To the Point

Bita Asghari, OD, FAAO, FSLS, joins co-hosts Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MS, MBA, FAAO, on this episode of the To the Point podcast to share her insights on managing corneal pathology in the setting of dry eye symptoms. They discuss signs to look for in cases of limbal stem cell deficiency (especially with contact lens wearers), the benefits of fitting scleral lenses, pearls for managing other corneal diseases, and more.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MS, MBA, FAAO, welcome their latest guest to the podcast, Pamela Theriot, OD, FAAO, who discusses her unique journey toward starting a large dry eye referral center as an associate optometrist. Dr. Theriot shares her approach to advocating for the need to treat dry eye more extensively, the logistics of building up a dry eye clinic, what it takes to educate the public on dry eye disease, and more.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MS, MBA, FAAO, have a conversation with Kaleb Abbott, OD, FAAO, on the importance of vitamin A in maintaining ocular surface health. Dr. Abbott discusses the various forms of vitamin A, where it can be obtained, settings in which it can be potentially harmful to the ocular surface, signs and symptoms of deficiency, and more.

Hosts Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MS, MBA, FAAO, welcome guest Mile Brujic, OD, FAAO, for a lively discussion of the most common conditions that can be mistaken for dry eye disease. Dr. Brujic also reviews the signs and symptoms that can be red flags that something else is occurring with a patient's ocular or systemic health.

In this month's episode of To the Point, Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Cecelia Koetting, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO, talk about the most exciting, important, and novel ocular surface disease (OSD) news to come out of the past year, including FDA approvals, product launches, new clinical data, and more. They also discuss what developments to watch out for in the OSD space this coming year.

This month on To the Point, learn about meibomian gland probing in patients with dry eye with Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO. Their guest, Rana Taji, OD, MSc, FAAO, explains what it is, how to do it, why to do it, and more.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO, are joined by Sathi Maiti, OD, FAAO, who shares her knowledge and experience working on dry eye clinical research. Dr. Maiti offers great advice on what you need to know before seeking out a clinical trial, how to delegate tasks to your staff related to the study, tips for patient recruiting and scheduling, and other considerations.

Jacob Lang, OD, FAAO, shares his knowledge of innovative therapies for dry eye with Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO. He discusses drugs in development that target pathways involved in ocular surface disease, such as reactive aldehyde species inhibitors, transient receptor potential receptors, and more.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO, discuss the benefits of using radio frequency to treat conjunctivochalasis (CCH) with Edward H. Jaccoma, MD, an ophthalmologist who specializes in dry eye and ocular aesthetics. Dr. Jaccoma also offers his insights for patient education, managing cases of CCH that don't go entirely as planned, and more.

Nandini Venkateswaran, MD, joins Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO, this month on To the Point to share her insights on preoperative ocular surface considerations. Dr. Venkateswaran offers her approach to optimizing the ocular surface, educating patients on the importance of properly managing dry eye, and varying her dry eye treatment strategy depending on the individual patient.

Julie Poteet, OD, MS, CNS, FONS, joins Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO, on this month's episode of To the Point. An expert on nutrition and ocular health, Dr. Poteet discusses what the research has shown regarding the benefits of dietary supplementation for managing ocular surface disease, new products on the market, the dangers of OTC products, resources on vetting supplements, and more.

Jennifer Shaba, OD, joins Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO, on the latest episode to share her story about opening her own dry eye practice focused on regenerative medicine and holistic eye care. Dr. Shaba offers advice for optometrists at the very beginning of their own journey in dry eye.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO, are joined by retina specialist Srinivas Kondapalli, MD, who developed the Rinsada Irrigating Lid Retractor, which effectively cleanses the conjunctival fornix, palpebral conjunctiva, and bulbar conjunctiva.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO, catch up with Crystal M. Brimer, OD, FAAO, to talk about her prolific journey in dry eye. Dr. Brimer discusses opening her own practice, creating the Dry Eye Institute to promote education among eye care providers, and shares tips to help other ODs to get started or revitalize their dry eye services.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO, welcome this month's guest, Ada Noh, OD. Dr. Noh shares her story of how she came to open her very own practice, dedicated solely to dry eye, in a brand new city. She talks about building up her patient base, networking with local providers, and lessons she learned along the way.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO, interview Keylee Brown, OD, to learn how she came to offer radio frequency therapy in her dry eye clinic. Dr. Brown talks about how the technology works with intense pulsed light, how she educates patients about it, fits it into her workflow, and the rewarding clinical results she has witnessed since purchasing the device.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO, kick off 2024 with a conversation about several new and anticipated products for treating ocular surface disease, including cyclosporine ophthalmic solution 0.1% (Vevye, Harrow), perfluorohexyloctane ophthalmic solution (Meibo, Bausch + Lomb), and lotilaner ophthalmic solution 0.25% (Xdemvy, Tarsus Pharmaceuticals). They also share some practice pearls and professional goals for the year ahead.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO, welcome guest Jacqueline Theis, OD, FAAO, who shares her pearls for treating patients with dry eye and a neurologic condition or injury. She explains how to determine whether a patient's dry eye symptoms are simply dry eye alone, or if they may be related to neurologic problem, and what to do if they are.  

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO, discuss factors to consider when bringing perfluorohexyloctane ophthalmic solution (Miebo, Bausch + Lomb) and lotilaner ophthalmic solution 0.25% (Xdemvy, Tarsus Pharmaceuticals) into your clinical practice.

