Happy New Year! The Ophthalmic Professional team hopes you had a wonderful holiday season and are reinvigorated to focus on patient care. Recognizing January as National Glaucoma Awareness month, the theme of this issue of OP is glaucoma. Most types of glaucoma, which is often called the sneak thief of sight, present without symptoms until the patient has a noticeable loss of peripheral vision.

Allied health personnel can do a public service by asking patients if their family members have been screened for the disease, since there is a genetic component.

Glaucoma: Valuable perspectives and insights

Our coverage begins with a profile of Northwest Eye Specialists of Tucson, AZ, a practice that had an opportunity to absorb the glaucoma patients of a local retiring ophthalmologist. This could have been disastrous to clinic flow and patient satisfaction, but the doctors and team members planned proactively to streamline the testing and work-up components when possible. They share many of the modifications with us.

The Glaucoma Research Foundation has labeled minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) “The New Age in Glaucoma Surgery.” We thank Tanner Ferguson, MD, and Lawrence Nguyen, OD, for the insight provided, which should help ophthalmic professionals educate patients who are facing this surgical procedure.

In recent years, selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) has been shown to be an effective first-line treatment for open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension. Thomas Castillo, MD, shares how his staff is involved in providing a positive experience for those patients undergoing SLT.

Of course, no issue on glaucoma would be complete without discussions of medication compliance and diagnostic testing. Blake Williamson, MD, tackles the challenge of keeping patients compliant with their eyedrop therapies. He offers proven tools for techs to help patients improve their adherence to drop administration. Also, through conversations with doctors and ophthalmic staff, we have compiled an overview of functional and structural diagnostic testing in order to provide readers with an understanding of the importance of these tests, along with tips for more effective testing.

We hope this issue of OP provides you with ideas to inspire your team to greater achievements, which ultimately lead to better lives for your patients. Not a bad way to start 2023! OP