CONTACT LENSES TODAY

April 16, 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.


B&L Asks Retailers to Remove ReNu with MoistureLoc
Bausch & Lomb (B&L) has asked U.S. retailers to temporarily remove ReNu with MoistureLoc from shelves, while the investigation into fungal keratitis reports is completed. (See, CLToday Special Edition, April 11th.) B&L also recommends that patients switch to another lens care solution for the time being. The company notes that no pharmaceutical or surgical products are manufactured at the South Carolina facility currently under investigation.
In order to further educate contact lens wearers, B&L has begun placing ads in USA Today and regional newspapers that feature an open letter to consumers from Ron Zarella, Chairman and CEO of the company. B&L also sent a letter to practitioners explaining the current situation. Patients who want to return their ReNu with MoistureLoc solution, or those who have questions, should visit http://www.bausch.com or call 1-888-666-2258 to receive a coupon for another B&L product or get their money back.

CIBA Resumes Production at Canada Plant
CIBA Vision Corp., confirms that its facility in Ontario, Canada has resumed production of its lens care products. The company has already begun shipping its most popular products, Clear Care and AOsept and expects to increase production over the next few months. Shipments of AQuify MPS will begin in the second quarter of this year, with additional products to follow. The company also says it may be a few weeks until retailers’ shelves are entirely restocked.

NEI Study May Offer Hope for RP Patients
A recent study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in the journal Neuron, may bring researchers closer to a treatment for Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and other genetic diseases. Investigators at the Wayne State University School of Medicine used a gene transfer approach to introduce a light absorbing protein, channelrhodopson-2 (ChR2), into mouse retinal cells after photoreceptor cells died. (Mice were genetically bred to lose rods and cones.) After injection, the remaining retinal cells became light sensitive and sent signals through the optic nerve to the visual cortex. Signals reached the visual cortex in the majority of the ChR2-treated mice and persisted for at least six months.
Researchers suggest a number of technical improvements to their experiment might make it possible to restore vision in the mice, and potentially patients with RP.

Offer Patients a Solution Before They Drop Out Eye Care Professionals seeking to grow their practice should consider how contact lens dropouts diminish practice growth. There are 2.7 million contact lens dropouts annually, with more on the verge of dropping out because of contact lens dryness. What if you could offer patients a solution before they drop out of lens wear, not only keeping them in contact lenses but also in your practice? ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR™ Plus, a new generation of silicone hydrogel, balances properties to meet the demands of contact lens wearers in environments that can make eyes feel tired and dry. ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses can revitalize your practice by offering patient satisfaction and practice growth.
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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.

Abstract: The Value of Prosthetic Lenses
Researchers in Turkey recently investigated whether iris-painted contact lenses offer good cosmetic prostheses for disfigured or blind eyes. Twenty patients with opaque corneas participated in the study. The investigators used a camera with a mounted macro lens to take photos of the patients’ healthy eyes under daylight. They selected 20 hand-painted lenses from a manufacturer’s catalog and sent the healthy eye photos to the lab. The lenses were made to match the photos and then applied to the eye.
In three patients, fitting and centration issues prevented a successful fit. For the other 17 patients, lenses were applied successfully and achieved the desired cosmetic and anatomic results. The researchers conclude that prosthetic lenses can significantly improve the social and mental well being of patients, while providing cosmesis superior to enucleation or evisceration.
Yildirim N, Basmak H, Sahin A. Prosthetic contact lenses: adventure or miracle. Eye Contact Lens. 2006 Mar;32(2):102-3.


Editor's Commentary: Dealing with the Fungal Challenge
The recent deluge of information about Fusarium fungal infections in contact lens wearers is sad, especially for the patients, and a challenge for us all, especially those who treat the patients, and for Bausch & Lomb. Our major concern as clinicians now should focus on educating patients about alternative solutions, calming fears both paranoid and real, and reinforcing proper contact lens care. If good can come from a challenge such as this, and it will, there are numerous potential improvements forthcoming. A refocus on proper lens care compliance, including hand washing, case replacement and cleaning, proper lens cleaning with rubbing and soaking in fresh disinfecting solution will benefit us all. We likely will learn some things about the cornea and corneal fungal infections as well. And finally, for those who fear this will negatively impact the entire contact lens field, even though this is an unprecedented occurrence, I doubt it. There are too many success stories for this to dampen the field in general.

Fitting Tip: Keeping Lenses Clean
Last week’s tip mentioned patients replace their lenses "when they feel dirty.” I try to dissuade this improper thinking by using the example of the inside of the car windshield. I ask, “How many times have you cleaned the inside windshield of your car and thought, ‘That's a lot dirtier than I expected,’ to yourself?”
Almost universally I get an, "Oh, yeah," response to this analogy. Then I go on to explain that if you can tell your lenses are dirty, they are really too dirty. This would be a good time for the implementation of Dr. Petersma's electronic reminder solution.
Dirk Titus, O.D.,
Greenwood, Ind.


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.
--ADVERTISING


This month at http://www.siliconehydrogels.org, consider the impact that lens care products can have on comfort; compare the characteristics of lysozyme deposition on various contact lens materials; and compare the corneal staining characteristics of various lens-solution combinations.

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.
Visit Contact Lens Spectrum ( http://www.clspectrum.com ) for interactive clinical posters and issue archives. Visit Contact Lenses Today for our Best Fitting Tips.
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