“There will now be the ability to advance our femtosecond laser technology in a coordinated way, both developmentally and commercially,” said IntraLase President and CEO Robert J. Palmisano.
Advanced Vision Technologies to Distribute Paragon CRT
Advanced Vision Technologies recently received authorization to distribute the Paragon CRT product line. The company will focus on providing educational and practice management resources for Corneal Reshaping for those entering this market and established ECPs desiring to improve their position in offering non-surgical alternatives to refractive surgery.
Because the World Is a Very Dry PlaceWhether they’re staring at a computer or feeling the effects of dry heat or air conditioning, contact lens wearers face daily challenges to keep their eyes comfortable. Forty-two percent of all contact lens wearers use rewetting drops at least once a day. Challenging environments can leave eyes feeling tired and dry. ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR™ Plus, the next step in the ULTRA COMFORT SERIES™, offers Eye Care Professionals a way to keep these sufferers and potential dropouts wearing contact lenses. The ultra breathable lens (Dk/t = 147) keeps feeling fresh even in adverse environments, leading to greater patient satisfaction.
--ADVERTISING
Global Keratoconus Congress 2007There is still time to register for the inaugural Global Keratoconus Congress! This important, international event will be held January 26-28, 2007 at Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The more than 300 current registrants hail from 28 different countries. Please visit http://www.GKC2007.com to register or view the most up-to-date educational program agenda, including free paper submissions and scientific posters; information on hotel accommodations; and a listing of the 30+ meeting sponsors and exhibitors. We look forward to seeing you there!
--ADVERTISING
Alcon, VSP Make Fortune Best Companies List
Two eyecare companies made Fortune magazine’s list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” again this year. Vision Service Plan (VSP) ranks 23rd and Alcon ranks 65th. This year is VSP’s 8th year on the annual list and Alcon’s 9th. The rankings are based primarily on anonymous employee responses to a survey that measures factors such as job satisfaction and camaraderie, combined with an evaluation of the companies’ policies and culture. The complete list will appear in the Jan. 22 issue of Fortune, available on newsstands Jan. 15 and at http://www.fortune.com after Jan. 8.
UltraVision Acquires Alan Williams CL
UltraVision has concluded an agreement to acquire Alan Williams Contact Lens Ltd., with immediate effect. The transition of business will be complete by Feb. 1, 2007. “Alan retains an interest to see a smooth transition and will continue to be involved as a Consultant to UltraVision during the transfer and for a prolonged period post acquisition,” said Nick Loan, Managing Director of UltraVision.
AOA Seeks Nominations for Paraoptometric of the Year
The American Optometric Association (AOA) Paraoptometric Section is seeking nominations for the Paraoptometric of the Year Award. The award is given annually and is based on each nominees' performance in the following categories: service to optometry and Paraoptometric associations, participation in public service activities and a personal endorsement by the nominating individual. Nominations must be submitted by Feb. 23 and the award will be presented at Optometry’s Meeting in Boston. The winner will receive a plaque, round-trip airfare to the meeting, three nights’ lodging at the hotel headquarters and $500 to help defray travel costs. The award is funded courtesy of CIBA Vision. For a nomination form, contact the AOA Paraoptometric section at 243 N. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, Mo. 63141; 1-800-365-2219; email PS@aoa.org.
Abstract: Ulcerative Keratitis And CL Wear
Researchers in India recently reviewed the microbiological profile of ulcerative keratitis associated with contact lens (CL) wear. They studied 35 patients with culture-proven, CL-associated microbial keratitis between Sept. 1999 and Sept. 2002. They collected corneal scrapes and CL-care products and subjected them to microbiological evaluation. They recovered only gram-negative bacilli from the corneal scrapes of all 35 patients (100%), all 70 CL storage case wells (100%) and CL-care solution of six patients (17%). They noted a significantly higher number of Pseudomonas aerguinosa isolates (71%) from eyes with CL-related keratitis than other bacterial isolates (29%). They conclude that microbial contamination of CL storage cases was a great risk factor for gram-negative bacterial infection among soft CL wearers.
Bharathi MJ, Ramakrishnan R, Meenakshi R, et al. Ulcerative keratitis associated with contact lens wear. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2007 Jan-Feb;55(1):64-7.
