Bausch + Lomb (B+L) is conducting a voluntary recall of its PreserVision Eye Vitamin AREDS 2 Formula with Omega 3 soft gels, only available within the United States. 
     B+L chose to initiate this recall based on a small number of reports predominantly within a specific age group, age 70 and older, who reported difficulty swallowing or a choking sensation when taking the soft gel.
     The voluntary recall is limited only to the U.S.; it does not affect locations in Europe, the Middle East or Asia-Pacific regions. Lot numbers include: 0923BK103, 0924BK103, 0924BK103A, 0925BK103A, 0926BK103A, 0927BK103A, 0928BK103A, 0929BK103A and 0930BK103A. The PreserVision Eye Vitamin AREDS 2 Formula with Omega 3 is the only supplement affected in the recall; all other PreserVision and Ocuvite supplements, soft gels and tablets, remain on the market.
     To clarify, the company states that the formulation of PreserVision Eye Vitamin AREDS 2 Formula with Omega 3 is safe. While many of people can comfortably swallow the supplement, B+L believes the design of the soft gel requires further consideration. The company wants to ensure they have a supplement which is comfortable to use on a daily basis.
     B+L expects to release an AREDS 2 formulation in a smaller soft gel which will be dosed twice per day, two pills per dose. This immediate redesign is expected to be available to customers by later this year. 
     The company has directly contacted U.S. retailers who have been shipped this product to initiate the recall and informed them of the steps they should take to return the product. Even if consumers are comfortable swallowing the soft gel, the company is urging them to return the product to B+L. Consumers who have this product in their home should call the customer service center for instructions on returning and reimbursement: 1-800-553-5340. 

The American Board of Optometry (ABO) announced that Prometric, a leading global provider of technology-enabled testing and assessment services, will be the ABO's partner in developing the new optometry board certification examination. The computer based examination will be offered across the United States and around the world through the Prometric global test center network.
     "The selection of Prometric re-emphasizes our intent to deliver a credible, psychometrically valid examination," states David A. Cockrell, OD, ABO Chairman of the Board. "Prometric's experience with the American Boards of Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and other respected organizations will be invaluable as we develop our examination. In addition, their testing delivery centers are state of the art."
     Computer-based delivery of ABO's exam is slated to begin in June 2011. The first step in the examination development process will be to complete a job analysis of the profession.  The results of the survey will be the basis for the examination's clinical content outline that will be released this fall.
     Optometrists may apply to become "Active Candidates" for ABO Board Certification on the American Board of Optometry Web site at www.abopt.org.

According to a new study conducted for the National Association of Vision Care Plans (NAVCP) by an independent research firm, health care consumers who participate in full service, stand-alone vision insurance plans are two times (33.3 percent) more likely to receive an annual comprehensive eye examination than those consumers that have vision care coverage "bundled" with their major medical plan (16.3 percent).
     The study reviewed eye exam usage patterns of nearly 85 million Americans enrolled in vision benefits programs during 2008 and 2009. The results indicate that vision plan membership has been increasing and eye exams have been utilized at a higher growth rate than membership, indicating consumers value the wellness component of their vision benefits as well as assessment of the need for vision correction. The study further bolsters the NAVCP's position that stand-alone vision plans should be included within the Health Care Exchanges contemplated by the recently passed health care reform legislation. The organization believes that this inclusion can be expected to significantly increase the number and frequency of Americans receiving routine, preventive eye care, as well as improve long-term medical outcomes.
     "For the first time, the majority of the U.S. vision benefits companies have come together to study the impact their products and services have on the lives of tens of millions of health care consumers," explains Liz DiGiandomenico, President of EyeMed Vision Care and Past President of the NAVCP. "We have always known the eye exam is an important component of overall health, but this first-ever study offers additional perspective on the role the vision plan plays in consumer usage patterns."

Your practice thrives when your patients are healthy and happy - and ACUVUE® OASYS® Brand Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR® Plus can help you fulfill this goal, by providing exceptional comfort, vision, and health. It's a fact: more than 9 out of 10 patients stay in ACUVUE® OASYS® Brand.¹ So when you fit your patients with ACUVUE® OASYS®, you're laying a solid foundation of patient commitment and satisfaction leading to practice growth.

$75 rebate for new wearers!
Good when patients get an eye exam and purchase 8 boxes of ACUVUE® OASYS® (spherical product only). Visit www.jnjvisioncare.com/rebates.jsp for more details.

