Art Optical Contact Lens, Inc., a provider of custom-designed gas permeable and soft contact lenses, is introducing their newly enhanced, practitioner-focused, interactive website. Effective Monday, June 14, www.artoptical.com will feature a series of specialty lens design calculators and fitting tools, along with easier, more intuitive navigation. The site has also been enhanced for viewing from mobile devices, with additional mobile features currently in development for release in the near future.
     Art Optical's Director of Professional Relations, Erik Anderson, NCLE, MBA, played a key role in the overhaul of artoptical.com. "We strategically designed the revamped site knowing that demand for web-based applications and online product research continues to grow," Anderson said. "Our goal at Art Optical is to be the ultimate resource for information on custom contact lenses, and this round of web enhancements brings us closer to that goal."
     In addition to the interactive lens design tools and calculators, the newly optimized web site features specialty lens training webinars/videos, fitting tips and product updates, and an archive of published articles on topics of interest to specialty lens fitters. Art Optical's extensive line of custom lenses and supplies, as well as direct links to the "Ask-A-Consultant" and "Send-A-Topo" e-mail options remain available. The new fitting tools and other new features are ready to explore at www.artoptical.com.

The AOA Foundation Board of Directors recently adopted Optometry Cares as its new name to better suit its mission to expand eye health and vision care access for everyone in the U.S. in order to enhance human performance and quality of life. 
     The programming of Optometry Cares remains the same: InfantSEE, VISION USA, Endowment Fund, Optometry's Fund for Disaster Relief, The Archives & Museum of Optometry and the National Optometry Hall of Fame.
     "The Board is enthusiastic about Optometry Cares and the direction this new name sets for the Foundation," said Martha Rosemore Greenberg, OD, President of Optometry Cares. "What sets Optometry Cares, the AOA Foundation, apart from other optometric philanthropic endeavors is its extensive and intensive volunteer support."
     A new logo and new collateral for the Foundation will follow in the weeks and months ahead.

Women of Vision (WOV) is launching a Women of Vision Speakers' Bureau for the benefit of members and the industry at large.
     This initiative came about due to recent changes in PhRMA, AdvaMed and ARBO guidelines which will take effect in January 2011. The WOV Speakers' Bureau will be able to facilitate the needs of both speakers and sponsors by building a speaker database and helping both groups adhere to the new guidelines.
     All WOV members interested in lecturing are invited to register for the Speakers' Bureau. WOV sponsors are encouraged to utilize the Bureau to book lecturers, but all manufacturers and companies are welcome to the Bureau's services. Companies interested in working with the WOV Speakers' Bureau will be able to choose from lecturers broken out by category, such as specialty, location and experience.
     Please contact Gretchyn M. Bailey, NCLC, FAAO at gretchyn@mac.com with any questions. 

Patients wearing contact lenses for astigmatism feel the lens sometimes rotates on the eye, resulting in blurry vision. The Accelerated Stabilization Design (ASD) of ACUVUE® OASYS® Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM provides greater stability by harnessing the pressure of the blink. ASD has four zones of stability to help maintain the position of the lens, resulting in more consistent visual acuity during repetitive eye movements and throughout everyday activities. So with ACUVUE® OASYS® Brand for ASTIGMATISM, you provide your astigmatic patients with stable, crisp vision throughout their day.
For more information, click here.

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.
     ACUVUE®, ACUVUE® OASYS®, and VISTAKON® are trademarks of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
© Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. 2010.
--ADVERTISING

Bausch + Lomb (B+L) has appointed Hideyuki Ashikaga as President, Bausch + Lomb Japan. He will be responsible for leading B+L's teams in Japan and will oversee the company's marketing, commercial, legal and governmental affairs efforts.
     Ashikaga was most recently with Nippon Becton Dickinson Company, Ltd. where he served as Business Director of Pharmaceutical Systems and then as President of BD's Japan subsidiary. Prior to Nippon Becton Dickinson Ltd., Mr. Ashikaga was Marketing Director of Johnson & Johnson's DePuy Orthopedics unit in Japan.
     "Hideyuki brings with him over two decades of multi-functional and general management experience and a strong record of results in the health care industry," said David Edwards, Corporate Vice President and President, Bausch + Lomb Asia Pacific. "I look forward to working together with Hideyuki as we continue to build strong teamwork and camaraderie across B+L."

