CONTACT LENSES TODAY

February 23, 2003

Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches 9,312 readers in 74 countries.

Court Confirms Patent Infringement
According to Novartis AG's eyecare unit CIBA Vision Corporation, the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Federal Circuit upheld an earlier district court ruling that Bausch & Lomb's PureVision contact lenses infringe CIBA's Harvey patent. This means that B&L can't resume manufacture or sale of its PureVision lenses within the United States until at least 2005, when the patent expires. CIBA Vision says that if it prevails, B&L's lenses could remain off the market until at least 2014. The company has had litigation pending against B&L since 1999 for infringement of four U.S. patents that protect CIBA's Focus Night & Day technology.

Treating Pediatric Aphakia with Contact Lenses
In the February 2003 issue of Ophthalmology, Canadian researchers report the results of their evaluation of the experiences, attitudes and perceptions of the caregivers of children who have cataracts and who were visually rehabilitated with contact lenses. In the study, 123 caregivers of children who were treated for unilateral and bilateral cataracts were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire. As assessed by caregivers, contact lenses seemed to be well tolerated by most patients. The researchers believe that their study supports the notion that contact lenses should continue to receive serious consideration as a treatment option for pediatric aphakia.

Alcon’s OPTI-FREE EXPRESS MPDS NO RUB Lasting Comfort Formula is safe for use with all soft lenses, including silicone hydrogels. Recent clinical studies have reported significant levels of corneal staining with PHMB containing solutions and silicone hydrogel lenses worn on a daily wear basis. In one study with 50 patients wearing silicone hydrogel lenses on a daily wear basis, 37% exhibited corneal staining with a PHMB containing solution that is consistent with a solution toxicity reaction.* In the study, a non-PHMB system (POLYQUAD) in OPTI-FREE EXPRESS showed only 2% corneal staining. “Practitioners who fit silicone-hydrogel contact lenses on a daily wear basis should be wary of the potential for certain PHMB-containing multipurpose care systems to invoke corneal staining.” PHMB based systems are found in ReNu MultiPlus, Complete, and Solocare lens solutions.** -ADVERTISING

*Reference: Jones, L.; MacDougall, N; Sorbara, L.G. Asymptomatic Corneal Staining Associated with the Use of Balafilcon Silicone-Hydrogel Contact Lenses Disinfected With a Polyaminopropyl Biguanide-Preserved Care Regimen. Optom Vis Sci 2002 Dec; 79 (12): 753-61.
**Trademarks of other companies

Early Results of Clinical Trial for Presbyopia Reversal Show Promise
New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center reported early results of a clinical trial for reversal and treatment of presbyopia with SurgiLight, Inc.'s OptiVision system. The procedure requires 30 minutes per eye and involves eight small laser incisions in the sclera, which allows the lens to expand. Acccording to the trial's Principal Investigator, patients can read without glasses within one hour of having surgery. SurgiLight reiterates earlier findings that extensive trials outside of the United States indicated almost no regression after surgery, in many cases even after two years.

Computer Mirror Invention Reduces Eye Strain
Australian inventor Stephen Attwood has developed the iMate to reduce eye strain. iMate, a computer mirror, fits on top of a computer monitor or shelf and gives a wide-angle view of the office behind you. A consultant during the development of the iMate says that the device encourages you to blink and to change your focus, which are both important factors in relieving eye strain. To learn more about iMate, visit http://www.imate.com.au.

Test Results Reveal the Benefits of Systane
Results of extensive clinical testing confirmed the effectiveness of Alcon's newest dry eye treatment, Systane. In the study, which took place in Phoenix, patients who were treated with Systane reported significant improvement in both clinical signs and symptoms associated with dry eye. Both morning and evening dryness were also reduced with Systane. Plus, highlighting Systane's adaptive tear stabilizing technology, patients who suffered from more significant clinical signs and symptoms of dry eye benefited most from Systane.

Abstract: Will Hyper-Dk Contact Lenses Rule?
In daily and extended wear silicone hydrogel and hyper-Dk GP (Menicon Z) contact lenses cause less bacterial binding to the corneal epithelium, especially in the early months of continuous wear. "This represents a true clinical paradigm shift of the first magnitude in safe cotnact lens wear." The authors suggest these new lenses will replace conventional lenses for any wear schedule.
Cavanaugh, D., Ladage, P., et al. Effects of Daily and Overnight Wear of Hyper-Oxygen Transmissible Rigid and Silicone Hydrogel Lenses on Bacterial Binding to Corneal Epithelium: 13 Month Clinical Trials. Eye and Contact Lens: Science and Clinical Practice (formerly The CLAO Journal).

Editor's Commentary: Contact Lenses Hold Their Share
I recently spoke to a long-term contact lens marketing expert who's now also an expert in the field of refractive surgery marketing. Our conversation reaffirmed what I already thought: Most people who need refractive correction don't want refractive surgery and contact lenses are still holding their share of the refractive error correction market in the United States and are expanding globally. Although demographics are a factor -- plenty of teenagers are around -- improvements in contact lenses have helped. Better materials, low cost manufacturing and safe, less toxic solutions are just a few of the factors. Even with the evils of illegal mail-order competition for sale of the lenses themselves, most contact lens practitioners see these devices as worthwhile for their patients. Further improvements in this decade should keep contact lenses in good stead.

Fitting Tip: Fitting Aphakic Patients
Often when first-time aphakic patients try to insert contact lenses, they face the problem of not seeing the lenses, as they have no accommodation and it becomes even worse if the lenses aren't tinted. I found it useful to fit a spectacle frame (inexpensive of course, or one of the patient's old frames) with their near correction for one eye and leave the other rim open so they can see with the corrected eye and insert the lens through the open lens area.
-- Kiran Choda, Bsc; D (OPTOM), ABOC, NCLC, Hyderabad, India

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