CONTACT LENSES TODAY
August 5, 2007
Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Carla Mack and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches more than 12,000 readers in 74 countries.
FDA Concerns Patients May Still be Using Complete MoisturePlus
On August 1, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that many consumers might not be aware of the May 2007 recall of Advanced Medical Optics' (AMO) Complete MoisturePlus multipurpose contact lens solution and continue to use the recalled product. Following the recall announcement, it says several cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that involve use of the solution. The agency said that individuals who wear soft contact lenses should immediately stop using the product and discard all remaining solution, including partially used or unopened bottles. For additional information and recommendations, see the FDA Preliminary Public Health Notification, May 31, 2007 at http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/safety/053107-acanthamoeba.html.
AMO Withdraws B&L Offer
On August 1, Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) issued a letter to Bausch & Lomb's (B&L) Special Committee of the Board of Directors, withdrawing the company’s offer to purchase B&L. "It is clear from the way Special Committee has run the go-shop process and the unrealistic hurdles that have been uniquely imposed on AMO that you do not have any interest in providing your shareholders with the opportunity to receive the $75 per share offer that we have proposed," reads the letter, signed by AMO Chairman, President and CEO James V. Mazzo. The letter also suggests that the Committee is intent on delivering B&L to Warburg Pincus at $65 per share, a transaction AMO says is inferior to its proposal. "Accordingly, we have withdrawn our offer," the letter continues, "If, in the future, you decide to run a process that is designed to deliver value to your shareholders, please let us know."
B&L Acquires Alimera's Soothe
Bausch & Lomb (B&L) has acquired Soothe emollient eye drops from Alimera Sciences. Soothe, renamed Soothe XP, re-establishes the eye’s lipid layer, reducing tear evaporation and sealing in moisture, says the company. B&L has also started shipping Soothe lubricant eye drops long lasting relief preservative free, a formulation that uses a hydrophilic polymer to interact with the eye’s mucin layer to stabilize and rebuild the tear film, says B&L.
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Global Keratoconus Congress 2008
Contact Lens Spectrum and the LWW Health Care Conference Group will host the second Global Keratoconus Congress (GKC), January 25-27, 2008, at Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. As with the 2007 meeting, the 2008 congress will include information for vision care professionals in all disciplines, with both surgical and non-surgical treatment options. GKC 2008 will also feature 15 new speakers providing hands-on workshops, strategies for irregular astigmatism and expert insights into fitting after surgery and corneal trauma. More than 500 participants attended the 2007 meeting, which was accredited for continuing education under COPE, NCLE and JCAHPO and offered 17.5 credit hours. Those interested in attending the 2008 Global Keratoconus Congress can visit www.GKCongress.com for more information or to register for this unique meeting. Companies interested in exhibiting should contact Heather Seasholtz at 215-643-8073.
Additionally, the Educational Program Committee of the Global Keratoconus Congress invites the submission of abstracts for the Free Papers and Scientific Posters Competition to be held January 25-27, 2008 in Las Vegas. Papers and Posters related to keratoconus, corneal topography, post penetrating keratoplasty or related irregular corneal surface, gas permeable lens and lens care topics are welcome. Please visit http://www.GKCongress.com for information.
TVCI Opens Program to Olympic Athletes
The Vision Care Institute (TVCI) of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) will now offer its AchieveVision program to Olympic athletes and hopefuls to help optimize their visual skills in preparation for the Beijing 2008 Olympic games. A survey conducted with the United States Olympic Committee found that fewer than 50% of current Olympic athletes received an eye exam within the last year, even though 87% believe vision plays an important role in success in their sport. The program is a customized visual skill assessment and improvement program designed to evaluate and optimize dynamic visual skills such as hand-eye coordination, peripheral vision and reaction time.
CooperVision Opens Office in Shanghai
Recognizing the growing Asia-Pacific contact lens market, CooperVision has opened an office in Shanghai, China, establishing a direct sales presence in the country. Over the last four years, the company has also opened sales offices in South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.
