CONTACT LENSES TODAY
March 12, 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.
Con-Cise Collaborations
Con-Cise L.L.C., has acquired Weldco Inc. and partnered with the former employees of Frontier Contact Lens Company to form Con-Cise East.
The new company will offer a full inventory of popular soft and GP lenses. They will also make available the special GP lenses Con-Cise developed on the West Coast.
ABB Soft Lens Price Monitor
ABB Optical has launched a new service to assist eye care providers establish retail pricing for soft lenses. The ABB Soft Lens Retail Price
Monitor includes a summary of the company’s audit of the 26 best-selling soft lens brands in a national cross-section of practitioners and national retailers. The report
also recommends a tier pricing structure for each product to help doctors maximize patient retention and profitability. The 1st quarter 2006 Retail Price Monitor is now
available.
Alcon and Allergan Reach Agreement
Allergan has settled its patent lawsuit over Alcon’s proposed brimonidine 0.15% product, which Allergan claimed infringed on two of the
company’s patents. Under the terms of the agreement, Alcon will not sell, offer for sale or distribute its brimonidine 0.15% product until Sept. 30, 2009, or earlier if
certain market conditions occur. Further, Alcon will pay Allergan royalties on the sale of its brimonidine product upon its entry into the market.
Allergan has also
dismissed a separate patent infringement suit filed against Alcon related to self-preserved ophthalmic antibiotics.
Patients Report Comfort, Crisp Vision with ACUVUE® OASYS™
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92% of patients reported the ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses felt fresh and maintained natural moisture in adverse environments. 74% reported comfort while
on the computer and 83% said they forgot they were wearing contact lenses when wearing the ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand. And, 80% reported that ACUVUE® OASYS™
felt as natural as their own eyes. Also, 90% of patients reported crisp, clear vision at every moment.
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Abstract:
New Imaging Technique for CLs
Researchers in Poland recently conducted a study to demonstrate the application of spectral optical coherence tomography (SOCT) to imaging of
eyes fit with contact lenses. They evaluated nine eyes in six different patients fit with various contact lenses with a slit-lamp and a prototype SOCT instrument. The SOCT
instrument provided high-resolution tomograms composed of 3-5,000 A-scans. Image quality was adequate for detailed evaluation of the contact lens fit, design, shape and lens
edge position, as well as complications of lens wear. They were able to measure thickness of the lens, corneal epithelium and stroma as well as the thickness between the
lens and the ocular surface. Results indicate that SOCT allows high-resolution, cross-sectional visualization of the eye fit with a contact lens. The researchers conclude
that SOCT can be helpful in diagnosis, evaluation and documentation of contact lens complications.
Kaluzny BJ, Kaluzny JJ, Szkulmowska A, et al. Spectral optical
coherence tomography: a new imaging technique in contact lens practice. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2006 Mar;26(2):127-32.
Editor's Commentary:
Contact Lens Law Controversy
I’ve received a lot of diverse opinions in response to my editorial last week that argued that the new legislation in Utah would cause a
public health issue. My contention is that allowing just about anyone to sell contact lenses will discourage long-term care and result in injury. It is a logical argument,
I believe, that is admittedly backed by little scientific data. Some challenged that due to this lack of data, I was wrong. Others agree that it is a logical argument and
even provided facts as back up (cases of cosmetic lens patients with infections and in need of corneal transplants, as a result of buying contact lenses from
nonprofessional sources), while others are concerned for financial reasons. This debate will go on, I am sure, and we will continue to wonder whether free enterprise
for prescription medical devices is better or whether we can prove that dispensing from professional sources prevents loss of sight, or pain and suffering, or increased
medical care costs. Scientific proof is unlikely given the cost of investigating the issue.
Fitting Tip:
Regarding Proposed CL Law
I am believer in personal responsibility for just about everything that happens in one’s life. How patients view contact lenses has become a
pet peeve of mine, and if you “interview” those patients, as you do in every case history, it is apparent that those people were off to a bad start from the very
beginning.
Ask the contact lens abuser how they were fit with contact lenses the first time. Ask the contact lens user who buys his contact lenses on the Internet,
or at the local deep-discount retailer, if the doctor who wrote the contact lens prescription ever told them that
it is considered a medical
device.
Unfortunately, doctors who fit and prescribe a contact lens without follow-up send the message right from the start that contact lenses are “no big deal.” The
argument that contact lenses are so good today that follow-ups are pointless, or only inconvenience patients, illustrates a real lack of backbone that we need if the
public is ever going to see us as real doctors.
We need to convey to the public that we are the eye care specialists who are experts in fitting contact
lenses, and provide continuing care to ensure long-term success. Belittling what we do by telling a patient to come back only if they have a problem does nothing to promote
our image. And if a patient does develop a contact lens-related complication, see how far, “I gave the patient what they wanted,” goes in a malpractice
suit.
Donald A. Kammer, Jr., O.D.
Brunswick, Ohio
This month at www.siliconehydrogels.org 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.
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