Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it has initiated a Phase 2 program with AzaSite (azithromycin ophthalmic solution) 1% to pursue a potential indication for the treatment of blepharitis. AzaSite is currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis.
     Inspire has initiated two Phase 2 clinical trials. One trial is a randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial at approximately 30 clinical sites evaluating the safety and efficacy of two weeks of treatment with AzaSite compared to placebo in approximately 300 subjects with blepharitis. The second trial is a randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial at approximately 30 clinical sites evaluating the safety and efficacy of four weeks of treatment with AzaSite compared to placebo in approximately 300 subjects with blepharitis. The trials will evaluate various signs and symptoms of blepharitis as well as safety and tolerability. The results from each trial are expected in the first half of 2010.

In a continuing effort to help practitioners improve patient satisfaction, Vistakon, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., announced the launch of its new Office Readiness staff training program. 
     This online training program is designed to help practitioners and their staffs quickly integrate new Acuvue products, services, and tools into the office in order to accelerate practice efficiencies in the delivery of contact lens services, according to the company. Current course topics run the gamut from improving patient satisfaction through the introduction of new contact lens technologies to how to talk to children and their parents about the option of contact lenses when vision correction is required.
     With the Office Readiness program staff control which courses they take based on what is most relevant to them and their office. Because the courses are accessible online and are broken down into brief 10-minute sections, it is easy to fit them into an office's busy schedule. Office Readiness content is appropriate for staff of all experience levels and is available at no cost to anyone who has or creates an account on www.jnjvisioncare.com.
     To register and to review the Office Readiness course offering, go to www.jnjvisioncare.com/training. For registration assistance, please call the Vistakon Support Team at 1-888-574-0028 or email OfficeReadiness@jnjvisioncare.com.

There are only a few days remaining for participants to send in their data for the Survey of Contact Lens Prescribing 2009. Contact Lens Spectrum (CLS) is working with Eurolens Research in conducting a survey to investigate the current state of contact lens prescribing in the United States. Details can be found in the February 15, 2009 issue of Contact Lenses Today.  
     To download the form, please visit www.cltoday.com/USsurvey2009.doc. After clicking the link you will be prompted to Open or Save the document. Please save the document to your computer. Later, you can fill in your data and save the information at your convenience. We are requesting data on only ten contact lens patients.
     Please remember that completed survey forms should be emailed Lisa Starcher at lisa.starcher@wolterskluwer.com or faxed to 215 827-5390 no later than May 15, 2009. If you have any questions, please call Lisa Starcher at 215 367-2168. 
     Thank you for your assistance with this important work.

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To help parents, caregivers and others who have an interest in seeing children perform their best, the American Optometric Association (AOA) Sports Vision Section and Safe Kids Worldwide have teamed up to offer a free educational brochure, titled Healthy Eyes for Peak Performance. 
     "We know there's a connection between optimal vision and optimal performance, so good eye health and vision correction should be a consideration for performance-minded individuals of all ages - on the field and off," says Graham Erickson, OD, and Chair of the AOA Sports Vision Section. "This free brochure provides parents with a better understanding of how to foster and maintain their children's healthy vision for peak performance."
     Both glasses and contact lenses are good options for those who need vision correction - and Healthy Eyes for Peak Performance sheds new light on a growing body of research about the benefits of contact lens use beyond vision correction alone.
     The brochure also offers practical advice on how to maintain children's healthy vision, including information on the importance of regular eye exams, the harmful effects of extended exposure to the sun, and the necessity of protective eyewear during sports activities. 
     Healthy Eyes for Peak Performance is supported by Vistakon, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., and can be viewed or downloaded at the following websites: www.safekids.org/eyes and www.aoa.org/performance.xml. To order a set (50 brochures) for your office, please e-mail your request to peakperfomance@inkandroses.com. Make sure to include your name and complete address, including zip code.

