The American Optometric Society (AOS) announced the AOS Inaugural Meeting and Practice Management Seminar, which will be held March 26 -28, 2010 at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, California. Featuring nationally acclaimed practice management experts including Drs. Gary Gerber, Alan Homestead and John McDaniel, the innovative program focuses on creating and maintaining a successful practice in today's challenging healthcare environment.
     "The AOS has seen a surge in new members over the past few months," according to AOS President Dr. Pam Miller. "We are poised to pass the 2,000 member mark within a few days. Having our first national meeting only months after the organization was founded is evidence of just how far we've come." 
     The meeting is open to all optometrists and their staff. For additional information or to register visit the American Optometric Society website: http://www.optometricsociety.org/inaugural-meeting.html.  

Alden Optical Inc, manufacturer of custom made-to-order soft and GP contact lenses, announced that they now offer the HP Toric and HP Sphere lines in 6-packs for monthly or bimonthly replacement. Now, in addition to annual and 4-pack configurations, Alden Optical offers practitioners a broader choice of replacement schedules; from annual to monthly. 
     Alden Optical President Tom Shone commented, "Our customers have told us they really appreciate the option of customizing the replacement schedule for the patient. We know that monthly replacement is a very popular schedule and we are excited to offer yet another custom option to our portfolio."
     For more information, visit www.aldenoptical.com.

On March 14-15, 2010, the third Dutch Contact Lens Conference (NCC), NCC 2010 - The Next Decade, will be held in Eindhoven, Netherlands. In this third edition of the 2-day conference, the main focus is on coming developments in the field of contact lenses in the next decade. Besides the international conference there is also an exhibition where all international contact lens related companies will be present.
     The speaker's line-up includes 37 presenters from all over the globe who will give a total of 82 lectures. Topics covered will include: myopia control, presbyopia and contact lenses, dry eye and contact lenses, silicone hydrogels, the future of GPs, oxygen and contact lenses, and orthokeratology.
     In a special opening lecture, Helen Swarbrick, Brien Holden, Lyndon Jones, Nathan Efron and Phil Morgan will state their opinion on the future of contact lenses. Another topic of interest is the oxygen theme in which several speakers will explain the importance and influence of oxygen on safe and comfortable contact lens wear.
     Although this is the Dutch national bi-annual conference, about 90% of all lectures will be in English. Hotel rooms are limited. For more information and registration, visit www.ncc2010.nl.

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. 2010.
--ADVERTISING

Lensco was honored with the Dr. Leonard Bronstein Memorial Award at the 36th Annual Bronstein Contact Lens Seminar. The Arizona Optometric Association presented the award for 35 years of outstanding service to the eyecare industry and the Arizona optometric community.
     "Lensco is extremely committed to the industry and our Eyecare Professional partners," said Kevin Lippert, President/CEO of Lensco. "I attribute our growth and success to the relationships we have fostered with ECPs; specifically with our local Arizona Optometric Association who has supported and endorsed us over the years. This award is an honor to receive and validates Lensco's continued dedication to the industry, not only over the past 35 years, but moving forward as well." 

Two free keynote addresses at International Vision Expo East, to be held March 19-21, 2010, at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, will explore the fundamentals of successful business management and dissect the pieces of health care reform legislation as it relates to providing vision care.
     "International Vision Expo proudly offers these timely and relevant keynotes to help people capitalize on the economic recovery and make sense of health care reform," said Tom Loughran, Vice President for Reed Exhibitions. "We have carefully crafted this year's course offering to include up-to-the-minute information that will help attendees navigate their practices through this unprecedented time."
     Visionomics Address, March 18, 2010, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.: Neil Gailmard, OD presents "Become the CEO of Your Practice: Manage People, Process and Expenses." This session offers expert strategy on analyzing the eye care practice as a business, designing a staff management plan and benchmarking practice expenses against national norms. Dr. Gailmard owns and manages the Gailmard Eye Center in Muncie, IN and is the editor of the Optometric Management Tip of the Week e-newsletter, which has a distribution of over 14,000 eye care professionals worldwide.
     Health Care Reform Address, March 20, 2010 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.: Bill Applegate presents "Obama's Health Care Plan: Making Sense of New Reforms," which goes beneath the headlines to outline the key components of the new legislation and how it affects vision care. Applegate is a senior policy advisor with Bryan Cave Strategies, LLP. He has over 18 years of political and national health care policy experience.
     For more information on International Vision Expo or to register, visit www.visionexpoeast.com.

