AAO 2019 in San Francisco

Right eye focus

Photo by Patrick Brinksma on Unsplash

Located in Tucson, Arizona, Retina Associates is a provider of various medical and surgical eye-care services. Headed by a team of experienced American Society of Retina Specialist-member doctors, including Cameron Javid, MD, Retina Associates is affiliated with a number of medical organizations, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting for 2019 will take place October 12-15 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The meeting offers a multitude of professional learning sessions and discussions about ophthalmology’s most pressing issues, as well as networking opportunities.

Early programming at the event actually begins on Friday, October 11, covering subspecialty topics, practice management, and nursing, among other areas. Opening remarks will be made that morning by Mark S. Humayun, MD, PhD, and Judy E. Kim, MD. Other Friday sessions will deal with topics as diverse as establishing a cosmetic practice to reoperations and enhancements for strabismus (misaligned eyes). Keynote speaker Dr. Douglas D. Koch will discuss potential improvements to intraocular lens (IOL) calculations during refractive surgery, and Dr. J. Bradley Randleman’s lecture will focus on identifying pre-ectatic (stretched) cornea. 


For a more comprehensive breakdown of all five days of the meeting, or to register for the event, please visit www.aao.org.

An Introduction to Diabetic Retinopathy

Retina Associates is a Tucson, Arizona retina specialist managed by Dr. Cameron Javid. The medical team at Retina Associates focuses entirely on disorders of the retina and vitreous, such as diabetic retinopathy.
Individuals living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes may experience a variety of related health complications, including diabetic retinopathy. The condition occurs when blood vessels throughout the retina become damaged due to excessive sugar levels in the body. Early on, individuals experiencing diabetic retinopathy may observe no symptoms, or only experience minor problems with their vision. However, diabetic retinopathy, if left untreated, can ultimately lead to blindness.me

The risk of developing diabetic retinopathy increases the longer a person lives with diabetes and the less controlled blood sugar levels become. As the condition progresses, common symptoms include blurred vision, impaired color vision, an increase in the spots and objects, or floaters, a person observes in their vision, and gradual vision loss.

Any person who is carefully and effectively managing their diabetes is likely to spot diabetic retinopathy in its earliest stages. That said, yearly eye exams are a strong defense against the condition, though doctors may also suggest more frequent visits in certain situations, such as for pregnant women. Generally speaking, all individuals should reach out to a medical professional immediately after noticing changes in their vision.