At the annual Association of Optometric Contact Lens Educators (AOCLE) workshop, hosted by the University of Alabama in Birmingham School of Optometry, AOCLE presented several awards and elected a new board of officers.
     The following awards were presented:
  ·  The George Mertz New Educator Travel Award, including a certificate and a travel grant to attend their first AOCLE meeting, was presented to Dr. Aaron Zimmerman (TOSU) and Dr. Annie Change (SCCO).
  · The Lester Janoff Memorial Award, which goes to an optometric educator of the AOCLE who has demonstrated excellence in the area of contact lens education, research, and publications, was presented to Dr. Langis Michaud (Montreal).
     AOCLE officers are elected every two years. The new officers for 2010-2012 are: Chair, Dr. Vinita Henry (UMSL); Vice-Chair, Dr. Bruce Morgan (MCO); Secretary, Dr. Judy Perrigin (UH); Treasurer, Dr. John Corzine (UCB) and Immediate Past-Chair, Dr. Etty Bitton (Montreal).

SynergEyes, Inc., the manufacturer of several high-DK hybrid contact lens designs, has launched a new website www.SynergEyesTransition.com for eye care practitioners seeking information on refitting SoftPerm (synergicon A) patients into SynergEyes hybrid contact lenses.
     SynergEyesTransition.com was created to help provide continuity of patient care with the recent announcement that SoftPerm lenses have been discontinued and will no longer be available. Eye care practitioners can complete a brief questionnaire on the website to help determine the best option for the needs of the patients and the practice. The website includes links to important training modules on how to properly prescribe SynergEyes lenses, as well as access to an online prescriber locator and information for eye care practitioners located outside the United States.
     "SynergEyes is committed to making this transition process as simple as possible for patients and eye care practitioners. Our family of FDA cleared lenses address a wide spectrum of vision conditions and provide features and benefits never before available in a hybrid contact lens. We look forward to helping eye care practitioners successfully prescribe our technology to their patients," said Kellie Kaseburg, Vice President, Global Marketing, SynergEyes, Inc.

Ocusoft, Inc. announced the launch of the Tears Again advanced Liposome Spray website, www.tearsagainspray.com. 
     To accommodate the growing demand for Tears Again advanced Liposome Spray and increase accessibility, Ocusoft created a website specific to the product. By visiting www.tearsagainspray.com, patients can learn more about how the spray works, seek answers to common questions and even find a dispensing practitioner nearby. The website also links directly to the Ocusoft website where patients can purchase Tears Again advanced Liposome Spray. Shipping is free.

Retention. Referrals. Return visits. Repurchase. You can see a robust growth in these areas of your practice if you satisfy every need of your contact lens patients. This means realizing that contact lenses mean more to your patients than simply vision correction. Contact lenses mean a significant lifestyle choice with emotional strings attached. Offering your patients comfortable contact lenses alone is not enough. Your patients expect more. They want contact lenses that offer hygiene, convenient modalities that can keep the lenses fresh, protection against UV exposure, and more. A tall order, but one you may well be able meet with ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses. 
     Just look at these facts. 9 out of 10 ACUVUE® Brand wearers stay in ACUVUE® Brand lenses, helping reduce chair time and unscheduled visits.¹ And more patients recommend ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses to their friends and family than any other lens.¹ When it comes to returning patients, again ACUVUE® Brand lenses lead the way with 15% more 2-week patients returning within 1 year for their annual exam than monthly patients, enabling more frequent assessment of vision and ocular health.¹ Finally, when it comes to repurchase, an overwhelming majority of patients - 9 out of 10 who wear ACUVUE® OASYS® Brand Contact Lenses and ACUVUE® OASYS® Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM - say they would definitely/probably buy this brand again.¹
     ACUVUE® Brand Contacts Lenses. Talk about the right contacts to grow your practice!

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
     WARNING: UV-absorbing contact lenses are NOT substitutes for protective UV-absorbing eyewear such as UV-absorbing goggles or sunglasses because they do not completely cover the eye and surrounding area. You should continue to use UV-absorbing eyewear as directed. NOTE: Long term exposure to UV radiation is one of the risk factors associated with cataracts. Exposure is based on a number of factors such as environmental conditions (altitude, geography and cloud cover) and personal factors (extent and nature of outdoor activities). UV-blocking contact lenses help provide protection against harmful UV radiation. However, clinical studies have not been done to demonstrate that wearing UV-blocking contact lenses reduces the risk of developing cataracts or other eye disorders. Consult your eye care practitioner for more information.
     REFERENCE:  1. Data on file, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
ACUVUE® and ACUVUE® OASYS® are registered trademarks of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
© Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. 2010
  --ADVERTISING

WatchDog Group LLC, distributor of the LensAlert contact lens and case reminder timer, announced that eye care professionals can now order the LensAlert timer customized with their practice logo. The customized product comes packaged in a contact lens care kit with three color contact lens cases and care tips. Minimum order required. For more information, contact Annie at annielensalert@aol.com.
     For more information on LensAlert products, visit www.lensalert.com.

