A recent survey conducted by Decision Analyst, an independent marketing research firm, and sponsored by Bausch & Lomb (B&L) revealed the prevalence of U.S. consumers who believe they cannot wear contact lenses because of their astigmatism. More than four in ten astigmats surveyed believe that their astigmatism is the reason they cannot wear contact lenses. Two-thirds of astigmats who have never worn contact lenses and nearly half of those who have worn contact lenses in the past would be highly motivated to wear lenses if they were available to correct astigmatism.
     "I'm surprised that such a large segment of the population is unaware of our ability to correct astigmatism with contact lenses. This is particularly remarkable in light of excellent clinical results and clinical studies that demonstrate today's astigmatic correcting lenses are quite effective in providing clear, comfortable vision," commented Thomas G. Quinn, OD, MS, a private practitioner from Athens, Ohio and lecturer on toric contact lenses.
     A total of 993 vision-corrected astigmatic consumers between the ages of 18 and 49 completed this online survey. 150 respondents had never worn contact lenses and 178 had worn contact lenses in the past.
     The survey also found that seven out of ten of those who have never worn lenses would be highly motivated to wear contact lenses if they were available, and if their eye care practitioner made the recommendation. Half of previous lens wearers would be motivated to try contact lenses again if they were available. "I see this as a compelling opportunity for us in the eye care industry," remarked Dr. Quinn. "Our astigmatic patients have a need, and we have the tools to meet that need successfully. Our job now is to educate the public about the great astigmatic correcting options available today."

The Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) recently announced an International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) will be conducted immediately following ARVO 2009. The objectives of the workshop include:
  - Conduct an evidence-based evaluation of meibomian gland structure and function in health and disease
  - Develop a contemporary understanding of the definition and classification of MGD
  - Assess methods of diagnosis, evaluation and grading of severity of MGD
  - Develop appropriate norms of clinical trial design to evaluate pharmaceutical interventions for the treatment of MGD
  - Develop recommendations for the management and therapy of MGD
  - Create an executive summary of recommendations for future research in MGD
     The target date for publication of a Workshop report is in the spring of 2010. Workshop Symposia will be planned for ARVO, EVER, the 2010 TFOS Conference and at other meetings.
     For more information about TFOS, please visit www.tearfilm.org.

VisionWeb, a provider of technology services to the optical industry, announced the launch of a new and improved contact lens ordering service for VisionWeb members. Similar to VisionWeb's spectacle lens and frame engines, the contact lens engine displays unique product catalogs for each contact lens supplier. Only products carried by the supplier will be displayed, making it easier to locate and order the desired product. A new advanced searching feature allows users to search for contact lenses based on several categories including lens type, manufacturer, color, series, wear schedule, pack, and UPC. Users have the choice to order lenses one product at a time, or to order multiple products using the new Grid View feature. In addition, the new contact lens engine offers a Fast Order feature, which allows users to scan the UPC barcode and automatically add the contact lens product to their Item List. This timesaving feature will make it easy for users to order products to fill their in-house stock. It is also easy to place a single bundled order for multiple products to a supplier which is more efficient and saves shipping charges. 
     Users have the ability to ship the order to the office, or directly to the patient. Patients benefit by receiving their annual supply of contact lenses direct to their door without having to come back to the office.
     Contact lens suppliers on the VisionWeb network currently include ABB Concise, Diversified Ophthalmics, ODG, OOGP, New Era Optical and Vistakon. More suppliers will be added as they become available.
     Ordering on VisionWeb is free for eyecare providers. VisionWeb members can begin ordering using the new service immediately. For more information, or training for members, please contact VisionWeb Customer Service at (800) 874-6601 or email customerservice@visionweb.com. For more information on VisionWeb, visit www.visionweb.com.

