Dr. Melissa Tawa, an optometrist and a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, was a featured speaker at the Controversies in Modern Eye Care meeting on May 4, 2024. She participated in two glaucoma panels, where she reviewed case studies and discussed surgical interventions and appropriate patient populations for technologies.
In the case series on glaucoma, Dr. Tawa highlighted the importance of OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) and visual field interpretation, as well as factors like corneal hysteresis in managing glaucoma patients. She emphasized the need for not only controlling the disease but also improving the patient’s quality of life. Dr. Tawa addressed the impact of glaucoma medications and procedures on the patient’s daily life and discussed strategies to alleviate drop burden.
In the glaucoma panel on drug delivery systems, Dr. Tawa focused on technologies like Durysta and the iDose TR that aim to reduce the need for medications in glaucoma patients. She also discussed minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS) as an alternative to topical medications to help improve patient compliance and reduce drop burden.
This shift towards alternative methods of controlling IOP represents a step towards enhancing patient care and quality of life.
Overall, Dr. Tawa shared some pearls of wisdom and insights from her talks with attendees at Controversies in Modern Eye Care meeting. Her discussions highlighted important aspects of managing glaucoma patients while considering their overall quality of life.