The probability and incidence of blindness due to glaucoma has decreased by nearly half since 1980 (from 25.8% to 13.5%), according to a study in the January issue of Ophthalmology. The researchers speculate that advances in diagnosis and therapy are likely causes for the decrease, but they caution that a significant proportion of patients still do progress to blindness.

Representatives from the American Optometric Association, Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry, Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry and the National Board of Examiners in Optometry gathered together recently to gain to a better understanding of each organization’s operating realities and to build an enhanced and formal working relationship. Organized as the Inter-Organizational Communications and Cooperation Committee, the assembly of optometric groups aims to better serve their respective stakeholders and the general public’s desire for high quality eye care, according to a statement released by the committee.

You keep your eyes open longer when looking at a computer, right? And this leads to visual fatigue and dry eye, doesn’t it? Maybe not. When researchers compared patients’ blink rates between an identical document on a desktop computer screen and a printed hard copy page, they found rates were nearly the same. However, they noted a higher percentage of incomplete blinks during computer operation, which may be associated with visual fatigue. The results were published ahead of print in Optometry and Vision Science online.