StemCell Therapy

Boston, MA May 2, 2017 New England College of Optometry and PlatformQ Health to host three live, online sessions in May and July, covering new insights into age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy. Optometrist, ophthalmologist, and retina specialists can interact with leading medical faculty and earn COPE-accredited continuing education (CE).

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic disease and the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the elderly of industrialized countries. The advanced form of dry AMD is geographic atrophy (GA) or atrophic AMD, a progressive, irreversible and blinding disease for which effective treatment remains a significant unmet medical need.

Optometrists play a crucial role in the ongoing eye care of patients with AMD and GA, from screening to combining imaging or functional data with a careful patient history to determining the need for subsequent care. They readily assess recognized risk factors with advanced AMD and provide disease management in the early stages, as well as prompt referral and follow up after treatment.

However, as a practical consideration for delivering eye care, the historic methodology of optometric practice may not keep pace with population aging, which leads to a corresponding increase in the prevalence of several macular diseases,and there are proportionally fewer eye care providers to care for older patients.

To help close this gap, New England College of Optometry (NECO) and PlatformQ Health are partnering to launch a free online Continuing Edseries on ClinicalSeriesLive, one of PlatformQ Healths virtual learning channels. PlatformQ Health is honored to partner with NECO on this innovative series for optometry health care professionals, says Robert Rosenbloom, CEO of PlatformQ Health. We look forward to helping bring much needed attention to the most prevalent cause of blindness inour aging population.

Clinicians can engage live with two top optometry faculty:

Age related macular degeneration is the leading cause of visual loss in older adults. Thus far, diagnosis and treatment have been limited to the wet or exudative form of this disease.New emerging insights in the dry or non-exudative form have added a significant understanding to the mechanisms of this disease, says Rishi P. Singh, MD. This online series will educate those on the front line optometrist, ophthalmologist, and retina specialists on screening, diagnosis, as well as future treatments which might be available."

This program intends to improve awareness, knowledge, and competency of optometrists about AMD and GA. The three-part series will cover screening, how to interpret results, underlying pathophysiology, the importance of referral to specialists, the crucial role of follow up, monitoring of therapeutic response in patients receiving treatment, and more. All three programs will be available on- demand following the live broadcasts.

Details on the series:

New Insights into Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Geographic Atrophy

Session I - Geographic Atrophy: Causes and Consequences Thursday, May 18, 2017 from 3:00-4:00 PM ET

Session II - The Referral to the Ophthalmologist and Treatment Options for Patients with Geographic Atrophy Thursday, May 18, 2017 from 4:00-5:00 PM ET

Session III - Focus on the Patient: Empowering Communication for Improved Outcomes Wednesday, July 12, 2017 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET

Learn more and register today.

About New England College of Optometry

New England College of Optometry, NECO,is an independent graduate college of optometry that educates students for careers in eye care delivery, research, and education. For over 120 years, New England College of Optometry has been educating optometrists and leaders in the field. Originally founded in 1894 as the Klein School of Optics, NECO prepares the next generation of eye care providers, educators, leaders, and innovators through a rigorous curriculum and extensive clinical experiences. http://www.neco.edu

Media Contact:Ingrid Hoogendoorn, Director of Communications phone:617-587-5722 email:hoogendoorni@neco.edu

About PlatformQ Health PlatformQ Health is the leading provider of live online medical education events, with 15 websites dedicated to different therapeutic areas. Their unique education platform allows physicians and other healthcare professionals to connect online from any computer, learn about the latest treatments options, and engage in real-time Q&A with top faculty. http://www.platformqhealth.com

Media Contact:Megan Cater phone:617-938-6031

See the article here:
Online Continuing Education Series Tackles Leading Cause of ... - New England College of Optometry (press release) (blog)

This entry was posted on May 3, 2017 at 9:42 am and is filed under Blindness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |