CONTACT LENSES TODAY

April 18, 2004

Contact Lenses TodayŽ is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLTodayŽ reaches nearly 10,000 readers in 74 countries.

B&L Celebrates, Promises New Products
Along with celebrating its 150th year in business, launching a new brand mark and planning a special celebration at the AOA meeting in June, Bausch & Lomb recently announced new products on the way to the marketplace at its recent meeting in Amelia Island, Florida. The company will launch a PureVision (silicone hydrogel) toric lens in Europe this year. Overnight orthokeratology FDA approval using Equalens II (Polymer Technology Corp.) material should occur any day now. PreserVision Vitamins in soft gels, along with a lutein formulation, will also be available soon. And in late 2004, expect to see a new ReNu product. Bausch & Lomb educated and entertained more than 100 optometrists at its first J.J. Bausch Innovators Lecture Series event in conjunction with its Women's Tennis event, which it has sponsored for 18 years.

Future Not Good for Ocular Disease Rates
Researchers at The Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group, an initiative sponsored by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health, have applied disease rates from population-based studies to projected population figures for 2020 and estimate that by 2020, the number of people who have cataracts or have had a lens removed is expected to increase to 30.1 million and 9.5 million, respectively. They predict age-related macular degeneration (AMD) to reach 2.95 million in the same time frame, representing a 50% increase. The results of this research appear in a recent issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

NEW STUDY SHOWS HYPER Dk/t LENSES IMPROVE SIGNS OF CORNEAL HEALTH
Current daily and extended wear soft contact lens wearers showed rapid improvements in many signs of corneal health and symptoms when changed to Focus NIGHT & DAY silicone hydrogel lenses. Improvements in biomicroscopy signs and patient-reported symptoms continue throughout the first year of wear.
Source: Dillehay, et al. "Changes in Biomicroscopy Signs and Symptoms . . . " http://www.mycibavision.com
--ADVERTISING

Company's CL Sales Go Toward Saving Sight
Sauflon Pharmaceuticals recently announced that it will donate a percentage of profits from the sale of Sauflon contact lenses and solutions to the Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity of Pennsylvania (VOSH/PA) and their elimination of avoidable pediatric blindness project in Guatemala. VOSH/PA President Doug Villella expects donations from Sauflon Pharmaceuticals and the annual Climb for Sight to fund the surgery for more than 1,200 children and to provide new eyeglasses to 20,000 children over the next four years. If you'd like to participate in the fifth annual Climb for Sight to Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa (Feb. 9 to12, 2005), visit http://www.voshpa.org.

Study Follows Latanaprost Use in Japanese Glaucoma Patients
Researchers enrolled 75 Japanese glaucoma patients in a 12-month prospective study on the occurrence of latanoprost-induced iridial pigmentation and eyelash change. They took photographs of each patient's irises and eyelashes under identical conditions before and after treatment. They concluded in the March-April 2004 issue of the Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology that iridial pigmentation and eyelash change occurred at a high frequency in long-term treatment with latanoprost (incidence of iridial pigmentation = 6% at one month, 16% at three months, 38% at six months and 57% at 12 months). The incidence of eyelash change was 0% at one month, 34% at three months, 44% at six months and 46% at 12 months.

CL Comfort Drop Now Available
Advanced Vision Research has announced that its TheraTears Contact Lens Comfort Drops are now available in the United States. The company recommends placing the hypotonic tear-matched, electrolyte-balanced formula on the contact lenses immediately before application and during wear. The product, which uses a "disappearing" perborate preservative, is approved for use with all soft and GP contact lenses.

Abstract: Examining Endothelial Counts in Contact Lens Wearing Keratoconus Patients
Researchers conducted a cross-sectional comparative study to determine quantitative characteristics of corneal endothelial cells of 100 keratoconic patients with or without contact lenses. Using a corneal topographer to map the keratoconic cornea, the researchers located the corneal apex of the cone. They photographed the endothelium at the apex of the cone using specular microscopes and obtained the average endothelial cell count. The researchers then categorized the patients into four groups based on the types of contact lenses worn: no lenses, SofLens 66 toric contact lenses, SoftPerm contact lenses and FluoroPerm 30 aspheric GP contact lenses. After controlling for age and severity of keratoconus, the researchers concluded that keratoconic patients who wear SoftPerm contact lenses have a significantly lower (18%) endothelial cell count than those keratoconic patients who don't wear contact lenses or who wear soft toric disposable contact lenses or GP lenses.
Edmonds CR, Wung SF, Husz MJ, Pemberton B. Corneal Endothelial Cell Count in Keratoconus Patients After Contact Lens Wear Eye & Contact Lens 2004 Jan;30(1):54-58.

Editor's Commentary: Time Out for Thanks
Thanks to our readers who responded to stories the past few weeks. We always appreciate your feedback. I must confess and apologize that it's impossible to respond to and publish it all. However, if you have sent a tip or comment in the past, and we seem to have disregarded it, please send it again, because we do appreciate them and want to communicate them to our readers or respond. Also, if you have suggestions for this publication, please share them. This CLToday e-mail newsletter has been an amazing experience for me and I certainly want to make sure it continues to serve you all well. Again, many thanks for your support, comments and tips.

Readers Write Back: Regarding t he Makings of a Top-Notch CL Practitioner
Your comments are right on the mark with the most successful practitioners always mastering new technologies and applying them to patient care. What I have learned from visiting our colleagues in the U.S. is that most ophthalmic optic decisions have been deferred to their staff. Medications and contact lenses are always prescribed specifically, but spectacle lenses are prescribed as a generic string of numbers -- even when doctors know there are differences in lens performance. Patients expect their doctor to prescribe the best lens for their needs. My quest is to help our colleagues understand that spectacle lenses differ in performance and do affect patient outcomes.
--Richard Clompus, OD, FAAO
Roanoke, Va.

Fitting Tips: Opinions on the Yankees' Airplane Eyes
The Yankee's team optometrist should put temporary collagen plugs in all players for long flights plus instructions on lubricating drops. The Yankees always have the best, so I'm sure they have a team optometrist (if not, call me).
--James Meany, OD
Waverly, Iowa

I have been totally unable to predict who will do well in dry climates or with dry eyes and tell this to patients. Most seem to do well in planes and in dry climates. The eyes "adjust" quickly. However, I tell them to use appropriate lubricating drops if needed and to remove the lenses if that doesn't work. My colleagues who practice in dry climates say that most people adjust quickly with no problems too.
-- Frank J. Weinstock, MD, FACS
Canton, Ohio

Report adverse contact lens reactions here: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/ or call (800) FDA-1088.

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