CONTACT LENSES TODAY

July 27, 2003

Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches nearly 10,000 readers in 74 countries.

B&L Sues CIBA Again
Bausch & Lomb has filed a lawsuit against CIBA Vision for infringement of a U.S. patent issued recently by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office relating to chemical compositions in contact lenses. Bausch & Lomb alleges that CIBA's Focus Night & Day contact lenses infringe this patent, which is a continuation of the patent at issue in its pending suit against CIBA filed in November 2001. B&L is seeking a jury trial and has requested injunctive relief and monetary damages.

Alcon to Sell Spanish Manufacturing Facility to AMO
Alcon CUSI, S.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of Alcon Inc., plans to sell its contact lens care solutions manufacturing facility in Spain to AMO Manufacturing Spain, S.L., a wholly owned subsidiary of Advanced Medical Optics, Inc., for approximately $22 million. Projected to close in November, the sale and transfer of production will not affect the company's ability to satisfy customer demand of Alcon's contact lens care products according to Alcon. AMO has committed to employing the facility's entire related work force and Alcon will transfer the production of contact lens care products previously manufactured in Madrid to other Alcon facilities, including the facility in Fort Worth, Texas. According to Alcon CFO and Senior Vice President Jacqualyn Fouse, the sale will help make Alcon's existing manufacturing operations more efficient.

BCLA Promotes Australia Day, Invites Presenters
The British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) will hold a special Australia Day in London on September 14 to acknowledge the contribution of Australian researchers (professors Holden and Sweeney and Dr. Jalbert) to contact lens practice. The College of Optometrists and Association of British Dispensing Opticians has approved this one-day CET course, which will feature presentations from leading authorities in contact lenses, for five contact lens related CET credits. For more information, visit http://www.bcla.org.uk.

The BCLA is also inviting proposals to present a clinical workshop at the 2004 conference in Birmingham from May 21 to 23. Workshop presenters are entitled to complimentary conference registration and one night's accommodation at the conference hotel. To find out more, or to access proposal forms, visit the Web site listed above.

Alcon's Opti-Free Express brand is teaming up with Vision Council of America (VCA) to generate public awareness of the importance of eye exams for school age children as part of the Check Yearly. See Clearly. Campaign. Alcon's Optometric Sales Representatives will distribute a special Opti-Free Express brand Back to School program that contains co-branded educational and promotional materials for eyecare professionals to use to help educate parents. In addition, a free, educational poster will be available in the August issue of Optometric Management.
--ADVERTISING

Correction for Menicon Progent Use
In the July 13th edition of CLToday, we incorrectly reported that patients can clean their fluorosilicone GP lenses with Menicon's Progent protein remover. Progent is actually only for professional use in the United States to use with any FSA GP lens.

Abstract: Working with Ortho-k Options
A 12-year-old girl undergoing overnight orthokeratology manifest central corneal staining (grade 2) and central island topography associated with lens nonmovement and imprinting. Fenestrated lenses didn't resolve the lens binding and refitting with lenses that weren't designed to reach full correction resulted in safe lens wear. The patient started with -5.50 sphere and -1.75 with-the-rule (WTR) astigmatism and ended with -2.00 sphere and less WTR astigmatism OU. She didn't reach full targeting correction and spectacles were used for full correction, but the patient reported satisfaction, especially for swimming.
Chui, WS; Cho, P. Recurrent Lens Binding and Central Island Formations in a Fast-Responding Orthokeratology Lens Wearer. Optom and Vis Sci 2003 July;80(7)490-4.

Editor's Commentary: A New IOL
We reviewed some of the data presented to the FDA regarding the C&C Vision CrystaLens "accommodating" IOL this past week. I'm impressed and would consider it if I have a cataract that needs surgery in the near future. Though not yet FDA approved, it did receive the FDA Ophthalmic Devices Panel's unanimous recommendation some weeks ago. The claims will probably limit the apparent accommodation and the mechanism of anterior displacement of the lens to allow better near focus isn't completely understood, but in the hands of a good surgeon, a high proportion of patients seem to have good distance and near vision.

Fitting Tip: Avoiding Fluorescein Dampening
I find that fluorescein on the eyes of some patients fails to provide a bright reflex -- a condition often referred to as "fluorescein dampening." One way to highlight the fluorescent pattern is to add a yellow filter (hand held) in front of the slit lamp objectives. But I find this inconvenient. If you add just a small drop of a lubricant to the tears or even use a lubricant to wet the fluorescein strip, then the tears light up brightly.
--Ken King, Jr, OD, FAAO
Idaho Falls, Idaho

Fitting Tip: Boasting the Benefits of Silicone Hydrogels
When explaining the difference between silicone hydrogel and ordinary contact lens materials, I present positives that this new generation material provides that contact lens wearers can readily relate to. For example, sitting in a car with air conditioning or heat blowing toward your face will dry the surface of typical hydrogels and can be quite annoying, whereas this isn't a problem with silicone hydrogels. The same goes for athletes -- they won't have to worry about wind causing intermittent blurring when wearing silicone hydrogels. Another example would be removing ordinary hydrogel lenses after a long day of wear and finding the lens stuck to the eye. Again, this doesn't happen with silicone hydrogels. And don't forget the advantage of this new material with computer use.

Remember, not all patients are candidates or show interest in sleeping in their lenses. However, presenting differences between their habitual lenses and silicone hydrogel lenses will interest suitable candidates whether they desire to sleep in the lens or not.
--Michael Feldman, OD, FIOS
Lynbrook, N.Y.

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