CONTACT LENSES TODAY

April 13, 2003

Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches 10,122 readers in 74 countries.

FDA -- Import Alert on "Decorative" Contact Lenses
The FDA now has available a guidance document entitled "Guidance for FDA Staff on Sampling or Detention Without Physical Examination of Decorative Contact Lenses (Import Alert #86-10)." The document includes the FDA's guidance to FDA district offices for sampling or detention without physical examination of plano contact lenses intended solely to change the appearance of the normal eye in decorative fashion, when these products are presented for importation into the United States. If you'd like a single copy of this alert, you can fax your request to (301) 594-0413.

Dry Eye Ointment Applied to Skin
Donald MacKeen has developed a method of treating dry eyes using a preservative-free ointment. The ointment's active ingredient, calcium carbonate, is non toxic and has no known side effects. According to MacKeen, the ointment provides all-day relief with only one application, which is applied to the skin of the lower lids. Skin movement associated with blinking gradually moves the calcium and lipids onto the interpalpebral space over several hours.

CV ENCORE TORIC: So Much More Than Just "Location, Location, Location." -- It's patient preference, parameter range and in-stock product availability. Recent studies show that 95% of patients prefer CV Encore Toric to the leading disposable toric. And with the addition of a -2.25D cylinder power and sphere powers from +6.00D to -8.00D, you can now fit more of your patients with the most advanced disposable toric. Plus, you'll appreciate more than 99% in-stock product availability. For more information on this outstanding toric lens, contact CooperVision at (800) 341-2020 or visit the Web site at http://www.coopervision.com.
--ADVERTISING

CLMA Board of Directors to Meet
The Contact Lens Manufacturers Association (CLMA) will hold its Spring 2003 Board of Directors Meeting in San Diego during the Annual American Optometric Association Congress on June 22 at the Holiday Inn on the Bay. All CLMA members are welcome to attend.

Corneal Response to Short-Term Ortho-K
In the March 2003 issue of Optometry and Vision Science, researchers investigated short-term corneal changes induced by reverse geometry lenses worn for orthokeratology. The researchers fit nine young adult subjects with reverse geometry GP lenses in one open eye for 10, 30 and 60 minutes and for eight hours in same eye when closed. They used the subjects' fellow eyes as a non lens wearing control and recorded changes in uncorrected visual acuity and corneal topographic changes. The researchers concluded that the cornea responds rapidly with significant central corneal flattening and improvement in visual acuity after just 10 minutes of lens wear. They suggest that the corneal epithelium can be molded or redistributed rapidly in response to the tear film forces generated behind reverse geometry lenses.

Abstract: Contact Lenses Really Are UV Blockers
According to these investigators, as compared to non UV-blocking lenses, "only UV-blocking contact lenses achieve significant effect on UVA and UVB irradiance in the urban, beach and mountain locales." Using a light sensor on a model eye and using light sources at various angles, the researchers compared no eyewear, sunglasses and contact lenses with and without UV blockers. In some instances, contact lenses provide better protection than sunglasses.
Prevention of the Adverse Photic Effects of Peripheral Light-Focusing Using UV-Blocking Contact Lenses. Kwok, et al. Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Research. 2003 44(4):1501-1507.

Editor's Commentary: Comments on the FDA and Plano Lenses
Our story on the FDA cracking down on "decorative" contact lenses is noteworthy. The FDA is enforcing the regulations that if you don't have U.S. FDA approval to import and sell these items because they could harm someone, then it will not permit illegal distribution and sale of these medical devices. Nevertheless, I doubt it will dry up these sources completely. It would seem logical that if these offshore sources comply with the regulation then they will be in compliance. I don't take this to mean that in the long run there won't be some down regulation of these plano cosmetic devices. Time will tell.

Fitting Tip: Fitting Toric Contact Lenses
A good movement, centration and reliable rotation of the lens is essential when successfully fitting toric contact lenses. If the lens rotates off the desired axis, then the patient will experience blurred visual acuity, which may then lead to lower patient satisfaction. If this is the case, then I explain the stability using a 360-degree example (for instance, a clock). Six degrees of arc is the same as one minute because 360 degrees equals one hour or 60 minutes. Have the patient imagine that his lens is turning one or 1.5 minutes from the desired direction instead of six or nine degrees. This demonstrates the accuracy of my fitting and encourages him to tolerate a minimum lens rotation occasionally.
--Stefan Schwarz, MCOptom, FAAO

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.

Visit Contact Lens Spectrum ( http://www.clspectrum.com ) for interactive clinical posters, issue archives and discussion forums. Visit Contact Lenses Today for our Best Fitting Tips and Photo Clinic, sponsored by Ocular Sciences.

CLToday Services: Subscribe; Change your e-mail address; submit news to news@cltoday.com; or, fax 1-215-643-3902.