Vistakon, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., and the American Optometric Foundation (AOF), announced recipients of the Dr. Terrance Ingraham Pediatric Optometry Residency Awards, the Dr. George W. Mertz Contact Lens Residency Awards, and the Dr. Sheldon Wechsler Contact Lens Residency Awards. Each will receive $4,000 toward their graduate education, including a $750 travel fellowship to attend the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Optometry in San Francisco, November 17-20.
     The 2010 winners are:
  ·  Dr. Terrance Ingraham Pediatric Optometry Residency Awards: Erin C. Jenewein, OD, MS, NOVA Southeastern University College of Optometry and Vivian M. W. Wong, OD, Southern California College of Optometry 
  · Dr. George W. Mertz Contact Lens Residency Awards: Sara N. Gaib, OD, University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry and Shannon Zollinger, OD, The Ohio State University College of Optometry
  · Dr. Sheldon Wechsler Contact Lens Residency Awards: Natalie Corey, OD, Indiana University at Bloomington, School of Optometry and Anna M. Sleeper, OD, New England College of Optometry
     The Vistakon Residency Awards are intended to promote post-graduate optometric clinical education by supporting residents who demonstrate talent and commitment in the fields of children's vision and contact lenses. These are highly competitive fellowships with the recipients selected by the AOF from over 30 applicants.
     Vistakon has partnered with the AOF for over a decade, providing over one million dollars of support for scholarships, residency awards, fellowships, and research grants. "We will continue to be strong supporters of optometry and optometrists through our products, programs, and services," says Colleen Riley, OD, MS, FAAO, Dipl. CL, Vice President, Professional Development Group, Vistakon. "Through the support provided by Vistakon, we are truly changing the future of optometry by supporting the education of our students and the advancement of research," notes Mark A. Bullimore, MCOptom, PhD, FAAO, Development Director, American Optometric Foundation.

Advanced Vision Research (AVR), makers of the TheraTears and MacuTrition brands for dry eye and macular degeneration, has named Neil D. Donnenfeld as their new Chief Executive Officer, and as a Director of the Company.
     Donnenfeld has extensive experience with AVR and has been instrumental in its growth. He most recently served as the company's Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, a position he held since 2005. Donnenfeld, 48, joined AVR in May 1998, shortly after it was originally formed as an over-the-counter eye care company to market and distribute TheraTears products.
     "I'm honored to have been chosen as the new CEO of Advanced Vision Research where we are dedicated to continuing the path blazed by Dr. Gilbard. We are eager to introduce revolutionary new products that are already in the pipeline, and look forward to the development of new advances in eye care treatment that improve patients' lives," noted Donnenfeld.
     Donnenfeld has been involved in most aspects of building AVR and its brand portfolio and has maintained close connections with the professional community that forms the base of TheraTears and MacuTrition's loyal advocates, including optometrists and ophthalmologists. As the Senior Sales and Marketing Executive for the OTC business, Donnenfeld spearheaded 12 consecutive years of record sales and profitability for the company. AVR was recognized three times by INC magazine as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in America and by Drug Store News as one of the top niche brands for the past four years.
     Prior to joining AVR, Donnenfeld was Director of Marketing at NutraMax Products. Before that he managed the Bain de Soleil Suncare Brand at Procter and Gamble and worked on other P & G brands including Dramamine, Icy Hot, Clearasil, and Oil of Olay.

The 13th International Cornea & Contact Lens Congress (ICCLC) will be held at the Sheraton on the Park in Sydney, Australia from October 9-11, 2010. The Congress' theme is Vision for the Future.
     The internationally acclaimed keynote and guest speakers who will be presenting at this education rich Congress include: Earl Smith, USA; Lynne Speedwell, UK; Loretta Szczotka-Flynn, USA; Kathy Dumbleton, Canada and Patrick Caroline, USA, among others including local Australian cornea and contact lens luminaries.
     If you would like more information on attending this Congress as a delegate, exhibitor or sponsor please contact the conference organizers: Leading Edge Conferences, Hannah Scott-Young at syh@leadingedgegroup.com.au. You may also visit www.cclsa.org.au. Online registrations will open at the end of March 2010.

Exciting news about 1·DAY ACUVUE® MOIST® Brand Contact Lenses with LACREON™ Technology - Click Here!

ACUVUE®, 1DAY· ACUVUE® MOIST®, LACREON™, and VISTAKON® are trademarks of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. © Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. 2010.

