WASHINGTON, April 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The American Academy of Ophthalmology is honoring nine members of Congress whose legislative efforts are helping to preserve patient access to quality medical eye care. The Academy is presenting its 2017 Visionary Awards to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., Rep. Peter Roskam, R-lll., and Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.

The Academy presents its Visionary Award each year in conjunction with its annual legislative visit to Capitol Hill. This honor recognizes federal legislators for important efforts to advocate for enhancing and preserving access to quality eye care in the United States.

Sens. Collins and McCaskill have worked to ensure continued access to compounded and repackaged medications. These are treatments administered by ophthalmologists – physicians who specialize in medical and surgical eye care – to patients who suffer from wet age-related macular degeneration and other sight-threatening diseases. Sens. Collins and McCaskill are also prominent investigators of sudden drug price increases that compromise patient access.

Sen. Schumer and Reps. DeGette and Sinema were instrumental in a joint effort in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to compel the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to reconsider adopting a flawed Medicare Part B drug demonstration. If adopted, CMS’ proposal would have jeopardized Medicare patients’ access to critical eye care treatments.

Sen. Grassley and Reps. Roskam and Lewis used their Medicare oversight roles to ensure the sustainability of ophthalmology in rural communities. They pressured CMS into reconsidering a severe Medicare reimbursement rate cut for glaucoma and retinal detachment procedures. Their efforts preserved the continued availability of these sight-threatening treatments that disproportionately impact minority and rural communities across the country.

Rep. Matsui is leading efforts to improve the federal program that governs the use of electronic health records for Medicare patients. Her work ensures that physicians have fewer administrative barriers that distract from their interactions with their patients.

“The nation’s ophthalmologists are proud of our congressional lawmakers who are working to ensure that patients in every community have timely access to critical treatments for eye diseases,” said Cynthia A. Bradford, M.D., president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “The Academy is committed to fostering these partnerships within Congress to ensure that our patients can receive the highest-quality medical and surgical eye care.”

The Academy is the leading voice for the profession of ophthalmology in Washington. The organization takes an active role in working with Congress and government agencies on policy issues that affect how medical and surgical care is provided in the United States.

About the American Academy of Ophthalmology
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons. A global community of 32,000 medical doctors, we protect sight and empower lives by setting the standards for ophthalmic education and advocating for our patients and the public. We innovate to advance our profession and to ensure the delivery of the highest-quality eye care. Our EyeSmart^® program provides the public with the most trusted information about eye health. For more information, visit www.aao.org.

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SAN FRANCISCO, April 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Researchers from the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University have found a way to use artificial intelligence to fight a complication of diabetes that affects the eyes. This advance has the potential to reduce the worldwide rate of vision loss due to diabetes.

In a study published online in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the researchers describe how they used deep-learning methods to create an automated algorithm to detect diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a condition that damages the blood vessels at the back of the eye, potentially causing blindness.

“What we showed is that an artificial intelligence-based grading algorithm can be used to identify, with high reliability, which patients should be referred to an ophthalmologist for further evaluation and treatment,” said Theodore Leng, M.D., lead author. “If properly implemented on a worldwide basis, this algorithm has the potential to reduce the workload on doctors and increase the efficiency of limited healthcare resources. We hope that this technology will have the greatest impact in parts of the world where ophthalmologists are in short supply.” 

Another advantage is that the algorithm does not require any specialized, inaccessible, or costly computer equipment to grade images. It can be run on a common personal computer or smartphone with average processors.

Deep learning is on the rise in computer science and medicine because it can teach computers to do what our brains do naturally. What Dr. Leng and his colleagues did was to create an algorithm based on more than 75,000 images from a wide range of patients representing several ethnicities, and then used it to teach a computer to identify between healthy patients and those with any stage of disease, from mild to severe.

Dr. Leng’s algorithm could identify all disease stages, from mild to severe, with an accuracy rate of 94 percent. It would be these patients that should see an ophthalmologist for further examination. An ophthalmologist is a physician who specializes in the medical and surgical treatment of eye diseases and conditions.

