for the event—a national forum for clinicians, students and faculty to communicate interesting cases and unique research to their optometric colleagues. Abstracts based on unique clinical cases and all aspects of optometric research are reviewed by a panel of doctors of optometry in academia who score posters in multiple categories on a 1-5 scale; total points received for posters play a major role in ultimately selecting the Top 5, along with a consideration of wanting five projects that collectively represent a balanced look at multiple areas of interest and hot topics within the profession.
“Attendees will have an opportunity to see over 100 different research projects and case studies in a rapid-fire presentation format,” says Erik Mothersbaugh, O.D., ePoster session moderator and liaison. “The virtual format allows for a deeper dive into each project than can typically be done walking through a physical poster session at a meeting, with a high-level overview led by those doing the research on the ground.
“This is a great way for members to get up to speed on emerging technologies and trends in clinical management with only a modest time investment required,” Dr. Mothersbaugh says. “Attendees of the ePosters event can have their interest piqued by being exposed to a variety of topics and then plan their upcoming continuing education courses in alignment with an interest they would like to explore further.”
But learning is just one of the reasons for attending the events, supported by Janssen.
“This is an opportunity to support the future of the profession,” Mothersbaugh adds. “While many of the ePoster authors will be names well known by AOA membership, there are also a lot of folks early in their careers who are the ones setting the tone for where we’re headed in the years to come.”
To attend the ePosters Virtual event, see a list of presentations and enroll here. The live, interactive event is set from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Friday, June 23, on the Education Stage at Optometry’s Meeting ®. Accessible on the AOA EyeLearn Professional Development Hub, the ePosters Virtual Event will include poster presentations in nine, 50-minute courses to provide greater visibility and participation than ever before for this scientific forum.
Top 5 posters of 2023
Benefitting from the second year of a new format, here are the Top 5 abstracts of 2023, as selected by members of the AOA Poster Committee:
Paracentral Acute Middle Maculopathy (PAMM) Following Oral Intake of Caffeine Containing Analgesic in the Treatment of Migraine with Aura
Author: Eryn Martinez, O.D., Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center
Co-author: Shelly Kim, O.D., Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center
Migraine with aura is a common complaint encountered by eye care providers. The visual symptoms typically precede the accompanying migraine and last 5-60 minutes. Patients with chronic migraines with aura have been shown to have acute retinal vasospasms during migraine attacks and can develop permanent changes to the retinal vasculature. Furthermore, many over-the-counter (OTC) migraine analgesics contain caffeine, a vasoconstrictor. Migraines, especially in combination with caffeine containing analgesics, increase the risk for retinal ischemic conditions like Paracentral Acute Middle Maculopathy (PAMM).
Analysis of the Long-term Visual Outcomes of Foreseehome Remote Telemonitoring—The ALOFT Study
Author: Dr. Mohammad Rafieetary, O.D., Charles Retina Institute
Co-author: Megan Blemker, O.D., Notal Vision
Wet or neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common cause of vision loss in elderly Americans. There are effective treatments for this advanced stage of AMD. The long-term outcome and prognosis of patients treated for nAMD greatly depends on timely diagnosis. However, in many cases lack of subjective symptoms leads into late presentation. This study is to evaluate the long-term outcomes and predictive value of preferential hyperacuity perimetry (PHP) based home monitoring for detection of conversion from dry to wet age related macular degeneration (AMD).
Reducing Visual Disturbances with Wavefront-Guided Optics in a Keratoconus Patient Who Failed Conventional Scleral Lenses
Author: Clark Chang, O.D., MSA, MSc, Wills Eye Hospital
Co-authors: Nicolas Brown, OVITZ Corporation; Jenny Wong, O.D., Contact Lens Institute of Nevada
Visual impairments such as glare and poor night vision can continue to burden Keratoconus (KC) patients post contact fitting. Despite gas permeable lens wear, significant residual higher order aberrations (HOA) may persist and cannot be corrected with a traditional sphero-cylindrical treatment approach. Wavefront-guided scleral lenses can be utilized to correct residual HOA, which improves patients' visual outcomes and quality of life.
Comparison of efficacy between intent-to-treat (ITT) and modified ITT populations of NVK002, a novel formulation of low-dose atropine, in treating myopia progression in children in the CHAMP clinical trial
Author: Kristen Kerber, O.D., M.S., New England College of Optometry
Co-authors: Feenstra Vera-Diaz, O.D., Ph.D., New England College of Optometry; Simon Chandler, Ph.D., Vylma, Inc.; Tung Fong, Ph.D., Vylma, Inc.; Eric Lang, M.D., Vylma, Inc.; Houman Hemmati, M.D., Ph.D., Vyluma, Inc.
Using a modified intent-to-treat (mITT) analysis in subjects who were ages 6 to 10 years at baseline, the CHAMP Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT03350620) demonstrated the effectiveness of topical NVK002; a novel, preservative-free low-dose atropine formulation, in slowing myopia progression over 36 months. We showed that in this subgroup of children, NVK002 0.01%, was statistically significant compared to placebo in increasing the proportion of responders (<0.50D myopia progression over three years) and slowing progression of both axial length (AL) and myopia (spherical equivalent refraction, SER). Here, we compare the efficacy in the entire intent to treat (ITT) set of subjects ages 3 to <17 years at baseline with the mITT population
Utilization Evaluation of See to Succeed Program
Author: Pat Segu, O.D., University of Houston
Co-author: Teresa Chui, O.D., University of Houston
See to Succeed (STS) is a safety net program developed to provide underprivileged school-age children with a comprehensive eye exam and glasses in the greater Houston area. Comprehensive eye care is essential to rule out underlying visual impairments. Early detection and appropriate treatment are essential to avoid permanent vision loss. Studies have shown that visually impaired children have a negative correlation to academic success. Since the initiation of the project, over 100,000 comprehensive eye exams have been given to children with 92.5% of the exams receiving glasses. Many of these children who receive eye exams through STS have vision insurance coverage through Medicaid. Preliminary data indicates there is a breakdown between parental understanding and utilization of vision insurance benefits.
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