Course Descriptions

Thursday, January 31, 2008

There are a host of lesions that develop on the cornea, conjunctiva and lids. Causes include infection, inflammation and malignancy. This course will assist the clinician in determing the type, cause and management of these clinical entities.

Sponsored by Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

Sponsored by Minnesota Eye Consultants, P.A.

Practitioners can cause the pharmacist many nights of lost sleep by making mistakes that threaten patient welfare. These include prescription errors as well as prescribing drugs resulting in interactions or side effects. This lecture highlights common prescribing errors and life-sight threatening drug interactions.

Sponsored by Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

COPE 14574

Friday, February 1, 2008

This class covers both the signs and symptoms of ocular allergic disorders and their proper therapeutic treatment options.

Sponsored by Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

COPE 13444

Pregnancy, systemic medications and pre-existing medical conditions have the potential to alter the way we treat our patients. This lecture will discuss the proper management of these "patients at risk." Additionally, it will discuss the effect of selected pre-existing medical conditions on ocular disease.

Sponsored by Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

COPE 17802

This lecture provides an overview of the ocular consequences and findings in cardiovascular disease. Specific attention is paid to hypertensive retinopathy, retinal artery occlusion, retinal vein occlusion, retinal macroaneurysm, and ocular ischemic syndrome.

The goal of this talk is to introduce age-related macular degeneration (AMD), define the epidemiology and clinical findings of dry and wet AMD, and discuss the latest in prevention and treatment of AMD. Specific attention is given to vitamin supplements for dry AMD, who can benefit from therapy, and who should avoid these supplements.

This course reviews methods and norms used to diagnose strabismus and amblyopia. The areas of refraction, eccentric fixation, measurement of the deviation comitancy and anomalous correspondence are presented. Case examples are presented.

This talk reviews the screening guidelines for diabetic patients, examination findings in diabetic retinopathy, and indications for close follow-up or treatment. Management of diabetic retinopathy is evolving rapidly, thanks to the introduction of new therapies and the ongoing Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research (DRCR) trial sponsored by the National Institute of Health.

Amblyopia is the most common of visual loss in children. A better understanding of amblyopia and its causes is critical. The treatment of amblyopia is evolving, and recent and on-going studies have changed the management of amblyopia. This course will explore the etiology and treatment of amblyopia, including analysis of the prospect of utilizing refractive surgery for amblyopia in children.

This lecture will review infant examination techniques and clinical presentations as well as deviations from normal in the infant population. The expected findings in the areas of developmental milestones and ocular systems will be presented.

This course will discuss the latest techniques, perspectives and debates on how to manage and optimize the experience for patients undergoing cataract and refractive surgery. Therapeutic and surgical management options will be discussed.

Sponsored by Chu Vision Institute

Thinking outside the box will be encouraged during a two-hour, fast flow of information on the foundational ocular condition of dry eye. A new paradigm will provide both theory and therapy support for practical and effective management. Individual case studies will augment the lecture to demonstrate the array of etiologies of the disease. Common denominators to often cascading signs and symptoms will be discussed, as well as needed interventions to reverse them. Further relevancy will be appreciated upon considering the close relationship dry eye shares with a variety of other ocular problems. This lecture will change the way you examine and treat your next dry eye patient.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Introduction to crime scene investigation; identification from ophthalmic appliances and unique ocular features, iris biometrics and optometric crime scene assist.

COPE 18027

Terrorism, homeland security, understanding WMD agent effects on humans and ocular findings; optometry's role in public health emergencies.

COPE 18026

This course emphasizes the importance of good medical records in the diagnosis and management of eye disease. National standards for medical records will be taught, using audience participation to enhance delivery.

COPE 13489

This course will present the latest technologies and techniques in cataract surgery. In particular the audience will be educated on the trend toward smaller incision cataract surgery, the use of presbyopic and aspheric lenses, and enhancing surgical outcomes with corneal procedures.

Sponsored by Minnesota Eye Consultants

This course will present strategies optometrists can use to improve patient care through lawsuit protection and prevention.

COPE 13556

Doctors will be shown several ways that they are adversely affecting their income by misinterpreting their environment, including fees and national rules with respect to the proper choices of codes for office visits and procedures.

COPE 13947

This course provides the latest information pertaining to national Medicare policies, including coding changes, current fee schedule values, and the Physician Quality Review Initiative. The content will be as updated to make it current.