Diabetes affects more than 415 million people worldwide or 1 in every 11 adults.¹ About 45 percent of diabetic patients are likely to have diabetic retinopathy at some point in their life; however, fewer than half of patients are aware of their condition. Early detection and treatment are integral to combating this worldwide epidemic of preventable vision loss.

Ophthalmologists typically diagnose the presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy by direct examination of the back of the eye and by evaluation of color photographs of the fundus, the interior lining of the eye. Given the large number of diabetes patients globally, this process is expensive and time-consuming. Also, previous studies have shown that detection is somewhat subjective, even among trained specialists. This is why an effective, automated algorithm could potentially reduce the rate of worldwide blindness.

Approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is required before the algorithm can be used in patients on a broad basis. Dr. Leng and his team expect to conduct pilot trials in the near future.

About the American Academy of Ophthalmology
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons. A global community of 32,000 medical doctors, we protect sight and empower lives by setting the standards for ophthalmic education and advocating for our patients and the public. We innovate to advance our profession and to ensure the delivery of the highest-quality eye care. Our EyeSmart^® program provides the public with the most trusted information about eye health. For more information, visit aao.org.

About Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology, the official journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, publishes original, peer-reviewed, clinically-applicable research. Topics include the results of clinical trials, new diagnostic and surgical techniques, treatment methods, technology assessments, translational science reviews and editorials. For more information, visit www.aaojournal.org.

[1] International Diabetes Federation (IDF). IDF Diabetes Atlas 7th edition. (Accessed October 20, 2016); 2015

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WASHINGTON, April 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Eye physicians and surgeons representing the American Academy of Ophthalmology are engaging Congress in Washington, D.C., today on behalf of millions of patients across the United States who require medical and surgical eye care. During meetings with their respective members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, ophthalmologists will raise critical issues that impact the quality of care their patients receive.

Their visit comes at a critical time as policy makers continue to consider options for reforming and improving the nation’s health care system. As the leading professional organization for more than 17,000 of the nation’s practicing ophthalmologists, the Academy plays a critical role in helping elected officials and policymakers understand the complexities of delivering medical and surgical eye care.

Ophthalmologists are emphasizing during these meetings their commitment to ensuring that patients have access to affordable, highest-quality eye care. When the delivery of health care is affected, the Academy advocates for Congress to allow the following to guide their legislative and regulatory decisions:

• Making the treatment of eye disease available and affordable for all Americans;
• Requiring insurance plans to have adequate provider networks to ensure patient access to covered specialty and subspecialty services;
• Reducing regulatory burdens that detract from patient care, interfere with the patient-physician relationship, introduce inefficiencies or increase costs;
• Providing greater cost transparency and promoting economic efficiency throughout the health care system;
• Ensuring timely access to treatments that are proven to be effective in patient care, while preserving physicians’ ability to determine what is appropriate for their patients;
• Improving quality and safety by encouraging initiatives and technology that provide a verifiable mechanism to validate clinically relevant improvements in patient outcomes;
• Ensuring that policies reflect the diversity of provider practices, including practice size, geography, access to specialized technology and facilities, and special needs of the patient populations they serve; and
• Recognizing that the special needs of patient populations may be based on racial, ethnic, cultural, geographic, health and economic factors.

“Our nation’s health care system is facing one of the most critical inflection points in our history,” said David W. Parke II, M.D., CEO of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “The delivery of health care in this country is indeed complex and expensive. As our elected leaders continue to debate its future, the ophthalmology community remains committed to working toward solutions that provide patients with the care they require, when they need it.”

About the American Academy of Ophthalmology
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons. A global community of 32,000 medical doctors, we protect sight and empower lives by setting the standards for ophthalmic education and advocating for our patients and the public. We innovate to advance our profession and to ensure the delivery of the highest-quality eye care. Our EyeSmart^® program provides the public with the most trusted information about eye health. For more information, visit www.aao.org.

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