Fusional Convergence in Childhood Intermittent Exotropia

......Children with intermittent XT have subnormal convergence reserves at distance. The fusion reserve ratio correlates well with control and may be useful in grading the severity of intermittent XT.....

Journal of Rehabillitation Research & Development

The latest issue of JRRD is now available free! Click on the title above to see what's in this issue. DM

33% of Children have not had an Eye Exam!

 

3-D vision resources abound for optometrists

.......As use of 3-D media increases, practicing optometrists should be ready to provide appropriate care for patients with 3-D related vision problems or readily refer them for care. Many practitioners may be looking for ways to better inform their communities about 3-D problems or better educate patients who report such problems.

The AOA and other organizations are working to increase public awareness of 3-D vision, help practitioners maintain the  professional expertise necessary to provide state-of-the art stereoscopic vision care, and assist manufacturers in improving 3-D products.

Below are selected resources that may be of interest to practitioners as the popularity of 3-D technology increases.......

Commnets: Click on the title above for all the info. DM

Legos are Back

..... I remember being impressed my older brother’s Lego building abilities as a kid. His creations were always far superior to my little villages with their trees and houses. I can chalk some of it up to the 7-year age gap, but it’s also because he understood some of the basic building techniques that Lego’s Master Builders use to sculpt their fantastic models. ...

Kevin Chauvette, CD!

Leap of Fate is a collaboration of NH award winning singer songwriter, Kevin Chauvette and NH Hall of Fame guitar player, John Paul. Putting their skills together in this project of pop, jazz and contemporary Christian music has resulted in their first CD, "Off the Beaten Path". Currently three of their songs are being considered by Michael Buble for his next project and one other song has been chosen for a major cable TV Movie.
Kevin Chauvette, a four time NH Country music award winner, has had original music played internationally. John Paul has been featured in Guitar Player magazine and given the title of "NH's best guitar player". Together they are "Leap of Fate" and their release CD "Off the Beaten Path" may be just the beginning. 

He is a colleague of mine ....DM

Pediatric orbital floor fractures

.....Our understanding of pediatric orbital floor fractures continues to evolve. For young patients with symptomatic diplopia with positive forced ductions, soft tissue entrapment confirmed by computed axial tomography, and/or trapdoor fracture plus restricted ocular movement, having surgery within 2-5 days has been shown to result in better postoperative outcomes. It is recommended that surgery be considered within 48 hours of diagnosis. Long-term prospective studies are still needed to further characterize orbital floor fractures in children....

Healthy Eyes for Baby

Putting Current Research into Practice

....It may take as long as one or two decades for original research to be put into routine clinical practice. Thus, the translation of research findings into sustainable improvements in clinical practice and patient outcomes remains a substantial obstacle to improving the quality of health care.....

Comments: It may take decades for research to be applied to patient care by a primary health care provider. Decades! Shame on all health care providers. Shame on all teachers of health care providers (me included) for not teaching our students better. Shame on all researchers who do not clearly state why what they found is important to the clinician and their patients and shame on patients who do not demand that their doctors keep up with and utilize the most current research in their approach to patient care. This should not be allowed to stand! (BTW even more shame on those doctors who know the current research....especially in the area of binocular vision diagnosis and treatment) but refuse to use this knowledge for improving the care of their patients because they "don't believe, don't like, or don't practice" that methodology of treatment. This paper is available free as a pdf by clicking on the title above.

For additional great thoughts on this subject, pleasee go to
http://www.covd.org/Portals/0/An%20Open%20Letter_DavidKWallace.pdf

and watch for Optometry & Vision Development vol 42 #2 and read the editorial

Maino D. Mistakes were made (Yes by you!). Optom Vis Dev 2011;42(2) at http://www.covd.org/Home/OVDJournal/tabid/104/Default.aspx

DM

Hemolytic uremic syndrome cases mounting in Germany E. coli outbreak

....“The outbreak has developed very rapidly, and an unusually high number of cases affect adults — 86% are in people aged 18 years or older — particularly women (67%),” WHO officials wrote in the release. “Nevertheless, cases have also been reported in school-aged children. The unusual E. coli serogroup O104 is suspected of being the pathogen likely to be associated with this outbreak.”....

