Vistakon Launches 1·Day Acuvue TruEye Brand Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses
"1·Day Acuvue TruEye is a breakthrough in contact lens technology with a distinctive balance of properties that enables it to offer exceptional comfort, comparable to a contact lens-free eye," says Dave Brown, President, Vistakon. "Fifteen years after Vistakon introduced the world's first one-day disposable soft contact lens, we continue our heritage of and commitment to bringing healthy vision to everyone, everyday through innovative new products."
1·Day Acuvue TruEye combines narafilcon B, a next generation, high-performance silicone hydrogel material and Hydraclear 1, a proprietary formulation of the patented Hydraclear technology with the hygiene, flexibility and convenience of a one-day replacement lens, according to the company. It also offers the highest level of UV protection in a contact lens.
An ongoing one-year, 94-subject, randomized, investigator-masked, parallel group study, compares patients wearing 1·Day Acuvue TruEye with patients who have never worn contact lenses. After one month of wear, 1·Day Acuvue TruEye was shown to have no significant effect on the ocular surface of the eye as compared to non-contact lens wearers across five of six contact lens related measures associated with eye health. In addition, the company reports that 1·Day Acuvue TruEye was also shown to provide high levels of comfort from morning to night, comparable to wearing no lens at all.
"The data suggests that 1·Day Acuvue TruEye can help maintain ocular health with the near 'no-lens' experience, and keep the lens wearing eye looking white and healthy, while also providing consistent comfort throughout the day," says Colleen Riley, OD, MS, FAAO, Vice President, Professional Development, Vistakon.
More information on 1·Day Acuvue TruEye is available at www.jnjvisioncare.com/trueye.
B+L and Lions Clubs Partner to Fight Childhood Blindness
The Pediatric Cataract Initiative will utilize the resources of both organizations to identify, fund and promote innovative methods of overcoming this issue for the long-term benefit of children, their families and their communities.
During the first year, the Initiative's primary focus will be on the People's Republic of China, where at least 40,000 children are estimated to suffer from pediatric cataract. The prevalence of pediatric cataract ranges from one to four children per 10,000 births in developing countries - ten times the rate of occurrence in developed nations.
"Bringing new vision to the eyes of the world requires more than just developing innovative products," said Brent Saunders, Chief Executive Officer, B+L. "We believe that with significantly more attention and funding placed against pediatric cataract research, prevention and treatment, we can truly make a difference in the lives of children worldwide."
Members of the Pediatric Cataract Initiative global advisory council include: Chairman Gullapalli "Nag" Rao, MD, MBBS, PhD, founder of the L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India, and known worldwide for his humanitarian efforts to prevent blindness; Joseph Barr, OD, MS, FAAO, Vice President, Global Clinical & Medical Affairs and Professional Services (Vision Care), B+L; Sean P. Donahue, MD, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Clare Gilbert, MD, MSc, Professor in International Eye Health, International Centre for Eye Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London University; Scott Lambert, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology and Pediatrics, Emory University; and Lipika Roy, MD, MBA, head of Asia-Pacific Medical Affairs (Pharmaceuticals), B+L. In addition, Lions Clubs International Foundation will name one of its members to serve on the advisory board in July 2010.
For additional information, visit www.PediatricCataract.org.
Menicon Acquires Lagado Corporation
Lagado will continue to operate from its current location in Englewood, Colorado, as a supplier of contact lens materials to custom gas permeable (GP) and soft contact lens manufacturers. The acquisition by Menicon will enable Lagado to further improve its product range and enhance the service level to Lagado's existing customers worldwide, and will help Menicon expand its global presence in the custom contact lens market. Menicon will expand its product offerings to custom manufacturers by adding the Lagado product line to Menicon Z and other Menicon polymer products.
It is Menicon's intention to maintain and further intensify the material R&D activities at Lagado under the direction of Bill Hoffman, polymer chemist and co-founder of Lagado. Hoffman will remain as a consultant to Lagado for the next five years.
"Menicon's deep commitment to high-performance oxygen permeable contact lenses is one of the key reasons for expansion into the custom contact lens materials field. Lagado provides a base from which to develop new and innovative polymers for custom lens applications, and creates for Menicon an expanded connection to the community of specialist contact lens labs and fitters in North America and beyond. It is not Menicon's intention to restart lens manufacturing in North America. Rather, Menicon plans to deliver exceptional services and technology to the custom lens laboratories as a lens material supplier as well as a dependable business partner," commented Toshio Matsushima, Senior Executive Officer, Menicon Co.
