CONTACT LENSES TODAY
April 10, 2005
Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches more
than 10,000 readers in 74 countries.
FDA Approves PureVision Toric for the United States
The FDA has approved Bausch & Lomb's PureVision Toric (balafilcon A) visibility-tinted contact lens for sale in the United States. The lens
is indicated for the correction of myopia and/or hyperopia with astigmatism of up to 5.00D and is designed for monthly replacement. The FDA has approved the lens for
either daily wear or up to 30 days of continuous wear. B&L will introduce the lens in the United States this summer.
Eyefinity Integrates with Diversified Ophthalmics' PM System
Eyefinity has announced the launch of the integration of its online services into Diversified Ophthalmics' Practice Maximus Practice
Management Software. Now, Practice Maximus users will have access to Eyefinity online services such as government and commercial claim submission and online lab and
product ordering. According to Eyefinity, this practice management integration is an additional partnership to the recently announced agreement to offer Diversified's
extensive contact lens lines directly to private eyecare practices through Eyefinity's eBuy online order center.
ACUVUE ADVANCE™ for ASTIGMATISM -- The Greatest Breakthrough in the Toric Lens Category in 15 Years
An innovation in vision care, ACUVUE ADVANCE™ Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM, provide astigmatic patients with clear vision
and exceptional comfort all day; make fittings much faster and easier; and are the first toric silicone hydrogel contact lenses on the market.
ACUVUE
ADVANCE™ for ASTIGMATISM features a new Accelerated Stabilization Design, which harnesses the power of the blinking eye to increase stability, minimize lens
rotation and keep the lens in its proper position. It is the second product in THE ULTRA COMFORT SERIES, offering exceptional comfort by providing all-day moisture,
smooth fit, soft and flexible feel, and breathability.
http://www.ecp.acuvue.com
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O2 Connection to Cataracts in Eye Surgery Patients
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis recently reported in the American Journal of Ophthalmology
that oxygen may cause cataracts. The researchers measured oxygen levels adjacent
to the lens and near the center of the eye in the vitreous of 69 patients just
before undergoing retinal surgery. Oxygen concentrations were low in both
places, but after surgery, oxygen levels in both locations were about eight
times higher than normal. So the researchers propose that surgeons deoxygenate
the fluid used to replace the vitreous. They noted that researchers in Japan
have performed retinal surgery without removing the vitreous and although this
surgery is more difficult to do, the Japanese team found that when the vitreous
remains intact, retinal surgery patients don't develop nuclear cataracts to the
same extent as patients who have their vitreous removed. The U.S. researchers plan to conduct a follow-up study of
whether diabetic patients are somewhat protected from cataracts (because of oxygen levels near the lenses of diabetics).
Abstract:
Keratoconus and GPs
Upon reviewing some physiologic and pathologic mechanisms for increases in IOP, the author raised the possibility that hard squeeze blinks,
for example, could significantly increase the distending forces that bear on the corneal apex in keratoconus and that some apical clearance contact lens fittings could
increase the risk of progressive ectasia. The biomechanics of applanation tonometry and rigid contact lenses serve as a basis for examining contact lens adherence and
the potential for contact lens-induced, mid-peripheral corneal applanation and apical molding with apical clearance fittings. He concludes that fittings within the range
of minimal apical clearance and minimal apical contact (divided support) may be the most appropriate. He says that because some patients may develop pathologic levels of
IOP with vigorous eye rubbing, strong squeeze blinks, inverted body positions and strenuous muscular effort, patients with, or at risk for, keratoconus, glaucoma or
progressive myopia, practitioners should know about the possible adverse significance of these activities.
McMonnies CW. The Biomechanics of Keratoconus and
Rigid Contact Lenses. Eye & Contact Lens 2005 March;31(2):80-92.
Editor's Commentary:
Monovision Musings
I enjoyed the "Princess and the Pea" article in the March 2005 issue of Contact Lens Spectrum, however, along with the information
obtained, I find it beneficial to establish the dominant eye. Once I accomplish this, I can complete the fine tuning of a multifocal fit in
a shorter period of time and
with a greater success rate. --Kaisu Cortsen, Certified Contact Lens Technician at Eyecare 2020 in East Hanover, N.J.
Thank you for sending this comment. Our
readers can find the article you refer to at http://www.clspectrum.com.
Interestingly, numerous authors and even some studies indicate that determining eye dominance (which has numerous definitions and methods of determination) is not that indicative of success in monovision of modified
monovision.
Fitting Tip:
Don't Recommend Over Wear
This suggestion is more of a plea than it is a fitting tip. If you are a contact lens practitioner who recommends over-extending the life
of a contact lens, then please stop! I see several new patients every week who report to me that their previous doctor told them that they could wear their two-week
disposable lenses for up to three months. While I admit that they probably could stretch out the life span of their lenses, why should they?
Do doctors think
they're doing their patients a favor by telling them that it's okay to over wear their lenses? Is it worth the risk of infection, inflammation and corneal ulcers just
to save your patients a buck or two? Will your patient return to you because you're "cheap," or will they seek out a doctor who provides better care?
If a patient
chooses to abuse her lenses against our recommendations, then we're not at fault. Actively preaching that "all contact lenses are the same" is a great disservice to our
profession as well as to the contact lens industry.
--Bill Opferman, O.D.
Joliet, Ill.
Make Plans to Attend the Global Orthokeratology Symposium (GOS)
(July 28 to 31, 2005 in Chicago, Ill. -- for the first time in the U.S.A.)
Get the tools to implement orthokeratology in your practice.
Register by April 30, 2005 to save $50 off the full symposium price.
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This month at http://www.siliconehydrogels.org, read about the worldwide market success of
silicone hydrogels, scan the latest research presented at the American Academy of Optometry 2004 and explore novel laboratory procedures facilitating accurate measurement
of lysozyme deposited on these lenses.
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.
Send your favorite tips to tips@cltoday.com -- if your tip is selected
as 'Best of the Month,' you'll receive a free golf shirt (see http://www.CLToday.com for details). Please include your full name,
degree or title and city/state/country.
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