Berkeley Practicum

Karen Walker-Brandreth Keynote

COVID-19 and Monkeypox: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?

This lecture will review COVID-19 and monkeypox (MPX) epidemiology, review current and emerging diagnostic, treatment and prevention options, and discuss what we all need to do to keep on living productive and healthy lives in the future.

Peter Chin-Hong, MD

2022 recipient of the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization

Associate Dean for Regional Campuses and Professor of Medicine
University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine

Dr. Chin-Hong is a medical educator who specializes in treating infectious diseases, particularly infections that develop in patients who have suppressed immune systems, such as solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. He directs the immunocompromised host infectious diseases program at UCSF. His findings have been published in numerous journals and books, and his frequent media interviews have contributed significantly to the public understanding of COVID.

Dr. Chin-Hong was the inaugural holder of the Academy of Medical Educators Endowed Chair for Innovation in Teaching and has received several teaching awards, including the UCSF Henry J. Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2009, Essential Core teaching awards from the classes of 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2014, and a Bridges Curriculum Foundations teaching award for the class of 2020.

The OD’s Role in Diabetes

Sherrol Reynolds, OD, FAAO
NSU Florida College of Optometry

This course will provide up-to-date information on diabetic retinopathy (DR). Emphasis will be on the OD’s role in diabetes by incorporating the latest in diagnostic modalities and therapeutic advances for vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR), proliferative DR, and diabetic macular edema (DME).

Under Pressure: The New Hypertension Guidelines

Sherrol Reynolds, OD, FAAO
NSU Florida College of Optometry

Hypertension is on the rise. With the new guidelines, nearly half of U.S. adults (46%, up from 32%), could be classified with high blood pressure. Detecting early retinal findings can prevent vision loss and, more importantly, disability and premature death from this disease. This course will provide the latest information on hypertension (HTN) and hypertensive retinopathy (HTR). Emphasis will be newest HTN guidelines.

Fight Against Ophthalmic Antibiotics Resistance: Are We a Victim or Accomplice?

Kuniyoshi Kanai, OD, FAAO
Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science

Optometrists frequently prescribe antibiotics to treat ocular infection and surface diseases. Optometrists empirically institute therapies in the absence of culture and sensitivity data. Meanwhile, resistance is well-recognized consequence of inappropriate and regular use of antibiotics. The present lecture explores the mechanism of resistance and optimal prescribing habit for optometrists.

The Corneal Dystrophies: Pearls for Diagnosis and Management

Susan Gromacki, OD, MS, FAAO, FSLS
First Sight Vision Care

Corneal dystrophies have both systemic and genetic components, and we are learning more about them each day. What is that abnormality in your patient’s cornea and what should you do about it? You will learn via a layer-by-layer review of corneal dystrophies, utilizing the presenter’s own clear images. Special emphasis will be placed on each condition’s association with systemic disease. The newest development—in-office genetic testing for over 70 mutations of the TGFBI gene, commercially available in 2021—will be discussed in great detail.

Infectious Retina

Raman Bhakhri, OD, FAAO
Illinois College of Optometry

Infectious retinal diseases can be devastating as they can to lead permanent vision and field loss. This course will review common causes of infectious retinal disease, such as bacteria and viruses, in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients.

Eyelid Ptosis: Make the Right Diagnosis

Susan Gromacki, OD, MS, FAAO, FSLS
First Sight Vision Care

In this lecture, Dr. Gromacki will discuss recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of acquired ptosis. She will review what constitutes an urgent referral; a non-urgent referral; and when and how optometrists can manage the condition themselves. The latter includes the important history questions; the causes of acquired ptosis; how to perform the clinical testing needed for documentation and diagnosis; a review of the literature; and a pharmacological treatment that can be performed by ODs in-office.

Watch Out! Ocular Effects of Systemic Drugs

Raman Bhakhri, OD, FAAO
Illinois College of Optometry

Although most systemic drugs are safe when used as indicated, many can result in ocular effects in acute or chronic settings. This course will discuss the common and rare ocular effects of established and newer drug therapies.

New Developments in Glaucoma: Diagnosis and Treatment

Michael Chaglasian, OD, FAAO
Illinois College of Optometry

The glaucoma “space” is busy with many developments in the diagnosis, treatment and management of glaucoma. New technologies offer improved ways to identify and diagnosis glaucoma suspects, while new medications and less risky treatment interventions (MIGS) offer safer treatment options. This course will highlight these evolving changes and discuss how they might fit in to current practice patterns.

Anti-VEGF and the Eye: Past, Present, and Future

Anthony DeWilde, OD, FAAO
VA Kansas City Health Care

Anti-VEGF medication has caused a paradigm shift in the maintenance of retinal vein occlusions, diabetic retinopathy, and wet age-related macular degeneration. This course highlights the diagnosis, treatment, and referral of these conditions now that Anti-VEGF is the standard treatment.

Is My Glaucoma Patient Progressing?

Michael Chaglasian, OD, FAAO
Illinois College of Optometry

This course will discuss all the important aspects of progression detection and management in follow up care for patients with ocular hypertension glaucoma. Appropriate use of visual field testing and OCT imaging with progression analysis software is covered in details via numerous case presentations. Distinguishing between true progression and artifact is emphasized.

What a Pain! An Optometrist’s Guide to Headaches

Anthony DeWilde, OD, FAAO
VA Kansas City Health Care

Many patients come to the eye doctor concerned that headaches are related to their eyes. This course is designed to highlight important diagnostic strategies for optometrists to diagnose and manage patients with headaches: to help determine which headaches originate from ocular conditions and which headaches can have ocular manifestations.