Editor's Commentary: Neal J. Bailey, O.D., Ph.D., F.A.A.O., 1917-2006
Dr. Neal Bailey, founding editor of Contact Lens Forum in 1976 and the founding editor of Contact Lens Spectrum in 1986, died Christmas Eve, 2006. Dr. Bailey received his B.S. Optometry in 1947 at Ohio State and practiced in Escanaba, Mich. until he returned to earn his Ph.D. in Physiological Optics in 1954 with Dr. Glenn Fry as his mentor. He taught at Indiana University, and in 1958, he returned to Columbus at 15th and High Streets near the Ohio State campus to practice privately and make and document contact lens history. That’s where I met him. Neal was precise, organized and uncompromising as an optometrist and as a businessperson. Yet he was one of the most comfortable persons to be with. Neal called it like he saw it. He didn’t have an instrument or device in his office he hadn’t either made by hand or modified to make better. Flo, his wife, was his office manager and ever-present travel companion.
Two of my favorite Neal Bailey quotes are: “We’ve known that for a year,” and, when someone disagreed with something he or another doc wrote in Contact Lens Spectrum, he would say, “Well then, I think you should send us a letter or article about that.” Neal always thought there were many versions of the truth about contact lenses and wanted to make sure everyone knew them. Two of his more famous quotes were, “Silicone contact lenses are the lens of the future and always will be,” and his definition of the holecon (Joe, is this right?) contact lens: “A 9mm lens with a 10mm central fenestration.”
I am so grateful he and Larry Henry decided I should follow him as the editor of Contact Lens Spectrum and that he spent all those hours with me explaining how to do it. He was one of the best writers I have ever met.
Neal J. Bailey received awards from every major U.S. professional organization in his field including the Contact Lens Person of the Year Award by the Contact Lens Section of the American Optometric Association, the Max Shapero Memorial Lecture and Founders Award by the American Academy of Optometry, the Dallos Award for significant contributions to the contact lens field by the Contact Lens Manufacturers Association, as well as the Kevin Tuohy Award from the Contact Lens Society of America.
He authored more than 120 articles and chapters on contact lenses and practice management and was a clinical investigators for (the approval of?) the soft contact lens in the U.S. Neal was always brutally honest about contact lenses, their manufacturers, colleagues and the economics of optometry, eye health and the contact lens industry. Thus, many in the field trusted him and sought his counsel and advice. He was a great historian.
In his final years after Flo died, he moved from Columbus and lived with his loving daughter Nancy in Lerado, Texas. We miss you Neal.
Fitting Tip: Dirty Lenses
I have noticed that silicone hydrogel lenses seem to have more “debris” trapped on the base curve surface of the lens than standard hydrogels. When I examine patients’ lenses under the slit lamp, I frequently notice a faint, irregular staining pattern — similar to dimple veiling — that seems to be from small pieces of foreign material stuck to their lenses. I also frequently notice a lot of visible debris under silicone hydrogel lenses immediately after insertion.
My solution to this is something a professor showed us back at OSU many years ago: Immediately after insertion, give the lens a few moments to stabilize on the cornea, then have the patient slide the lens off the cornea and onto the temporal conjunctiva. Move the lens in a small circular pattern on the conjunctiva and either re-center it either by hand or by looking in the direction of the lens and blinking. It seems like this removes the majority of the debris on the back surface of the lens. Once I teach patients to do this, they are much more comfortable at the time of insertion and I see much less of the “mini-dimple-veiling” when they come in later.
John Laurent, O.D., Ph.D.
Okinawa, Japan
This month at http://www.siliconehydrogels.org/, review the results of a study on non-compliance in contact lens wearers, learn about piggyback fittings of silicone hydrogels for post-surgical patients, consider the benefits and challenges of spherical lens, soft lenses and silicone hydrogel lenses for toric lens wearers, and evaluate the fitting practices of Canadian optometrists from 2000-2006.
Report adverse contact lens reactions here: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/ or call (800) FDA-1088.
Access a reporting form for complications you've seen that were a result of contact lenses dispensed without a valid prescription at the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry's (ARBO's) Web site: http://www.arbo.org/arbo.asp?dt=R&doc=Complications. Complete and send the form online or print it out and fax it to (866) 886-6164.
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