The ICBO 2014 mobile conference app (http://www.icbo2014.com/icbo-social-app.html) sponsored by HOYA (http://www.hoyavision.com/) launched today! This is no ordinary conference app!  It is an easy-to-use, fun, engaging, and rewarding way to get the most out of the ICBO 2014 conference and build lasting relationships. Here are some of our favorite things you can do with the app.

First, if you haven’t downloaded the app search “ICBO Social” on your device’s app store or click here (http://ddut.ch/icbosocial). Next, open the app and create an account using the password you received in your email (can’t find it? Check your spam or contact profkushin@gmail.com). Then, fill in your profile.

Back to our favorite ICBO Social features:

1) Get Information at your fingertips - get the conference agenda, create your own schedule, download presentation materials, view maps, find exhibitor booths and get links to sponsor pages, and more.

       How? Use the “Menu” to navigate these options.

2) Share - The app really comes to life when you start sharing your activity and interacting with others!

        ●      Post status updates

        ●      Check into sessions and exhibitor booths.

        ●      See others’ activity in the activity feed

        ●      Like and comment on others’ posts.

        ●      Review presentations and complete surveys.

        How? Click “update” to share comments and photos.

        The activity feed in the app is a lot like the activity feed on Facebook or Twitter. It lets you stay up to               date with what’s going on at ICBO in real time.

        When you attend an event, check in at presentations and exhibitor booths, and post reviews of the                 presentations you attend.

3) Connect with exhibitors

       ●      Play the ICBO Social Exhibitor Booth Game - Earn badges for completing specific actions at                         participating exhibitor booths in the exhibit hall. Look for the signage at participating booths for                         instructions on what to do!

       ●      Attendees can find exhibitors through the app’s floor map and learn about exhibitors via an                       exhibitor’s profile page that can include links to websites, videos, and more.

       How? Find exhibitors via the “Exhibitors” section of the app menu.

       Check into exhibitor booths.

       And keep an eye out for opportunities throughout the event.

4) Connect

      ●      Networking and meeting people is easy. Just search attendee profiles.

      ●      When you post a status update, it shows up in the activity stream. You can easily see what others                    are sharing and connect through the app.

     How? Find attendees via the “attendee” option in the menu. Follow the Activity feed to see what others are      posting.

5) Compete for prizes and earn badges - Who doesn’t love a little friendly competition? ;)

      ●      Your activities in the app earn you points and unlock badges (virtual rewards in the app).

      ●      We will be giving away prizes to point leaders and for certain badges, so be sure to use the app                          frequently to post, share, like, and check-in.

      ●      Check out the leaderboard in the app to see who has the most points!

      ●      Tip: Get a jumpstart on the competition now by adding a profile photo completing our preconference               polls in the app to earn points!

6) Share your favorite ICBO moments to your Twitter, Facebook, and more.

             The ICBO Social app makes it easy to share your activity in the app to your Twitter, Instagram, and                  Facebook accounts. For those who want to, there are 2 choices.

      ●      1) You opt in to have everything you post sent to your social media accounts.

      ●      2) You can share individual posts at your discretion.

     How? When you setup your profile, you have the option of linking your social network accounts. Or, goto        the “settings” menu and edit your profile.
 
     As you can see, the ICBO Social app has a lot to offer. So grab your mobile device and get started!

     Take a Video Tour of the app to see many of the main app features: 

Need Help? Questions?

Stop by the ICBO Social booth in the exhibit hall. Or contact ICBO 2014 Social Media Manager, Dr. Matthew Kushin - profkushin@gmail.com

The 46th National Optometric Association (Eye Care Essentials: What’s New?) Convention convened in the Washington D.C. area on July 23-27, 2014. This highly anticipated meeting did not disappoint. Each year, the NOA arranges a vision related community service project in the host community. Vision screenings, exams and patient visual education were provided to approximately 70 people at a local church on the VSP Mobile Unit. Because of the proximity to where health care policy is crafted, Dr. Stephanie Johnson-Brown, NOA President, Dr. Paul Harris, Optometric Extension Program President, and other NOA/NOSA leaders spent time on Capitol Hill with the Congressional Black Caucus informing the lawmakers of the need for mandatory eye examinations for children prior to entering school and inclusion of optometric professionals in the National Health Services Corps. The NOA Convention mobile app sponsored by HOYA was freshly rolled out for convenient access to conference events and updates. Over 14 hours of professional CE was offered with topics ranging from corneal cross-linking therapy to ocular side effects of medications. Numerous corporate sponsors and exhibitors such as Alcon, Allergan, OEP and Good-lite Company attended this year’s convention. NOA Corporate Partnership has increased by thirty percent this year alone. This was also the inaugural year for the independent NOSA conference schedule, which was well received by NOSA Members. The closing banquet was a true gem!  The keynote speaker, Dr. Robert L. Wright (1960 OSUCO graduate), gave his address with a touching personal story highlighting his journey through optometry school, business owner, civil rights activist, and owner of a multimillion dollar company. Dr. Vera Burns was named NOA Optometrist of the Year. Essilor USA received the NOA Founders Award. The Ohio State University College of Optometry was named NOA Chapter of Year for its continued focus on increasing diversity in optometry. This year’s conference was another remarkable meeting! 

