CONTACT LENSES TODAY

February 19, 2006

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.

B&L Teams With Novartis To Promote Retisert
Bausch & Lomb and Novartis Ophthalmics will co-promote B&L’s Retisert 0.59mg (fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant), indicated for the treatment of chronic, noninfectious, posterior segment uveitis. The Novartis retinal sales team will promote Restisert to its network of retinal specialists in the U.S., supplementing the efforts of B&L's’ pharmaceutical sales team.
Rose K2 Offers Advanced Aberration Control
Blanchard Contact Lens’ new Rose K2 contact lens for keratoconus incorporates aberration control, which the company says dramatically reduces flare, glare and ghosting and improves visual acuity up to two lines. The new lens applies the same fitting approach as the original Rose K lens so you can continue to use the original Rose K diagnostic fitting set. Features of the new lens include a larger diameter posterior optical zone and improved contrast sensitivity. The Rose K2 is available in Boston XO material.
Former CEO of Boucher Communications Passes
Bob Boucher, 59, passed away after battling a serious illness for the past few months. He most recently served as chairman and CEO of Boucher Communications Inc. (BCI). A 1968 graduate of Bucknell University, Bob started his business-publishing career at The Chilton Company in 1969. During the next 23 years, Bob worked for The U.S. Business Press, Gordon Publications, and served as president and CEO of Gralla Publications in New York.
In 1992, Bob was recruited by the equity firm Brentwood and Associates to form Cardinal Business Media as president and CEO. In 1997, Bob and colleague Patricia Herron acquired the vision care titles and a number of technology publications and formed BCI. The business grew to include five leading eyecare-related publications, Ophthalmology Management, Optometric Management, Eyecare Business, Contact Lens Spectrum, as well as the CLToday and Optometric Management Tip of The Week e-mail newsletters. Wolters Kluwer, a leading provider of healthcare communications around the world, purchased BCI in September 2005.
Bob was an active member of several boards, as well as the American Business Media. He is survived by his wife Mary Lou; his sons Michael and Brian; his parents, Robert N. Boucher Sr. and Charlotte K. Boucher, five grandchildren and his brother David M. Boucher. The family requests donations in Bob’s memory be made to the American Brain Tumor Association in lieu of flowers (800-886-2282 or hope.abta.org).
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Abstract: Dry Eye Differs From Contact Lens Dry Eye
A recent study at Indiana University’s School of Optometry in Bloomington, contrasted dryness symptoms among patients with and without contact lenses. Current and former lens wearers completed the Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ) and Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire. Contact lens wearers reported a higher incidence of intense symptoms, especially late in the day. But they also reported that the intensity diminished when they removed the lenses. The intensity of dryness was not correlated with age among contact lens wearers. However, it was inversely correlated with age among contact lens wearers, a significant difference from the pattern of non-lens wearers. Researchers conclude that contact lens related dryness differs from dry eye among non-lens wearers.
Chalmers RL, Begley CG. Dryness symptoms among an unselected clinical population with and without contact lens wear. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2006 Jan 28;[Epub ahead of print].
Editor's Commentary: The Publishing Field Loses A Great Sports Fan
I didn't get to spend a lot of time with Bob Boucher, whose life is described above. I did get to meet with him on a number of occasions. If you knew him, this news will sadden you. When I met with Bob, he was charming, composed, confident, and seemed genuinely interested in how I was doing. I particularly remember a lunch meeting at an Italian restaurant where we discussed my editorship of this publication. Three things are most memorable: I was comfortable talking with him about business; I was even more comfortable talking with him about good and bad sports fans from Bucknell, Philadelphia, and Ohio State; and I remember dropping a ravioli that caused sauce to fly in all directions, including the sleeve of Bob’s shirt. He was unfazed, as if nothing had happened. I know that he hoped to retire and spend time with a sports video tape memorabilia business. We wish he had the chance to enjoy that dream like the many other accomplishments he enjoyed in his lifetime. He will be missed.
Fitting Tip: Tip From An Astute Student
If a patient complains that he has lost a contact lens in one eye and that the vision is quite blurry in the other one, chances are that two soft contact lenses are stuck together in the eye with the unusual blur! The accidental combination took place either when the patient stored the contacts, or inserted the lenses.
Gary Roth, O.D.
Jerusalem
This month at http://www.siliconehydrogels.org, learn how to manage refractive shift in patients refit from hydrogel to silicone hydrogel lenses; read about an 11-year-old‚s successful, long-term use of a silicone hydrogel piggyback system; learn whether topography can predict best-fit base curve; and read a synopsis of Academy 2005.
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 golf 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 clinical posters and issue archives. Visit Contact Lenses Today for our Best Fitting Tips.
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