In Contact - December 2007
Best of the Web: 2007
Here follows the annual ?Best of the Web?. Most links relate to ?Eye Sites? but there are a few random sites thrown in. As usual I've attempted to filter the billions of web pages and distil them into a series of relevant URLs for your interest and surfing pleasure.
Save those you find useful to your Favourites or save this entire edition to your desktop for future reference. For even easier, regular access drag and drop the links you will use often onto the Links or Bookmark toolbar.
I've covered thousands of sites in the past six years of these ?Best of the Web? columns. Many sites are no longer ?free? and require payment. Others allow access on registration. Some are now defunct.
Instead of repeating too many of these sites I am simplifying it back to my original concept and providing an A to Z of sites for reference. That was the original format of the sites I featured before this column was online, around the turn of the century.
Surf to my archives for the best of 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002 and 2001. There you will find more sites than you can imagine, many of which are quite phenomenal in their content. From online simulators for pupil and extra-ocular muscle anomalies to free image sites, numerous reference sites and much more. I throw in quite a few irreverent ones too.
This edition is best viewed online.
AMD: Age related macula degeneration is one of the worst and hardest to manage problems most of us will ever experience as far as eyes are concerned. Like dry eye, modern life seems to be exacerbating the incidence of AMD There are now plenty of resources for sufferers and practitioners alike and it gets plenty of media coverage.
BCLA: www.bcla.org.uk. The British Contact Lens Association site has much information but its true benefits are available to ?members only?. The respected BCLA journal Contact Len & Anterior Eye is also only accessible to members/subscribers. It may be worth joining.
Corneal staining: It's nothing new but staining has been in the news for some time now as far as it relates to solution and lens induced staining. The Alcon sponsored online interactive site is worth a look as it explores the whole subject in depth with excellent images and explanations and is worthwhile CPD. Check out www.cornealstainingce.com
Dry Eye: Although somewhat of a misnomer for all sorts of tear dysfunction syndromes, ?dry eye? is nevertheless becoming increasingly problematic due to environmental, technological, surgical, contact lens, dietary and drug related issues. Jeff Gilbard, inventor of the successful TheraTears range of dry eye treatments has a dry eye blog. If you?re into blogging and keeping up to date check it out. there's a good article in a recent Optometric Management on the multifaceted treatments we need to consider.
Other websites worth a peek are a dry eye sufferer?s site that has useful info as well as a myriad of products for sale. The DEWS report from the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society is also worth looking into. More links here and plenty more in depth info at dry eye clinical resources.
EYETEXT: www.eyetext.net is a remarkable resource with all sorts of areas including ?boards? and live chat, excellent images for downloading and viewing, video, ?iNotes?, monographs, a calendar of events, a quiz and more. National Eye Institute is another great resource with many aspects including images, research and the latest news on eyes, health and diet. Digital Reference of Ophthalmology is another of the grandfathers of decent online image and information sites. They are all great resources.
Fabry Disease: A rare, inherited lysosomal storage disease resulting from a deficiency of the enzyme α-galactosidase, it can cause all sorts of serious health issues and reduced life expectancy. Eye signs in the form of vortex keratopathy, lens changes and other anterior segment signs - including vascular anomalies - may be some of the earlier visible signs, even before serious systemic issues result. Thus eye care practitioners are at the forefront of what may be a life saving diagnosis. Support and treatment for this condition is available from Genzyme.
Grand Rounds: Richard Hom is an optometrist with a quarter century of experience. He has an interest in cybercare and a long standing involvement in optometric education. His online grand rounds contain some excellent cases and images. Well known in the online optometric community he gives willingly of his experience on sites such as www.odwire.com. Check it out, including his hospital blog.
HPCA: It's not perfect. Its implementation and ongoing implications for optometry have been fraught with issues. It's been needlessly complicated, onerous, expensive and stressful for many. It would appear that only registered professionals have to abide by the rules? Anyone else can do what they like, so long as they don't use a few restricted terms? It's under review. Have your say NOW or forever hold your peace.
IOVS: Bored with number one and number two? Check out the Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science journal. It will certainly get the old gray matter going.
Journals: There are plenty more to whet the appetite. Optometry journals aside, there are many more in ophthalmology and medicine that are relevant to eye care. Online databases are also worthwhile as are sites dealing with visual impairment and other aspects of medicine.
