Blind Spot - The Eye Doctor's Podcast Zale Mednick

The incidence of musculoskeletal injuries in ophthalmology is probably higher than you think. Whether it's an acute injury or a chronic injury from poor posture and positioning, ophthalmologists and optometrists are at high risk for long-term back pain and other musculoskeletal problems, due to the nature of our work. So how can we better at keeping ourselves healthy, both in the short-term and in the long-run? Dr. R. Rishi Gupta joins the podcast. 

The toric intraocular lenses (IOL) is a mainstay in the treatment of astigmatism during cataract surgery.  Many people have different thresholds, however, for when they would consider a toric IOL.  What is the appropriate amount of astigmatism that warrants treatment with a toric lens?  Does the threshold vary if a premium lens is being used?  What lens implantation techniques can be implemented to achieve the best possible results with a toric lens?  

This episode is sponsored by Sun Pharma Canada - https://sunpharma.com/canada/

LASIK has been the procedure of choice in refractive surgery for many years now.  But over the last decade, the development of SMILE has changed the landscape in refractive surgery.  Especially popular in Europe and China, many ophthalmologists are offering their patients SMILE in place of LASIK.  So what exactly is SMILE, and why do many view it as a superior alternative to LASIK?  Dr. Walter Sekundo, the developer of the SMILE procedure, joins the podcast. 

As excitement grows regarding the upcoming solar eclipse, anxiety is also increasing amongst patients.  How should we be counseling concerned patients regarding the solar eclipse and what precautions they should be taking to protect their eyes? Dr. Tina Felfeli joins the podcast. 

Traditionally, most of us were taught that after cataract surgery, a patient should be assessed on day one, week one, and month one.  But what are these recommendations based on?  Practically speaking, does our typical survellance of post-operative cataract surgery patients make sense, or are we overly dogmatic in our approach? Dr. Uday Devgan, aka 'The Cataract Coach', joins the podcast. 

The traditional paradigm is that when a patient presents with acute angle closure due to pupil block, a peripheral iridotomy (PI) must be performed immediately. But in reality, is this always the best approach? Is it safe to treat medically for a period of time before the PI? In which situations might a PI actually exacerbate the acute angle closure? Dr. Ike Ahmed joins the podcast.