CONTACT LENSES TODAY
February 18, 2007
Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches more than 12,000 readers in 74 countries.
Vistakon Launches Click-to-be-Contacted
Vistakon has launched a new, complimentary service designed to facilitate appointment scheduling for new contact lens patients, Click-to-be-contacted. Consumers who respond to a free trial
certificate offer found on
http://www.acuvue.com are provided with a list of participating doctors in their areas who offer Acuvue brand contact lenses and can provide a free trial pair (professional exam and
fitting fees not included). The search results provide contact information only. Clicking on the icon for click-to-be-contacted-enrolled doctors directs patients to a page where they enter their contact information and
can request to be contacted by phone or email. The information is then immediately sent to the doctor’s office that then contacts the patient to schedule an appointment. Vistakon says more than 4,000 optometrists and
ophthalmologists.
J&J Disclosure to SEC
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has voluntarily disclosed to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that subsidiaries outside the United States are
believed to have made improper payments in connection with the sale of medical devices in two small-market countries. The company says these actions were contrary to the company’s policies and may fall within the
jurisdiction of the foreign Corrupt Practice Act. J&J says it will provide additional information to the DOJ and SEC and will cooperate with the agencies’ review of these matters.
Michael J.
Former, worldwide chairman, medical devices and diagnostics has retired from the company. In a letter to J&J, Mr. Dormer cited the internal review of these matters and noted that “[I
have] ultimate responsibility by
virtue of my position,” for those subsidiaries that were the subject of the disclosure. Effective immediately, all worldwide business within that segment will report to Nicholas J. Valeriani, worldwide chairman,
medical devices and diagnostics
Sauflon Announces Patient Direct
Sauflon USA has launched a new patient retention program, Patient Direct. With Patient Direct, patients receive a Sauflon starter kit and a pre-printed Patient Direct membership card
with their contact lens supplies. Patients can then purchase their retail size solution through the Patient Direct website, toll-free order line or a re-order card that is included with their shipments. All profits
are returned to the prescribing practice.
Show Your Patients the Difference
Some of your astigmatic patients may still not realize that they’re able to wear contact lenses. Your astigmatic patients already wearing contact lenses might say that their vision
is good enough, but may be hoping for something better. Finding the right lens for these patients can provide a substantial boost to your contact lens practice. ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ Brand Contact Lenses for
ASTIGMATISM gives patients a breakthrough design with real-world results. Its Accelerated Stabilization Design (ASD) offers patients superior rotational stability and immediate, all-day comfort. Try ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ Brand for ASTIGMATISM on your patients and ask them to see the difference during daily activities and throughout the day. And now, ACUVUE ADVANCE for ASTIGMATISM meets more patients'
needs with the introduction of -2.25 cylinder.
--ADVERTISING
GKC Wrap-up
The first Global Keratoconus Congress (GKC) took place from Jan. 26-28 in Las Vegas. More than 400 registrants from 30 countries as well as 100 sponsors/exhibitors attended the
meeting. The conference was hosted by Contact Lens Spectrum and the Lippincott Williams and Wilkins (LWW) Healthcare Conference Group.
It focused on the latest diagnostic methods and treatments for keratoconus. “One
of the best meetings I have attended in my 31 years of practice,” says one attendee. “I was so impressed with the caliber of the presenters and attendees of the conference,” said
another.
The second GKC is already being planned for Jan. 25
to 27, 2008 in Las Vegas. For more information, go
to http://www.healthcareconferencegroup.com.
Abstract:
Ulcerative Keratitis and CL Wear
Researchers in India recently conducted a study to determine the microbiological profile of ulcerative keratitis associated with contact lens wear. They studied 35 patients
who had
culture-proven CL-associated microbial keratitis between Sept. 1999 and Sept. 2002. They conducted corneal scrapes and collected participants’ CL-care products that they then subjected to microbiological
evaluation. The researchers recovered gram-negative bacilli from the corneal scrapings of all 35 patients (100%), all 70 CL-storage case wells (100%) and from six of the participants’ CL-care
solutions (17%).
They found a significantly higher number of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates (71%) in eyes with CL-related keratitis than other bacterial isolates (29%). The
researchers
conclude that microbial contamination of CL storage cases is a great risk factor for gram-negative bacterial infection among soft CL-wearers.
Bharathi MJ, Ramakrishnan R, Meenakshi
R, et al. Ulcerative keratitis associated with contact lens wear. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2007 Jan-Feb;55(1):64-7.
Editor's Commentary:
Off-Label Use
Depending upon the clinical finding, a number of the cases reported in our abstract this week would no doubt be treated in the U.S. with an antibiotic that
isn't approved
for treating corneal ulcers. At our recent GKC meeting, we discussed off-label use of topical agents such as
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and cyclosporine A in patients with keratoconus, with or without allergies or dry eye. We
should always inform patients when we use such an agent for a non-F.D.A.-approved use, even though we may believe it's a rational treatment and has been reported as effective for the
condition.
CLToday Tips has been renamed. Once called “fitting tips,” we now encourage tips for fellow practitioners about not only contact lens fitting and care but
also the management and treatment of all contact lens-related issues, including contact lens recommendations, treating complications and using multiple treatments on one patient. We look forward
to sharing your best tips.
CLToday Tip:
Tips for Multifocal CLs
Do a careful refraction and determine the best spherical power. Do the vertex calculation. Simply order your trial lens depending on distance power and add for near. Ask the
patient not to look monocularly as vision may be slightly reduced for two to three days before achieving the best results. And remember, even a small change of 0.25D makes very significant change in visual
acuity in some cases.
Damanjot Singh M.Optom
Preet Optical Clinic, India
This month at http://www.siliconehydrogels.org consider the value of measuring corneal oxygen consumption with Eric
Papas and learn about the techniques involved. Read into the applications for oxygen transmissibility and how it can be a useful tool in practice. Review potentially damaging effects of lens surface friction
with emphasis on the care of toric and multifocal lens wearers, and recognize the different types of upper lid-margin staining to determine variations in silicone hydrogel adaptation.
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
T-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 issue archives. Visit Contact
Lenses Today for our Best Fitting Tips.
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