Ithcy, watery eyes? Optometrists give tips to relieve spring allergy symptoms

The sunshine and bright colors of spring are here, but so are seasonal allergies from pollen, dander, smog or mold that can often lead to itchy, watery eyes. Eye irritation is the body's immune response to allergens, so when pollen comes in contact with eyes, for example, the body releases histamine, causing eye redness, burning and itching.

The Kentucky Optometric Association says discomfort from itchy, swollen or water eyes can be reduced with simple steps, such as maintaining a healthy diet full of anti-oxidants like spinach, broccoli, carrot discomfort that boost the immune system in addition to taking fish oil supplements that help reduce redness and irritation.

Other tips from the KOA include using preservative-free lubricating eye drops or re-wetting eyes with contact solution if you wear contact lenses. Applying a cold compress to eyes can also relieve itching and redness by constricting the histamine-releasing blood vessels. And remember: Do not touch or rub eyes, and be sure to wash hands with soap and water.

A local eye doctor can examine eye allergy symptoms to ensure the cause is properly identified, said Dr. Max Downey, an optometrist in Campbellsville. Optometrists' treatment could range from eye drops to prescription medicines, said Downey.

In addition to discussing allergy relief with your optometrist, the KOA recommends adults have yearly eye exams at the minimum, depending on the severity of allergies.

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month; disease is second leading cause of blindness

One million Americans will be diagnosed with glaucoma in the next 10 years, prompting Kentucky optometrists to raise awareness of the disease this month.

"People who do not visit their eye doctor on a regular basis are putting their vision and quality of life at risk," said Dr. Ben Gaddie, president of the Kentucky Optometric Association. "Glaucoma is often referred to as 'the sneak thief of sight' because it can strike without pain or other symptoms. Vision lost to glaucoma cannot be restored, so early detection and treatment are paramount."

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the country. Data from the American Optometric Association show 50 percent of Americans incorrectly believe glaucoma is preventable and fewer than 20 percent of Americans are aware glaucoma causes deterioration of peripheral vision.

The Glaucoma Research Foundation has found African Americans ages 45 to 65 are 14 to 17 times more likely to go blind from the disease than Caucasians. People with a family history of glaucoma, those over the age of 60 or people who have experienced severe eye trauma are also more prone to the disease. (Read more)

Regulations allowing optometrists to use lasers pass; opponents may sue for violation of Open Meetings Act

Though ophthalmologists and the Kentucky Medical Association strongly objected, a legislative committee passed regulations Tuesday that will allow optometrists to perform some eye surgeries using lasers. In answer, opponents says "they might file legal action against the Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners, which drafted the regulations, for failing to comply with the state's Open Meetings Act," reports Beth Musgrave of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The regulations, authorized by Senate Bill 110 in this year's General Assembly, now go to another legislative panel for final approval. The bill has been cause for controversy, in large part because it passed through the legislature in a swift 12 days. Oklahoma is the only other state that gives similar operating privileges to optometrists.

Ophtalmologists said Tuesday the optometric board "used a task force appointed by the state optometric association, a trade group, to develop the regulations, and those meetings were held in secret with no public input," Musgrave reports. Legislators and optometrists disagreed, saying public comment was allowed at an open meeting in July, and the regulations were altered after task force members took the comments into consideration.

Dr. Woodford Van Meter, president of the Kentucky Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons, said patient safety is at risk of optometrists are allowed to perform the procedures, in part because the bill states they only have to receive 32 hours of training and show they can do the procedure once before they can use lasers. By contrast, Van Meter said ophthalmologists have 17,000 hours of surgical training and perform surgeries hundreds of times before being allowed to do them on their own.

