{"id":17528,"date":"2020-04-07T22:19:31","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T02:19:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/?p=17528"},"modified":"2020-04-09T14:16:36","modified_gmt":"2020-04-09T18:16:36","slug":"two-members-of-niswonger-college-of-optometry-educate-fellow-professionals-about-best-practices-for-patient-treatment-during-coronavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2020\/two-members-of-niswonger-college-of-optometry-educate-fellow-professionals-about-best-practices-for-patient-treatment-during-coronavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"Two members of Niswonger College of Optometry educate fellow professionals about best practices for patient treatment during coronavirus"},"content":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Two members of\u00a0Tusculum University<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0Niswonger College of Optometry<\/a>\u00a0are educating fellow professionals about best practices for treating patients with urgent eye conditions that cannot wait for care until the coronavirus pandemic ends.<\/h3>\n
\"\"

Dr. Gregory Moore<\/p><\/div>\n

Dr. Gregory Moore, associate dean for clinics at the Niswonger College of Optometry, and Dr. Richard Hom, a faculty member in health policy for the college, hosted their first webinar Thursday, April 2, and attracted participants from 34 states. The next webinar will be Thursday, April 9, at 6 p.m. Eastern Time and might attract an even larger, and potentially global, audience.<\/p>\n

The webinars are free and conducted using the Zoom video platform. They are expected to continue weekly, with new information added to the presentations as more guidance and information come from leading authorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring this period, when so many providers are trying to determine the best approaches to care while protecting their patients, their staff members, themselves and family members from the coronavirus, we thought it would be beneficial to share helpful tips with our colleagues,\u201d Dr. Moore said. \u201cWe are offering recommendations that have been scientifically validated through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other respected sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

The presentation is called \u201cResponsible \u2018Social Distancing\u2019 in the Examination of the Urgent Eye Patient during COVID-19.\u201d Urgent eye conditions include vision loss or eye pain that a provider cannot triage over the phone and could be the result of conditions such as diabetes, glaucoma, corneal abrasions or an object in the eye.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Dr. Richard Hom<\/p><\/div>\n

Dr. Moore said optometrists saw many urgent eye conditions before the coronavirus numbers began leading them to significantly reduce their hours. As the time frame for the coronavirus continues to extend, the need for many patients with these types of eye maladies to receive care cannot be postponed longer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe examination of a potentially contagious patient balances the risk factor of both the patient and the doctor in minimizing the spread of any contagion,\u201d Dr. Hom and Dr. Moore note in the presentation. \u201cA workflow is proposed that reduces the chance of transmission among patients and staff in the clinical environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the recommendations the two optometrists provide are:<\/p>\n