Vistakon, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., announced plans to introduce Acuvue Oasys Brand Contact Lenses for Presbyopia. The lens, which is the first new multifocal contact lens from the makers of Acuvue in 11 years, will be gradually introduced in some U.S. eye care professionals' offices beginning this month and distribution will grow throughout 2009.
     Acuvue Oasys for Presbyopia combines new Stereo Precision Technology optics with senofilcon A, the same silicone hydrogel material of Acuvue Oasys, and Hydroclear Plus, the improved formulation of the unique Hydroclear technology that combines high performance base materials with a moisture-rich wetting agent.
     Stereo Precision Technology is a unique optical approach to multifocal lens design and represents the positive design aspects of ring and aspheric lens designs, while minimizing the negative aspects such as ghost images and pupil dependence, according to the company. The resulting lens has a zonal aspheric front surface and an aspheric back surface, which work in combination and leverage the eyes natural depth of clear focus. The company states that this optical approach offers emerging and early presbyopes balanced vision, near, far and in between with less dependence on illumination.
     The company also reports that Acuvue Oasys for Presbyopia reduces chair time per patient by eliminating guess work for the first fit or for a follow-up adjustment if one is required. "Along with the lens we have developed a robust, clinically validated fit procedure to help doctors select the logical first lens pair and quickly determine if it is the optimal choice for the patient," explains Sheila Hickson-Curran, Director, Medical Affairs, Vistakon, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision care, Inc. "Doctors who have been working with the lens report a 74 percent fit success in one fit and follow-up visit measured by both doctor approval and patient satisfaction with lens performance."
     At launch, Acuvue Oasys for Presbyopia will be available at distance parameters of -0.50D to -9.00D in 0.25 steps and near additions of "low" and "mid" to fit patients with measured near additions of +0.75D to +1.75D. Additional parameters will be rolled out in the future.
     For more information, visit www.jnjvisioncare.com.

CooperVision announced the introduction of Biofinity Toric, adding to the company's Biofinity line of monthly silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Biofinity Toric contact lenses feature the same material characteristics as Biofinity Sphere and are FDA approved for both daily and extended wear in the United States.
     Utilizing unique Aquaform technology, Biofinity Toric lenses are naturally wettable and feature a soft, low modulus material for great comfort and high oxygen transmissibility, ensuring healthy lens wear, according to the company. In addition, the proprietary Optimized Ballast toric lens design features a constant horizontal thickness across the ballast area to improve lens stability and reduce rotation. The company states that the ballast location and thickness optimizes lens/lid interaction for both orientation and comfort.
     "We've taken everything we've learned as a world leader in toric lenses and put it into this incredible new lens," said Doug Brayer, Marketing Manager, CooperVision. "Biofinity Toric combines our best toric design with our premium silicone hydrogel material, creating a new standard for toric contact lens performance."
     Manufactured from comfilcon A material, the water content of the Biofinity Toric is 48 percent, Dk is 128, and Dk/t is 116. The lens features a base curve of 8.7mm; a diameter of 14.5mm; sphere powers from plano to -6.00D; cylinder powers of -0.75, -1.25, and -1.75; and an axis of 10 degrees to 180 degrees in 10-degree steps. This summer, CooperVision will expand the parameters of Biofinity Toric to include plus powers, high minus powers, and a -2.25 cylinder.

CIBA Vision introduced three new vibrant colors under the FreshLook brand: Brilliant Blue, Gemstone Green and Sterling Gray. For patients interested in color contact lenses, natural aesthetics and the overall 'look' of the lens are important. According to data from CIBA Vision, over half of patients interested in color lenses desire a noticeable or vibrant lens.
     "The new colors were developed for patients with light or dark eyes, who want a more noticeable look," said Dwight Akerman, OD, FAAO and Director of Professional Programs for CIBA Vision. "With the introduction of these colors, FreshLook ColorBlends now delivers natural looking color for both subtle and noticeable effects in the preferred color contact lens families."
     Patients can "try on" the new FreshLook ColorBlends vibrant colors before they visit their eye care professional by logging on to www.freshlookcolorstudio.com.  
     The new colors use the same patented three-in-one technology as FreshLook ColorBlends for a natural appearance. FreshLook Color Blends lenses are recommended for daily wear and a two week replacement schedule. The lenses will be available in a median base curve with a 14.5mm diameter. The lens power range will include +2.00 to -6.00 in 0.25D steps, -6.50 to -8.00 and +2.50 to +6.00 in 0.50D steps.
     For more information, visit www.cibavision.com.

Now is the perfect time to fit more of your patients in ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR® Plus for all-day comfort and Class 1 UV blocking* for great protection against UV rays. To learn more about our innovations in comfort, vision and health, go to:
*Product and UV Information   
 Important Safety Information
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The Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University (PCO), in collaboration with CenterVue SpA of Padova, Italy, announces the launch of a new service designed to increase dialogue among a worldwide network of vision care professionals that includes optometrists, ophthalmologists and optometric students.
     Known as The Eye Knowledge Network or EKN, the networking site is designed to be interactive and to bridge boundaries that may exist due to geography or unintentional professional insulation. Network contributors from the top of their professions will bring their expertise to EKN members via podcasts, screencasts, presentations, audio and video files and other formats that will lend themselves to the exchange of information between members, who have the ability to carry on electronic conversations, allowing for questions, comments and dialogue.
     PCO will provide a link to the EKN network from their website, www.salus.edu. Continuing Education credits approved by the Council on Optometric Practitioner Education for licensed professionals will be available on EKN. The network expects to provide members with a minimum of 20 PCO practitioner faculty-authored courses in the first year.   
     For more information or to join the network for free, visit www.eyeknowledge.net.   

