CONTACT LENSES TODAY
April 9, 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.
Senate Bill Seeks to Amend FCLCA
Senators Robert Bennett (R-Utah) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced S. 2480, The
Contact Lens Consumer Protection Act, which seeks to amend the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumer Act (FCLCA) to
include restrictions on manufacturer distribution policies. The language is similar to legislation recently passed
in the state of Utah (See CLToday, March 5th) and would require manufacturers to make contact lenses available to
alternate channels of distribution. The federal bill also includes a Safe Harbor for manufacturers.
Richard
Wallingford, Jr., O.D., AOA President says, “AOA is opposed to the bill and is working to defeat it. It is misguided
in its approach, anti-competitive and would harm consumers.” The AOA also says S. 2480 is similar to a provision Sen.
Bennett authored in 2005. Congress rejected the measure after the AOA and others voiced concern. Dr. Wallingford also
notes, “Three states (Ala., Ill., W.V.) that considered the bill, have rejected it outright. In three other states
(Fla., Ga., La.), the bill has been blocked.”
Kevin McCallum, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for
1-800 Contacts, says “We support legislation which eliminates exclusive distribution practices for medical devices
as accomplished for 80% of the industry by the settlement agreements reached between 32 State Attorneys General and
major manufacturers. 1-800 CONTACTS believes that most eye doctors put patients first and therefore, manufacturers
should not be permitted to tempt eye doctors to do otherwise by marketing lenses based on anything but the merits of
the lenses."
AOA Urges Caution with Contact Lenses
In response to the increasing number of reported infections with fusarium keratitis
(See CLToday, April 5th) in the U.S., the American Optometric Association (AOA) released a statement that urges
contact lens wearers to take proper precautions with lenses and solutions. Reports of infection initially surfaced
in Asia, but local cases have now been seen in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida and Iowa. The Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) are investigating the outbreak and whether it is in any way related to the infections in Asia.
“This recent news is cause for concern, but not for alarm,” says Jack Schaeffer, O.D., chair-elect of the
AOA’s Contact Lens and Cornea section. Adds AOA President, Richard Wallingford, O.D., “We want to make sure Americans
are taking the necessary precautions to protect themselves in this interim period as information becomes available.”
The AOA urges patients to practice safe handling and report any vision problems to their optometrist immediately.
Examining Women’s Ocular Health
The National Women’s Health Resource Center (NWHRC)
recently released a report, Women and Healthy Vision, that shows women make up
about 2/3 of the 3.4 million Americans with visual impairment and that 2/3 of
the one million blind Americans are women. The report examines common
age-related eye disease and discusses ways to improve vision and minimize risks
of vision loss. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining general wellness and
everyday health basics to preserve vision including eating a diet rich in
fruits, grains and Omega-6 fatty acids. A free copy of the report is available
at www.healthywomen.org . The Women and Healthy Vision report was developed in partnership with the Women’s Eye Health Task Force of the Schepen’s Eye Research Institute and supported by an education grant from Vistakon.
Real-world feedback from eye care professionals now supports pre-launch claims of
ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM.
When compared to Soflens66® Toric, ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ for ASTIGMATISM clearly provides
more predictable orientation and crisper, more stable vision; the advantage comes from the Accelerated Stabilization
Design. Less lid interaction leads to superior performance versus the traditional prism-ballast design such as found
in Soflens66® Toric. Also, because of HYDRACLEAR™ Technology, the lens delivers significantly better comfort both
upon insertion and at the end of the day.
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Global Keratoconus Congress 2007
Mark your calendars for the first-ever Global Keratoconus Congress to be held January
26-28, 2007 in Las Vegas. The Global Keratoconus Congress is an assembly of experts in the field of patient care,
teaching and research. They will share the latest information on this chronic sight-threatening condition that
affects one in 2,000 people. Attendees will learn about the latest approaches to contact lens fitting, surgical
techniques, clinical research and appropriate third-party reimbursement for medically necessary contact lens care.
Manufacturers and laboratories that support the care of these patients will assist in demonstrating the usefulness
of their latest products and treatments. More information will be coming soon.