Make plans to attend the 2015 annual convention next July in Hilton Head, SC, where Pediatric Eye Care is the focus.

Sydney, Australia, 28th of July 2014-  In July 2014, Dr. David Evian, a well known Lower North Shore Behavioural Optometrist from Evian Eyecare, received a prestigious Presidents Award from Dr. Paul Levi of The Australasian College of Behavioural Optometry (ACBO).

This prominent award honours Dr. Evian’s long service as the New South Wales Regional Director. It also recognises Dr. Evian as an indefatigable champion of The Australasian College of Behavioural Optometrists and Behavioural Optometry in general.

Dr. David Evian has over thirty years of experience. He is a much-revered behavioural optometrist.

Dr. Evian states: “I am passionate about eyecare and thrive on witnessing significant improvements in my patients, both children and adults alike.”

Behavioural Optometry is an extended area of practice because it takes into account visual motor and visual cognitive skills. It encompasses a holistic approach to ensure that the patient’s eyes have the strength and stamina to cope with the demands that are placed on them. Visual input accounts for 80 percent of our learning and in the modern world, everyone spends a lot of time processing information from games, phones, computers and television screens. Behavioural Optometry tests visual comfort, visual focus and visual processing.

The best treatment is prevention and children may only need to wear glasses in conjunction with exercises for a temporary period while a management plan helps to retrain the brain. Early diagnosis means at-risk children can enjoy normal, healthy brain development and reach their full potential as adults. Symptoms, such as red and itchy eyes, blurry words, headaches and concentration problems disappear within a relatively short period of time.

Dr. Evian’s treatments include: spectacles, coloured lenses and vision therapy, which consists of, gross motor, fine motor and visual information processing.


Vision issues can lead to a whole host of problems in both children and adults, from headaches and migraines through to reading difficulties and even dizziness and nausea. A general eye examination by Dr. Evian can identify and rectify any issues that may exist.

Murat Sag˘ lam, Stefan Glasauer, and Nadine Lehnen                                                                          Brain: A Journal of Neurology 2014: 137; 1080–1094http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24549962 

Reviewed by Tina Esposito, OD
Midwestern University Arizona College of Optometry 

A common complaint for people with vestibular disorders vision difficulties.  The reason is that the vestibular system sends signals to the muscles of the eye with an autonomic function, called the vestibuloocular reflex (VOR).[1] The main purpose of the vestibuloocular reflex is to maintain objects on the fovea, which thereby allows a person to visualize objects clearly during brief head movements. The vestibular system involves head movement; head movements are essential in stimulating and retraining the vestibular system. If either becomes disrupted the balance between the two systems can be disrupted and becomes problematic for the patient. This study assessed whether the lack of vestibular input also affects feed-forward motor learning, i.e. the ability to choose optimal movement parameters that minimize variability during active movements such as combined eye-head gaze shifts.

The study assessed five patients (45.4+/- 7.1years) with chronic complete bilateral vestibular loss, nine patients with cerebellar ataxia (56.7+/-12.6 years), and 10 healthy controls (39.7 +/-6.3 years).  Head inertia was increased while patients performed large (75 and 80 degree) horizontal gaze shifts towards briefly flashed targets in darkness. Gaze shift parameters were compared to the expected optimal movements with increased head inertia. This was done to determine the contributions of the vestibular system and the cerebellum to learning gaze optimality. Angular positions of eye and head in space were recorded with the search-coil technique. Subjects were instructed to perform gaze shifts naturally in response to flashed targets located horizontally 35 or 40 degrees to the left or to the right of center. They were asked to maintain gaze position in darkness until a new target appeared. The target was flashed in darkness for <100ms. After a control, the head moment of inertia was increased by eccentrically placing weights attached to a helmet and repeated.

Increasing the head moment of inertia led to characteristic head oscillations, more pronounced in patients with vestibular loss and patients with cerebellar ataxia than healthy subjects. In patients with vestibular loss, gaze oscillated together with the head. In healthy subjects and patients with cerebellar ataxia, they compensated for these head oscillations by counter-rotation of the eyes. Patients with chronic bilateral vestibular loss failed to update any of the gaze shift parameters to the new optimum with increased head inertia, however they displayed highly variable gaze shifts. Those with cerebellar ataxia updated some movement parameters but inaccurately undershot the target leading to an average gaze error of 11.4+/2.0 degrees. 

This study confirms the importance of vestibular online feedback mechanisms for gaze stabilization and shows that vestibular input is relevant for feed forward motor learning. Based on the literature, the importance of vestibular information for motor learning implies that patients with incomplete bilateral vestibulopathy, and patient’s cerebellar ataxia, should be advised to actively move their head whenever appropriate.



[1] Agrawal Y, Carey JP, Della Santina CC, Schubert MC, Minor LB. Disorders of balance and vestibular function in US adults: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2004. Arch Intern Med. May 25 2009;169(10):938-44