Novartis AG announced that it had exercised its option to purchase the remaining shares in Alcon, Inc. owned by Nestle S.A. The exercise is pursuant to an agreement between Nestle and Novartis that was executed on April 7, 2008. The option exercise is subject to regulatory approvals and covers approximately 156 million shares of Alcon held by Nestle, representing approximately 52 percent of Alcon's outstanding shares. Upon consummation of the purchase, Novartis would own an approximate 77 percent interest in Alcon.
     Novartis also announced that it has submitted to the Alcon board of directors a proposal for a merger of Alcon with and into Novartis to be effected under Swiss merger law. Under the terms of the merger proposal, holders of the approximately 23 percent of Alcon shares that are publicly-traded would receive 2.8 Novartis shares for each Alcon share. The proposed merger would be contingent upon, among other things, approval by the Alcon Board of Directors, the closing of the purchase and sale transaction related to the Novartis option exercise as well as receipt of required regulatory approvals. The merger would also require two-thirds approval by the shareholders of Novartis and Alcon voting at their respective meetings. Under Swiss law, Novartis has the right to vote its Alcon stake in favor of the proposed merger.
     A statement issued by Novartis said that this acquisition is expected to be completed in the second half of 2010.
     The Novartis release also stated that Alcon will be an important contributor to Novartis, with its associates constituting the major part of a new eye care division that will benefit from access to the Group's global operations, expertise and resources.
     Alcon's Independent Director Committee, which was formed in 2008 in connection with Novartis' initial purchase of the Alcon Shares from Nestle to evaluate transactions such as the proposed merger, has engaged independent financial and legal counsel in connection with its evaluation of the proposed merger. The Committee will inform the Alcon shareholders of its formal position once the Committee and its advisors complete their evaluation.

Bausch + Lomb (B+L), unveiled its redesigned company logo and icon. Both incorporate hues of the company's traditional blue and green colors, while introducing the plus (+) symbol to represent the organization's strong commitment to innovation and partnership with practitioners as a leader in eye health.
     "Our new corporate identity reflects the ongoing evolution of Bausch + Lomb as we make strides in growing our business for the benefit of medical practitioners, retail partners, consumers and patients around the world," said Gerald M. Ostrov, the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Based on our strong momentum coming out of last year, as well as a number of planned new product launches and market initiatives over the coming months, we believe that 2010 will be a banner year for the company and the millions of people we're so fortunate to serve each year."
     The new logo and B+L icon will be phased in by Bausch + Lomb over time, co-existing with the former "pathways" logo for the next 18 to 24 months as product packaging and other materials are updated.
     The new corporate identity system was designed by Pentagram, the renowned multi-disciplinary design firm.

Presbyopia often signals the end of contact lens wear, even for committed wearers. But now with ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses for PRESBYOPIA, you can satisfy the comfort and vision needs of your presbyopic patients. The unique optics of STEREO PRECISION TECHNOLOGY™ leverage the eye's natural depth of clear focus for balanced vision at all distances, with less dependence on illumination. And the STEREO PRECISION SELECT™ Tool removes the guesswork of fitting, allowing for a 74% fit success rate in two visits or less.¹ With ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand for PRESBYOPIA, you're expanding the solid foundation of patient commitment and satisfaction provided by all ACUVUE® OASYS™ contact lenses - supporting continued practice retention and growth.
Click here for more information.

1. Data on file. Johnson & Johnson, 2008.
     ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses are indicated for vision correction. As with any contact lens, eye problems, including corneal ulcers, can develop. Some wearers may experience mild irritation, itching or discomfort. Lenses should not be prescribed if patients have any eye infection, or experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, redness or other eye problems. Consult the package insert for complete information. Complete information is also available from VISTAKON®, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., by calling 1-800-843-2020 or by visiting jnjvisioncare.com.
     ACUVUE®, ACUVUE® OASYS™, STEREO PRECISION TECHNOLOGY™, STEREO PRECISION SELECT™, and VISTAKON® are trademarks of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
© Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. 2009.
--ADVERTISING

Since it began earlier this year, hundreds of practices around the country already have taken advantage of ABB Concise's Soft Contact Lens Business Review, according to the company. The review is a free service performed by ABB Concise consultants.
     Mark B. Boas, OD, MS, and Suzanne O. Boas, OD, Exton, PA, say the business analysis is a valuable tool that "We wouldn't necessarily take the time to produce for ourselves." Drs. Boas' practice was profiled in a recent issue of Contact Lens Profit Advisor, a quarterly magazine from ABB Concise.
     The Soft Contact Lens Business Review provides data that helps the practice gauge where it falls in relation to other accounts around the country. For example, based on benchmark data from its top 500 accounts, Drs. Boas' practice comes in above average on many key indicators, a confirmation for them that they have a solid business plan.
     Drs. Boas also use another ABB Concise business tool to help them set their contact lens retail pricing. Soft Lens Retail Price Monitor, which ABB Concise started publishing in 2006, tells them what the competition is doing. "We want to be able to tell our patients honestly that our prices are competitive with the alternatives - and thanks to the Soft Lens Retail Price Monitor, we can," says Dr. Mark Boas.
     For additional information, visit www.abbconcise.com.

