UABSO In the News

News from the UAB School of Optometry

1. Beyond the basics, summer sun protection tips from a cancer expert

   Most people know the basic tips about preventing skin cancer, but a deeper insight can make a big difference in protection. An expert from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has compiled important information and actions consumers can take to better arm themselves against sun exposure.

   Sunburn vs. moderate exposure

   “The primary cause of melanoma, the most lethal form of skin cancer, is sun burning, more so than sustained moderate sun exposure,” said Robert M. Conry, M.D., associate professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology and scientist at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Sun burning involves high doses of ultraviolet light to the skin which can mutate the DNA of pigment producing cells in the skin called “melanocytes” and cause these cells to form a potentially lethal cancer called melanoma.”

   Although sunburns at any age should be avoided, evidence indicates that sun burns during childhood and in young adults are particularly dangerous due to increased risk of melanoma.

   Squamous and basal cell skin cancers typically occur from a lifetime of high cumulative sun exposure in moderate doses – people who are often outdoors, like farmers, construction workers and those with frequent recreational sun exposure.

   “Even if you avoid burning, you are still adding more miles to your skin that can lead to premature aging and skin cancer,” said Conry.

   Limit sun exposure

   Most people’s exposure is when the sun’s intensity is greatest. “They go to the beach at high noon and lay out for three hours receiving a significant amount of exposure,” said Conry.

   The sun’s ultraviolet rays are most intense surrounding the summer solstice on June 21, when the sun is directly overhead. This is generally between May 21 and August 21from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

   “People need to be cognizant of the sun’s peak time of intensity, keeping in mind that June 21 is a peak day and 1 p.m. is a peak hour due to daylight saving time.”

   The sun’s ultraviolet rays are most intense surrounding the summer solstice on June 21, when the sun is directly overhead. This is generally between May 21 and August 21from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

   Use the right sunscreen wisely

   Although our beach bags are stocked with sunscreen, Conry recommends one based on your skin type – olive skinned using a SPF of 30 and fair skinned using a SPF 50 – and reapplying frequently.

   “If you want to get some sun, I encourage people to use at least SPF 15, but if your goal is to block out the sun, I ideally recommend an SPF of 30 or greater,” Conry stresses. “Reapplying matters more than SPF greater than 50. Activities such as going in and out of the water or intense sports activities causing sweating require frequent reapplication for continuous protection.”

   Many people wonder if continuous spray sunscreens are as effective as tradition lotion, Conry said.

   “The newer continuous sprays are used for convenience and tend to be applied unevenly without being rubbed in,” he said. “They are fine only if applied carefully and rubbed in, covering all exposed areas. I prefer creams and lotions because they provide more precise coverage. Just don’t forget tops of feet and backs of hands, and be in the habit of wearing a lip moisturizer that contains SPF protection. Skin cancer can arise on the lips.”

   Cover up

   Although specially manufactured UV protected clothing has come out, Conry said that it is as simple as wearing a tee-shirt at the pool, lake or beach. “It is extremely uncommon to sunburn through clothing,” Conry said.

   Even if it is not very fashionable, Conry suggests wearing a wide-brimmed hat that goes all around the head and protects your ears and neck as well as face. “We see a lot of skin cancers on the ears and back of the neck, particularly in men who just wear a baseball cap,” he said.

   Melanoma skin check: pigmented spots greater than the diameter of a pencil eraser spots with a variety of color spots that have irregular borders spots or patches that change over time (e.g., growing, bleeding or itching)

   UAB Assistant Professor of Optometry Jamie Reid, O.D., added that a hat can also help with eye protection, but it should not be the only form used because it cannot completely shield the eyes. Sunglasses with 100 percent UVA/UVB protection are a must.

   “The ocular structures such as the lens and retina are really sensitive to UVA/UVB rays,” Reid explained. “They absorb those rays. When left unprotected, this can lead to cataracts, macular degeneration and other ocular diseases, including melanoma.”

   This is especially important for kids, as the lens inside children’s eyes is clearer and absorbs more harmful UV light.

   The danger

   Melanoma has been rapidly increasing in the last four years with one of every 85 Americans expected to develop it in their lifetime.

   “People should be discouraged from trying to tan,” Conry said. “It is a growing problem that ends tragically for many people, robbing them of many productive years of their life.”

   Conry recommends avoiding tanning beds; they have been added to the government list of cancer causing agents, alongside arsenic and tobacco.

   “They increase the risk of skin cancers including melanoma,” he said. “Self-tanning skin products are a good option in moderation. I discourage people from using it constantly and year round.”

