CONTACT LENSES TODAY

January 23, 2005

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

CooperVision Launches New Web Site
CooperVision has just announced a new Web site, http://www.CooperVisionOSI.com, dedicated to providing eyecare practitioners with information about the integrated CooperVision and Ocular Sciences businesses. Practitioners can also call (800) 341-2020. Future CooperVision products include a toric silicone hydrogel, a Proclear daily disposable and a second-generation continuous wear silicone hydrogel.
Patented Photochromic CLs Would Protect Eyes from Harmful Rays
According to a release from the Invention Submission Corporation, an inventor from Selden, N.Y. has developed and patented contact lenses that self-adjust according to light conditions. The "SunTacs" would darken like sunglasses under bright light and then return to a clear, non-tinted state under normal lighting conditions, eliminating the hassle of digging around for sunglasses. The lenses would consist of standard, prescription or non-prescription contact lenses made from a thin, photochromatic plastic and would be produced as soft or hard lenses.
Unilens Vision Unveils the C-VUE 55
Unilens Vision Inc. has launched a new soft, multifocal toric contact lens (C-VUE 55 Toric Multifocal) that will provide presbyopic astigmatic patients with all-day comfort, ease of fit and optimum visual acuity at every distance, according to the manufacturer. Unilens manufactures the new lens using its proprietary ALGES computer-controlled lathe system, which provides a full range of parameters with complete reproducibility. C-VUE 55 (methafilcon A 55%) is available in a power range from -10.00D to +6.00D and in add powers up to +2.50. It comes in base curves of 8.5 and 8.5 with a 14.5 diameter.
Crystalens Popularity Soaring
Eyeonics, Inc. recently announced that ophthalmologists implanted more than 13,000 crystalens accommodating intraocular lenses in the United States during the company's first year in the U.S. market. For more information about the company or its lens, visit http://www.eyeonics.com or http://www.crystalens.com.
ACUVUE ADVANCE™ with HYDRACLEAR: The Eye Care Professional Lens of Choice
A recent survey of 150 Eye Care Professionals who have been fitting ACUVUE ADVANCE™ Brand Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR for six months reveals that nearly 2/3 claim ACUVUE ADVANCE™ as their lens of choice when fitting new, current and former lens wearers of all ages. Of these 150 ECPs who participated in a market test on ACUVUE ADVANCE™ with HYDRACLEAR, 63% say it is their top choice for new teen fits; 71% consider ACUVUE ADVANCE™ with HYDRACLEAR their preferred brand for new adult contact lens wearers; 82% choose it as the best brand for contact lens drop-outs; and, 87% select the lens over other brands when fitting wearers with comfort concerns.
Offering your patients the opportunity to experience all day comfort with ACUVUE ADVANCE™ will help keep them happy, as well as reduce the likelihood of them joining the 2.7 million patients who drop out of contact lenses each year. Problem solving has moved to problem prevention.
ACUVUE Brand Contact Lenses are indicated for vision correction. 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 by calling 1-800-843-2020 or by visiting http://www.acuvue.com.
ACUVUE, ACUVUE ADVANCE™, HYDRACLEAR and VISTAKON are trademarks of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. © JJVCI, 2005.
--ADVERTISING
PolyVue Adds New Lens to Presbyopic System
PolyVue Distribution, Inc. has made several upgrades to its PolyVue Presbyopic System, including the addition of the new HDX Progressive soft lens. According to the company, its new lens uses proprietary progressive geometry. As an introductory promotion, PolyVue is offering a compact and effective fitting set to qualified doctors at no cost. The set has a full power range of HD Aspheric lens and the new HDX Progressive. For a complete list of authorized distributors, or for more information on how to qualify for a free fitting set, e-mail info@polyvue.com.
Canada Welcomes Emerald Ortho-k Lens
According to Euclid Systems Corporation, Health Canada has approved its Emerald (oprifocon A) Contact Lens for Overnight Orthokeratology (license #67007).
Sakamoto and Santodomingo Promoted at Menicon
Menicon Co. Ltd. has appointed Dr. Randall Sakamoto to the position of vice president of Professional Relations for Menicon America, Inc. and Dr. Jacinto Santodomingo to Global Professional Relations Manager. Dr. Santodomingo will move to Menicon's headquarters in Nagoya, Japan, to fill his new role. 
Zylet Ready to Ship
Bausch & Lomb recently announced that its Zylet (loteprednol etabonate 0.5% and tobramycin 0.3% ophthalmic suspension) is now available for trade customer ordering with shipments of 2.5mL, 5mL and 10mL bottle sizes.
Abstract: Physiologic Responses in Three Soft Lens Materials
Researchers randomly prescribed Acuvue 2, Acuvue Advance or Night & Day lenses to 43 neophytes for four weeks on a daily wear basis to investigate the short-term physiologic response to the three materials. Another 19 subjects served as the control and didn't wear contact lenses. The researchers examined the experimental and control subjects two and four weeks after dispensing and measured ocular physiologic response with a slit lamp biomicroscope in a strictly masked fashion. The researchers report that their findings (limbal redness increased more in the Acuvue 2 group compared with the other two groups and more conjunctival staining was seen with the Acuvue Advance and Night & Day groups compared with the Acuvue 2 lenses, among other results), suggest that the Acuvue Advance lens and the Night & Day lens provide more oxygen to the ocular surface than the Acuvue 2 lens to a degree that can be observed clinically. The results for these two lenses for papillary conjunctivitis may reflect differences in their material and surface properties.
Maldonado-Codina C, Morgan PB, Schnider CM, Efron N. Short-Term Physiologic Response in Neophyte Subjects Fitted with Hydrogel and Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses. Optometry & Vision Science 2004 Dec;81(12):911-921.
Editor's Commentary: Patients Come First
We received many comments from my commentary last week regarding contact lens prescription dispensing and will share them with you over the next few weeks. I like this week's tip because it speaks to annual supplies of lenses and the patient's best interest and care. If we approach providing lenses to our patients with their best care and convenience (annual supplies) in mind and include the use of rebates on annual supplies, then it's a win-win-win situation.
Fitting Tip: Dispensing the CL Prescription
Deciding when and how to dispense contact lens prescriptions is probably a hot topic in most offices. We do it in my office at the follow up or when we dispense the supply of lenses. We don't focus so much on having to dispense the prescription or when or how to do it, but rather on educating each patient on why a year's supply of lenses is the best option for the health of their eyes.
By the time we've fit the contact lens and dispensed the prescription, the patient isn't thinking about running out to the first contact lens distributor that he can find because he has his year's supply and can take leisure in not having to worry about his vision for the next year.
We do dispense the prescription to every patient after we complete the contact lens evaluation period. In doing this, not only are we following all of the guidelines, but we're also taking the extra step to make sure that the patient has the needed information to get replacements in a bind, thus further enhancing his eyecare experience with our office.
--Delia Cogdill, C.P.O., N.C.L.C.
Las Cruces, N. Mex.
This month at http://www.siliconehydrogels.org, read about worldwide differences in silicone hydrogel fitting and wearing patterns, the effectiveness of eye drops when it comes to comfort with these lenses, and possible reasons for the shift in refractive error reported to occur with contact lens wear.
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.
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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