Prevent Blindness Holds 13th Annual Focus on Eye Health Summit

CHICAGO—Prevent Blindness, a nonprofit eye health and safety organization, hosted its 13th annual Prevent Blindness Focus on Eye Health Summit on July 10 and 11, 2024. This year’s Summit included a variety of presentations related to the theme “Being Seen and Heard.” More than 800 registrants of the free, virtual and interactive two-day event were able to access an exhibitor hall, participate in “coffee chats” with fellow attendees and attend presentations on a variety of vision and public health topics led by leaders from across the country.

Keeping Your Eyes Safe While Swimming and Sunning

It's official—summer has arrived. This past week, a large region of the United States was engulfed by a stubborn heat wave that just won’t seem to quit. The Western part of the country has been especially hard hit as the region suffered through triple-digit temperatures as high as 115 degrees in Las Vegas. As people head to pools, lakes and beaches to escape the scorching temperatures, the heat is not the only danger out there. According to the New England College of Optometry (NECO), swimming can expose your eyes to various potential hazards, including chlorine irritation, eye infections and UV rays.

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Reports Preliminary Second Quarter 2024 Net Revenue of $2.4 Million

EMERYVILLE, Calif.—NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE American: NBY), a developer of eyecare, skin care and wound care products, has announced preliminary net revenue of $2.4 million for the second quarter of 2024 and $5.0 million for the first half of 2024, primarily derived from the company’s eyecare products. Net revenue from the company’s eyecare products increased by 9 percent for both the second quarter and the first half of 2024 compared with the corresponding periods in 2023, the company noted. NovaBay also said it expects 2024 net revenue from the company’s eyecare products to be approximately $10 million.

American Academy of Ophthalmology and North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society Offer Advice on Weight Loss Drug and Eye Health Risk

SAN FRANCISCO—The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society have issued a response to a recent study that suggests patients taking semaglutide—the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy—may be at higher risk of developing non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, or NAION, an eye condition that can cause blindness. The study, conducted by researchers at Harvard University, was published on July 3, 2024 in JAMA Ophthalmology. “Because diabetes is a known risk factor for NAION, patients with diabetes who qualify for GLP-1 treatment may be at higher risk for NAION to begin with," Andrew Lee, MD, clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a neuro-ophthalmologist at Houston Methodist Hospital, told VM.

The National Average for Gross Revenue at ECP Locations Decreased for the Week of July 1–7, Jobson’s Latest Practice Performance Tracker Shows

NEW YORK—The national average for gross revenue at ECP locations decreased last week, July 1–7, when compared with the previous week, at a rate of -36 index points due to last week’s July Fourth Independence Day holiday. That places gross revenue at a level -26 index points below where it was at this point in time (Week 27) when compared with last year (2023), -18 points below the same period in 2022, -12 points below 2021, -1 point below 2020 and 17 points above 2019, according to Jobson’s most recent Practice Performance Tracker.