CONTACT LENSES TODAY

April 7, 2002

Contact Lenses Today(R) is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday(R) reaches 8,225 readers in 74 countries.

U.S. Army Gives Thumbs Up to Laser Eye Surgery
Walter Reed Army Medical Center is launching its Warfighter Refractive Eye Surgery Program as part of a nationwide push to allow soldiers to have laser eye surgery, according to an April 1 article in The Washington Post. Previously, anyone who’d undergone this surgery could have been disqualified from active duty. However, a Department of Defense medical panel recently concluded that laser eye surgery doesn’t adversely affect the structure of the eye. In fact, says the panel, the laser eye surgery could improve a soldier’s performance by eliminating the hazards associated with eyeglasses and contact lenses in combat situations.

Glaucoma is No. 1 Cause of Blindness Among U.S. Hispanics
The first comprehensive study of vision loss among U.S. Hispanics, to be published in the April issue of Ophthalmology, found that open-angle glaucoma was the leading cause of blindness. Researchers studied a random sample of 4,774 Hispanic residents of southern Arizona, of Mexican descent, age 40 and over. The same study also found a significant rate of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy among this population.

WITH THE BIOMEDICS(TM) TORIC LENS, it's Location, Location, Location. The Biomedics Toric lens locates accurately on axis over 90% of the time. Our proprietary uniform horizontal iso-thickness and unique smooth, balanced ballast design ensure the Biomedics Toric locates on axis accurately and consistently throughout the day. Astigmatic patients can experience the high level of comfort and visual acuity that Biomedics 55 wearers enjoy. For more information, contact your account executive at 1-800-972-6724. --ADVERTISING

New Tear “Mist” Introduced at Vision Expo
Nature’s Tears is an all-natural moisturizing mist for the eyes that’s safe for contact lens wearers, says the manufacturer. The product was developed with the consulting assistance of William D. Mathers, M.D., a corneal specialist and refractive surgeon at Oregon Health Sciences University’s Casey Eye Institute. Delivered as a fine-mist spray 12 to 18 inches from the eyes, the product is intended as an adjunct to other dry eye treatment. http://www.naturestears.com

OSI Introduces New Color Contact Lens
Biomedics Colors, an opaque colored contact lens available in four colors, is the latest addition to Ocular Sciences’ product line. “This new color lens combines the clinically proven performance of our Biomedics 55 lens with a four-color process to create a natural-looking lens,” says Steve Fanning, president and CEO of Ocular Sciences.

Vistakon Supports ASCO’s Career Promotion Campaign
A grant from Vistakon gave the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) the impetus to launch “The Eyes Have It!”, a career promotion campaign aimed at students, alumni and health professions career counselors. The goal of the 3-year program is to reverse the decline in applications to schools and colleges of optometry through various media, including marketing materials, a career guide and Web-based video.

Editor's Commentary: Using all Your Options When Needed The last three presbyopes I talked to yesterday needed tweaks in their multifocal Rx’s. One chap needed more add in just one eye and a lady needed help with a bifocal in only one eye for her computer and data entry tasks. A third patient’s lenses were fitting well but not providing adequate distance and near vision, and her vision was variable with her new aspheric multifocals. Her computer vision was good, however. She will now try toric soft lenses for monovision and then if that doesn’t work, an alternating vision bifocal. There are a lot of these patients out there, and you need to use the entire tool box to maximize success.

Fitting Tip: More Edge Lift May Be Better A recent exchange with Jim Day, O.D., and my own data analysis with keratoconus patients would lead me to believe that, more often than not, without being excessive, more edge lift in GP (oxygen permeable) lens fitting is better than less edge lift.

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