Abstract:
Morbidity of Corneal Infiltrative Events Associated with CL Wear
A study published in this month’s Cornea aims to determine the chronic morbidity of corneal infiltrative events (CIEs) associated with contact lens wear. Researchers used slit-lamp biomicroscopy, confocal microscopy and ultrasound pachymetry to examine the central corneas of 13 patients who suffered a CIE 24 +/- four months prior. They also recorded visual acuity and administered a questionnaire to ascertain the type and extent of changes in lens wear and care after the CIE.
Slit-lamp biomicroscopy revealed the presence of a 1.5mm circular scar in the central cornea of the right eye of the patient with the most clinically severe CIE. However, no residual scar or abnormality was detected in any of the other 12 patients. Investigators found no significant difference between the two eyes with respect to basal epithelial cell density, anterior or posterior keratocyte density, endothelial cell density, polymegethism or pleomorphism, corneal thickness or visual acuity. They observed markedly reduced pan-corneal cell counts, increased endothelial polymegethism and reduced corneal thickness in the affected eye of the patient with the most severe CIE. After having suffered a CIE, many patients changed their lens type or brand, ceased to routinely sleep in their lenses or wore lenses less often.
The authors conclude that contact lens-associated CIEs in general do not compromise the long-term integrity of the cornea. They say changes in lens-related behaviors of CIE patients were aimed at reducing the risk of recurrence. They also report that more severe CIEs may be associated with chronic tissue morbidity.
Efron N, Morgan PB, Makrynioti D. Chronic Morbidity of Corneal Infiltrative Events Associated With Contact Lens Wear. Cornea. 2007 Aug;26(7):793-9.
Editor's Commentary:
Reader Tips
I have wondered if our readers find our fitting tips useful. As I looked back through all of the tips for 2007, some of the best were reader commentary or observations and not fitting tips at all. Others, like Dr. Anderson's below, are additions to previous tips, which makes me think you really are reading them.
In response to Dr. Anderson's recommendation of corneal topography, I think it's worth repeating that corneal topography now has its own separate, billable procedure code (CPT 92025) for 2007. You must also interpret and report your findings in your medical record.
The title of my first editorial was, "Change is Good." Continuing with that theme, CLToday is taking on a new look in the very near future. Be on the lookout.
Carla Mack, O.D., F.A.A.O.
Fitting Tip:
Use Topography for Keratoconus
I enjoyed Dr. Mellinger's tip on piggyback systems for keratoconus (CLToday, July 22). I agree that a combination of a low-power silicone hydrogel and a high-Dk GP will protect the cone and provide the patient greater comfort. Another tip that I use: capture topography maps over the low-power SiHy lens on these challenging patients. Try this over a low-plus, as well as a low-minus, lens and go with the lens that yields the most reliable topography map. This will give you a better idea of which lens design and initial diagnostic parameters to chose for the optimum GP fit.
Dianne Anderson, O.D.
Aurora, Ill.
Best of the Month
Dr. Alan Saks submitted the "Best Fitting Tip of the Month" for July. His tip, "Traveling for CL Care," may be seen in the, July 17, 2007 edition of CLToday.
This month at http://www.siliconehydrogels.org enter the topical discussion into the classification of silicone hydrogel lenses into specific categories. Follow the work of Dr Phil Morgan et al who have independently examined the oxygen permeability of current silicone hydrogel lenses using a new and repeatable technique, and read into the use of custom designed silicone hydrogel lenses.
Report adverse contact lens reactions here: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/ or call (800) FDA-1088.
Send your favorite tips to tips@cltoday.com -- if your tip is selected as 'Best of the Month,' you'll receive a free T-shirt (see http://www.CLToday.com for details). Please include your full name, degree or title and city/state/country.
Visit Contact Lens Spectrum ( http://www.clspectrum.com ) for interactive clinical posters and issue archives. Visit Contact Lenses Today for our Best Fitting Tips.
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