If the regulations pass, optometrists may be allowed to perform the surgeries by year's end. (Read more)

Optometrists, ophthalmologists renew battle over optometrists' ability to perform medical procedures

Ophthalmologists renewed their fight yesterday against new rules "that would allow optometrists to perform more complex procedures that critics say will endanger patients," Mike Wynn of The Courier-Journal reports. The Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners held the hearing on regulations that would implement a law passed quickly by the General Assembly after a years-long lobbying effort by optometrists and their trade group's executive director, Darlene Eakin, left. (C-J photo by Pam Spaulding)

The law allows optometrists to do limited laser treatments, "injections of medicine and removal of benign lesions from eyelids," Wynn writes. The only other state that allows them to do so is Oklahoma, but critics say no problems have been reported in that state and have noted that only 41 Kentucky counties have ophthalmologists.

Ophthalmologists "charged that the rules are not stringent enough to ensure optometrists — who are not medically licensed — can perform the treatments without causing harm," Wynn writes. The rules would require optometrists who want to expand their practice to take classes on more than 20 medical topics, pass tests, get clinical experience and "demonstrate competency to a board-approved expert," Wynn notes. "Lexington ophthalmologist Ken Weaver said wording in the draft resembles 'vague ideas,' rather than medical standards, and could allow an optometrist to perform eye surgeries after a 16-hour course from an unqualified instructor." (Read more)

Watching 3-D movies may strain eyes but doesn't harm them and can help detect vision impairment, optometrists say

With summer blockbusters set to be released in the coming months, the Kentucky Optometric Association says watching 3-D movies is not harmful to eyes, but can cause eye strain and headaches.

To help with those conditions, the association recommends sitting farther back from the movie screen.

In some cases, some viewers won't be able to recognize 3-D pictures because they lack binocular vision. "Although this doesn't pose any problem viewing the screen, it serves as a vision screening that something is abnormal with the viewer's binocular vision," the association says in a news release used by the Journal-Enterprise of Providence.

"That means 3-D actually has a benefit," said Dr. Joe Ellis, an optometrist in Benton and president of the optometric association. "It can alert people to undetected vision disorders and eye diseases that, if caught early, are fully treatable."

Viewers might consider seeing an optometrist or ophthalmologist if they get headaches while watching 3-D, if they feel nauseous or dizzy after viewing or if it is difficult for their eyes to adjust back to normal after viewing. (Read more)

New Kentucky optometry law prompting legislators in other states to consider same or similar changes

Now that Kentucky lawmakers have allowed optometrists to expand their scope of care, legislators in Nebraska, South Carolina and Texas may follow suit. They are looking at legislation that would allow optometrists to perform minor surgeries that were previously only allowed to be done by ophthalmologists, who are medical doctors.

Despite objections from several physician organizations — who say optometrists lack the medical training to perform the surgeries or deal with the complications — The Better Access to Quality Eye Care law was signed by Gov. Steve Beshear this winter. It lets optometrists perform a range of new procedures, including post-cataract surgery and two types of glaucoma surgery, reports Carolyne Krupa of American Medical News. The bill caused controversy partly because of the amount of campaign contributions, totaling almost $400,000, that optometrists made to all but one legislator and Beshear in the past two years.

Bills being considered in Nebraska and Texas would allow optometrists to "remove skin lesions from eyelids" and perform the same eye surgeries now permitted in Kentucky. The bills in Nebraska, Texas and South Carolina would also let optometrists make injections in the eyelid.

In 1998, Oklahoma because the first state to allow optometrists to perform some eye surgeries. Earlier this year, Kentucky became the second state nationwide. (Read more)

Beshear signs first bill of session; optometrists will benefit

Gov. Steve Beshear has signed legislation that will significantly increase the scope of care optometrists can provide, making it the first bill to become law in this session of the General Assembly.

"Access to quality health care is a critical issue for families across the commonwealth," he said in a press release. "After careful consideration, along with meetings with many interested parties, today I signed Senate Bill 110 to give Kentuckians greater access to necessary eye care."

The bill made an unusually speedy passage through the General Assembly after being filed Feb. 7. The Courier-Journal reported earlier this month optometrists have given a total of $400,000 in campaign contributions to legislators, the only exception being one who is a physician. Beshear's re-election campaign has also received optometrists' money.