Rod Nowakowski, OD, PhD, has been named interim dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Optometry effective Jan. 1, 2010.
     Nowakowski, who joined the UAB Department of Optometry faculty in 1975, served as chief of staff for UAB Eye Care and its affiliated clinics from 2000 to 2009. The multidisciplinary program provides eye and vision care for around 20,000 patients a year.
     A fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, he has taught in the areas of clinical care, low vision rehabilitation, clinical laboratory testing, retinal disease, ophthalmic genetics, compliance, HIPAA, aviation vision and physical diagnosis, and has an extensive background in instructional technology, course design, classroom and distance learning using blended and completely online formats.
     "Dr. Nowakowski brings a particularly impressive combination of clinical and academic expertise to this position," said UAB Provost Eli Capilouto. "With his high level of energy and focus on emerging technologies, he will be a strong leader for the school during this period of transition."
     Nowakowski, who received his Bachelor of Science and the Master of Arts degrees, both in mathematics, from the University of Miami, received his Doctor of Optometry degree from UAB in 1975 and a PhD in medical genetics from UAB in 1989. He has published numerous scientific articles in the areas of optometry and medical genetics and is the author and illustrator of the textbook Primary Low Vision Care (Appleton & Lange, 1994).
     He is on the steering committee and education subcommittee for the eyeGENE project from the National Eye Institute and is a member of the American Optometric Association, Alabama Optometric Association and American Society of Human Genetics. Named the Department of Optometry recipient of the 1999 Presidential Teaching Award given by the president UAB, Nowakowski also was honored as the 2000 Alumnus of the Year by the UAB School of Optometry Alumni Association.

Global Specialty Lens Symposium, January 28-31, 2010, Bally's Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
With an expert international faculty and a CE-accredited agenda, the 2010 GSLS will include insightful presentations by experts in the field, hands-on demonstrations of cutting-edge products as well as scientific papers and posters. Look for detailed information and register online at www.GSLSymposium.com. --ADVERTISING

Bausch + Lomb (B+L) announced that it is launching the Crystalens AO, the first aberration-free accommodating intraocular lens (IOL) with aspheric optics to cataract surgeons worldwide. The announcement follows the recent FDA approval of this newest B+L surgical product.
     The Crystalens AO has prolate aspheric surfaces and is designed to be free of spherical aberration. It is designed to improve retinal image quality without compromising depth of field and therefore provides greater quality of distance and intermediate vision, as reported by the company.
     Crystalens is the only FDA-approved accommodating intraocular lens. Crystalens AO takes the best of B+L's heritage of aspheric optics and combines it with the company's Crystalens platform.
     "The Crystalens AO provides patients an opportunity to enjoy improved post-operative vision through an increase in contrast sensitivity due to the absence of spherical and higher order aberrations. This, along with the general consensus that the best technology for treatment of presbyopic patients is an accommodating lens, will encourage many surgeons to adopt this new product," said Jay Pepose, MD, PhD, of the Pepose Vision Institute, St. Louis, MO.
     For more information about the Crystalens HD, go to www.crystalens.com.

This study evaluated the efficacy of custom-made reverse geometry rigid gas permeable (GP) contact lenses in the control of symptoms related to increased wavefront aberrations after LASIK correction of myopia.
     Twenty-eight myopes treated with LASIK were assessed for post-LASIK symptoms (declined night vision, glare, halos and/or monocular diplopia) and corneal topography. A set of GP contact lenses was selected as trial lenses based on the matching between the lens and the patient's corneal topography. If the fluorescein pattern between the trial lens and the corneal surface showed a central alignment, a mid-peripheral bearing and peripheral clearance, and if the patient felt comfortable with the lens wear, a duplicated lens was ordered for the patient. Otherwise, a lens satisfied with corneal topography of the patient and clinical judgment was used. Visual acuity (VA) and wavefront aberrations were measured after the lens wear.
     The custom-made lenses well matched the host cornea with no dislodgment in all subjects. The post-LASIK eyes showed an increase of one Snellen line in VA (from 0.90 +/- 0.33 to 1.11 +/- 0.24) and a significant improvement in all symptoms after the lens wear. The total higher-order aberration is significantly reduced after the lens wear with at least 70% reduction in either spherical aberration, coma, third or fourth aberration but only 33% reduction in the fifth aberration.
     The researchers concluded that reverse geometry GP lenses with the design based on individual topographic data can improve visual performance of post-LASIK eyes by reducing higher order aberrations.
Tan G, Chen X, Xie RZ et al. Reverse geometry rigid gas permeable contact lens wear reduces high-order aberrations and the associated symptoms in post-LASIK patients. Curr Eye Res;35:9-16.

One of the topics we cover frequently is the benefits of fitting children in contact lenses. Note that we have such an article in the recently published January 2010 issue of Contact Lens Spectrum (http://www.clspectrum.com/article.aspx?article=103781). From time-to-time, I hear opposing views expressing the potential disadvantages of fitting kids, so I am still left wondering where our field stands on this issue. What are your opinions and feelings about fitting children in contact lenses? Please send your thoughts and feedback to me at jnichols@optometry.osu.edu.
Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO 

This month at www.siliconehydrogels.org: a review of the potential uses, efficacy, safety and clinical performance of antimicrobial contact lens technology.