Research suggests that many toric contact lens wearers are not satisfied with their visual performance. Make your patients' experience satisfying with new ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM. The latest in toric lenses combines HYDRACLEAR® Plus for all-day comfort with Accelerated Stabilization Design for crisp, clear vision. To learn more, go to jnjvisioncare.com.
Important Safety Information
--ADVERTISING

Bausch & Lomb (B&L) announced that a new advertising campaign has been launched in six Florida markets that will educate baby boomers and seniors about Crystalens, the nation's only FDA-approved accommodating intraocular lens (IOL).
     Advertising research indicated that only a small fraction of people realize that not all intraocular lenses are the same. The research also indicated that a number of patients are willing to pay a little extra money in order to get the best vision.
     The advertising campaign will run in key Florida markets including Fort Myers/Naples, Jacksonville, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Tallahassee, Tampa/St. Petersburg and West Palm Beach. The campaign will use local television, radio and newspaper to target consumers who are 50 years old and older who are still major users of traditional mass media. The advertising campaign, which has resumed its run in Dallas, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina and St. Louis, generated a ten fold increase in traffic to the website, resulting in increased sales for Crystalens.

The Board of Directors of ORBIS International announced the appointment of Edward (Ned) Cloonan as President of the New York-based non-profit organization.
     Prior to becoming President of ORBIS, Cloonan held the position of Vice President of Corporate and International Affairs for American International Group (AIG). He was responsible for developing and executing business development strategies, as well as strategic corporate giving. He helped build AIG's global businesses, including playing a leading role in successful market access strategies, in China, India and Vietnam-all of which are priority countries where ORBIS conducts its work. Cloonan is affiliated with a number of associations, including the Council of Foreign Relations, Council of the Americas, the Americas Society and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the U.S.-Vietnam Trade Council. 
     "For more than two decades, ORBIS has made great strides in the field of blindness prevention," said the new ORBIS president. "I welcome the opportunity to play a role in guiding future growth, particularly in strengthening its network of strategic relationships-an area I consider to be one of ORBIS' most important assets. It is a real honor to join the organization."
     To learn more about ORBIS, visit www.orbis.org.  

Approximately 30% to 50% of contact lens (CL) wearers report dry eye symptoms. Meibomian gland dysfunction has been recognized as a possible cause of CL-related dry eye. This study investigated the influence of CL wear on the meibomian glands using a newly developed meibographic technique.
     This was a cross-sectional observational case series. Participants included contact lens wearers (n = 121; 47 men, 74 women; mean age+/-standard deviation, 31.8+/-8.0 years) and healthy volunteers (n = 137; 71 men, 66 women; mean age+/-standard deviation, 31.4+/-15.1 years). The following tests were performed: slit-lamp examinations of the eyelids, corneal and conjunctival staining using fluorescein, measurement of the tear film breakup time, evaluation of the meibomian glands using noncontact meibography, and measurement of tear production using the Schirmer I test. Partial or complete loss of the meibomian glands was scored for each eyelid using 4 grades (meiboscores): grade 0 (no loss of meibomian glands) through grade 3 (the area characterized by gland dropout was more than 66% of the total area containing the meibomian glands). The meiboscores for the upper and lower eyelids were summed for each subject. The main outcome measures were the score of meibomian gland changes (meiboscore), tear film breakup time, and Schirmer test value.
     The meiboscore was significantly higher (P<0.0001) in CL wearers (mean, 1.72; 95% confidence interval, 1.47-1.96) than in the control group (mean, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.73-1.19). The average meiboscore of CL wearers was similar to that of a 60- to 69-year-old age group from the normal population. A significant positive correlation was observed between the duration of CL wear and the meiboscore.
     The researchers concluded that contact lens wear is associated with a decrease in the number of functional meibomian glands. This decrease is proportional to the duration of CL wear.
Arita R, Itoh K, Inoue K, Kuchiba A, Yamaguchi T, Amano S. Contact Lens Wear Is Associated with Decrease of Meibomian Glands. Ophthalmology 2009.

I have had the pleasure of attending numerous international meetings and it always strikes me just how passionate contact lens practitioners are in other parts of the world. In the United States, we are very fortunate to have many of the latest and greatest innovations, and it is very interesting for me to compare trends in other areas of the world relative to contact lenses and contact lens care. There is much to learn from attending great international contact lens meetings, such as the British Contact Lens Association and the Nederlands Contactlens Congres, to name a couple. I am sure you would find it invigorating to attend one of these meetings.
Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO

This month at www.siliconehydrogels.org: Using silicone hydrogels to mask irregular astigmatism; the relationship between oxygen transmissibility and overnight corneal swelling; and part one of our BCLA 2008 synopsis.