1. Data on file.
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.
--ADVERTISING

Optometry Giving Sight recently unveiled its redesigned website. The site contains stories and photos of the people helped by donations to the organization. There is also a dedicated section showing how eye care professionals can get involved and help raise funds, through your practice, company, university or as an individual.
     The site's stories focus on people like Alito, who works as an Eye Care Nurse in East Timor, a country in southeast Asia. Alito related, "...in East Timor people are not educated, they live in the rural areas and there it is difficult to get access to the media. That's why they live with blindness as they don't know where they can go."
     Alito and his colleague Bernadino visited Australia in May. Their visit was organized by Micheal Knipe, Director and Deputy Chairman of the Optometrist Association Australia; National Committee Member of Optometry Giving Sight in Australia and volunteer Project Manager of the East Timor Eye Program, and Provision Optometry Teams and was designed to enhance their clinical skills and assist with their professional development.
     Although the situation has improved over the last few years, there are still very few eye care professionals in East Timor. "Maybe in total there are 10, so in some districts there are no eye care nurses. Like in my district there are 90,000 people and only myself there, so I think I am very happy with this job," said Alito.
     Read more about Alito and others helped by donations to Optometry Giving Sight. Please visit www.givingsight.org.

HOYA announced that the Company has formed a strategic partnership with Adoptics (Switzerland) through an investment that will fund the development of a shape-changing accommodating intraocular lens (AIOL).
     Commenting on the investment, Tom Dunlap, President and CEO of HOYA Surgical Optics, stated, "HOYA recognizes the significant impact that the proprietary AIOL technology will have in addressing both the presbyopic and myopic challenges of patients with cataracts. We believe the shape-changing AIOL is the most efficient and consistent way to provide the power range necessary for true accommodation and to achieve spectacle-free vision for many patients."
     Adoptics' Founder and CEO, Dr. Khalid Mentak, stated, "This strategic partnership with HOYA will help us bring to market the first shape-changing accommodating IOL that closely mimics the mode of action of young crystalline lenses. Adoptics' technology uses a proprietary fluid-based refraction system within an IOL to create significant changes in the refractive power of the human visual system. Unlike other presbyopia-correcting IOLs, the Adoptics lens does not require movement of the optic within the eye to change refractive power. The refractive surface of the IOL itself changes shape in response to movement of the ciliary muscles, the natural process of accommodation in the human eye."

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

Extended wear has long been the 'holy grail' of contact lenses by virtue of the increased convenience and freedom of lifestyle which they accord; however, this modality enjoyed only limited market success during the last quarter of the 20th century. The introduction of silicone hydrogel materials into the market at the beginning of this century heralded the promise of successful extended wear due to the superior oxygen performance of this lens type.
     To assess patterns of contact lens fitting, including extended wear, over the past decade, up to 1000 survey forms were sent to contact lens fitters in Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the UK and the USA each year between 2000 and 2009. Practitioners were asked to record data relating to the first ten contact lens fits or refits performed after receiving the survey form. Analysis of returned forms revealed that, averaged over this period, 9% of all soft lenses prescribed were for extended wear, with national figures ranging from 2% in Japan to 17% in Norway. The trend over the past decade has been for an increase from about 5% of all soft lens fits in 2000 to a peak of between 9 and 12% between 2002 and 2007, followed by a decline to around 7% in 2009.
     A person receiving extended wear lenses is likely to be an older female who is being refitted with silicone hydrogel lenses for full-time wear. Although extended wear has yet again failed to fulfill the promise of being the dominant contact lens wearing modality, it is still a viable option for many people.
Morgan PB, Efron N, Helland M et al. Global trends in prescribing contact lenses for extended wear. Cont Lens Anterior Eye 2010.

There is no doubt in my mind that contact lenses will be used more as a medical device than ever before. Not only will these lenses include medications for glaucoma, but also for control of diabetes and other medical conditions.
     This idea may be closer than we think. It's a matter of setting up trials and more manufacturers investing in this area for our patients' benefit.
Faye Algranati, OD, PhD
Wilton, CT

I believe that the future is very bright for contact lenses, fueling tremendous category growth, providing higher quality patient care, and helping to drive optometry's scope as primary care providers.
     Contact lenses of the future will drive growth in the category in several different ways, but perhaps one of the most exciting is the potential use of contacts for drug delivery to help prevent ocular surface conditions. Furthermore, with advances in nanotechnology, I believe it will be possible to use contact lenses to treat and monitor systemic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia.
     Continued growth will also come from the expansion of the daily disposable modality overall and particularly in "tween" new wearers. We already see large growth around the world of the daily disposable modality and with new materials, designs, and technologies, I believe this will continue as we move into the future.
Dennis Pardo, OD, MPH, FAAO
Manager, Medical Affairs
Academic Programs Director
Vistakon

Marketing efforts by companies should not go unnoticed by practitioners. In my opinion, the best marketing materials are based on sound science which helps explain a device/treatment or their impact on a condition. That being said, it is also critical to question the science and what is being presented to you and your practice. A few observations on your part will allow you to make a quick judgment regarding the materials being presented to you. Amongst other things, look for the presentation of a control group (both positive and negative controls are optimal), masking, and clinical relevance.
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.