Keratoconus: Well what else did you expect? When I first looked for keratoconus sites over a decade ago they were notable for their scarcity. Now there are numerous sites covering various aspects. Over the years the NKCF has improved their site and content significantly. Search Google for more info and support groups.
Lipids: For all of those on statins this somewhat ?alternative? site may get you thinking. Lipids remain an issue with contact lens care too, especially as far as silicone hydrogels are concerned. Much of it comes from moisturisers in liquid hand soap and resultant residues on lenses. Many a time a switch to Pears soap for hand washing, prior to lens handling, is enough to solve problems with all types of contact lenses.
MusEYEum: The British College of Optometrists site is full of interesting modern and historical stuff. A site map shows up much of the content. Medical ImEYEging is also good. Check out the art gallery and aperture historical links from around the world...
NICS: The National Institute of Clinical Studies is a rather interesting initiative from Australia. The Cochrane Library Databases have all manner of interesting info too and the effectiveness, or otherwise, of various health related interventions. It's all about health, evidence based medicine and so on. don't forget to add clinical judgement!
Online Medical Dictionary: Useful.
PCON: Primary Care Optometry News remains one of the better sites. It's updated regularly. They also send out occasional emails to registered users with abstracts of hyperlinked news items.
Quadrantanopia: This is another aspect of eye care that needs frequent review. As primary care providers we are often the first people to make a diagnosis of neurological disorders and other cerebrovascular anomalies such as ?silent stroke?. Prompt diagnosis through understanding visual fields, neurophysiology and neuro-anatomy may be life saving.
Red Atlas: This site has been around for five years and is another great resource. One can search by areas of subspecialty, disease or findings. Thousands of images, tables and links. Atlas of Ophthalmology also does a superb job.
Shaky Isles: The Pacific plate is the most active volcano and earthquake zone on the planet. NZ sits astride the Pacific and Australian plates. The Banda Aceh earthquake, with the second largest loss of life in recorded history from a natural disaster ? resulting from the Tsunami - was caused by movement between these tectonic plates. Lake Taupo, Ruapehu, the Southern Alps and the rest of NZ?s quakes and volcanoes are also caused by movement in these plates, as was the Kermadec Trench, the second deepest in the oceans at around 10km deep, just north of NZ. The only good news? Australia is subducting under NZ, so we will eventually get the better of them! Jokes aside, be prepared for another big one. It will come again, sooner or later?
Tic Douloureux: This oft overlooked but regularly reported condition is worth a refresher.
UV: We eye people all know how potentially dangerous UV is for the eye. Use those UV blocking contact lenses and get patients into decent sunnies. Tony Cullen is one of the world experts on UV and the eye, particularly the anterior segment that gets the highest dose. I have quoted Tony in my column before and was fortunate to hear his excellent lecture at Auckland?s optometry school a few years back. More is the pity that only about six people showed up to listen to him!
Check out his excellent interactive photobiology site with some historical background, clinical and scientific data.
Vision Community: The site www.thevisioncommunity.com has a myriad of interesting simulations of eye disorders and also has links to 4500 news sites on eyes and other issues. One such item took me to vision disabled school children in NZ that built an award winning website. If you like discovering new websites let www.stumbleupon.com help make it totally random and easy. www.vision3d.com gives us vision therapy, 3D vision, virtual reality and optical illusions. Fun and useful.
Wikipedia: It's become a massive resource with over two million articles. Literally an encyclopaedia by the people for the people, one can find info on most things and many people. Not always one hundred percent accurate it can also be abused. Ask Helen Clark. They had to lock her entry from editing as too many people were mischievous. I'd have to say her pic has had the benefit of Photoshop. Interesting how this modified image always pops up around election time?.
XXXX: Need I say more?
You are what you eat: This statement has never been more relevant. Lately the news is full of cohort, longitudinal and meta-analytical studies showing us how bad much of what we eat is for our bodies. Cataracts, cancer, heart disease and AMD are but some things that we can control to some degree with diet and eating the right foods. Stick to those fruits and veggies. Avoid salted, smoked, preserved foods, red meat and excessive alcohol. Here?s a useful list of some of the good stuff.
ZAPPA: Frank still rules the ultimate spot in the alphabet. Zappa radio is back online and the new front page has a Dali-esque animated image that forms the cover of the new double CD.
Wishing you peace on Earth.
Protect our planet! we're destroying it fast.
Goodwill to all.
For more information or any comments email Alan at incontact@optom.co.nz.