Vision Screening Not Being Done

Comments: Vision screenings are not being done....vision screenings have outcomes so poor researchers can't tell if they do what they are supposed to do...or not. DM

PHOTO: Eileen Parker was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, sometimes called high-functioning autism, at age 41. The Schillings' Journey With Asperger's Auto Start: On | Off Share Post a Comment Print Single Page Text Size - / + By KATIE MOISSE May 25, 2011 Eileen Parker was 41 years old when she discovered her quirky, misunderstood behavior had a name: Asperger's. The syndrome, which is marked by impaired social interaction and sensory overload, joins other neurological disorders on the autism spectrum. And for Parker, the label came as a relief. "It opened up my world," said Parker, who is now 45. "Having been on the outside, I all of sudden found I was on the inside with millions of other people." Parker said the Asperger's diagnosis, which is used interchangeably with high-functioning autism, made it easier for her to get along with others -- even her husband and their four kids. "They could finally understand why I was a certain way. They said, 'Oh, that's why you're like that.'" The American Psychiatric Association formalized the diagnosis of Asperger's in 1994, 50 years after it was first described by Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger. But the association plans to remove the term "Asperger's" from its new diagnostic manual, set for release in 2013 -- a decision that has sparked criticism from advocacy groups. "When the term 'Asperger's' started to get used, it was a tremendous relief for families of children and adults with the syndrome. They finally had a name for what was going on; they could finally understand what the struggle in their lives was about," said Dania Jekel, executive director of the Asperger's Association of New England. "My worry is that we'll go back 16 years to a time when folks with Asperger's syndrome will not be recognized." PHOTO: Eileen Parker was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, sometimes called high-functioning autism, at age 41. Photo taken by Jennifer Lentz Eileen Parker was diagnosed with Asperger's... View Full Size Early Detection of Autism Watch Video Autism and Digestive Distress Watch Video Autism Risk Factors Watch Video But members of the American Psychiatric Association's Neurodevelopment Disorders Workgroup, the group spearheading the change, said removing the term "Asperger's" from its manual and instead refering to it as an autism spectrum disorder will help focus the diagnosis on an individual's special skills and needs at that moment in time. "The Asperger's distinction is based on early language delay, but many people come in as adults and have difficulty reporting this reliably," said Francesca Happe, professor of cognitive neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, and a member of the workgroup."We have known for years that autism is a spectrum, which is enormously heterogeneous. ... There is no good basis to distinguish Asperger's from high-functioning autism. The distinction doesn't make scientific sense." The term "high-functioning" refers to language and intellectual ability -- skills that set Asperger's apart from other disorders on the spectrum. But Jekel worries that removing the term "Asperger's" might open the door for misinterpreting it as just a mild form of autism. "For many, Asperger's is not mild," she said. "If you have an IQ that's fairly high and you're verbal, people expect you to be like everyone else and get along in the world. But this is something that really can be very, very difficult for people to live with." In response to an invitation for public comment on the proposed change, Jekel asked that "Asperger's" continue to be used as a descriptive word for a specific region of the spectrum. "My hope is to have a name not only for Asperger's but for other parts of the spectrum, too," she said. "I think we're lucky to already have a name, and I'd like to see that continued so that families and educators can continue to use this word." Happe said people are free to continue using the word as a descriptor, acknowledging that it has raised awareness that a person can be on the spectrum of autism disorders and have higher functions. "When someone uses the term, I know what they mean," she said. "It's a sort of an exemplar-based category." 1 | 2 Next Page More from ABC News Big Changes for Psychiatrist's 'Bible' After High School, Autistic Kids Left Hanging Autism Spectrum Disorders: Another Rise? There Is No 'Autism Epidemic': UK Study Early Detection of Autism Autism and Digestive Distress More Video » From Around the Web Worried About Your Memory? 5 Signs It's Not Serious (Caring.com) Lyme Disease Can Be Prevented. Here's How (Healthcommunities.com) Are You an ADHD Adult? (Lifescript.com) 12 Health Mysteries Explained By Dana Sullivan (RealSimple.com) Vitamin D Affects Genes for Cancer, Autoimmune Diseases (Health Central) [What's This?] Email Print Share Comment & Contribute Do you have more information about this topic? If so, please click here to contact the editors of ABC News. adachel 12:26 AM EDT May 30, 2011 Nowhere in this article is there any mention of the fact that autism has reached epidemic levels among our children. A once rare disorder now affects one percent of children and no official can tell us why. We need to ask why the medical community is more concerned with playing with the definition than addressing this health care emergency. Recently it was announced that one in 38 children in Japan have autism after a study found higher functioning kids with more subtle forms of the disorder. No alarm was sounded and it was again chalked up to better diagnosing. It seems there's a concerted effort to normalize autism, so that no matter how bad the numbers, it's never anything to worry about.Anne Dachel, Media editor: Age of Autism jannie4444 11:14 AM EDT May 28, 2011 I think the only smart thing to do is to change the Asperger's or HFA dx to the Social Communication Disorder. Autism is so much more than what those with Asperger's or HFA deal with. Watch Mornings on ABC Sand Castle Watch the Full Episode GMA: Memorial Day Sand Castle George Stephanopoulos Suggests george Mullen on 'Frank' Meeting with Pakistanis Mom Raising 'Genderless' Baby Defends Decision PHOTOS: Lady Gaga Ignites GMA's Summer Concert Series! Most Viewed → 1 2 3 4 5 PreviousNext VIDEO: The former Alaska Governor kicks off her east coast tour in style. Palin Rides into D.C. on a Motorcycle VIDEO: Young Brooklyn Boy Killed by Dog Brooklyn Boy, 4, Killed by Dog VIDEO: Nancy Grace discusses the latest developments in the murder trial. 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....members of the American Psychiatric Association's Neurodevelopment Disorders Workgroup, the group spearheading the change, said removing the term "Asperger's" from its manual and instead referring to it as an autism spectrum disorder will help focus the diagnosis on an individual's special skills and needs at that moment in time....

