The changes to the regulations governing optometrists and opticians and the dispensing of contact lenses and spectacles proposed by the British Columbia (B.C.) Ministry of Health Services have an effective date of May 1, 2010. One of the changes allows consumers to purchase glasses or contacts online without having to provide a copy of their prescription, sight-test assessment or contact lens specifications.
     According to the B.C. Ministry of Health Services, the changes to the regulations for opticians and optometrists under the Health Professions Act include: 
     · Removal of most of the restrictions that allow only opticians or optometrists, or workers supervised by them, to dispense glasses or contacts.
     · Allowing prescriptions issued by medical doctors and optometrists outside of the province to be filled within B.C.
     · Allowing people to order glasses or contacts online without having to give the seller a copy of their prescription, sight-test assessment or contact-lens specifications.
     · Requiring opticians and optometrists in B.C. to include in a prescription or sight-test assessment the measurement of distance between the client's pupils, which is required for the proper fitting of glasses.
     · Requiring opticians and optometrists in B.C. to give clients, free of charge, a copy of their prescription, sight-test assessment or contact-lens specifications - whether or not it is requested by the client - and also to give a copy, free of charge, to a third-party eyewear seller or other person if requested by the client.
     In the Ministry's original announcement, Health Services Minister Kevin Falcon stated, "With advances in technology and more consumers turning to the Internet, it makes sense to modernize a decades-old system to give British Columbians more choice while maintaining public safety."
     The British Columbia Association of Optometrists (BCAO) mounted a campaign against the proposed changes in March. "The existing regulation is in place to protect the public and their eye health," said Dr. Antoinette Dumalo, President of the BCAO. "Under the proposed regulations, patients will be able obtain new eyeglasses and contact lenses without actually being examined by an eye doctor. That means eye disease may go undetected in as many as one in seven British Columbians." She continued, "Allowing people to buy contacts online without having to prove they have a prescription is like allowing patients to keep ordering medicine from an old prescription without ever having to go back to their doctor to have a check-up on their condition or to make sure the treatment is still appropriate."
      The news release from the Ministry on the regulations can be viewed at: http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2010HSERV0015-000286.htm. For information from the BCAO on these changes, visit http://optometrists.bc.ca/code/navigate.aspx?Id=156.

CooperVision is launching a new Contact Sports program, starting May 3, to help teens understand how healthy vision can improve their performance on and off the field, and it will also give them a chance to win $2,500 in athletic gear and free contact lenses through Gear Up Grants. The program also offers eye care professionals resources to engage teens and coaches in their communities.
     As part of Contact Sports, CooperVision is giving away a total of $25,000 in Gear Up Grants, in which teens can compete to win funding for essential sports gear, including free CooperVision contact lenses for those who need them. Ten grants in total will be awarded, and submissions will be accepted from May 3 to June 15th, 2010 online at www.mycontactsports.com. To reach out to teens and let them know about the Gear Up Grants, CooperVision has teamed up with gold-medal-winning soccer star Heather O'Reilly and Daniel Dhers, BMX biking phenom and Dew Tour winner.
     Additionally, the practitioners' site at www.mycontactsports.com is now live offering tools to help eye care professionals attract new patients, build their practice and become a resource for teen vision correction in their local community. These tools include: in-office materials about the Gear Up Grants program; a Contact Sports local event guide to hosting and publicizing fitting events in the community; a social media guide to leveraging social media, like Facebook and Twitter, to build their practice; and a template e-mail for ECPs to send to teen patients and their parents. 

The AOA Foundation has received a pledge from Vistakon, a Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., on behalf of the Dr. Pat and Patrick Cummings Memorial Fund, which was established after July 11, 2009, the day of Dr. Pat Cumming's fatal plane crash. Over the next five years, Vistakon will contribute $50,000 to the Memorial Fund.
     "The AOA Foundation is so appreciative of Vistakon's generous support of the Dr. Pat & Patrick Cummings Memorial Fund," said Dr. Martha Rosemore Greenberg, President of The AOA Foundation. "The Memorial Fund is just one way the optometric profession can ensure that the legacy of these two wonderful men enriches the lives and studies of future optometrists for years to come."
     The AOA Foundation's goal is to raise $250,000. If you have questions or would like to make a gift, please contact Shannon Reynolds Torbett, The AOA Foundation Administrative Director, via e-mail at SRTorbett@aoa.org or by phone at 314-983-4138.

