Valley Contax recently announced the availability of two new GP contact lenses designed by Dr. Rob Breece: Comfort XL and KMax.
     The Comfort XL is a corneal-scleral lens designed to offer superior comfort. According to Valley Contax, the Comfort XL is a good choice when dealing with 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock staining or for anytime a patient is intolerant of soft toric or GP lenses for any reason. The company also states that patients who exhibit astigmatism and have tried unsuccessfully to wear spherical lenses are also likely candidates for the Comfort XL design. Comfort XL fitting sets are available in 10-lens sets of 1.00D-step increments. The company recommends 39.00D to 48.00D as an ideal set. Diameters include 11mm, 11.5mm, 12mm and 12.5mm. Every Comfort XL lens is plasma treated as well.
     The KMax is a 12mm overall diameter lens design primarily indicated for advanced stages of keratoconus, as well as pellucid marginal degeneration, corneal transplant and post-surgery patients, according to Valley Contax. The company also says that the KMax design bypasses the effected zones of the central cornea, allowing centration and a smooth alignment along the periphery of the cornea. For additional information, call (800) 547-8815 or visit www.valleycontax.com.

Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. (AMO) announced the U.S. introduction of Blink Tears, new over-the-counter lubricating eye drops for occasional or chronic dry eye symptoms. According to the company, the new formulation demonstrates long retention times and less blur than the current market leader.
     As stated by AMO, the benefits of the Blink Tears unique, advanced formula include: long-lasting relief with less blurring of vision; up to 60-minute moisture retention time; replenished tear film with each blink; improved tear film stability; the product adapts to an individual's dry eye needs by thickening when the eye is open and thinning when the eye blinks; and the product provides significant improvement in patient comfort over time. 
     "The introduction of Blink Tears lubricating eye drops is our first entree into the dry eye category and marks an important expansion of AMO's complete refractive solution of eye care products," said AMO Chairman and CEO Jim Mazzo. "It will be used to relieve mild to moderate dry eye whether used alone or in conjunction with ophthalmic pharmaceutical therapies."
     AMO plans to launch the product in Europe in the second half of 2008. For more information, visit www.amo-inc.com or www.yourhealthyeyes.com.

Nothing drives referrals like satisfied patients. And nothing satisfies patients like the comfort and minimal corneal staining that can be provided by ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR™ Plus. In a recent clinical study, new wearers exhibited no significant difference in corneal staining and reported no significant difference in overall comfort between ACUVUE® OASYS™ and no lens. And in an in-market trial, 89% of patients fit with ACUVUE® OASYS™ would recommend their doctors based on their experience. How will you satisfy your patients and build your practice with ACUVUE® OASYS™?
More About ACUVUE® OASYS™
Important Safety Information
--ADVERTISING

Metro Optics, a privately held Texas company which manufactures both GP and soft contact lenses, has entered into a distribution agreement with Blanchard Contact Lens (Manchester, NH) to handle the Rose K and Essential product lines. According to Metro Optics, this partnership positions Metro Optics as the only lab in the U.S. offering both FDA cleared keratoconus lens designs, the ComfortKone and the Rose K family of lenses. Further, per the company, the addition of Blanchard's Essential GP multifocal line to Metro Optics existing GP and soft multifocal lines, (Metro Progressive, Metro Seg, MetroFocal and SaturEyes) creates a synergy of products to help the eye care practitioner meet the contact lens needs of the rapidly growing presbyopic community. ECPs interested in product information or ordering any of the Rose K or Essential family of lenses can contact Metro Optics at 800-223-1858 for product availability and consultation.