   Check your skin

   Although scientists have made strides in treating and understanding melanoma, people need to be vigilant about examining their skin for irregularities and bringing anything unusual to the attention of a dermatologist. If melanoma is caught early, it can be cured with surgery. However, if it is discovered in late stages, it can be fatal.

   For squamous or basal skin cancers, keep an eye on non-healing skin lesions that are persistent for an extended period of time.

2. Endowed scholarships in optometry established

   The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees approved the creation of the Dr. Kristine B. Hopkins Vision Therapy Endowed Optometry Scholarship, the Drs. Rod and Debi Nowakowski Endowed Optometry Scholarship, and the Dr. Aharon Sternberg Endowed Scholarship in Optometry in the School of Optometry at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) during its meeting April 12, 2013. Hopkins earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from UAB and served as associate professor and chief of vision therapy services. Rod Nowakowski, O.D., is dean of the School of Optometry, and Debi Nowakowski, Ph.D., earned her master and doctoral degrees from the School of Education. Sternberg earned bachelor and doctoral degrees from UAB.

3. DeLucas selected as recipient of 2013 Odessa Woolfolk Community Service Award
   
   

   As an NASA astronaut and scientist, Larry DeLucas, O.D., Ph.D., has been instrumental in bringing the heavens to earth for students who might otherwise never have been exposed to science and technology.

   “He’s been an exemplary advocate for science education and a source of inspiration for thousands of students from primary school to graduate levels,” says a colleague at NASA, with whom he now partners to make science accessible to all students.

   As director of UAB’s Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering, DeLucas brought UAB into the Alabama Space Grant program, offering high school students in underserved areas the opportunity to study protein crystallization in the classroom and lab, design experiments, and launch those experiments into space on a Russian Soyuz capsule to be performed on the International Space Station.

   For these efforts — and many others — DeLucas has been named the 2013 Odessa Woolfolk Community Service Award recipient. DeLucas was selected for the honor by his peers, who have responded to his leadership, ingenuity and professionalism through the years. The award will be presented during the annual Faculty Awards Convocation at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 10 in the UAB Alumni House. Eleven faculty also will be honored with the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching during the ceremony, and the winner of the Ellen Gregg Ingalls/UAB National Alumni Society Award for Lifetime Achievement in Teaching will be recognized.

   “My accomplishments do not begin to compare with those of Mrs. Odessa Woolfolk or many of the past recipients of this award,” says DeLucas, who began his career at UAB in 1971 as an undergraduate student and has appointments in the School of Optometry, the Comprehensive Cancer Center and as the director for the UAB Center for Structural Biology. “Thus, my selection as the 2013 recipient of the Odessa Woolfolk Award is an incredible honor. The award is particularly gratifying because it recognizes two activities, educational outreach and entrepreneurialism, that have been high priorities throughout my career.”

   “Dr. DeLucas has enormous impact on our university, our local communities, the state of Alabama and beyond. He is one of a very select group of individuals who are extraordinary scientists and exemplary leaders and who have a passion for making a lasting impact.”

   Ambassador for science

   DeLucas devotes his time and energy to serving as an “ambassador for science, innovation and leadership,” says a colleague. His partnership with Calhoun Community College gives biology students access to UAB laboratory space to further their scientific education. His willingness to advise honors students, elementary-school students and national and international scientific organizations makes him, in the words of one community partner, “an inspiring character responsible for turning many students on to science” and “a considerable positive force.”

   DeLucas also participates in the Beads of Hope program, in which strings of beads are flown into space to serve as a symbol of courage and replicas of those beads are presented by an astronaut — DeLucas himself — to children with life-threatening illnesses to help them find their own courage.

   Making a lasting impact

   “Dr. DeLucas has enormous impact on our university, our local communities, the state of Alabama and beyond,” says a colleague. “He is one of a very select group of individuals who are extraordinary scientists and exemplary leaders and who have a passion for making a lasting impact.”

   DeLucas, who has received five degrees from UAB, says the future of the United States and its leadership position in the world will depend on the capabilities of children and young adults who choose to pursue careers in science and engineering. That’s why he has always believed it is important to reach out to youth and motivate them to pursue careers in these fields.

   “When I returned from my space shuttle flight in 1992, I quickly realized how my astronaut/scientist background provides a powerful platform that could be used to inspire students,” DeLucas says. “As a result, I have devoted a significant amount of my time to participating in educational outreach for elementary, high school and college undergraduate students.  I also believe scientists must educate the general public with regard to the importance of supporting fundamental research to maintain our country’s preeminence in scientific innovation and technology development.”