Your contact lens patients may be suffering in silence when it comes to comfort. Though 90% of patients state that they are satisfied with contact lenses,¹ almost 1 in 5 contact lens wearers are considering dropping out.² The primary reason? Discomfort.² But there's hope. Just by asking the right questions, you can reveal those patients who are experiencing discomfort in their current contact lenses. And by recommending ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses, you can open their eyes to a new world of comfortable, healthy, contact lens wear!

$75 rebate for new wearers! Good when patients get an eye exam and purchase 8 boxes of ACUVUE® OASYS™ (spherical product only)
Visit jnjvisioncare.com/rebate for more details.

1. Contact Lens User and Engagement Study, Jan-Oct 2008 & US Government Census Data. 2. 2008 Gallup study of the consumer contact lens market.
     ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses are indicated for vision correction. As with any contact lens, eye problems, including corneal ulcers, can develop. Some wearers may experience mild irritation, itching or discomfort. Lenses should not be prescribed if patients have any eye infection, or experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, redness or other eye problems. Consult the package insert for complete information. Complete information is also available from VISTAKON®, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., by calling 1-800-843-2020 or by visiting jnjvisioncare.com.
     HYDRACLEAR® Plus is our brand name for the next generation of our proprietary technology that allows us to use a higher volume of a moisture rich wetting agent in a state of the art formulation. This creates a more wettable, ultra smooth contact lens, especially for challenging environments that make eyes feel dry.
     ACUVUE®, ACUVUE® OASYS™, HYDRACLEAR®, and VISTAKON® are trademarks of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
© Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. 2010.

--ADVERTISING

Dr. Michael Goldsmid has been named Vision Source Philanthropist of the Year by Optometry Giving Sight. As an Administrator in San Diego, CA, for the Vision Source network of optometrists, Dr. Goldsmid has taken on a strong leadership role in promoting Optometry Giving Sight and its mission among his fellow Optometrists in the region.
     "Dr. Goldsmid is being recognized for his overall leadership, advocacy and contributions to Optometry Giving Sight," said Dr. Victor J. Connors, Chairman and CEO of Optometry Giving Sight USA. "The most significant of his contributions is the fact that he has stepped up as an Ambassador providing timely and passionate leadership and advocacy with his Vision Source colleagues in San Diego. His passion for our cause has translated into significant donations from many others. We are pleased to be able to recognize Michael for his outstanding efforts."
     Dr. Goldsmid is a graduate of the University of Houston School of Optometry and also received his undergraduate degree from the University of Houston. He is a Fellow in the American Academy of Optometry and a member of the American Optometric Association, the California Optometric Association and the San Diego Optometric Association. Dr. Goldsmid has participated in more than 75 contact lens and pharmaceutical studies and has more than 70 published articles and presentations to his credit.
     For more information on Optometry Giving Sight, visit www.givingsight.org.  

Sirion Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held ophthalmic biopharmaceutical company, announced that Zirgan (ganciclovir ophthalmic gel) 0.15% is now commercially available.  Zirgan, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September 2009, is a topical ophthalmic antiviral indicated for the treatment of acute herpetic keratitis (dendritic ulcers). 
     "We have received an overwhelming number of inquiries regarding Zirgan and its availability and are proud to be providing eye care professionals with the first innovation in ocular antiviral therapy in the U.S. in over 30 years," said Barry Butler of Sirion Therapeutics, Inc.
     For additional product information, please visit www.siriontherapeutics.com. 

