Timothy A. Wingert

Disposable contact lens wear with an aviation protective mask

Abstract This study addresses the wear of Acuvue (R) disposable contact lenses under an Army aviation protective mask developed for the Apache attack helicopter. This protective mask (the M-43) features constant internal air flow to its lenses to prevent fogging. Twelve subjects wore the mask for 3-hour periods with the filter/blower running, both with and without contact lenses. No significant differences in corneal thickness, contrast sensitivity, or tear breakup times were found. Grade 1 (trace) limbal injection and grade 1 (trace) staining were found to be prevalent when the mask was worn either with or without contact lenses. This study suggests that disposable contact lens wear is compatible with this unique aviation mask. This is significant because the mask is designed to be worn under the pilots helmet and helmet-mounted displays, rendering it essentially unremovable during the aircraft mission.

Optometric Support to Pacific Angel—Nepal 2012

In September 2012, Pacific Angel (PACANGEL)--Nepal 2012 was conducted in Kaski District, Nepal. Health services were provided in optometry, family medicine, pediatrics, physical therapy, midwifery, dentistry, and pharmacy. This report is on optometric care provided. 995 patients were examined. Mean age was 41.34 (median 43). Mean entering distance visual acuity was 20/57 in the right eye, 20/60 in the left. Mean spherical error was +0.08D in the right eye, +0.09D in the left. For those patients with astigmatism, mean cylindrical error was -0.74D in the right eye, -0.54D in the left. A near addition was prescribed for 51.8% of the patients. Cataract was diagnosed in 24.17% of the patients. Other prevalent nonrefractive diagnoses were dry eye (18.17%), conjunctivitis (12.0%), and pterygium (5.17%). Eye and vision care is lacking in Nepal. Sporadic episodes of care have considerable impact on those patients receiving treatment. However, to substantially treat the greatest worldwide cause of visual impairment, local sustainable resources are imperative. Provision of care by local, linguistically competent practitioners would better suit the needs of those in need of care. Those involved in humanitarian missions could be a significant source of training such caregivers.

The AOA's Healthy Eyes Healthy People Program 6-Year Evaluation Report (2004-2009)

t has been 10 years since the U.S. Department ofHealth & Human Services (HHS) established Amer-ica’s first set of national vision care objectives as partof its Healthy People 2010 program. The inclusion of visionobjectives in Healthy People 2010, which effectively con-stitutes the nation’s official public health agenda, wouldmean greater emphasis on eye and vision care as a criticalelement in overall health. It would also focus new attentionon a range of specific eye and vision issues including thegrowing threat of age-related (cataract, glaucoma) anddiabetes-related eye conditions, the need for better eyeand vision care among children and adolescents, preventingdebilitating eye injuries through protective eyewear, andsimple refractive errors as major causes of visual impair-ment.Having worked to include vision objectives in thenational public health agenda, the American OptometricAssociation (AOA), more quickly than virtually any otherhealth profession organization in America, set out to makesure those urgent objectives would be addressed across thecountry.The AOA Healthy Eyes Healthy People (HEHP) pro-ject, established by the association as part of a formalMemorandum of Understanding with the HHS, wouldprovide an innovative ongoing program for thedevelopment of community-based eye and vision careoutreach initiatives centered around Healthy People 2010vision care objectives and custom tailored to the needs oflocal, underserved populations. Each HEHP communityoutreach program would be developed by a participatingstate optometric association in conjunction with a localpartner to ensure the program would meet the needs oflocal residents as well as be sufficiently accessible. Volun-teer optometrists and their staffs would provide high-quality eye and vision care services through the project.Corporate grants would be secured to defray costs.Since 2004, the HEHP program has provided

A comparison of the visual field restrictions with the M17 series protective mask and the MCU-2/P chemical-biological mask.

1 millionin grants for a total of 279 innovative projects addressingdiabetes, glaucoma, children’s vision, eye safety, lowvision, and other issues. The program is nearing its primarygoal; the underwriting of HEHP projects in all 50 states.(To date, projects have been approved in 48.) Local partnershave ranged from hospitals and health departments tochurches and schools.The program has been most active in providing eye andvision care for children with

Epidemiology of ametropia of U.S. Army recruits.

358,700 (36%) of the fundsallocated to date spent on children’s vision projects;

Driver contrast sensitivity and reaction times as measured through a salt-covered windshield

269,500 (27%) on diabetes related eye problems;

Use of clinical practice guidelines by executive directors of optometric associations

65,000 (13%) on age-related vision problems (equallydivided between vision impairment and glaucoma); and

Prevalence of ametropia in Ugandan soldiers

241,500 (24%) on others.The HHS is now preparing to issue a new set of visioncare priorities as part of its Healthy People 2020 healthobjectivesdcovering the time period Congress has offi-cially designated as ‘‘The Decade of Vision.’’ With that inmind, the AOA Clinical and Practice Advancement Group(AOA CPAG) conducted a formal study of the HEHPprogram’s first half-dozen years of operation to determinehow effective optometry has so far been in addressing thenation’s top eye and vision care priorities at the locallevel.