CONTACT LENSES TODAY

March 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.


CooperVision Adds to PC Hydrogel Family
CooperVision has introduced two additions to its PC Hydrogel family of contact lenses: Proclear 1-Day and Biomedics EP. The Proclear 1-Day is a daily disposable lens the company says is designed to block lens aberrations and theoretical corneal aberrations. It features a handling tint and molded, round edges, which CooperVision says reduces conjunctival interaction. The Proclear 1-Day is available in a sphere power range from -0.25D to -10.00D in 0.50D steps over -6.00D. The lens has a center thickness of 0.09mm at -3.00D, a Dk/t of 36.6, 60% water content, an 8.7mm base curve and 14.2mm diameter.
    The Biomedics EP is a multifocal, two-week lens designed for emerging presbyopes with less than 1.50D Add. It’s made of omafilcon A material with 60% water content. The company says there is no need to compensate for Add power or determine dominance to fit the lens. Biomedics EP is available in sphere powers from, +4.00D to -6.00D in 0.25D steps and features an 8.7mm base curve and 14.4mm diameter.

March is Save Your Vision Month
The American Optometric Association (AOA) dedicates the month of March to raising Americans’ awareness of the importance of regular eye care. In honor of Save Your Vision month, the AOA has launches a new, interactive Web-based version of the American Eye-Q survey at http://www.aoa.org/x7461.xml. The survey was created to determine how informed Americans are on a range of topics. Results revealed that while Americans are most worried about losing their sense of sight, their knowledge about ways to preserve eyesight is in need of improvement. Individuals are encouraged to test their eye care knowledge and compare their responses with those of other participants.

B&L Gets New Technology Designation, Announces Organizational Changes
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted New Technology Intraocular Lens (NTIOL) designation to Bausch & Lomb’s SofPort Advanced Optics (AO) and SofPort AO with Violet Shield technology for their spherical aberration reducing design. NTIOL designation means the Medicare reimbursement to ambulatory surgery centers for cataract surgery will increase by $50 when surgery is performed with either of these IOLs. The NTIOL subset and adjusted payment will remain in effect until Feb. 2011.
    Brian Levy, corporate Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, announced the following organizational changes to the company’s Scientific Clinical development group, effective immediately:
• Mohinder Merchea, O.D., Ph.D., will transition from his current role as Manager-Scientific & Medical Affairs for Refractive Technology, Medical Devices to the newly-created position of Director, Clinical Services and Technology, Medical Devices. He will assume responsibility for the clinical input into core development programs in Vision Care.
• Paul China, O.D., will assume the position of Manager, International Research Clinic.
• Bill Reindell, O.D., M.S., continues in his current role as Director of Scientific & Clinical Affairs for Vision Care.

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SECO Announces Incoming President
SECO International has announced Douglas C. Clark, O.D., of Birmingham, Ala., as the incoming SECO president, following immediate-past-president, Dr. Sidney Stern. Dr. Clark has served as president-elect since the 2006 SECO Congress and assumed the presidency during the annual House of Delegates Friday, Feb. 23, 2007. Dr. Clark was first elected as an officer to the SECO International Executive Committee in 2000.
    The other elected 2007 officers are:
• Neol Drasin, O.D. of S.C., secretary
• Ron Bannister, O.D. of Georgia, treasurer
• Wilburn Lord, O.D. of Mississippi, president elect.

Abstract: Many At-Risk Americans Don’t Have Access to Eye Care
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Duke University Medical Center’s Department of Ophthalmology and Harvard Medical School’s Department of Health Care Policy recently release a study estimating the levels of self-reported access to eye care services in the U.S. They analyzed data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey and estimated the number of U.S. adults at high risk for serious vision loss. They also assessed factors associated with the use of eye care services. Participants included 30,920 adults over the age of 18.
    They report an estimated 61 million adults in the U.S. were at risk for serious vision loss (they had diabetes, vision or eye problems or were over the age of 65); 42% of the 78 million adults who had a dilated eye exam in the previous 12 months were in this group. The probability of a patient having a dilated eye exam increased with age, education and income. And the probability of receiving an eye exam was higher for those who are insured, female, or have diabetes and eye or vision problems.
    They also say approximately 5 million high-risk adults could not afford eyeglasses when necessary; female sex, low income, lack of insurance and the presence of eye or vision problems were associated with this inability.
Zhang X, Saaddine JB, Lee PP, Grabowski DC, Kanjilal S, Duenas MR, Narayan KM. Eye care in the United States: do we deliver to high-risk people who can benefit most from it? Arch Ophthalmol. 2007 Mar;125(3):411-8.


Editor's Commentary: How do we help those who can't help themselves?
Some of us probably feel better when we do something for someone else anonymously, except for those who receive our service or our gift. Our abstract this week states: "Approximately 5 million high-risk adults could not afford eyeglasses when necessary; and female sex, low income, and lack of insurance ... were associated with this inability."
    I'm associated with an institution that provides a lot of contributed care – care that costs us, but not the patient we examine and treat. And others help us provide their spectacles. I know many of you provide this type of care in the U.S. and elsewhere. My comment this week is two-fold: Thanks to all of you who do try to help those who can’t help themselves and I hope more of us will do the same.


Fitting Tip: Excess Mucus
I’ve recently stumbled onto an unusual reason for excess mucus production: the patient. Near the end of the exam of a long-term patient with fragile CL comfort, I turned to say something as she reached nonchalantly with her fingernail and scraped mucus from her lower palpebral conjunctiva. Upon questioning, she mentioned that’s how she always get rids of her excess mucus (scrapes it out). She reported doing it several times daily to clean her eyes out. I advised her to not touch her conjunctiva in any way and to use artificial tears temporarily to dilute the mucus and just dab any excess mucus gently from the inner canthus. She returned two weeks later with almost no mucus.
    I’ve noticed this habit several times over the past two years, primarily in women. It does not seem to be associated with the self-plucking of lashes seen in many teen and young adult women. It also doesn’t follow a seasonal allergic trend. Thanks to an accidental observation, self-scraping of the conjunctiva is now something I inquire about in all excess mucus cases.
Mark Greenwell, O.D.
Papillion, Neb.


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.

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