CONTACT LENSES TODAY
March 11, 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.
B&L Recalls Twelve Lots of ReNu MultiPlus
Bausch & Lomb has initiated a limited, voluntary recall of 12 lots of its ReNu MultiPlus lens care solution in the U.S., Canada, Latin
America, Korea and Taiwan because they contain an elevated level of trace iron. The iron may combine with other compounds in the solution to cause discoloration, which
signals that the solution may be losing effectiveness over time and could shorten the shelf life of the product to less than its two-year expiration date. The company
has received no reports of serious adverse events associated with these lots.
B&L launched an investigation after receiving three customer reports
of discolored solution. “We are confident we have identified the source of the problem and we are taking appropriate measures designed to avoid recurrences,” said
Angela J. Panzarella, vice president and head of B&L’s global vision care business.
All of the recalled lots carry the expiration date “2008 – 03” on the bottle. The
lot numbers subject to recall are:
• GC6030 GC6061
• GC6037 GC6063
• GC6038 GC6072
• GC6045 GC6073
• GC6048 GC6080
• GC6052 GC6085
None of the product manufactured was put into care kits. If patients notice that their
lens care solution appears discolored, they should discard it. Patients who have bottles from the lot numbers listed above can visit the company’s website at
http://www.bausch.com/productrecall, or call the consumer affairs line at 1-866-259-8255, to arrange for a
replacement.
March is AMD Awareness Month
The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has designated March as AMD/Low Vision Awareness month. AMD is the leading cause of visual
impairment and blindness in Americans over the age of 50, affecting more than two million people. While there is no cure for AMD, there are new treatments that can
usually recover lost vision and prevent further vision loss. The Academy encourages those over the age of 50 to have a comprehensive, dilated eye exam every one to
two years to ensure that AMD and other vision-threatening conditions are detected and treated early. Patients can locate vision rehabilitation services in their area
by visiting
http://www.visionconnection.org, or calling 1-800-829-0500.
Diversified Ophthalmics’ Changes
Diversified Ophthalmics has announced the Platt Contact Lens Service, an independent, wholesale manufacturer of custom-made GP lenses, has
joined the company’s contact lens team. Mr. Larry Platt will be based out of the company’s Southeast Division in Columbia, S.C. He is a Fellow of the Contact Lens Society
of America and was a recipient of the Trailblazers Award from the Contact Lens Manufacturers Association (CLMA).
Diversified also welcomes Bob
Lawner, formerly president of Aero Contact Lens of Ohio. Mr. Lawner is an Ohio-licensed optician and an honored Fellow of the Contact Lens Society of America. He is
credentialed as both an ABO and NCLE optician.
A Combination of Wettability and Lubricity
The world can be a dry place—especially for contact lens wearers. Whether sitting at home, in an office or on a plane, some lens wearers
must repeatedly use rewetting drops to keep their eyes moist, or limit lens wear because of the discomfort. ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses
with HYDRACLEAR™ Plus decrease patients’ reliance on rewetting drops and lets them wear their lenses longer and more comfortably. ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand
Contact Lenses, with the breakthrough material senofilcon A, are the smoothest silicone hydrogel lenses, with a moisture-rich wetting agent and no surface
coating. ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses, with the balance of wettability and lubricity, will keep patients wearing their lenses, and not grabbing for
their eye drops.
Abstract:
Silicone Hydrogels for Daily-Wear
Researchers at the Optometric Technology Group Research & Consultancy in London recently conducted a randomized, masked, bilateral cross
over investigation to test in vivo wetting performance and subjective acceptance of silicone hydrogel contact lenses for daily wear. They fit 24 contact lens wearers
randomly with either a silicone hydrogel lens, galyfilcon A (Acuvue Advance, Vistakon), or a conventional hydrogel lens, alphafilcon A, (SofLens 66, Bausch & Lomb) for
each lens’ approved replacement schedule (two weeks for galyfilcon A and alphafilcon A in the U.S., four weeks for alphafilcon A in Europe). All participants used
ReNu MultiPlus (B&L) contact lens care solution.
Investigators found that in vivo wettability was superior for galyfilcon A, which had a thicker
lipid layer and more stable tear film. For the intended replacement period, patients also reported greater comfort with galyfilcon A at insertion and throughout the
day. They conclude that contact lenses made of galyfilcon A and replaced every two weeks achieved better in vivo wettability than contact lenses made from alphafilcon A
and replaced either every two or four weeks. They say the better wettability is associated with overall better comfort for galyfilcon A>
Guillon M, Maissa C. Use
of silicone hydrogel material for daily wear. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2007 Mar;30(1):5-10.
Editor's Commentary:
Recalls
Some have wondered why there are so many recalls in the contact lens field recently and whether this is a sign that the field could be
facing difficulties in the future as a result. Will consumers hear about these and look more toward spectacles alone or refractive surgery? I think not. I think this
is just chance, probability catching-up with us. We’ve had very few contact lens recalls until the last two years. A better question may be, why were there not more
such recalls prior to our recent past? I'll address this issue further in my editorial in a future issue of Contact Lens Spectrum. Until then, rest easy. I'm not just
cheerleading here, I think contact lenses have a bright future. If we were not using so many, we wouldn't be manufacturing so many and so much solution to take
care of them.