Allergan, Inc. has received CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation, recognizing the organization's commitment to taking concrete actions to reduce the cancer risk of its employees and their families through screenings, early detection, and healthy changes in lifestyle and in the workplace.
     William C. Weldon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson, chairs the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, a nonprofit organization of cancer-fighting CEOs who created the CEO Cancer Gold Standard, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, many of its designated cancer centers, and leading health non-profit organizations and professionals. Today, more than one million and a quarter employees and family members are benefiting from the vision and leadership of employers who have chosen to become Gold Standard accredited.
     "The leadership and commitment of Allergan and their CEO, David Pyott is exemplary," said Weldon. "CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation is further testament that Allergan's efforts to improve health begin with improving the health of their own employees."
     The CEO Cancer Gold Standard calls for companies to evaluate their health benefits and corporate culture and take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas of health and wellness to fight cancer in the workplace. To earn Gold Standard accreditation, a company must establish programs to reduce cancer risk by discouraging tobacco use; encouraging physical activity; promoting healthy diet and nutrition; detecting cancer at its earliest stages; and providing access to quality care, including participation in clinical trials.

Bausch + Lomb CEO Brent Saunders has been named to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Upstate New York Regional Advisory Board. The board is comprised of a group of distinguished New York business leaders who provide ground-level financial and economic insights into business conditions across the upstate region.
     "Members of the Upstate New York Regional Advisory Board provide us with valuable information which is helpful in carrying out our responsibilities as the central bank," said William C. Dudley, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. "The board is a critical resource which allows us to hear firsthand input on the key economic and financial issues affecting our businesses and communities in the region. We greatly appreciate the service of all of our members."

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of symptomatic dry eye on vision-related daily activities.
     A population-based survey of eye diseases was conducted on 3280 (78.7% response rate) Malay persons aged >/=40 years, who were randomly selected from designated areas in southwestern Singapore. Participants were administered a standardized dry eye questionnaire consisting of six questions on symptoms, a questionnaire on vision-related daily activities, and underwent a comprehensive systemic and ocular examination. Symptomatic dry eye was defined as one or more self-reported symptoms that were frequently present (ranked as often or all the time). Logistic regression method was used to examine the relationship of symptomatic dry eye with difficulty in performing daily activities.
     In adults without visual impairment, symptomatic dry eye after adjusting for age, gender, and presenting visual acuity was significantly associated with difficulty in vision-related activities such as navigating stairs (odds ratio (OR)=1.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28-3.00), recognizing friends (OR=1.99, 95% CI: 1.45-2.73), reading road signs (OR=1.87, 95% CI: 1.36-2.57), reading newspaper (OR=1.50, 95% CI: 1.11-2.04), watching television (OR=1.90, 95% CI: 1.26-2.87), cooking (OR=1.94, 95% CI: 1.02-3.71), and driving at night (OR=2.06, 95% CI: 1.32-3.21).
     The researchers concluded that symptomatic dry eye was associated with difficulty in performing vision-dependent tasks, independent of visual acuity and other factors. These findings have public health significance and suggest that the visual dysfunction in dry eye should be further characterized.
Eye advance online publication, 21 May 2010; doi:10.1038/eye.2010.67.
Tong L, Waduthantri S, Wong TY, et al. Impact of symptomatic dry eye on vision-related daily activities: The Singapore Malay Eye Study. Eye (Lond) 2010. 

I've recently been observing and discussing some interesting preliminary results regarding soft lenses designed to reduce the rate of myopia progression in children. Some relatively new and exciting technologies are being used in clinical trials and practice, particularly in Asia. Look for comprehensive coverage of this topic in an upcoming full feature article in Contact Lens Spectrum by Eef van der Worp, BOptom, PhD and Jeffrey J. Walline, OD, PhD. 
Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO 

This month at www.siliconehydrogels.org: fitting silicone hydrogels for patients with sub-optimal endothelial cell function, tear exchange rate with silicone hydrogel lenses, and our synopsis of silicone hydrogels at the 2009 AAO meeting.