Ametek, Inc. announced it has acquired the assets of Sterling Ultra Precision, a privately held reseller of machine tools for the ophthalmic lens market. Sterling Ultra Precision is headquartered in Tampa, FL.
     "The acquisition of Sterling Ultra Precision provides us with an attractive opportunity to further broaden our capabilities and position in the niche ophthalmic lens market," commented Frank S. Hermance, Ametek Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Sterling currently bundles Ametek's Precitech Optoform machine tools with proprietary software and specialty fixtures that are used in the design and manufacture of contact lenses, contact lens molds and intraocular lenses."
      Acquired in 2006, Ametek's Precitech business is a leader in ultra-precision machining systems for applications requiring nano-metric levels of accuracy. Its Optoform machine tool systems are designed specifically for the high-speed lathing of spherical, multi-curve or aspheric contact and intraocular lenses.

eChart Acuity introduces the latest version of their efficient and cost effective visual acuity software, eChart Acuity 2.0.
     According to the company, the new software benefits the eye care practice in several ways: speeds up vision exams, decreases patient wait times, decreases patient boredom while testing, uses existing office computers, and expands vision testing capabilities inexpensively as the number of exam rooms and pretest areas expand. The company also states that the software license cost is quickly offset by eliminating the cost of projector bulbs.
     The company also announces their new website, which reflects the new look and upgraded capabilities of eChart Acuity.
     eChart Acuity was developed by, and is currently used and maintained by, a practicing optometrist to insure that eChart Acuity will maintain its competitive position in computerized eye charts software products for years to come, per the company. For more information and to download software, visit http://www.echartacuity.com. 

The researchers set out to identify and compare the current contact lens and lens storage case hygiene recommendations amongst three different advisory sources: manufacturers of contact lens disinfecting solutions, the Food and Drug Administration of USA, and optometrists prescribing contact lenses in New South Wales, Australia.
     A literature review of contact lens and lens case cleaning instructions from the product inserts of five multipurpose disinfecting solutions (AOSept/ClearCare, Aquify, Complete, Opti-Free Replenish, and Renu) and the Food and Drug Administration official Web site. In addition, 77 optometrists were surveyed with self-administered questionnaires, which gathered information about hygiene behaviors recommended for lens wearers in routine consultations. The recommendations were tabulated into two tables specific to contact lens and lens case cleaning instructions.
     Lens case cleaning instructions were inconsistent, and limited recommendations were available about drying positions, rinsing, and rubbing of lens cases. In comparison, contact lens cleaning instructions were more comprehensive and included lens cleaning time and rubbing motion. However, confusion remained in some of the cleaning instructions, for rinsing and rubbing lenses in particular.
     The authors concluded that inconsistent and inadequate contact lens and lens case hygiene recommendations remain prevalent amongst various advisory bodies (industry, regulatory authority, and optometrists). Future research is needed to establish evidence-based contact lens hygiene guidelines.
Wu Y, Carnt N, Willcox M, Stapleton F. Contact Lens and Lens Storage Case Cleaning Instructions: Whose Advice Should We Follow? Eye Contact Lens 2010.

This is a follow up on the tip by Dr. Greenwell on demonstrating to patients how hard to rub lenses. I have some "spare" lenses in a case by the exam chair. When patients perform their rubbing technique and it demonstrates a "light" touch, I take the sample lens out and pinch it by the edges between two fingers on each hand- and PULL HARD. They notice that the lens does not tear and are most often amazed at the durability of the lens. The next follow up almost always shows a cleaner lens as well.
Jeffrey Anshel, OD, FAAO
Carlsbad, CA
President, Optometric Nutrition Society

Of all soft contact lenses fitted, you're probably aware that most today are done using silicone hydrogel materials--at least that's true for fits in the United States. Data from our Annual Report (http://www.clspectrum.com/article.aspx?article=103778) suggests that about 60% of soft lens fits are done using a silicone hydrogel material. As noted in a prior abstract we highlighted, silicone hydrogel utilization world-wide was at about 36% in 2008 (and was probably up to about 40% in 2009). The one thing I want to emphasize is that while silicone hydrogel materials are generally preferred by practitioners for most patients, we still have many good options of lens designs in traditional hydrogel materials. Don't forget about these options, particularly when trouble-shooting.
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.