VSP Vision Care is the first eyecare provider in the industry to offer fully-insured individual vision coverage across all 50 states, according to the company. Florida marked the 50th and final state to begin offering VSP's Individual Plan to its residents.
     VSP's Individual Plan Program launched in 2007 and provides vision coverage to tens of thousands of individuals throughout the United States. The plan includes a comprehensive eye exam, prescription lenses and options, frame and contact lens allowances.
     VSP recently surveyed its individual plan members and found the key reason for enrollment was the lack of vision coverage through their employer. Retirement, unemployment and self-employment without vision coverage were the next deciding factors.
     For more information, visit www.yourvsp.com.  

Bausch + Lomb (B+L) appointed Rodney (Rod) W. Unsworth as President, Asia-Pacific, effective July 1. Mr. Unsworth succeeds David Edwards, who has resigned to pursue other activities. Mr. Edwards will continue to advise the company during a transition period.
     "Rod has an extensive and successful record of driving transformational change in global health care companies, with a particular focus on Asia-Pacific," said Brent Saunders, Chief Executive Officer, B+L. "His counsel and leadership will be extremely valuable as we work to build B+L into a high-performance competitor in Asia and worldwide."
     Mr. Unsworth served as President, Asia-Pacific, for Schering-Plough Corporation from 2004 until its merger with Merck in 2009. From 1995 to 2002, he led transformational change with Pharmacia as President, Asia-Pacific; Global Vice President, Ophthalmology and Metabolic Diseases; and Managing Director, Pharmacia & Upjohn Australia. In 1972, Mr. Unsworth founded Delta West, the Australian pharmaceuticals company, and served as its Chairman and Managing Director for two decades. The company was acquired by Upjohn in 1992.

Plan now to attend the Global Specialty Lens Symposium to be held January 27-30, 2011 at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. This meeting will include insightful presentations by international experts in the field, hands-on demonstrations of cutting-edge products and valuable continuing education credits.
     The Educational Program Committee of the GSLS invites the submission of abstracts. Papers and abstracts related to presbyopia, keratoconus, corneal topography, post penetrating keratoplasty or related irregular corneal surface, myopia control, orthokeratology and lens care topics are welcome.
     Those interested in submitting can visit www.GSLSymposium.com for more information. Web submissions only. Deadline for submissions is August 31, 2010.
--ADVERTISING

The aim of this case report is to investigate the effect of rigid gas permeable (GP) lens fitting on visual acuity and ocular higher-order aberrations by systematically applying GP lenses with different back optic zone radii (BOZR) to a keratoconic eye.
     Eight Menicon-EX GP lenses (Menicon Co., Nagoya, Japan), which ranged from a BOZR of 7.40 to 8.10mm in 0.10mm steps, were fitted to a moderate keratoconic eye. All the trial lenses fitted had a total diameter of 9.60mm, center thickness of 0.15mm, and a back vertex power of -3.00 diopter sphere. Measurements of the higher-order aberrations were made with the GP lenses in place using a Shack-Hartmann aberrometer (IRX-3; Imagine Eyes, Paris, France). Visual acuities with the lenses were recorded using a high-contrast Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letter chart at a distance of four meters.
     As the lens BOZR value changed from 7.40 to 8.10mm, the vertical coma component was found to reduce from +0.34 to +0.21 mum; third-order root mean square error also reduced from +0.34 to +0.23 mum and total higher-order root mean square aberrations decreased from +0.35 to +0.23 mum. More over, changes in the lens BOZR from 7.40 to 8.10mm led to a substantial change in best-corrected LogMAR acuity from +0.58 to -0.30 log units.
     The results showed that a flatter GP lens fit lead to a reduction in higher-order aberrations and improvement in visual acuity in this moderate keratoconic patient. Further investigations into the changes in aberrations with different GP lens fittings and BOZR values in keratoconic eyes will help to improve our current understanding of how contact lens fitting impacts on optical performance.
Jinabhai A, Radhakrishnan H, O'Donnell C. Visual Acuity and Ocular Aberrations with Different Rigid Gas Permeable Lens Fittings in Keratoconus: A Case Report. Eye Contact Lens 2010. 

As noted by our coverage in the June issue of Contact Lens Spectrum, compliance has been, is and will continue to be a major issue that challenges eyecare practitioners. It's very difficult to change behaviors in patients and there are entire disciplines devoted to this subject in general. Case in point — I've been told that if a patient uses their multipurpose contact lens care solution correctly, they should use about one regular size (~10 oz) bottle of care solution per month (12 bottles per year). Yet, the average contact lens patient purchases only 4 or 5 bottles of care solution per year. Obviously most patients are either topping off, not rinsing their lenses, or both. Look for more on this topic in the months to come.
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.