This month on To the Point, Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, introduces her new co-host, Jessilin Quint, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO. Dr. Quint shares her background and journey in optometry, including how she came to open her dry eye and aesthetics clinic 2 years ago in Maine.

This month, Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, are joined by Anith Pillai, OD, FSLS, FIAOMC, to discuss the nuances of sceral lens fitting. Dr. Pillai shares his experiences running a specialty contact lens clinic, including navigating the conversation about scleral lenses with patients, managing the initial adjustment period, handling tricky cases, billing, and what he wishes he knew from the start.

Get an overview of the recently FDA-approved perfluorohexyloctane ophthalmic solution (Miebo, Bausch + Lomb) from Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO. Drs. O'Dell and Garlich discuss the drop's mechanism of action, dosing regimen, clinical trial findings, side effect profile, and more.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, discuss cosmetics and ocular hygiene with Mark Schaeffer, OD, including how to appropriately address this topic with patients who have dry eye. They also talk about cosmetric trends to be aware of that patients may be participating in, how such trends may affect the ocular surface, and alternative makeup options you can recommend.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, have a talk with Milton M. Hom, OD, FAAO, about how to manage patients with dry eye who also have symptoms of ocular allergy. They discuss the similarities between the conditions, dry eye considerations for oral antihistamine use, treatment strategies, when to refer a patient to an allergist, and more.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, connect with Walt Whitley, OD, MBA, FAAO, to talk about Demodex blepharitis. They discuss a recent case of Dr. O'Dell's, then get into signs and symptoms to watch out for, differential diagnoses, how to speak to patients about their diagnosis, and the anticipated approval of TP-03 (Tarsus Pharmaceuticals), a novel eye drop therapy in development.

This month, Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, welcome guests Mahnia Madan, OD, FAAO, and Kim Connelly, a medical laboratory technologist, to talk about the use of platelet-rich plasma eye drops to treat ocular surface disease. They discuss what they are, how they work, when to try them, how patients should use the drops at home, and more.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, are joined by Mila Ioussifova, OD, FAAO, to discuss the links between lifestyle, nutrition, and dry eye disease. Dr. Ioussifova shares her recommendations for talking to patients with dry eye about how proper nutrition to support their gut microbiome can positively affect their ocular surface health.

Make room in your dry eye toolkit! Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, dedicate this episode to a discussion of eagerly awaited products in the pipeline for the treatment of ocular surface disease.

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, connect with Robert Sambursky, MD, to learn about what's new in point-of-care testing for dry eye disease. Dr. Sambursky describes how quantitative diagnostics and follow-up testing can help optometrists provide more personalized care and show patients tangible improvement to reinforce the benefits of dry eye therapy. 

Preparing the eye for surgery is essential. Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, welcome William Trattler, MD, for a conversation on how to optimize the ocular surface for cataract surgery. They discuss why it's important to take charge of your surgical patients with ocular surface disease preoperatively and target their treatment in a multi-step fashion. 

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, are joined by Dr. O'Dell's lead technician, Heather Bollinger. Ms. Bollinger shares questions that have come up while coordinating care for patients with dry eye and imparts her insights on how to effectively train and educate technicians. 

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, talk with Elena Carter, OD, who shares her experiences caring for active-duty military and veterans, including how she uses dehydrated amniotic membranes to treat ocular surface disease in these populations. 

This month, Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, dedicate the episode to the fairly common, yet sometimes elusive condition, nocturnal lagophthalmos, which clinicians encounter in their patients with dry eye. They pick the brain of Douglas K. Devries, OD, who talks about how he identifies patients with the condition, testing he uses, treatment options, and potential pitfalls associated with disease management. 

On this episode of To the Point, Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, talk glaucoma management and ocular surface complications with Justin Schweitzer, OD, FAAO. Dr. Schweitzer shares some ways to support ocular surface health in patients with glaucoma, who often experience dry eye symptoms with long-term drop usage. 

In this episode of To the Point, Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, are joined by Kelly K. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO, who shares her knowledge of novel dry eye therapies in the pipeline. Dr. Nichols also discusses what optometrists can look forward to in the next couple of years. 

Why does America's baby formula shortage continue? Also, Norm Eisen's new book traces corruption from the Trump White House to the rest of the country. 

Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, speak with Diana Driscoll, OD, about her experience with POTS disease and how it led her to discover a link between the autonomic nervous system and dry eye. Dr. Driscoll believes that dry eye is just one manifestation of a systemic issue, shares her advice on how to recognize and manage patients with autonomic conditions, and more.

The United Nations can't stop Russia's war on Ukraine. And author Yascha Mounk says more diversity is a threat to democracy, but he's still hopeful. 

Hosts Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, talk practice management strategies with guest Melanie Denton, OD, MBA, FAAO. Dr. Denton outlines the pros of earning an MBA, the steps she took in opening her practice and adding aesthetics, how to hire consultants, and general patient beauty routines. 

Russia's assault on Ukraine is the most destructive event in Europe since World War II, and though it's hard to determine how or when it might end, a team from Foreign Policy magazine came up with an assessment of what might be in store for Ukraine. 

Jacob Lang, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO, joins hosts Jackie Garlich, OD, FAAO, and Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, to explain the potential warning signs of thyroid eye disease and the condition's correlation with dry eye disease (DED). Dr. Lang discusses how physicians can identify the underlying symptoms of thyroid eye disease, how to differentiate those symptoms from DED, and how to appropriately manage these patients.

What does the first week of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine say about the likelihood of a cyber and nuclear war? While the West imposes heavy sanctions, Russian forces encounter fierce Ukrainian resistance on the ground.