CONTACT LENSES TODAY

May 16, 2004

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


Unlicensed Retailers Still Selling Plano Cosmetic CLs
At the recent Pediatric Academic Society meeting in San Francisco, Melissa Fletcher, of Cleveland MetroHealth's Division of Adolescent Medicine, presented information on the prevalence and public health risk of nonprescription cosmetic contact lenses. The researchers used a sample of 158 patients aged 12 to 20 years who presented for routine care. They took race, individual use and sources for obtaining contact lenses into account and found that a quarter of their study sample reported use of cosmetic contact lenses. Fifty percent of these individuals obtained their lenses from nonlicensed distributors and adolescents who acquired lenses from nonlicensed distributors were significantly less likely to be instructed on appropriate lens care and handling. The researchers concluded that further study would prove beneficial in ascertaining whether these facts pose a significant health risk.
Rose K Names New North America Master Distributors
Rose K International has named Blanchard Contact Lens (Manchester, New Hampshire) and Les Laboratoires Blanchard (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada) as its new Master Distributors for manufacturing, sales, marketing and distribution in North America. Blanchard will provide product support for the existing Rose K lens as well as for the new Rose K2 Aberration Control lens, which will be released in the future. To celebrate the new partnership, eyecare practitioners can register each Rose K lens they order from June 14 through September 30, 2004 for a chance to win a trip for two to New Zealand.
Lens Dynamics Drops Rose K Lens
Lens Dynamics, Inc. will no longer be involved in the manufacturing or sale of Rose K lenses. President Al Vaske thanks all practitioners who have worked with the design. The company will continue irregular corneal work, with the continued sale of its Dyna Intra-Limbal Series of lenses, which includes the Standard Series of large-diameter lenses and the new Nipple Cone Series lenses. These designs are now available in the Menicon Z material.
Ocular Sun Exposure Linked to ARM
According to an article in the May issue of The Archives of Ophthalmology, extended exposure to summer sunlight in early adulthood may increase the risk for developing age-related maculopathy (ARM). Researchers examined the association between sunlight exposure and sunlight sensitivity and the 10-year incidence of ARM among people aged 43 to 86 years who were first examined between 1988 and 1990 as part of the Beaver Dam Eye Study. Of the total participants, the researchers followed 3,684 for five years and 2,764 for 10 years. In those who reported being exposed to the most sunlight, the use of hats and sunglasses at least half of the time was associated with an approximately 50% lower risk of developing drusen and retinal pigment. Those who reported more than 10 severe sunburns during their youth were 2.5 times more likely than those who experienced one or no sunburns to develop drusen within 10 years.
PRACTITIONERS REGARD SILICONE HYDROGELS AS AN EMERGING STANDARD ACCORDING TO A RECENT CIBA VISION SURVEY  
Ninety-one percent of practitioners agree with the statement, "Silicone hydrogels represent a superior contact lens material that will ultimately become the standard in soft lenses."
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Westcon Adds Color to Horizon Lenses
Westcon Contact Lens Co., Inc. is now offering all of its Horizon Lenses from basic spheres to bifocal torics in enhancement tints: blue, green, brown and aqua.
CIBA Aids in Optometry School's Renovations
CIBA Vision has donated $500,000 in Canadian dollars (approximately $360,594 in U.S. dollars) to the University of Waterloo School of Optometry in Ontario, Canada for renovation and expansion of the school's facilities. The company gave its donation in honor of Dr. Desmond Fonn, professor at the optometry school, who is internationally recognized for his ongoing contributions to the eyecare and contact lens fields as well as for his commitment to the optometry school's expansion project. The school recognized CIBA Vision's generosity by naming a conference room in the Center for Contact Lens Research after the company.
Abstract: Investigating the Effect of CL Materials on Tear Physiology
In an attempt to determine the biocompatibility of a material with the prelens tear film (PLTF), researchers measured evaporation rate, thinning characteristics and lipid layer changes in the PLTF associated with wearing different soft contact lens materials. Twenty habituated contact lens wearers wore five different soft lens materials in a random order on the left eye at visits separated by at least 24 hours. The researchers took baseline measurements of the PLTF before lens insertion and determined PLTF 30 minutes after commencing lens wear. They found no statistically significant differences for any of the baseline PLTF data and no significant difference in evaporation rate change or in tear thinning time between the five contact lenses. Generally, all soft contact lens materials significantly and adversely affected tear physiology by increasing the evaporative rate and decreasing tear thinning time. The researchers concluded that the surface wetting ability of all contact lens materials exhibited no significant difference irrespective of the special surface treatments.
Thai LC, Tomlinson A, Doane MG. Effect of Contact Lens Materials on Tear Physiology. Optometry & Vision Science 2004 Mar;81(3):194-204.

Editor's Commentary: Advice on CL Care
Dr. Brent Allen's comments below are so very apropos. This is a great tip. One major problem though is that the "leading seller" in the United States for "one-bottle" lens care is a private-label multipurpose solution. So what you could do is line up all of the major brands on your shelf for a patient to observe and if he doesn't choose one, you could assume it's a private label and switch him to your favorite new product and hope he sticks with it. You could ask him where he bought it and go see what's in it, especially if he's having a problem. Or you could buy every mass merchandiser's, grocery store's and pharmacy's private- label brand to have on your shelf. You can also have your staff tell patients to bring their solutions in and hope they do. Unfortunately, with the private- label versions, they may actually change formulation or manufacturer from time to time. Even though the private-label solution often costs less, you have to wonder how many patients they irritate because of the fact that they're almost always old technology.
Fitting Tip: Keeping Track of CL Solution Brands
When taking a history, I've found that patients never seem to know the name of their contact lens solution. In the past, I've even had to quiz them on the appearance of the bottle to determine the brand. I now have one of each solution on a shelf in my exam room and when I ask a patient to remove his contact lenses part way through the exam, I simply ask him to choose his solution from my selection on the shelf. This way, I accurately find out the patient's solution without a large number of questions. In fact, most times patients don't even realize that I'm noting their response at all.
--Brent Allen, Optometrist
Trail, British Columbia, Canada

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Report adverse contact lens reactions here: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/ or call (800) FDA-1088.
Access a reporting form for complications you've seen that were a result of contact lenses dispensed without a valid prescription at the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry's (ARBO's) Web site: http://www.arbo.org/arbo.asp?dt=R&doc=Complications. Complete and send the form online or print it out and fax it to (866) 886-6164.
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