The American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists invites general practitioners to attend its third annual "Specialty Day of Ophthalmology for General Practitioners".

Saturday, October 18, 2008

7:30am - 4:45pm

Topics, speakers and schedule outlined below.

General practice DVMs, residents/interns, veterinary students and technicians are welcome to attend, but education will be targeted toward veterinary general practitioners. Enrollment will be based on a first-come, first-served basis. You do not have to register for the general conference in order to attend, but why not enjoy the entire conference?

Receive eight (8) hours of continuing education, course proceedings, lunch, contact with ophthalmic product vendors, breaks, and a reduced rate for the general conference if you wish to attend. All this for only $225!

Receive eight (8) credits of targeted continuing education, in your "back yard". Eliminate excessive travel expenses by attending this world class education so close to home. Also receive a reduced rate for the general conference, if you wish to attend the ACVO conference.

Speaker and topic information is in order of presentation. All speakers are board certified veterinary ophthalmologists.

"It’s Not About the Toys: How to do an efficient AND economical eye exam!"

7:30 - 8:30 AM

This presentation will explain how we can diagnose most ophthalmic diseases with basic tools. We will review the importance and technique for Schirmer tear test, fluorescein staining methods, examination of adnexa, cornea, anterior chamber, lens, vitreous, and fundus with only minimal and inexpensive equipment.

Dr. Ken Abrams is founder and president of Veterinary Ophthalmology Services, Inc. in Warwick, RI since 1992. A native Rhode Islander, he attended undergraduate college at the University of Rhode Island then moved West to attend and graduate from Oklahoma State University, College of Veterinary Medicine in 1985. Returning back East, he completed a small animal rotating internship at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital, 1985-86, then South to complete his Comparative Ophthalmology Residency from the University of Tennessee in 1990. Ken became board certified by the ACVO in 1991 and served as staff ophthalmologist at Angell Memorial and Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine from 1990-92 as he started his referral ophthalmology practice in Rhode Island. He is past president of the ACVO and currently serves as alternate delegate to the American Board of Veterinary Specialists under the AVMA. His clinical and research interests include retinal diseases (SARDS), intraocular surgery, and glaucoma.

Dr. Steve Hollingsworth

"Neuro-ophthalmology: What Pupils Can Teach Us"

8:30 - 9:45 AM

This talk will present a systematic method of assessing pupillary abnormalities including miosis, mydriasis, anisocoria, dyscoria, and pharmacologic testing. Topics will be presented from a practical, clinical perspective.

Dr. Hollingsworth received his BS in Biology in 1976 and his DVM in 1980 from Purdue University. After nine years in private practice, he completed a residency in comparative ophthalmology at the University of California-Davis in 1992, where he has been on the faculty since 1994. He has served as a reviewer for a number of professional journals including the American Journal of Veterinary Research, Veterinary

Anaesthesia and Analgesia, Veterinary Surgery and Veterinary Ophthalmology. He is Chair of the Examination Committee of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.

Break with Exhibitors     9:45 - 10:00 AM

"Ocular Emergencies" 

10:00 - 11:00 AM   

"Major Tips for Minor Surgeries"

12:30 - 1:30 PM

"Ocular Emergencies": The list of true ocular emergencies are shorter than you might think. This lecture will discuss this limited list of emergencies, how to identify them and what you may want to do for treatment or palliative care until referral. We will also discuss entities that may not be truly emergent and why.

"Major Tips for Minor Surgeries": Lid tumor excision, cherry eye repair, staple tarsorrhaphy. . .these and other surgeries that don’t require expensive tools except for good magnification and a steady hand will be presented. Often it is the little tips that can make a big difference and hopefully a pearl or two will be buried into this lecture of common surgery performed in both specialty and general practice.

