CONTACT LENSES TODAY

April 21, 2002

Contact Lenses Today(R) is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday(R) reaches 8,341 readers in 74 countries.

FTC: Don't Limit CL Competition
The Federal Trade Commission urged the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Opticians to avoid restrictive interpretation of state laws governing the sale of contact lenses. Doing so could seriously limit competition by Internet, telephone and mail-order vendors, increase consumer costs and diminish consumer convenience without an offsetting benefit, says the agency. The issues in Connecticut are whether a contact lens seller must be a licensed eyecare professional and if the prescription must come directly from one who has such a license.

CIBA Launches Compliance Program
Your Focus Night & Day patients can sign up for CIBA Vision's "4 Healthy Eyes" compliance program and receive monthly electronic reminders that it's time to replace their lenses. A third party sends the reminders while keeping the patient's electronic address confidential.

INTRODUCING RENU MULTIPLUS MULTIPURPOSE SOLUTION
- No Rub Formula. Now, a superior no rub solution eliminates the rub and the worry. The most convenient no rub multipurpose solution regimen that offers your patients superior disinfecting*, intense cleaning and outstanding protein removal. Now your patients can get that "fresh lens" feeling every day without the need to rub. *In FDA/ISO stand-alone testing. --ADVERTISING

FDA Approves CK for Hyperopia
Refractec, Inc., has received FDA clearance to market conductive keratoplasty (CK), a procedure that uses radio frequency energy to treat low-to-moderate hyperopia. The in-office procedure is done with topical anesthetic and takes less than 3 minutes. The approval does not cover presbyopia, but Refractec says Phase III clinical trials for this use are underway.

Study Benchmarks Diabetes Care
Almost 37% of diabetes patients don't have annual dilated eye exams, according to a study in this month's Annals of Internal Medicine. The study, which examined key aspects of diabetes care (glycemic control, blood pressure, cholesterol monitoring and annual foot and eye exams), concluded that many U.S. adults with diabetes are receiving suboptimal care.

Are You Ready for Generation Y?
At 70 million strong, Generation Y (people born between 1977 and 1995) is the largest demographic group since the baby boomers. They'll be the most well-informed and assertive generation of patients ever, says the American Medical Association. Are you ready to care for these educated and demanding patients? You are if you:

Let patients schedule appointments and ask nonurgent questions via e-mail.

Are prepared to answer a lot of questions.

Don't rush patients through appointments.

Can recommend some reliable, accurate medical Web sites.

Editor's Commentary: Contact Lens Interest High in Europe
We sure had a great experience at last week's American Academy of Optometry meeting in Interlaken, Berne and Munich. The European attendees were very interested in corneal refractive treatment with contact lenses, as well as bifocals and contact lenses in general. Their interest in making sure that the fit of a contact lens is very accurate is a lesson for us all.

Fitting Tip: Avoid Workplace Worries
Tony Cullen, Ph.D., made a very good point at a recent lecture on contact lenses and the workplace. If a patient asks if it's safe to wear contact lenses around a certain chemical or in an unusual environment, don't guess the answer. Research the literature and provide the person with that information. You'll find good reference material at the American Optometric Association Web site www.aoanet.org.

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.