CONTACT LENSES TODAY

January 26, 2003

Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches 9,290 readers in 74 countries.

Study Finds that Correction Modality Affects Myopic Progression
Researchers at the Northeastern State University and the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center had subjects pick and wear any type of optical correction they wanted and asked them to return in one year. They reported on results of the one-year follow-up exams with emphasis on how myopia progression rates differed between those who remained in their original type of glasses compared with those who switched to soft contact lenses. They found that myopia progressed at an age-adjusted average rate of 0.74D in 19 children who switched to soft contact lens wear compared to 0.25D in 24 children who continued wearing their eyeglasses (p<0.0001). You can read more detail about their findings in the January 2003 issue of Ophthalmic Physiol Opt.

CIBA Promotes Weisbarth
CIBA Vision recently promoted Rick Weisbarth, O.D., F.A.A.O., to the position of vice president, Professional Services, CIBA Vision North America. As Vice President, Dr. Weisbarth will ensure that CIBA Vision programs and services are strategically aligned with the North American eyecare community. He'll also act as a liaison to eyecare practitioners and distributors and serve as a spokesperson for the company on technical and professional matters.

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* ReNu MultiPlus and Tetronic are trademarks of other companies.
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Instrument Makes Living Retinal Cells Visible
A computerized system called adaptive optics continually measures optical flaws and then automatically corrects for them, allowing astronomers to see distant stars with the ground-based Keck Telescope in Hawaii as well as with the Hubble Space Telescope. Now two professors in the Visual Sciences Group at the Indiana University School of Optometry (Donald T. Miller and Larry Thibos) are applying adaptive optics to eliminating the distorting effects of a patient's eye so they can examine the living cells of the retina. Each of the professors has developed his own instrument or technology and when the combined instrumentation becomes available for clinics, doctors will get a clear view of individual cells in the retina and determine if they're healthy or diseased.

New Dry Eye Formulation Debuts
Biosyntrx introduced its patent-pending BioTears at the "Hawaiian Eye" conference last week. According to the company, its next-generation product will effectively combat dry eye syndrome with its twice-daily dosed gel cap formulation. BioTears is designed to enhance the body's ability to absorb and convert the "good" Omega-6 fatty acid to a tear-specific series E1 prostaglandin, which has anti-inflammatory properties that alleviate the signs and symptoms of dry eyes.

Abstract: Adverse Responses with Silicone Hydrogels
There is a higher incidence of adverse responses in younger patients and in males and Asian patients may have more mechanical-induced events.
du Toit, et al. Association of Age, Gender and Ethnicity with Incidence of Adverse Responses with Extended Wear of Silicone Hydrogel Lenses. Optometry and Vision Science Supplement Dec. 2002:9.

Editor's note: Last week at CLES, Rick Weisbarth, O.D., reported on similar findings in young males.

Editor's Commentary: CLES Highlight
My initial impression of the new Contact Lens & Eyecare Symposium (CLES) in Orlando is that it was a success. Attendance was impressive and the meeting was well managed. Last week at this meeting we learned from Debbie Sweeney, Ph.D., and Fred Edmunds, O.D., that at this point, microbial keratitis with continuous wear silicone hydrogel lenses may be well (conservatively) over ten times less than with hydrogel extended wear and as low as with daily wear. If these data hold up over time, then more continuous wear will be prescribed.

Fitting Tip: Combining CLs for Crisper Distance Vision
I've been fitting a number of my patients in bifocal soft contact lenses for many years and the biggest complaint I hear is about the lack of crisp distance vision. Lately I've been fitting more Acuvue bifocal contact lenses than other brands. The most successful combination I've found is to fit the dominant eye with distant-only contact lenses and the nondominant eye with the Acuvue bifocal +0.75 greater than the best-corrected distance Rx. This gives the patient functional and sharp distance acuity and great computer and near vision with an unnoticable decrease in binocularity. These tend to be my most satisfied patients.

My favorite bifocal contact lens to fit is the Boston Essential HGP bifocal. Although time consuming, it gives fabulous distance and near acuity.
-- Craig Brotsky, O.D.

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