The law will allow optometrists, who do not attend medical school, to perform more types of procedures, most notably one that uses a laser to fix complications that can arise from cataract surgery. Only optometrists in Oklahoma are likewise allowed to use lasers while treating their patients; in every other state, only opthalmologists can. The law also allows optometrists to prescribe certain drugs and lets the state Board of Optometric Examiners define what procedures optometrists can legally perform.

"In order to ensure the highest degree of oversight, I will be meeting with the Board of Optometric Examiners to make sure that providers of these services undergo extensive training," Beshear said. "I believe this new law will mean more Kentuckians can get the eye care they need." Optometrists practice in 106 counties in Kentucky. Two-thirds of the state's counties do not have an ophtalmologist, and supporters of the bill sais it will make eye care more accessible and affordable in rural areas.

Optometrists, ophthalmologists debate bill on TV after its passage

The bill to let optometrists perform some procedures now done legally only by ophthalmologists has passed both houses and is on the governor's desk, but members of both professions are debating its effects on television.

Leaders of the Kentucky Optometric Association and the Kentucky Academy of Eye Physicians appeared on cn|2's "Pure Politics" with Ryan Alessi on Insight cable Friday night, and are scheduled to appear on KET's "Kentucky Tonight" with Bill Goodman Monday at 8 p.m. EST.

Ben Gaddie of Louisville, president-elect of the optometrists' group, told Alessi that while the bill was passed only 11 days after it was filed, becoming the year's first to go to Gov. Steve Beshear, “We weren’t intentionally hiding anything … There are no secrets in Frankfort.”

Woodford VanMeter of Lexington, president of the ophthalmologists' group, "took issue with the ophthalmologists receiving limited time to raise their objections during committee hearings on the bill," cn|2 reports. (Click arrow to start video)

Optometrists' well-financed bill is first to clear General Assembly

The bill that would significantly increase the care optometrists can provide passed the House Friday morning by a 81-14 vote. The bill, which now heads to Gov. Steve Beshear's desk, is the first this session to clear both houses of the General Assembly, The Courier-Journal's Tom Loftus reports.

Since it was filed Feb. 7, Senate Bill 110 has been cause for controversy, in part because of its speedy passage. It passed the full Senate last week, passed the House Licensing and Occupations Committee Wednesday and was voted on by the full House this morning. Loftus notes that optometrists have made more than $400,000 in campaign contributions to legislators and Gov. Steve Beshear in the past two years.

The bill allows optometrists, who do not attend medical school, to perform more types of procedures, most notably one that uses a laser to fix complications that can arise from cataract surgery. Only optometrists in Oklahoma are likewise allowed to use lasers while treating their patients; in every other state, only ophthalmologists -- medical doctors trained to perform eye surgeries --  can. The bill also allows optometrists to prescribe certain drugs and lets the state Board of Optometric Examiners define what procedures optometrists can legally perform.

On Thursday, ophthalmologists voiced their displeasure, saying they believe rules were broken in passing the bill. The bill should have been heard by the Health and Welfare committees, not the licensing committees, they say. "We hope that someone in the House (which now has the bill) will appeal for this to be corrected and ... sent to the proper committee so that the facts can be heard," said Woodford Van Meter, president of the Kentucky Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons.

House Speaker Greg Stumbo and Senate Majority Floor Leader Robert Stivers, the bill's sponsor, disagreed, saying the bill affects the licensing of optometrists. Ophthalmologists note the Senate and House rules say the health committees have "general jurisdiction" over "matters pertaining to ... optometrists." (Read more)

Bill to expand optometrists' scope of care, aided by political money, continues rapid progression through General Assembly

A bill that would considerably expand optometrists' scope of care cleared the House Licensing and Occupations Committee in an hour-long meeting this afternoon, the latest move in its speedy progression through the General Assembly.

Senate Bill 110 was introduced last week and was passed 33-3 by the full Senate last Friday. It passed through the House Licensing and Occupations Committee today by a 14-2 vote. It will likely be considered by the full House Friday, The Courier-Journal's Tom Loftus reports.