4. UAB launches first unified branding campaign, “Knowledge that will change your world”

   For the first time, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has unified its academic and medical brands in a new campaign under a common tagline: “UAB: Knowledge that will change your world.”

   “I believe this phrase captures the very DNA of UAB,” UAB President Ray L. Watts said. “It also speaks equally to each facet of our mission: the education of our students, who are exposed to multidisciplinary learning and a new world of diversity; our research, the creation of new knowledge; our patient care, the outcome of ‘bench-to-bedside’ translational knowledge; our service to the community at home and around the globe, from free clinics in local neighborhoods to the transformational experience of the arts; and the economic development of our city and state.”

   The campaign, which begins with advertising on TV, radio, social media and billboards, will feature prominently on UAB websites.

   “The importance of having a clear, recognizable brand cannot be overstated,” Watts said. “In an environment as complex as UAB, a brand will help unify, simplify and define us. It will also help elevate our profile with the greater public as we communicate our relevance and value.”

   Communicating the breadth and depth of that relevance and value – in an institution that affects more than 60,000 jobs statewide, has an annual economic impact exceeding $5 billion and is responsible for educating students and making groundbreaking discoveries, as well as saving and improving lives – posed a special challenge to the team leading the branding effort.

   Read more about UAB's branding campaign in UAB Magazine.

   A 60 second TV spot that will air for the first time on April 2 is an example of how that challenge is being met. To give the audience a hint of UAB’s reach and influence, the spot includes scenes in UAB Hospital, the Egyptian desert, the Comprehensive Cancer Center, Washington, D.C., Sterne Library, an engineering lab and outer space.

   UAB Director of Marketing Erin Tapp says the institution has diverse messages to convey and diverse audiences to reach.

   “UAB has thousands of incredible stories,” Tapp said. “Our challenge is to distill those into messages that catch people’s attention and motivate them to action, whether that’s a high school senior, a legislator or a potential UAB patient, faculty member or researcher.”

   The goal of the branding campaign is to “focus extra attention on what makes UAB such a special place,” Watts said. “As we work together to become one of the nation’s most dynamic and productive universities, we must share our aims and accomplishments with the world around us.”

   This is especially important as UAB enters a major new fund raising campaign in fall 2013, notes Shirley Salloway Kahn, Ph.D., vice president for development, alumni and external relations at UAB.

   “When we meet with people in Birmingham, Alabama and around the country, they are tremendously excited about what we are doing here at UAB,” says Kahn. “The more that people learn about this great institution, the more opportunities we have to share with them how their investment can help us make a difference in bringing better health, quality of life and prosperity to our families and neighbors.”

5. Eating for eye health can be beneficial

   Eating healthy can affect more than what the scale says. According to experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), it is possible to aid eye health through nutrition and supplements.

   Research by the National Eye Institute (NEI) has shown that high levels of antioxidants and zinc, in the form of a nutritional supplement tablet, reduced the risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

   “AMD is the leading cause of blindness in older adults,” said Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D., professor and vice chair for clinical research in the Department of Ophthalmology. “These dietary supplements are not a cure for AMD, but they do reduce one’s risk of progressing to the most serious form of the disease.”

   UAB School of Optometry Professor Leo Semes, O.D., talked about the importance of diet to eye health.

   “You are what you eat; it’s trite but it’s true,” Semes said. “It’s been shown that certain habits like eating a high-fat diet are associated with, but not causative, in AMD.”

   One food that has long been connected with improving vision is carrots, but Semes said carrots alone will not accomplish significant gains in eye health.

   “The basis for this belief is that carrots are high in beta-carotene,” Semes said. “But beta-carotene alone is not going to be protective enough. There’s also a tangential relationship that a lack of vitamin-A, a cousin of beta-carotene, is implicated in poor darkness adaptation.”

   Seeing well when moving from light to dark declines with age.

   Semes serves on the American Optometric Association Health and Nutrition Committee, which developed a list of specific foods and nutrients that have been found to be beneficial to eye health.

   • Fruits and vegetables – Vitamin C can help minimize cataracts and AMD
   • Fleshy fish (tuna or salmon) and lean meats – Fatty acids protect against AMD
   • Red meats and whole grains – Zinc deficiency can lead to cataracts
   • Vegetable oil – Vitamin E can slow progression of AMD

   Semes suggested a consultation with an optometrist for evaluation of any ophthalmic problems so possible solutions can be reviewed.