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The Partnership Foundation for Optometric Education welcomed the North Dakota Optometric Association (NDOA) as its newest Contributing Partner. The NDOA joins the Alabama, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine and Michigan state optometric associations, as well as 17 of the U.S. schools and colleges of optometry, in support of the Partnership Foundation.
     "The North Dakota Optometric Association is pleased to provide a contribution as a token of our support for the future advancement of optometric education," said Ms. Nancy Kopp, NDOA Executive Director.
     Founded in 1996 by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry and the American Optometric Association, the Partnership Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to generate funds to provide resources for the advancement of optometric education and related special needs of the profession.
     Participation in the Partnership Foundation is open to institutions and organizations that provide optometric continuing education and to organizations that support the mission and purposes of the Partnership. This includes the American Optometric Association and its affiliated state and regional associations, the American Academy of Optometry and other optometric organizations and corporations. Schools and national organizations contribute $1 per registrant for each credit hour of continuing education they provide. Contributing institutions determine the specific uses for their share distribution. Examples are rehabilitation and modernization of physical plants, including teaching laboratories; equipment to enhance the learning environment and patient care; acquisition and integration of advanced technologies into clinical teaching programs; and development of teaching materials for lifelong learning for students and practitioners. 
     For more on the Partnership Foundation, click here.

SoloHealth announced that Tony I. Sommer, Jr. will be joining the management team as Vice President, Sales and Marketing.
     Sommer comes to SoloHealth with almost six years of eye care industry experience in marketing and sales as an executive with CIBA Vision. Previously he was a consultant for Cannondale Associates, and he has also held line marketing positions at start-up Questia Media, Coca Cola and General Mills. Sommer has over 10 years of military experience in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserve. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy and an MBA from the Meinders School of Business at Oklahoma City University.
     The company also announced the introduction of an upgraded version of its EyeSite self-service vision testing kiosk. The new model features an enhanced eye health risk assessment, including an easy-to-understand risk meter, which provides stronger motivation for consumers to seek professional eye care. Enhanced doctor information screens provide additional information about a practice (i.e., practice specialties, insurances accepted, hours of operation, etc.), so that consumers are more comfortable booking an appointment.
     The EyeSite kiosks are located in high traffic retail locations in seven states. More than 300,000 consumers have already utilized this technology, with one-fourth reporting they have never previously had an eye exam. Another 38 percent reported they had not had their eyes tested for more than two years.
     The interactive EyeSite kiosks are free to use and provide consumers with a quick assessment of their near and distance vision, assess risk for eye disease and provide relevant eye health information and education. Consumers may also view information on key products and services based on answers to health and lifestyle questions. They are then prompted to schedule a comprehensive eye exam with their existing eye care professional or they may select one from a list of local providers.
     According to Bart Foster, founder and CEO of SoloHealth, "EyeSite is a proven technology that provides targeted and measurable results. It delivers patient education and awareness and will drive more people to see an eye care practitioner, more frequently."

Contact lens wear predisposes to Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis, but the mechanisms involved remain unclear. These researchers used an in vivo model to study lens inoculation conditions enabling disease.
     Custom-made hydrogel contact lenses were fitted to rats after incubation in P. aeruginosa ~10(11) cfu/ml (3 hours) or ~10(3) cfu/ml (24 hours). Another group was inadvertently inoculated with a suction-pen previously used with high inocula, but ethanol-rinsed and dry-stored (6 months). Some corneas were tissue paper-blotted to cause fluorescein staining before lens fitting. Contralateral eyes were untreated. Twenty-four hours after detecting disease, lenses were transferred to naive rats or examined by confocal microscopy before homogenization to quantify viable bacteria. After lens removal corneas were washed to collect non-adherent bacteria and analyzed by immunohistochemistry.
     All eyes challenged with unworn contaminated lenses developed keratitis after ~7-10 days. Disease delay and severity were unaffected by inoculum parameters or tissue-blotting, but pathology occurred sooner with lenses transferred from infected eyes (~2 days). Worn lenses and corneal washes contained infecting bacteria. Posterior, not anterior, lens surfaces harbored P. aeruginosa biofilms that penetrated the lens matrix. Diseased corneas showed an infiltration of phagocytes and T-lymphocytes.
     The researchers concluded that P. aeruginosa induces keratitis in this lens-wearing model after a single inoculation. Delayed disease onset was interesting considering the greater keratitis risk in people during extended wear. Infection did not require disruption of corneal barrier function before lens wear and occurred without exposure to lens care solutions. The data suggest that keratitis involves biofilm formation or other bacterial adaptations in vivo.
Tam C, Mun J, Evans DJ, Fleiszig SM. The Impact of Inoculation Parameters on the Pathogenesis of Contact Lens Related Infectious Keratitis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci.

One of the most significant clinical complications of contact lens wear (if not the most significant) is microbial keratitis. It amazes how much research has been conducted on microbial keratitis through the years, yet we still don't completely understand many facets of these horrible events. Drs. Suzi Fleiszig and David Evans at UC Berkeley have been leaders in the field, and this week's abstract highlights more of their excellent work. It is interesting to point out from the abstract that in this animal model study, infection with Pseudomonas did not require corneal disruption and it occurred without exposure to lens care solutions.  
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.