Loftus reported this morning that legislators have received more than $400,000 from optometrists' political action committee and its individual members, with 137 of Kentucky's 138 legislators and Gov. Steve Beshear receiving campaign money. The Kentucky Optometric Association, which employs 18 lobbyists, has given more than $327,000 alone in the past two years through its PAC. (Read more)

"In 2010, optometrists gave $249,273 to all political candidates, including local candidates," Beth Musgrave reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader. "Ophthalmologists, in comparison, gave only $575 in 2010, according to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance." (Read more)

Both sides are running advertising campaigns, but the ophthalmologists and their fellow medical doctors seem to be behind in that competition, too. A radio ad from the Kentucky Medical Association this week urged listeners to call their senators, though the bill had already passed the Senate.

The bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. Robert Stivers of Manchester, left, extends the scope of care optometrists can provide, most notably allowing them to conduct some laser procedures usually performed by opthamologists. "These are considered minor, non-invasive laser procedures," Dr. Joe Ellis, a spokesman for the Kentucky Optometric Association, told Kentucky Health News. "They're most commonly performed when a person has cataract surgery. There is a membrane that clouds over and they would be allowed to remove that."

Nationwide, only optometrists in Oklahoma are allowed to perform this type of laser procedure, Ellis said. They have been permitted to do so since 1998.

The bill would also allow optometrists to "remove lumps and bumps around the eye," Ellis said, which is currently only permitted in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Tennessee and North Carolina. It would also allow optometrists to do what Ellis termed "routes of administration." "Like if a person had an inflammation around the eye, you can inject a steroid to reduce inflammation," he said, adding nine states allow optometrists to do that.

The proposal would also allow optometrists to prescribe certain drugs, and would let the state Board of Optometric Examiners define what procedures optometrists could legally perform. Supporters say it would make certain types of eye care more available in rural areas, which have few ophthalmologists.

Physicians take issue with the proposal, saying optometrists are not properly trained to perform the procedures. Critics are also suspicious over the speed with which the bill is moving. An editorial in the Herald-Leader today says, "We've long known that politicians are blinded by political money," the opinon piece says. "If this bill becomes law, some of their constituents could be, too." (Read more)

Senate quickly passes bill to allow optometrists to perform minor surgical procedures; ophthalmologists say that would be risky

"The Senate approved a bill Friday to allow optometrists to perform some surgical procedures on the eye and eyelid, brushing aside warnings from medical doctors who said optometrists are not qualified and could harm surgical patients," John Cheves reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader. Supporters of the bill said it would improve eye services in rural areas.

Prospects for Senate Bill 110 in the House are uncertain, but it passed the Senate 33-3 and optometrists have long been major financiers of legislators' campaigns. They have given almost $740,000 to state candidates since the Registry of Election Finance began keeping computerized records in 1997, and have won several legislative battles against ophthalmologists, medical doctors who specialize in eye matters.

The bill was filed Monday night and approved by the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee the next day. "After ophthalmologists started calling, the Senate granted them a brief hearing Friday morning to air their complaints, although it did not stop the Senate vote," Cheves reports. Sen. Julie Denton, R-Louisville, chair of the Health and Welfare Committee, called the process a "kangaroo court" and said, "Just because we have a squeaky wheel doesn't mean we have to oil it immediately."

If the bill becomes law, optometrists could "remove lumps and bumps and use lasers to treat a few specified conditions, although they could not perform Lasik corrective surgery or any other procedure requiring general anesthesia," Cheves reports. "Optometrists told the committee that about two-thirds of Kentucky's counties don't have an ophthalmologist, especially in rural areas. . . . Oklahoma passed a similar law in 1998 with no serious problems, they added."

Oklahoma's law is the only one like it in the U.S., according to a commenter on the story, identified as "uk1234." Noting the bill language that would give the state Board of Optometric Examiners "sole authority to determine what constitutes the practice of optometry," the commenter wrote, "The fox will be in charge of the hen house." But a commenter named "taxus" replied, "If the training is adequate (long enough to be proficient) and the practitioner trainee is certified by a panel of peers in the licensing body, then it could prove to be a good idea for folks the 2/3 of the counties where these particular procedures are not now available." (Read more)