Clearly KC Podcast

Episode 22 - Tips & Tricks from Wellness Advocate

Clearly KC host Dr. Melissa Barnett OD meets up with Myeisha Essex of Los Angeles to discuss tips, tricks and hacks to simplify life with keratoconus.   Myeisha shares her KC journey from diagnosis during graduate school to her career as an entertainment journalist.  Her eye doctor convinced Myeisha to refocus on her vision health, and she left long days under bright studio lights to start Essex Media Group and to work as a meditation and wellness coach.  Since she has transitioned to a mindfulness advocate, Myeisha has learned to slow down and pay attention to life’s lessons.  In their conversation, Dr. Barnett mentions the Scleral Lens Education Society (www.sclerallens.org) as a resource for finding an expert in fitting scleral contact lenses.  Learn more about Myeisha’s activities at www.myeishaessex.com.

Episode 21 - Cornwall Illustrator

Clearly KC host Dr. Melissa Barnett OD visits with Poppy McCabe, a recent graduate of Falmouth University in England.  Poppy was runner-up in the 2023 World KC Day Photo Contest.  Her submission shows her at her final art exhibit at school.  Investigating symptoms associated with her Ehlers Danlos syndrome, Poppy learned keratoconus was the source of her vision struggles.  She used her diagnosis as inspiration for an installation that invites viewers to experience the visual distortions that accompany keratoconus.  Through graphic design, Poppy found a way to channel her creativity to raise diseases awareness.  

Episode 20 - Down syndrome

Clearly KC host Dr. Melissa Barnett OD asks Dr. Ann Ostrovsky MD about managing the care of individuals with Down syndrome who are diagnosed with keratoconus.  Dr. Ostrovsky who is chief of ophthalmology at ECU Health in Greenville, North Carolina stresses the importance of avoiding eye rubbing and scheduling regular eye exams to monitor for vision changes.  She notes that it can sometimes be difficult to get reliable test results and shares tips to make these patients more comfortable.  Dr. Ostrovsky notes the importance of working with parents or caregivers who are vested in optimizing their child’s eye health and partnering with them when considering procedures like crosslinking.

Episode 19 - Inspirational South Africa Teacher

Clearly KC host Dr. Melissa Barnett OD welcomes Dylan Muyambo of Cape Town, South Africa.  For the 2023 World KC Day Photo Contest, Dylan submitted a joyful picture with his students on a field trip.  Dylan shares with Dr. Barnett how he struggled with his vision from a young age, was diagnosed with severe keratoconus at age 9, and underwent corneal transplants in both eyes by the time he was 20.  Dylan admits because of his poor vision, he relies on attentive listening and believes keratoconus motivated him to a career in education.

Episode 18 - Pubtometry

Clearly KC host Dr. Melissa Barnett OD invites Dr. Araba Otoo OD to talk about pubtometry – a word Dr. Otoo uses to describe the intersection of optometry and public health.  Ghana-born Otoo is a recent graduate of The Ohio State University College of Optometry; she started Cherish Eyesight & Vision, a nonprofit whose mission is to increase vision health literacy and educate the public about eye conditions.  Partnering with NKCF, Otoo and her global team of animators created short entertaining videos about keratoconus as part of the Vision Tales project.
To watch Cherish Eyesight Vision Tales, visit https://www.youtube.com/@cherisheyesightvision1001 or go to  https://www.cherisheyesight.org

Episode 17 - Higher Order Aberrations

Clearly KC host Dr. Melissa Barnett OD sits down with keratoconus guru Dr. Christine Sindt OD, from University of Iowa for a discussion of higher order aberrations (HOA), a common concern of individuals with keratoconus.  Dr. Sindt notes doctors have sympathized with their patients who complain of halos or double vision but until recently could do little to fix the problem.  While the technology is still in its infancy, Dr. Sindt reports understanding of how to correct for the complicated optics that cause glare and ghosting are better appreciated.  Within a few years, she is confident contact lenses will be able to reduce vision issues associated with HOAs.

Episode 16 - Innovations

Clearly KC host Dr. Melissa Barnett OD is joined by ophthalmologist Dr. Steven Greenstein MD and optometrist Dr. John Gelles OD, partners at the Cornea and Laser Eye Institute in New Jersey.  Dr. Gelles shares results of wave front guided scleral lenses, an emerging technology that creates a 3-D model of the cornea to craft individualized contacts.  Dr. Greenstein spoke of CTAK (corneal tissue addition keratoplasty) a new surgical procedure that adds biocompatible donor tissue to reshape corneas, improving vision and contact lens comfort. 
Drs. Barnett, Gelles and Greenstein recounted their curation of the 2023 Keratoconus Education Initiative, a comprehensive resource for practitioners.  To download a copy, visit: https://reviewob.com/2022-keratoconus-education-initiative
 

Episode 15 - A Need for Pediatric Screening

Clearly KC host Dr. Melissa Barnett OD catches up with KC expert Dr. Andy Morgenstern OD who shares that his career in keratoconus was inspired when he first had access to pentacam tomography, a technology that visualizes the back (posterior) of the cornea.  He also spoke of a soon-to-be published paper that used tomography to screen Chicagoland students to reveal the prevalence of pediatric KC in the US is much higher than previously predicted.
As co-founder of International Keratoconus Academy for Eye Care Professionals, Dr. Morgenstern shared details of the upcoming IKA symposium for optometrists and ophthalmologists on May 18-19, 2024 in Bethesda, MD.  For more information, visit www.gotoper.com/AM-IKA

Episode 14 - An Invisible Disability

Clearly KC host Dr. Melissa Barnett OD celebrates World KC Day with returning patient and health advocate Rachel Dungan.  They discuss keratoconus as an invisible disability that others may not perceive or appreciate.  Rachel declares that KC makes her move through the world and pick up cues from others differently.  The two also assess the importance of not letting KC hold you back, even if it means taking extra steps to achieve your goal.  They discuss the importance of trusting yourself and communicating changes in health and vision with your doctor in order to find the right treatment options.

Episode 13 - The Future of Crosslinking

Clearly KC host Dr. Melissa Barnett OD chats with Sacramento-based cornea surgeon Dr. Sam Lee MD.  Dr. Lee has performed corneal crosslinking since the procedure earned FDA approval in 2016.  He described the procedure in detail and noted the results are quite good, with only 1-5% of patients needing retreatment and emphasized the importance of crosslinking as soon as there is any evidence of progression.  Dr. Lee and Dr. Barnett ended with a comparison of epi-on versus epi-off protocols, and Dr. Lee predicted that the future would bring less invasive and more individualized crosslinking techniques to treat keratoconus.