Aton Pharma, Inc. announced that results from a large (n = 520) multicenter patient registry study of its Lacrisert ophthalmic insert were presented during the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). The multicenter, 2-visit, open label, 4-week study was conducted to determine both physician and patient acceptability and ease of use of Lacrisert in adult patients with a history of dry eye syndrome. A patient registry study is designed to examine a wide range of correlations and show predictive relationships.
     Bruce H. Koffler, MD, presented data from the study in a poster, "Lacrisert (hydroxypropyl cellulose ophthalmic insert) Significantly Improves Symptoms of Dry Eye Syndrome and Patient Quality of Life." As reported by Dr. Koffler, mean ocular surface disease index (OSDI) total scores for patients in the study significantly improved by more than 21% over the four weeks of the study; this was over and above any improvement patients may have gained from previous dry eye therapies administered before the study.
     A second poster at ARVO based on the patient registry study, "Effect of Lacrisert on the Signs and Symptoms of Dry Eye in Contact Lens Wearers" was presented by Stephen J. Curwen et al of Ophthalmic Research Associates (ORA). This poster focused on a sample subset of 30 contact lens wearers with a history of dry eye. Investigators reported that 70% of subjects experienced an improvement of dry eye symptoms and 53% experienced an improvement in dry eye signs while wearing contact lenses. It was also reported that Lacrisert was longer lasting 93% of the time when compared to rewetting solutions.
     Information on Lacrisert is available at www.Lacrisert.com.

This is a retrospective cohort study on an outbreak of Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) cases among contact lens wearers in Singapore.
     Patients with AK were included. Relevant demographic and clinical data were obtained from case records, and patients were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. Contact lens practices, including type of contact lens and solution used, were noted. In addition, clinical features at presentation, management, and clinical outcomes were recorded.
     Forty-two patients (affecting 43 eyes) treated between 2000 and 2007 were included. Diagnosis was made by microbiologic culture in 35 cases and by microbiologic and histologic analysis in two cases, whereas the remainder were diagnosed based on clinical features and response to treatment. There was a gradual increase in cases since 2005, with a sharp increase in 2007, when eight local patients were treated. Of 30 patients where contact lens solution data were available, 18 reported using a Complete brand multipurpose solution (Abbott Medical Optics, Santa Ana, California, USA) before the infection. Among resident cases treated since February 2006, seven (63%) of 11 patients used a Complete brand solution. Suboptimal hygiene practices were found in all patients interviewed. Fifteen patients required corneal grafting, with 11 undergoing therapeutic deep lamellar keratoplasty (DLK), two undergoing optical penetrating keratoplasty (PK), one undergoing optical DLK, and one undergoing therapeutic PK. The remainder were treated successfully medically with combination antiamebic therapy. The average duration of therapy was 116.2 days (range, 15 to 283 days). Of patients with radial keratoneuritis with or without epithelial disease, 83.3% achieved final vision of 20/40 or better, whereas this was achieved in 41.7% of those with ring infiltrate. Twenty-five percent of patients with ring infiltrate had final visual acuity of counting fingers or worse, whereas no patient with keratoneuritis and epithelial disease had final vision worse than counting fingers.
     The authors concluded that there was an increase in the number of contact lens users with AK seen in the major eye departments of Singapore. Most of the patients also reported using a Complete brand multipurpose solution before infection, and this parallels a similar outbreak in the United States. Increasing severity of infection was associated with worse visual outcomes.
Por YM, Mehta JS, Chua JL et al. Acanthamoeba Keratitis Associated with Contact Lens Wear in Singapore. Am J Ophthalmol 2009.  

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology gathered for their annual meeting this past week in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The number of people working in the contact lens and ocular surface field always continues to amaze me. It appears as though the "Cornea" section of meeting was associated with about 1,000 posters and presentations in and of itself. Innovations in research and development are critical to help continue to expand our field and help us continue to provide patients with optimal care and treatments.
Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO

This month at www.siliconehydrogels.org: the relationship between wettability and comfort; corneal ecstasia vs. corneal warpage; best lenses for aging eyes; and the effect of contact lens materials on physiology.