CONTACT LENSES TODAY

April 20, 2003

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

Contact Lens Glucose Sensor
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a non-invasive method to measure the glucose level with a thin, plastic sensor that changes color based on the concentration of glucose. The researchers plan to embed the sensing material into contact lenses. Patients will determine their glucose levels by looking into a mirror and comparing the color of the sensing material with a color chart. The sensor will change from red, which indicates dangerously low glucose concentrations, to violet, which indicates dangerously high glucose concentrations. Green indicates a normal glucose level. The researchers published a description of the sensor material on the online version of Analytical Chemistry on April 11.

Case Data Indicates LASIK Beneficial for Children as Young as Two
Jonathan M. Davidorf, M.D., recently reported treating a two-year-old boy with severe amblyopia as part of an ongoing study to determine the safety and efficacy of LASIK for children who have certain visual disorders. Following LASIK, the patient's vision in his amblyopic eye went from 20/200 to better than 20/40. Dr. Davidorf suggests that only children who fall into the obligatory (children eight years old or younger who have amblyopia due to high myopia, hyperopia and/or astigmatism who have failed conventional therapy) and functional (glasses and contact lens intolerant or noncompliant children who have significant myopia, hyperopia and/or astigmatism) be viewed as potential candidates.

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ICO Alumnus Gives Contribution
Illinois College of Optometry received a $30,000 contribution from 1977 alumnus Dr. Irwin Azman. The gift initiates the Azman Scholarship for Excellence in Contact Lens/Private Practice, providing financial support to third-year optometric students at the college who have a goal of entering private practice with an emphasis in contact lenses or contact lens research.

Art Optical Passes Quality Review for 10th Straight Year
Art Optical Contact Lens, Inc. participated in the 2003-2004 Contact Lens Manufacturers Association's (CLMA's) Seal of Manufacturing Excellence Award Program and passed the quality review for the tenth straight year. The company's results weren't published this year though because it discontinued membership within the CLMA due to the lack of association membership and participation in the program by the nation's largest RGP producers as well as the majority of RGP labs.

AOSept for RGPs
The FDA recently cleared CIBA Vision's AOSept Clear Care lens solution for cleaning (including rubbing), disinfecting and storing rigid gas permeable contact lenses. According to the company, AOSept Clear Care is the only one-bottle solution available in the United States for use with GP lenses. The solution has a built-in cleaner and hydrogen peroxide for deep cleaning. It is not approved for use with GPs in Canada.

Abstract: Daily Wear Soft CLs Can Change Corneal Anatomy
Researchers analyzed the corneal thickness and the corneal endothelial cell density of a pair of 31-year-old monozygotic female twins (one a 15-year contact lens wearer; the other a nonwearer) and found lower central corneal endothelial cell densities in both eyes of the monozygotic contact lens wearing twin. They also found lesser central corneal thickness in the monozygotic contact lens twin. The researchers conclude that the differences between the monozygotic twins seems to confirm that daily use of soft contact lenses can modify normal corneal anatomy.
Sanchis-Gimeno, JA; Lleo, A; Alonso, L; Rahhal, MS; Martinez-Soriano, F. Differences in Corneal Anatomy in a Pair of Monozygotic Twins Due to Continuous Contact Lens Wear. Cornea 2003 Apr;22(3):243-5.

Editor's Commentary: HIPAA: It's Not Worth It. Does it Have Anything to Do With Mail-Order Contact Lenses?
We all need to whine about HIPAA this week -- at least a little bit. If we would have spent one-tenth of the few billion dollars it has cost to start up the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 on education about how to ensure confidentiality and why it's important, we would be much further ahead. I feel better now.

But there's also the issue of whether or not this has anything to do with mail-order contact lenses. According to the March issue of the journal Optometry -- "No. Practitioners are permitted under HIPAA to disclose patient health information without a patient authorization to another health care practitioner for the purposes of the patient's treatment and under HIPAA, a mail-order contact lens supplier is a health care provider."

Fitting Tip: Relieving Tense Patients
Any procedure that involves touching the eye or instilling drops makes most patients a little apprehensive, so it helps to set them at ease before beginning. I find that a laugh helps, and one little thing that I have done for years invariably gets a chuckle. Before instilling fluorescein, I say to the patient, "I'm going to apply something to your eye that will make everything appear yellow for a few minutes, but don't worry -- there's no extra charge for the color." I'm always amazed that people actually find this funny, but it sure does relax them!
-- Robert Greenberg, OD, FAAO
Tallahassee, Fla.

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