Prevent Blindness America (PBA) has declared May as UV Awareness Month and launched a campaign to help educate the public on how to protect their eyes for a lifetime of healthy vision. As children begin to head out to enjoy the warmer weather, many parents remember to apply sunscreen to protect their children's skin from damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays. However, many parents may not be aware of the damage that UV rays can have on the eyes. According to the World Health Organization, up to 80 percent of a person's lifetime exposure to UV is received before the age of 18. 
     In fact, children are more susceptible to UV damage than adults because they tend to spend more time outside than adults. And, according to the American Optometric Association, children are at a greater risk of UV damage because the lenses of their eyes are more transparent, which allows more short wavelength light to reach the retina.
     As part of the new children's eye health and education program, Star Pupils by Prevent Blindness America, Real Kids Shades, a company dedicated to providing quality eyewear for infants, toddlers and older children, is now offering parents the opportunity to purchase specially designed Star Pupils sunglasses that offer 100 percent UV-A and UV-B protection. The infant sunglasses may be purchased for $14.99 and all proceeds from the purchase will help fund the Star Pupils program.
     For more information on Star Pupils, visit www.starpupils.org.

The purpose of this research was to study the effect of extrinsic controls on blinking by examining blink parameters and tear stability among adapted soft contact lens (CL) wearers performing tasks that require varying amounts of visual concentration.
     The Demographic Questionnaire, Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire, and Current Symptoms Questionnaire were completed by 15 adapted soft CL wearers (nine females). Three 55 seconds simultaneous measurements of tear film stability via retroillumination and blinking were obtained with a slit-lamp biomicroscope and 200 Hz video camera while subjects listened to music and played a video game with and without their habitual CLs. Interblink interval (IBI) and blink amplitude (BA) were calculated. The area of break-up (AB) was calculated for the retroillumination image before each blink. The Current Symptoms Questionnaire was completed four times throughout testing.
     With the game compared to music, IBI was significantly longer and BA significantly decreased without CLs (p</= 0.001). With CLs, the IBI did not significantly change between tasks but the BA significantly decreased (p = 0.100). The AB significantly increased with CL and the game (paired t-test, p</= 0.001). The BA was significantly correlated with self-reported severity of dry eye for all testing scenarios (Spearman r>/= 0.5579, p< 0.0001) and several symptom measures (Spearman r>/= 0.6262, p< 0.0001). The AB was significantly correlated with symptom measures including bothersome discomfort for the game with and without CLs (Spearman r >/= 0.5064, p< 0.0001).
     The researchers concluded that during tasks requiring concentration, the IBI increased (blink rate decreased) and many blinks were incomplete without CLs. With CLs, tear film instability increased. Blinking frequency also increased, but it remained high when subjects played the game, and symptoms of ocular irritation increased. This suggests that wearing soft CLs, even when fully adapted, provides enough extrinsic ocular surface stimulation to override internal controls and affect blink parameters.
Jansen ME, Begley CG, Himebaugh NH, Port NL. Effect of Contact Lens Wear and a Near Task on Tear Film Break-Up. Optom Vis Sci 2010.

Replacement schedules for most contact lenses in the U.S. are 2 or 4 weeks. Interestingly, I am often asked for my thoughts on whether or not there are any clinical ramifications of lens deposition with this frequency of lens replacement (compared to the old days of yearly replaced lenses, for example). There is no question that there are still about 10% of patients who will be heavy depositors with 2 and 4 week replacement lenses, and these patients are certainly more likely to experience an impact from this heavy level of deposition. However, I think we need to also focus on the remaining 90% of our patients who deposit at much lower levels. Often when not visible with a slit-lamp, deposition is easy to forget in our day-to-day clinical routines, but I think we need to be careful not to do so. As is typical with many things in life, it's often when we let our guard down that we are most vulnerable to an attack.
     So, what should we do? I can think of at least a few things: choose materials wisely (those that resist deposition), consider even more frequent replacement, select efficacious care systems, and educate your patients on the continued importance of proper lens care and timely replacement.
Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO 

This month at www.siliconehydrogels.org: a review of the potential uses, efficacy, safety and clinical performance of antimicrobial contact lens technology.