CONTACT LENSES TODAY
April 11, 2004
Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches over 10,000 readers in 74 countries.
Netherlands Boasts Questionable New Fad
You may not believe it, but believe it: Dutch eye surgeons have implanted tiny pieces of
jewelry in the conjunctiva of six women and one man. The procedure, pioneered by an ophthalmic surgery research and
development institute in Rotterdam, involves inserting a 3.5mm wide piece of specially developed jewelry (currently
available as a glittering half moon or a heart) into the conjunctiva under local anesthetic for approximately 1,200
U.S. dollars. According to Gerrit Melles, director of the Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery, no side
effects or complications have been reported, nor do they expect to hear of any. The institute allegedly has a waiting
list of people who want the implant.
Stellar Contact Lens Ltd. Returns
Stellar Contact Lens Ltd.'s OP-2, OP-3 and OP-6 materials are back in full production after
a lull in availability. The company is under new ownership. To find out more, call (800) 729-9503.
The leaking bucket of practice profitability:
Research shows that 24 million patients in the United States have dropped out of wearing
contact lenses. In fact, 2.7 million contact lens wearers drop out every year. This means, on average, that each of the
35,000 eyecare offices in the U.S. lose approximately 75 patients every year.
The #1 reason why contact lens
patients drop out is discomfort. VISTAKON is excited to announce the launch of ACUVUE ADVANCE Brand Contact Lenses with
HYDRACLEAR. A recent clinical trial showed ACUVUE ADVANCE with HYDRACLEAR to be superior to both FOCUS Night & Day and
even ACUVUE 2 for maintaining long, comfortable wear. Delight your patients. Begin fitting ACUVUE ADVANCE with HYDRACLEAR
today.
http://www.ecp.acuvue.com
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Researchers Find New Benefit to Lutein
According to researchers at the North Chicago VA Medical Center, the antioxidant supplement
lutein appears to reverse some symptoms of vision loss associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The authors
stated in the April issue of the journal Optometry that during a 12-month study, the supplement significantly
improved patient scores on certain tests of visual function. Past research has shown that lutein appears to filter out
blue wavelength light from the sun and artificial light sources, suppressing the oxidation of retinal cells that could
otherwise cause eye disease. The researchers stressed the need for larger studies on the topic.
Red CLs Help Cone Disorders
Using a retrospective interventional case series, researchers described the use of red
contact lenses in alleviating photophobia in patients who have cone disorders. They reported their description in the
April issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology of 23 patients who had achromatopsia or an acquired cone
disorder with complaints of severe photophobia. These patients were fit with absorptive red soft contact lenses to
alleviate photophobia and improve their ability to use their remaining vision more effectively. The contact lenses
immediately resolved the aversion to light with dramatic improvement in visual function in all patients. The researchers
concluded that red contact lenses successfully alleviate photophobia in patients who have cone disorders.
Abstract:
Dual-Lens Systems Good Option for Compromised Corneas
Two researchers reported on the fitting of a hyper-Dk piggyback contact lens system in a case
of keratoconus. They fit a patient who had keratoconus, suboptimal visual acuity, corneal neovascularization and marked
conjunctival hyperemia, and who was intolerant to GP lenses with a novel piggyback contact lens system that incorporated
a hyper-oxygen transmissible silicone hydrogel contact lens on top of which was fit a hyper-oxygen transmissible GP lens.
They noted a marked reduction in corneal vascularization and ocular hyperemia.
O'Donnell C, Maldonado-Codina C. A
Hyper-Dk Piggyback Contact Lens System for Keratoconus. Eye & Contact Lens 2004 Jan;30(1):44-48.
Editor's Commentary:
The Makings of a Top-Notch CL Practitioner
While sitting with Walt West, OD, FAAO, preparing a recent presentation, I wondered, "What
are the fundamentals that make an excellent contact lens practitioner?" Certainly basic knowledge and clinical skills are
required and character and honesty are a must. An extremely important ingredient is confident communication by both the
practitioner and his or her well-trained staff. But in the end, along with these fundamental characteristics, a willingness
to understand, to try and to master new technology and to apply it to excellent patient care is probably the
difference.
Fitting Tip:
Airline Travel and CL Wear
I completely agree with the choice to ban contact lens wear for the Yankee players on the
long plane trip to Japan, as reported in last week's CLToday. A few years ago (when I was in my mid-30s and had no trouble
with contact lenses or dry eye), I wore my GP lenses on a two-and-a-half hour plane ride. I consumed no alcohol and used
rewetting drops, but when I tried to remove my lenses that night, they were adherent. As a result, I had mild bilateral
corneal abrasions with distorted vision for almost two days. I haven't worn contact lenses on a plane ride since.
--Laura Steiner Christy, OD
Morgantown, W.Va.
Mark Your Calendar for the Global Orthokeratology Symposium (GOS)
(July 22-25, 2004 Toronto, Canada)
Learn how to manage and market your overnight
orthokeratology practice.
http://www.gos2004.com
--ADVERTISING
Report adverse contact lens reactions here: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/ or call (800) FDA-1088.
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