The management team to lead Lagado moving forward will be headed by Jonathan Jacobson, President of Menicon America.
SynergEyes Modifies Design of Multifocal Lens
The Peripheral Blend modification slightly flattens the lens at the GP periphery and the soft skirt to create a less pronounced landing zone across a broader area of the peripheral cornea. Patients with small corneas, corneas with high eccentricity values, and any patient experiencing discomfort, tightness, or removal issues, when all other parameters are optimized, will benefit from the Peripheral Blend modification.
SynergEyes Multifocal lenses are available in a wide range of parameters for newly emerging to advanced presbyopes. For more information, visit www.MyAgelessVision.com or call 877-733-2012.
Uncover the contact lens patients who are suffering silently
$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.
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Schultz Retires from Allergan; Skule Named Sr. Vice President, U.S. Eye Care
In his six-year tenure with Allergan, Joe successfully led the U.S. Eye Care Sales and Marketing team to significant achievements, including the launch many new products, and hiring, developing and promoting key talent. He also served as an integral part of the North America Management Team.
Joe brought more than 20 years of pharmaceutical experience to Allergan, including leadership roles served at Johnson & Johnson in Ortho Biotech, Ortho-McNeil and J&J International. He started his career at Pfizer.
The company also announced the promotion of Kevin Skule to Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, U.S. Eye Care, effective August 2, 2010.
Kevin has held the General Manager, Canada, role for six years. Prior Allergan leadership positions include VP, Managed Markets; Director of Managed Markets; Director of Marketing for Eye Care; Customer Marketing Manager; Product Manager; and Area Manager. Kevin's experience also includes Director of Sales and Manpower Development in Europe, and he began his Allergan career as a Territory Manager.
SynergEyes Expands Executive Management Team
DeAngelo brings to SynergEyes over 25 years of national sales management and sales operations experience. He spent 15 years at CooperVision during which time he was responsible for various aspects of the contact lens division including holding the position of Senior Sales Director for five years. Most recently he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for BEST Life and Health Insurance Company of Irvine, CA.
Fancher joined SynergEyes in May of 2008 after spending 14 years in key global sales and marketing leadership positions with CooperVision. From 2005 until his retirement from the company in 2006, he was President of CooperVision Surgical, Inc. Prior to that he was the Senior Vice President of Sales for the contact lens division of CooperVision.
"These key appointments are instrumental as SynergEyes introduces second generation silicone hydrogel hybrid contact lens products later this year and continues to establish the company's position in the global contact lens market," said Jim Ham, President and CEO, SynergEyes, Inc.
Abstract: Risk Factors for Corneal Infiltrative Events During Continuous Wear of Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses
Subjects (n=205) were fitted with lotrafilcon A lenses for continuous wear and followed for one year. The main exposures of interest were corneal staining and bacterial lens contamination. Kaplan-Meier (KM) plots were used to estimate the cumulative unadjusted probability of remaining CIE free and Cox proportional hazards regression was used to model the hazard of developing a CIE as a function of key predictor variables.
The KM unadjusted cumulative probability of remaining CIE free was 73.3%. About 53% of subjects had repeated episodes of corneal staining (mild or greater), and 11.3% had repeated episodes of moderate or greater corneal staining. Corneal staining was not associated with the development of a CIE. The frequency of substantial bacterial bioburden on worn lenses at the time of a CIE was 64.7%, compared to only 12.2% during uncomplicated wear. The presence of substantial lens bacterial bioburden was associated with the development of a CIE (adjusted hazard ratio (HR)=8.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.88-26.01). Smoking was also associated with a CIE (adjusted HR=4.13, 95% CI 1.27-13.45).
Researchers concluded that corneal staining is common during continuous wear with SH lenses, but it is not associated with the development of a CIE. Smoking and substantial lens bacterial bioburden pose prominent risks for CIE development. In this study, over 70% of the total risk of CIE in those with substantial lens bioburden is attributable to this exposure.
Szczotka-Flynn L, Lass JH, Sethi AK, et al. Risk Factors for Corneal Infiltrative Events During Continuous Wear of Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2010.
Editor's Commentary: Recent Findings Regarding Corneal Infiltrative Events
Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO
Report possible grievances related to the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act or associated Contact Lens Rule at: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/.