Dr. Stuhr was born and raised in San Francisco as the youngest son with four older sisters. He attended the University of California-Davis where he received his BS in Biological Sciences in 1985. He was accepted to veterinary school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he graduated in 1990. After a one year internship in a multi-specialty, multi-hospital private practice, he spent three years in general practice before returning to the University of Wisconsin where he completed a three year residency in veterinary ophthalmology in 1997.There he met his beautiful and talented wife who is a veterinary internal medicine specialist and now devoted mother for their two boys, Charlie (5) and Reggie (3). Following a year of work in another multi-specialty practice in New Jersey, he joined and ultimately bought the Animal Eye Clinic in Wilton, CT, from Dr. David Covitz in 1999 where he continues to practice on his own today. He truly enjoys fatherhood and family, golf, tennis, music and recently anything to do with cars, trains and trucks!

"The Use of a High Frequency Radiosurgical Unit in Veterinary Ophthalmology"

1:30 - 2:30 PM

The material covered in this lecture will discuss the instrumentation, machines and electrodes, radiosurgery theory and the benefits of using radiosurgery. We will discuss the principals needed to control lateral heat. I will show slides using radiosurgery in surgical procedures: entropion, enucleation, replacement of the third eyelid glands, treatment on indolent corneal ulcerations, folliculosis, imperforate lacrimal puncta, eyelid tumors, distichiasis and symblepharon.

Todd Hammond, DVM, MS, DACVO, earned his veterinary medicine degree in 1974 at Colorado State University. He did a residency at CSU and was awarded a masters degree in comparative ophthalmology in 1984. He was awarded board certification in 1985. He attended University of Texas medical school and Herman Eye Center for a short time to further his study in comparative ophthalmology. Dr. Hammond was an affiliate faculty member in clinical sciences at CSU from 1982-1987. As a practicing veterinarian, he has kept his interest up working with the general practitioners and was past president of the American Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology. He has been in a private ophthalmology practice since 1984.

Break with Exhibitors     2:30 - 2:45 PM

"Anterior Uveitis - Everyone Gets It"

2:45 - 3:45 PM

This presentation will explain the ophthalmic anatomy of the uveal tract and why/how inflammation happens. Causes, differentials, diagnostic tests, and treatments available for uveitis in dogs, cats and horses will be discussed.

Biography

Dr. Stacy Andrew received her DVM degree from the University of Tennessee in 1993, and completed an internship at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston. She then completed a residency in comparative ophthalmology at the University of Florida and was a faculty member at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine from 1998 until 2002. After that, Dr. Andrew moved to Atlanta, GA where she is the clinical ophthalmologist at Georgia Veterinary Specialists.

"Non-ulcerative Keratitis"

3:45 - 4:45 PM

Not available.

Dr. Dave Whitley is currently professor of ophthalmology in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Auburn University   A native of Morgan County, Alabama he received his veterinary degree from Auburn University in 1977.  Dave completed a rotating small animal internship at the University of Missouri .  In 1978, he started an ophthalmology residency at the University of Florida with Drs. Kirk Gelatt and Dan Lavach.  Dave earned a masters degree from Auburn University in 1981.  He joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin in 1982.  Dave was recruited back to the University of Florida in 1984.  He returned to Auburn as professor in 1989.  He was the J. E. Greene Memorial Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine , at Auburn University from 1994 to 1997; from 1995 to 1997, he also assumed the duties of Acting Associate Dean for Admissions and Standards.  In 2003, he was appointed Department Head of Clinical Sciences, where he served from March 2003 to September 2006.   Dr. Whitley has published and presented information about corneal, eyelid, lacrimal diseases, cataract surgery, glaucoma, and retinal diseases.   He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists and the Latin-American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.  Dave is a member of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and the Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology.  Dave has been involved in extramural or intramural funded research involving efficacy and design of intraocular lenses, evaluation of foldable intraocular lenses in the dog, metalloproteinase activity in the cornea, keratoconus, evaluation of laser effects on the cornea, the effect of low zinc diet on retinal morphology, ocular surface bacteria in the horse and dog, and antifungal therapy for keratitis in the horse.  Dave has served on 3 PhD committees, and 10 Master of Science committees, while chairing 7 of these.  He has been involved in the direction of 15 ophthalmology residents since 1983.