In the News...

Illinois OD helps those with 3-D vision problems

Dr. Dom Maino in Parade Magazine

Researchers: Pediatrics/ Ophthalmology statement on vision therapy outdated, flawed

 

Complexities of Autism Extend to Its Treatment

....Parents of children with autism often find themselves struggling to make sense of their child's behavior....What's worse, there's no single best way to treat the frightening and frustrating neurodevelopmental disorder. Children might have a mix of social impairments, communication problems and repetitive behavior patterns. Each child will require a certain blend of therapies, treatments and interventions, all specifically tailored to the child's particular behavioral problems.....

Normal 3D Vision Development

Order Sons of Italy in America $235,000 to Fondazione Il Cireneo Onlus per L'Autismo to rebuild a center for children with autism devastated by an earthquake in L'Aquila, Italy.

 

Leaders of the Order Sons of Italy in America® (OSIA) and its philanthropic arm, the Sons of Italy Foundation® (SIF), presented $235,000 to Fondazione Il Cireneo Onlus per L'Autismo to rebuild a center for children with autism devastated by the April 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila, Italy......"When the earthquake hit, we knew immediately what we had to do. Within hours, we organized a fund-raising campaign and our members and supporters stepped up to the task," said SIF President Sarno. "Upon hearing about the destruction of the Fondazione Il Cireneo center in L'Aquila, we saw the opportunity to make a significant impact on a very special group of children and their families."...... Fondazione Il Cireneo Onlus per L'Autismo is a non-profit organization that has established and operates four centers for children and young adults with autism in the Abruzzo region. The foundation was formed by a group of parents who thought centers, rather than institutions, could better help their children with autism.* When the 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck on April 6, the Fondazione's facility in L'Aquila was destroyed, along with much of the ancient Italian town......

Comments: I  belong to OSIA and am very proud of our efforts to assist those who take care of individuals with autism (another group I do a fair amount of work with). If you are an Italian-American and want to know more about your heritage I would suggest that you join OSIA today! (http://www.osia.org/) DM

Effects of visual processing and congenital nystagmus on visually guided ocular motor behaviour.

...Increased reaction time to fixation values in individuals with cerebral visual impairment (relate to visual processing deficits. The data suggest that visually guided ocular motor responses mature during the first 3 years of life....

New JournaLS: PubMed

The Journal of the Indian Prosthodontic Society
ISSN: 0972-4052 (print) 1998-4057 (electronic)
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/1435/
Archive includes vol. 10 (2010).  Current content is forthcoming, with a
12-month embargo delay.

Indian Journal of Hematology & Blood Transfusion
ISSN: 0971-4502 (print) 0974-0449 (electronic)
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/1357/
Archive includes vol. 10 (2010).  Current content is forthcoming, with a
12-month embargo delay.

Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density

.....Therapeutic interventions that incorporate training in mindfulness meditation have become increasingly popular, but to date little is known about neural mechanisms associated with these interventions. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), one of the most widely used mindfulness training programs, has been reported to produce positive effects on psychological well-being and to ameliorate symptoms of a number of disorders. .... The results suggest that participation in MBSR is associated with changes in gray matter concentration in brain regions involved in learning and memory processes, emotion regulation, self-referential processing, and perspective taking.....

Drop Steady

Awesome musical group Drop Steady at Sic Corners....if you live in Chicago c'mon down! Great musical group.

Genetics and Molecular Biology: New Journal

Genetics and Molecular Biology

ISSN: 1415-4757 (print)

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/1440/

Archive includes volume 32 to the current issue.

Note: There is no embargo delay for this journal.

New PubMed Journals

Journal of Signal Transduction
ISSN: 2090-1739 (print) 2090-1747 (electronic)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/1534/
Archive includes: v. 2010(2010) - v. 2011(2011)
Note: There is no embargo delay for this title.

Pulmonary Medicine
ISSN: 2090-1836 (print) 2090-1844 (electronic)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/1535/
Archive includes: v. 2011(2011)
Note: There is no embargo delay for this title.

ISRN Obstetrics and Gynecology
ISSN: 2090-4436 (print) 2090-4444 (electronic)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/1536/
Archive includes: v. 2011(2011)
Note: There is no embargo delay for this title.

Early autism spectrum disorder diagnoses on the rise, especially among boys

.....The final analysis involved 3,013 infants who had been enrolled in early-intervention programs. This was an incidence of 77.5 per 10,000 study population births. The incidence rate of autism spectrum disorder increased from 56 per 10,000 births in 2001 to 93 per 10,000 in 2005....

In-Utero Exposure to Smoking, Alcohol, Coffee, and Tea and Risk of Strabismus

In a prospective, population-based cohort study, the authors investigated the effect of in-utero exposure to maternal smoking and consumption of alcohol, coffee, and tea on the risk of strabismus...... The authors identified 1,321 cases of strabismus in a cohort of 96,842 Danish children born between 1996 and 2003. .... In conclusion, smoking during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of strabismus in the offspring. Conversely, light alcohol consumption is associated with decreased risk....

Comment: click on title for full article (free). DM

Research Overturns Theory On How Children Learn Their First Words

.....The current, long-standing theory suggests that children learn their first words through a series of associations; they associate words they hear with multiple possible referents in their immediate environment. Over time, children can track both the words and elements of the environments they correspond to, eventually narrowing down what common element the word must be referring to. ..... Experiments supporting the associative word learning theory generally involve series of pictures of objects, shown in pairs or small groups against a neutral background. The real world, in contrast, has an infinite number of possible referents that can change in type or appearance from instance to instance and may not even be present each time the word is spoken.....

In Memory of Dr. Boyd Banwell: March 7, 1924 - May 28, 2011

Dr. Boyd B. Banwell


Born March 7, 1924 in Petoskey, MI to Russell and Ethel (Barney), passed  May 28, 2011 at the age of 87. Boyd was a veteran of WWII and the Korean Conflict serving in the US Army. He was a graduate from Wayne State University with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and later attended Northern Illinois College of Optometry where he received his Optometric Degree. He set up his practice in the Williamston Medical Building for 30 years. During this time he served as a lobbyist for the Michigan Optometric Association and also served as its President. He received the Michigan Optometrist of the Year Award. Boyd served on the Williamston School Board, E.D.C. and City Council. He was the former President of the Williamston Kiwanis Club. Dr. Banwell later sold his practice to become President of his Alma Mater Northern Illinois College of Optometry. He also served as a lobbyist for the Illinois Optometric Association.

Boyd is survived by his children, Deborah Banwell, Pamela (Joe) Rankin, Todd (Kathleen) Banwell, and Craig (Christina) Banwell and their mother Millie Billington; grandchildren, Jessica and Ryan Banwell, Nichole Barry and Tracy McClain; step-grandchildren Emily and Ben Rankin. He was preceded in death by his grandson, Justin Pierce Chapman.