This year, Contact Lens Spectrum (CLS) is working with Eurolens Research in conducting a survey to investigate the current state of contact lens prescribing in the United States. Details can be found in the February 15, 2009 issue of Contact Lenses Today.
     To download the form, please visit www.cltoday.com/USsurvey2009.doc. After clicking the link you will be prompted to Open or Save the document. Please save the document to your computer. Later, you can fill in your data and save the information at your convenience. We are requesting data on only ten contact lens patients.
     Please remember that completed survey forms should be emailed Lisa Starcher at lisa.starcher@wolterskluwer.com or faxed to 215 827-5390 no later than May 15, 2009. Thank you for your assistance with this important work. If you have any questions, please call Lisa Starcher at 215-367-2168. 

The Contact Lens Spectrum calendar, which mailed with the November 2008 issue, highlights an interesting and challenging contact lens case each month. The April case report discusses the management of a patient, with a long history of small recurring corneal erosions in both eyes, who presents with a significant, painful corneal abrasion. To view the details of the case, visit www.clspectrum.com/photocalendar.asp?month=April.
     Visit the Contact Lens Spectrum case report page after the first of every month to review details and images from the latest case study. You can also view case studies from previous months in the archive at the bottom of the page.
--ADVERTISING

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the "Vision Care for Kids Act of 2009," which provides children with the follow-up care needed after being identified with a potential vision problem by a comprehensive eye exam or vision screening The bill received overwhelming support from the House and passed with a vote of 404-17 as part of a larger Public Health Week initiative of Congress.
     The "Vision Care for Kids Act" is supported by the alliance of The Vision Council, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, the American Optometric Association and Prevent Blindness America. Also supporting the bill are the National Association of School Nurses, National Association of Vision Care Plans, National Head Start Association, Opticians Association of America, Reading Is Fundamental and Vision Service Plan.
     The Vision Council encourages all members of the vision community to contact their senators and ask them to support this legislation. For more information on the legislation or to write to your senators, visit www.2020advocacy.com. 

The use of tinted and clear contact lenses (CLs) in all aspects of life is becoming a more popular occurrence, particularly in athletic activities. This study broadens previous research regarding performance-tinted CLs and their effects on measures of visual performance.
     Thirty-three subjects (14 male, 19 female) were fitted with clear Bausch & Lomb Optima 38, 50% visible light transmission Amber and 36% visible light transmission Gray-Green Nike Maxsight CLs in an individualized randomized sequence. Subjects were dark-adapted with welding goggles before testing and in between subtests involving a Bailey-Lovie chart and the Haynes Distance Rock test. The sequence of testing was repeated for each lens modality.
     The Amber and Gray-Green lenses enabled subjects to recover vision faster in bright sunlight compared with clear lenses. Also, subjects were able to achieve better visual recognition in bright sunlight when compared with clear lenses. Additionally, the lenses allowed the subjects to alternate fixation between a bright and shaded target at a more rapid rate in bright sunlight as compared with clear lenses. Subjects preferred both the Amber and Gray-Green lenses over clear lenses in the bright and shadowed target conditions.
     The researchers concluded that the results of the study show that Maxsight Amber and Gray-Green lenses provide better contrast discrimination in bright sunlight, better contrast discrimination when alternating between bright and shaded target conditions, better speed of visual recovery in bright sunlight, and better overall visual performance in bright and shaded target conditions compared with clear lenses.
Erickson GB, Horn FC, Barney T, Pexton B, Baird RY. Visual Performance with Sport-Tinted Contact Lenses in Natural Sunlight. Optom Vis Sci 2009.

Anytime I have a client with a low cylinder, such as 0.75 or 1.00, I immediately show them both toric and spherical. Many of them have never seen the toric option and are so enthralled by the sharpness of the vision in these contact lenses, that price is no longer an issue. Yes, some of them can manage without, but most prefer the extra clarity that toric lenses provide, and with a little extra chair time, you can have a client for life. Recently I had a client that was fit by his previous optometrist with spherical equivalent daily disposables for occasional use, hockey twice a week. His distance was near plano and his cylinder OD was 1.75 and OS 0.75. He enjoyed the convenience of daily disposables. With the assistance of the Focus Dailies Toric, he now sees better than 20/20, whereas with his spherical equivalent, he saw only 20/40. He tells me that his hockey playing has improved greatly since we switched his lens type.
Jocelyn Bouwmeester, RO
Toronto, ON Canada

Last week I commented on advancements in toric hydrogels and silicone hydrogels relative to materials and lens designs. Of course, another important option we have for correcting our astigmatic patients are toric gas permeable (GP) lenses. Although not used as much, there are a variety of options in this regard from back surface torics, to bitorics, to front surface prism ballast torics. Please do not accept the dogma that these lenses are challenging to fit. There are too many resources available that make the fitting process relatively simple for many of these lenses, including great laboratories (and their consultants) in addition to resources from the Gas Permeable Lens Institute (visit www.gpli.info). Consider taking advantage of these great opportunities that exist for your patients.
Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO

This month at www.siliconehydrogels.org: incorporating Acanthamoeba testing into the MPDS licensing process; prescribing silicone hydrogels for post-RK patients; variability in corneal swelling with different silicone hydrogel lenses; and part 2 of our 2008 BCLA update.