CONTACT LENSES TODAY

July 6, 2003

Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches 9,314 readers in 74 countries.

1-800 and Cole National Broaden Choices for Customers
Cole National Corporation and 1-800 Contacts have signed an agreement under which 1-800 customers receive discounted eye exams from a network of ODs who are contracted with Cole Managed Vision and associated with more than 1,500 Pearle Vision, Pearle VisionCare, Sears Optical and Target Optical stores in the United States. As an added benefit, Cole's Pearle VisionCare, Sears Optical and Target Optical stores will offer 1-800 customers value pricing on eyeglasses, sunglasses and other vision products. Customers recommended to Cole National stores will be directed to 1-800 Contacts for contact lens business.

Says Jonathan Coon, 1-800 Contacts' chief executive officer, ". . . this relationship gives our customers three well-known retail optical brands to choose from to meet their other eyewear needs."

Monthly Online Lectures Cover GP Topics
The Rigid Gas Permeable Lens Institute (RGPLI), in association with the Contact Lens Manufacturers Association, hosts monthly, live online symposium sessions in which contact lens fitters can communicate with industry experts. The session for July will be held on the 15th and will focus on corneal reshaping and young people. The first hour of discussion, which starts at 9:00 pm Eastern Time, will be limited to the topic, presented this month by Drs. Jeff Walline and Marjorie Rah. Attendees may ask any GP lens-related questions during the remaining 30 minutes. Visit http://www.rgpli.org/chat.htm to see session topics slated for upcoming months.

Walman Acquires PC Optical
Minneapolis-based Walman Optical has announced its acquisition of PC Optical Products, a regional provider of GP contact lenses. Walman will operate PC Optical as a separate business entity and will keep the manufacturing facility, product lines and personnel in place.

CV ENCORE TORIC: So Much More Than Just "Location, Location, Location." -- It's patient preference, parameter range and in-stock product availability. Recent studies show that 95% of patients prefer CV Encore Toric to the leading disposable toric. And with the addition of a -2.25D cylinder power and sphere powers from +6.00 to -8.00D, you can now fit more of your patients with the most advanced disposable toric. Plus, you'll appreciate more than 99% in-stock product availability. For more information on this outstanding toric lens, contact CooperVision at (800) 341-2020 or visit the Web site at http://www.coopervision.com.
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Carr Joins ASCO as President
Leland W. Carr, OD, dean of the College of Optometry at Pacific University, has been elected to a one-year term as president of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO). Succeeding David S. Loshin, OD, PhD, Dr. Carr will focus on promoting the profession through a coordinated and collaborative approach with the American Optometric Association and the American Optometric Student Association.

OSI Again Honored with Contact Lens Vendor of the Year Award
For the second consecutive year, LensCrafters has named Ocular Sciences, Inc. as its Contact Lens Vendor of the Year for 2002 and has named the company's Versaflex brand two-week disposable toric lens as its Disposable Product of Choice. According to LensCrafters, the selection of the award recipient was based on numerous criteria including superior product, product value and outstanding customer service and support.

New CLES Chairs Plan for Next Meeting
The Contact Lens and Eyecare Symposium (CLES) Education Task Force recently selected three chairs (S. Barry Eiden, OD, FAAO, of the American Optometric Association; George A. Stern, MD, MBA, of the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists; and Keith W. Harrison, FCLSA, of the Contact Lens Society of America) to oversee the development of continuing education courses for the second annual CLES meeting in January 2004.

Abstract: CLs Valuable in Managing Unsatisfactory Surgery Results
Researchers in London concluded that contact lenses can be a valuable method of managing poor visual acuity following refractive surgery after they reviewed case notes of consecutive patients referred to a contact lens clinic after unsuccessful refractive surgery. The main outcome variables in determining success were visual improvement, contact lens tolerance, fitting characteristics and wearing time. Practitioners at the clinic fitted 13 eyes with conventional GP lenses, 10 with soft lenses and 19 with reverse geometry GP contact lenses. Of the 42 eyes, the contact lens visual acuity was better than the spectacle acuity in nearly 60% of eyes, equal in 33% and worse in 7%. Thirty three eyes were still wearing their lenses at the last visit.
Hau, S.S., Ehrlich, D.P. Contact Lens Fitting Following Unscuccessful Refractive Surgery. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2003 Jul;23(4):329-40.

Editor's Commentary: Not a Bad Idea
Our fitting tip this week discusses giving patients extra lenses to try at home. Some practitioners don't like to leave lens power selection up to their patients, thinking that it lessens their professionalism and is too much like trying on shoes or road testing a bike. But I have found that giving a couple different powers to established patients who are good reporters and who are trustworthy helps to fine tune the final prescription at home, at work or at play.

Fitting Tip: Let Your Progressive Patients Decide
To speed up the process of fitting soft progressive contact lenses, when a patient has slight difficulty seeing at far or at near, I will give him two contact lenses of slightly different powers (+/- 0.25) for whichever distance is most problematic. The patient will then decide at home which of the two lenses in conjunction with the one for the other eye works best out in the 'real world.' As a note, there is absolutely no need for patients to return for follow up in a (traditional) week. I have them return by three days with their feedback.
--Steven Wexler, OD
Naperville, Ill.

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