Funeral Services will be held Thursday, June 2, 2 pm at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, 205 E. Middle St., Williamston with Eddie Reynolds officiating. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service at the
chapel. On line condolences may be made to

http://www.gorslineruncimanwilliamton.com./

College of Optometrists in Vision Development 41st Annual Meeting: Las Vegas

COVD 41st Annual Meeting  October 25-29, 2011


Tropicana   Las Vegas, Nevada

Preliminary Program

Abstract Submissions  Abstract submission deadline is June 10, 2011.

Exhibitors

Join us in Las Vegas for some networking and socializing.

Hotel Reservations    Online hotel reservations are available now.

ATTENTION: Students & Residents

A discounted rate is available for students & residents . Discounted rooms require double occupancy. Since student rooms are limited, please try to share a room with another student. To receive the student rate, you must contact COVD.

Student & Resident Travel Grants

This year up to 35 $200 grants are available for residents and students.

General Education Highlights

Session topic to be announced
Allen Cohen, OD, FCOVD

Myopia: Current Theories of Treatment and Treatment; and Intermittent Exotropia Based Upon Sensory Motor Findings
Jeffrey Cooper, MS, OD

Optometric Management of Patients who have Autism
Rachel (Stacey) Coulter, OD, FCOVD

Saccade Vergence Eye Movements: Development, Aging, and Dysfunction
Zoi Kapoula, PhD

Clinical Pearls in Development
W.C. Maples, OD, FCOVD

Learning Disabilities
Deborah Waber, PhD

Clinical Discussion Forum
Kellye Knueppel, OD, FCOVD
Brenda Montecalvo, OD, FCOVD

Applied Concepts - October 25 & 26, 2011

Acquired Brain Injury
Dr. Allen Cohen; Dr. Ken Ciuffreda, Dr. Neera Kapoor

Visual Information Acquisition
Dr. Carl Hillier

Therapy Techniques
Dr. W.C. Maples; Dr. Wanda Vaughn

Strabismus & Amblyopia
Dr. Robert Sanet

Learning Related Vision Problems
Dr. Nancy Torgerson

Annual Meeting Highlights

NEW - Social Media Workshop - October 26, 2011
Dr. Nate Bonilla Warford & Ruth Villeneuve

Joint COVD/OEP Symposium
19 Hours of Clinical Education Available

Vision Therapist Education Session
Dr. Sue Lowe & Lauri Atencio

Changed Computer Habits Of Children Lead To Poorer Reading Skills

...... it is not the computers in themselves or the activities they are used for that impair reading skills, but rather the way in which the computers have stolen time from leisure reading.

The new computer habits do not promote the development of reading ability in the same way as leisure reading of books does. Reading of printed media has fallen also among adults. In many homes it is becoming evermore unusual that somebody actually sits down and reads something....

Fragile X Research

.....The paper, "Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) - an update on developing treatment modalities," was published online in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience and includes a discussion of the mGluR theory of fragile X syndrome. This theory is based on research suggesting that inhibition of group I mGluR signaling reduces protein synthesis and, in turn, may correct the cognitive and behavioral phenotypes associated with fragile X syndrome. Multiple genetic and pharmacologic studies support mGluR5 inhibition as a promising therapeutic opportunity, providing compelling evidence that altering mGluR5-dependent protein synthesis may directly affect the synaptic alterations underlying the fragile X phenotypes. Additionally, the importance of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the main inhibitory transmitter in the central nervous system, has recently emerged and been show to oppose the action of mGluR5, providing a novel mechanism for therapeutic inhibition. Studies examining induced seizure activity in mice suggest that the opposing actions of mGluRs and GABA-B receptors provide a therapeutic path for fragile X syndrome. This novel insight reinforces the potential for GABA-B agonists like Seaside Therapeutics' drug candidate STX209 to counter the effects of mGluR5 in fragile X syndrome and possibly correct specific deficiencies in GABA neurotransmission. This finding could have broad applications in research to treat intellectual disability.....

FAQs on 3D Vision Syndrome

Get the anwers to these questions....

At what age can my child view 3D safely?


How long should children watch 3D television, movies or games?


As a parent should I have concerns about my child viewing 3D television, movies or games and seizures?


Can I use my 3D passive polarized glasses as sunglasses?


If my child has vision problems that interfere with viewing 3D content can this be treated?


Where do I find doctors to help?

....by clicking on the title above. DM