CONTACT LENSES TODAY

August 4, 2002

Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches 8,693 readers in 74 countries.

Injunction Reinstated: Court Halts Manufacture and Sale of PureVision Lenses in U.S. B&L to Manufacture Lenses in Ireland
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied Bausch & Lomb's (B&L’s) request for a permanent stay of the injunction issued by the U.S. District Court on June 26. The ruling reinstates the injunction, which prohibits B&L from making and selling its PureVision contact lenses in the United States while the company proceeds with its appeal. As of Friday, B&L can no longer sell PureVision lenses directly to customers. Doctors who get their contact lenses from the company will not be able to order PureVision lenses from B&L.

B&L announced on Friday that it will make its PureVision lenses in its Waterford, Ireland, plant during the appeal process, which could take up to 18 months. According to the company, the transfer of PureVision manufacturing from its U.S. plant will allow B&L to continue to meet the needs of eyecare professionals who prescribe and their patients who wear PureVision lenses in Europe and Asia.

At issue is a patent infringement lawsuit, filed by CIBA Vision in May 2001, which claims that B&L’s PureVision product infringes a U.S. patent (the Harvey patent) owned by CIBA Vision's subsidiary, Wesley Jessen. On June 26, the District Court ruled that B&L’s PureVision contact lenses infringe the patent and ordered B&L to discontinue the manufacture and sale of the product in the United States.

If Bausch & Lomb loses its appeal of this case, the company cannot resume manufacture or sale of the product within the Unites States at least until 2005 when the Harvey patent expires.

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Mail-Order Firm Acquires Singapore CL Maker
Mail-order contact lens vendor 1-800-Contacts recently acquired Singapore-based IGEL, a contract manufacturer of FDA-approved contact lenses. IGEL, which currently produces 2-week disposable lenses for a major global manufacturer, has the capacity to produce 30 to 40 million lenses annually, according to the company. “IGEL gives us the flexibility to make a variety of offers to our customers and control of production and inventory,” notes a 1-800-Contacts spokesperson.

Court Lifts J&J Injunction Against 1-800
The U.S. 11th circuit court of appeals dissolved a preliminary injunction filed by Johnson & Johnson claiming that 1-800-Contacts misled consumers in its advertising of Vistakon contact lenses. The court found that statements made by 1-800-Contacts weren’t false and that J&J had failed to prove that consumers were misled.

Pearle Vision Challenges Calif. Ban
Pearle Vision is suing the state of California, claiming that it’s unconstitutional for the state to enforce a law that bars out-of-state companies from selling eyewear and providing eye exams at the same location. The California Attorney General says that the intent of the law is to ensure that customers receive quality eye care without being pressured to buy eyewear. The Ohio-based Pearle Vision states that the law stifles competition and favors in-state optometrists.

GLOBAL ORTHO-K SYMPOSIUM KICKS OFF AUG. 9
The first annual Global Orthokeratology Symposium opens in Toronto, Canada, on Friday, Aug. 9, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 11. Hosted by Contact Lens Spectrum and the BCI Health Care Conference Group, the symposium will focus on fitting concepts, lens designs and patient management techniques. Sessions will feature clinical outcomes, patient selection, on-eye fittings and an international free paper section. More than 300 practitioners from 22 countries are expected at this international conference. For more information, call (800) 549-3656; e-mail info@healthcareconferencegroup.com; or log on to http://www.healthcareconferencegroup.com.
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Abstract: Piggy Back Cosmetic Combo
A 31-year-old RK patient was assaulted and had a ruptured RK incision, not to mention irregular astigmatism. The ophthalmology and optometry team used a prosthetic soft contact lens to mask the iridodialysis and match the other eye and placed a GP lens over it for best vision (20/30). VA with refraction had been 20/100. Estrada, L.N. and Rosenstiel, C. E. Prosthetic Contact Lenses: A Role in the Treatment of Ruptured RK Incision and Iris Damage. The CLAO Journal; 28(3):107-108 (2002).

Editor's Commentary: Internet Helps With Compliance
Recent studies show that nearly 75% of doctors use the Internet. Many eyecare practices now have Web sites and many more will have them in the future, but most fail to use e-mail for patient communication. Sure, confidentiality is an issue and using the Internet as a promotional tool may offend some patients, but using it to increase compliance or facilitate scheduling is tremendously underutilized.

Fitting Tip: Keeping Tight Lids and Toric Lenses in Sync
What’s the best fit for astigmatic patients with tight lower lids? We prefer a toric design that uses a double slab-off stabilization technique instead of a prism-ballasted lens. The problem with a prism-ballasted lens is that it will fit under the lower lid and rotate every time the patient blinks. A double slab-off design can prevent this.

It’s true that once the lens fits properly (after the lens rotation has been compensated), it will be perfectly oriented, but over time, the constant presence of a mechanical insult from the tight lid to the lens will deteriorate the lens and cause it to rotate again. Also, trying a double slab-off on patients with tight lids may facilitate the initial fitting process.
--Juan Carlos de Rivero Vaccari, L.D.O., F.N.A.O., and Juan Pablo de Rivero Vaccari, F.N.A.O.

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