CONTACT LENSES TODAY

January 18, 2004

Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches nearly 10,000 readers in 74 countries.

ISCLR President Steps Down
Deborah Sweeney, president of the International Society of Contact Lens Research (ISCLR) since 2000, resigned from her position at the last ISCLR meeting in September. She was secretary of the ISCLR Executive Board since 1990 and is CEO of the Vision Cooperative Research Centre, based at the University of New South Wales, Australia. Graeme Wilson will take over the position of ISCLR president.

Shipp to Serve as Dean at OSU College of Optometry
President Karen Holbrook and Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Barbara R. Snyder have recommended the appointment of Melvin D. Shipp as dean for the Ohio State University College of Optometry, effective June 1, 2004. Dr. Shipp is currently professor at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. He received his B.S. in zoology and a doctorate in optometry from Indiana University, a master's degree in public health from Harvard University and a doctorate in public health from the University of Michigan. As a Robert Wood Johnson Fellow, he served as a health legislative asistant in the U.S. Senate, and was a Pew Doctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan. He is a retired captain in the U.S. Naval Reserves. Dr. Karla Zadnik will continue as interim dean until May 31. Shipp is currently professional school liaison officer for the University of Alabama.

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CL Industry Guru Dies
Gerald L. Feldman, PhD, died on January 5, 2004 of complications from a brain tumor. He was 72. Dr. Feldman received his bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1955 from the University of Georgia, a master's degree in nutrition in 1957 and a PhD in biochemistry in 1959 from Texas A & M University. He was a professor of biochemistry at Baylor College of Medicine; director at the Eye Institute Fort Sanders Presbyterian Hospital; vice president of Polymer Technology Corporation; and consultant to the contact lens industry.

Dr. Feldman was the first person to separate cis and trans isomers during his early work in the development of column chromatography. His work at Baylor School of Medicine identified the compounds that form arterial plaque. His later work was with oxygen permeable lens materials that resulted in a new class of extended wear contact lenses. He is survived by his wife, Lutrell Feldman, of 49 years, two sons and two daughters.

The family suggests dontations to the Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association Air Safety Foundation, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, MD, 21701

New Ocular Pharmaceutical Reference for Eyecare Practitioners
Eyedock.com has released a free Internet service to help eyecare practitioners search for topical ocular therapeutic drugs according to generic or trade name, class of drug and manufacturer. Two optometrists in clinical practice (Todd Zarwell, OD, and Brian Chou, OD, FAAO) developed the pharmaceutical section and this new reference compliments an existing searchable contact lens database with nearly 400 lenses. The Web site also features clinical calculators that streamline the process of prescribing GP and hydrogel contact lenses. Visit http://www.eyedock.com.

Abstract: Predicting Bifocal Visual Quality
Researchers investigated how bifocal contact lenses, when combined with the aberrations of the eye, will affect visual performance. They measured the monochromatic aberrations of 16 subjects, which they used to simulate visual quality with three bifocal contact lens designs. They found a statistically significant association between the subjects' predicted and actual visual benefit with the bifocal contact lens. Based on the results of their study, the researchers concluded that bifocal contact lens designs, when combined with the aberrations of the eye, won't always provide bifocal vision. Also, that you can predict visual quality with a bifocal contact lens based on a patient's ocular aberrations.
Martin JA, Roorda AA. Predicting and Assessing Visual Performance with MultiZone Bifocal Contact Lenses. Optometry & Vision Science 2003 Dec;80(12):812-819.

Editor's Commentary: Fair Play with Contact Lenses
Cory Steed, O.D.'s comments last week in our tip were received favorably by a number of our readers. One of the weaknesses of the new regulation (the "Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act"), which requires contact lens prescription release, is that, unlike medical prescriptions, there is no system to keep the patient from refilling the prescription repeatedly. This could lead to a public health problem if people kept buying lenses that were harming their eyes without the practitioner's involvement in their care. I have my doubts that enough will be done to police this new regulation until there is some evidence that there is indeed a public health issue. To that end, we publish this week and every week hereafter and on the http://www.clspectrum.com Web site, the following information to assist you with reporting adverse reactions that may have occurred because of improper contact lens prescription filling. Some practitioners may be reluctant to report because of a fear of liability or the time-consuming nature of the endeavor, but I believe the time and effort will be worth it.

Report adverse reactions by calling (800) FDA-1088 or by visiting http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/.

Fitting Tip: No Topographer? No Problem!
For practitioners who don't have access to topographers in their offices, a lot of valuable information can be obtained by having patients with complaints of blurred vision remove their lenses and then just checking their "K" readings with the keratometer, paying special attention to changes from the original measurements. You can also view distortion in the primary target circle, which always indicates edema. Or you can direct the patient to look first at the "plus sign" and hold the gaze and then the "minus sign." This will reveal distortion in the para-central cornea as the original primary target only shows an area of about 3mm in diameter. With soft lenses, sometimes changing the base curve or oxygen transmissability by using lenses with higher Dk values will reduce symptoms. With gas permeables, lens modification to increase tear flow under the lens is required.
--Erwin Jay, OD
Cleveland, Ohio

The Global Orthokeratology Symposium (GOS) is Back
(July 2-25, 2004 Toronto, Canada)
This year's three-and-a-half-day meeting will provide a comprehensive look from the world's leading experts in the field of orthokeratology and corneal reshaping, including:
▪ clinical outcomes
▪ patient selection criteria
▪ an international free paper and poster section.
http://www.gos2004.com

Send your favorite tips to tips@cltoday.com -- if your tip is selected as 'Best of the Month,' you'll receive a free golf shirt (see http://www.CLToday.com for details). Please include your full name, degree or title and city/state/country.

Visit Contact Lens Spectrum ( http://www.clspectrum.com ) for interactive clinical posters, issue archives and discussion forums. Visit Contact Lenses Today for our Best Fitting Tips and Photo Clinic, sponsored by Ocular Sciences.

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