CIBA Launches Specialty Lens Site
To assist optometrists who fit CIBA Vision’s specialty, custom-manufactured lenses,
the company has launched a new Specialty Lens web site at www.specialty-lenses.com. It’s intended to help
practitioners meet the individual specifications of patients who have unique and often challenging vision needs.
The site includes product information, fitting assistance, consultation and lens ordering. Users can also download
materials for help on the specialty lens fitting process.
Alcon Files Suit Against Teva Pharmaceuticals
On April 5th, Alcon Inc., together with Bayer pharmaceuticals, filed a U.S. patent
infringement complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, against Teva Pharmaceuticals. The
suit was filed in response to Teva’s New Drug Application submission to the FDA that requests approval to manufacture
and sell a generic version of Alcon’s Vigamox (moxifloxacin Hcl ophthalmic), prior to the expiration of three patents
that cover the product. Alcon licenses moxifloxacin from Bayer HealthCare AG for use in topical solutions.
Abstract:
A Decade of Contact Lens Trends in the U.K.
Investigators at the University of Manchester’s Eurolens Research department have
documented contact lens prescribing trends in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2005. Results were garnered from
responses to an annual survey distributed to optometrists and dispensing opticians. Participants reported information
on 10 consecutive contact lens fits between January and March. Over the 10-year period, 1251 practitioners responded
with information on 12,050 contact lens fits. Results provided a variety of data.
The average age of contact lens
wearers was 33, 64% of whom are women. GP lens fits decreased, making up only 4% of new fits compared with 22%
previously. Low-water content lenses also decreased their share of new fits as well, from 20% to 2%. Soft toric
lenses made-up slightly less than 20% of soft lens fits. Monthly and daily disposable lenses accounted for nearly
90% of all soft lens fits between 2003 and 2005. Extended wear lenses made up about 5% of new fits and 12% of refits.
GP and monthly replacement lenses were worn on a full time basis, while daily disposables were worn only part time.
In 1997, multipurpose care solutions accounted for only 60% of all care solutions. That number jumped to 91% in
2005.
Researchers concluded that technological advancements such as the development of new lens materials,
manufacturing method and lens designs have had a significant impact on the contact lens market over a relatively
short period of time.
Morgan PB, Effron N. A decade of contact lens prescribing trends in the United Kingdom
(1996-2005). Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2006 Mar 29;[Epub ahead of print].
Editor's Commentary:
New Technology
I've been fortunate in my nearly 30 years of experience to see some of the most
spectacular high-volume, automated, high-quality, highly computer-controlled and highly robotic contact lens
manufacturing lines. These range from GP lenses that are both inventory and custom designs, to daily disposable
lenses. What the polymer chemists, mechanical engineers, microbiologists, regularity and logistical experts do to
make these processes work is amazing. The ingenious processes that result in 8 to 15mm, highest quality, best topical,
medical and optical devices ever made are truly a scientific marvel. Thank goodness the manufacturers are willing to
take the risk to develop the methods and invest hundreds of millions of dollars to make these marvelous manufacturing
processes available for us and for our patients. Truly the investment in the reduction of lens cost, along with new
materials, has resulted in safer and higher quality, nearly perfectly reproducible quality vision devices.
Fitting Tip:
Many patients
simply forget to replace their lenses and rely on feelings of discomfort as a signal to replace them. We have a
wonderful technique for our patients who have access to electronic calendars. We encourage patients who have
cell phones to program early morning reminder alarms into their phones. Monthly reminders are easily set on most
phones. And for two-week lenses, they set two monthly reminders: one for the 1st and one for the 15th of the month.
It's pretty effective because the alarm goes off when they are getting ready for school or work. We've had other
patients use the calendar on their PC to remind them. Anything that can be set once, to notify them when they are
most likely to be available to carry out the task, is highly effective. Then the only issue is their willingness to
not attempt to stretch the lens life.
Jay D. Petersma, O.D.
Johnston, Iowa
The Global Orthokeratology Symposium presents "Fundamentals of Corneal Reshaping"
A newly formatted educational experience for 2006. Held in conjunction with the Southern
California College of Optometry, this 2-day course designed for the novice or new orthokeratology practitioner will
focus on patient selection, corneal topography, choosing a design — plus "live" fitting and next-day follow-up with
actual patients. Go to www.GOS2006.com for more information.
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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