The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) announced that it will participate in a post-LASIK quality of life study with the Joint LASIK Study Task Force, which includes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Eye Institute (NEI), ASCRS and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. ASCRS also announced that the ASCRS Foundation has committed funds to support this effort.
     The Joint LASIK Study Task Force will examine LASIK's impact on the quality of patients' daily lives. As defined by the group, quality of life refers to a patient's ability to perform the activities of daily living, everything from driving, daily routine, family life, career and sports performance, to personal appearance, after LASIK. According to the information from ASCRS, while the FDA reports that nearly all patients are satisfied with their procedure, the study will seek to qualify LASIK's benefits and provide greater understanding of the few patients whose expectations are not met with the procedure, with the goal of identifying ways to enhance patient care. Possible study outcomes could include a more holistic approach to patient screening and pre-operative patient counseling, with considerations for both physical and psychodynamic factors, as well as a better understanding of the myriad factors that comprise quality of life.

Bausch & Lomb (B&L) and Galapagos NV, a drug discovery company with global headquarters in Mechelen, Belgium, announced that they have entered into a collaborative research agreement. Bausch & Lomb will have the exclusive option to license select Galapagos compounds for therapeutic uses in ophthalmic diseases. B&L is responsible for the preclinical and clinical development of the select compounds. Under the terms of the collaboration, Galapagos will receive an upfront payment of $400,000 and may receive research funding to support B&L's further development of the compounds for ophthalmic uses, plus future milestone payments. Pending successful development and commercialization under the license, potential total value of the payments exceeds $50 million, plus royalties on the commercial sale of licensed products.

The purpose of this report from Ohio State University is to describe the contact lens deposition proteome associated with two silicone hydrogel contact lenses and care solutions using a mass spectrometric-based approach.
     This was a randomized, controlled, examiner-masked crossover clinical trial that included 48 participants. Lenses and no-rub care solutions evaluated included galyfilcon A (Acuvue Advance, Vistakon, Inc., Jacksonville, FL), lotrafilcon B (O2Optix, CIBA Vision, Inc., Duluth, GA), AQuify (CIBA Vision, Inc.), and ReNu MoistureLoc (Bausch and Lomb, Inc., Rochester, NY). After two weeks of daily wear in each lens-solution combination, the left lens was removed by the examiner (using gloves and forceps) and placed in a protein precipitation buffer (acetone). The precipitate was quantitated for total protein concentration (per lens), and proteins were then identified using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (nano-LC-MS/MS) and peptide sequencing.
     Between 7.32 and 9.76 microg/lens of protein was observed on average from each lens-solution combination. There were 19 total unique proteins identified across the two lens materials, and six proteins were identified in all four lens-solution combinations including lipocalin, lysozyme, lacritin, lactoferrin, proline rich 4, and Ig Alpha. Lotrafilcon B was associated with 15 individual proteins (across both care solutions), and 53% of these proteins were observed in at least 50% of the analyses. Galyfilcon A was associated with 13 individual proteins, and 38.5% of these proteins were observed in at least 50% of the analyses. There were three unique proteins identified from galyfilcon A and four unique proteins identified from lotrafilcon B.
     The researchers concluded that the total amount of proteins identified from silicone hydrogel materials is much less than the amount from traditional soft lens materials. For the most part, the deposition proteome across these lenses is similar, although the different polymer characteristics might be associated with some variability in observance of the less frequently identified proteins.
Green-Church KB, Nichols JJ. Mass spectrometry-based proteomic analyses of contact lens deposition. Mol Vis. 2008 Feb 8;14:291-7. 

In the near future, we will have access to contact lenses that not only correct vision but will also act as a drug delivery system for over-the-counter and prescription medications. This will allow for innovative and hopefully more precise ways of treating anterior ocular surface disease such as dry eyes, allergies, and infection. As a state legislated profession, U.S. optometrists should be following both the advancements in technology and their state association and state government response and action to these innovative treatment options. Only a few states currently have legislation stating that optometrists will be able to prescribe and dispense these new lenses and a few more states are currently tackling this situation. I'm proud of the Ohio Optometric Association's leadership on this front. If you are not a member of the AOA and your state association, it is never too late to show your support for the ongoing work that is needed in advancing our profession.
Carla Mack, O.D., F.A.A.O.

This month at www.siliconehydrogels.org: research on patient compliance, piggyback lenses for patients with irregular corneas, measuring intraocular pressure over higher modulus lenses, and part 1 of our 2007 AAO update.