CONTACT LENSES TODAY
August 20, 2006
Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches more
than 12,000 readers in 74 countries.
Optical Connection Organizational Changes
Following the decision of St. Shine Optical to take a more active role in the day-to-day operations of the company, several changes have been
made to Optical Connection’s management structure. Optical Connection is a wholly-owned subsidiary of St. Shine Optical, a Taiwanese contact lens
manufacturer.
Effective August 1, Dr. Vincent Zuccaro, president and CEO of Optical Connection will be replaced by Mr. Jeffrey Lee as president and
Mr. Ming-Hsien Chen as CFO. Kevin Bligh, senior vice president of marketing and sales and Jerry Sustakovitch, vice president of national accounts have left the
company.
Inyx to Acquire Six AMO Products
Inyx Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on niche drug delivery technologies and products, has signed a definitive agreement to
acquire six, over-the-counter eyecare products from Advanced Medical Optics (AMO):
• Lens Plus Aerosol
• Lens Plus Rewetter drops
• Lens Plus daily
cleaner
• LC-65 daily contact lens cleaner
• Hydrocare fizzy tablets
• Total solution.
Exaeris, Inyx’s marketing subsidiary, will take over
established customer relationships with leading mass merchandisers, grocers and drug wholesalers in the U.S. as well as licensed distribution channels in Europe, the Middle
East and Asia-Pacific markets. As part of the acquisition, Inyx also has first right of refusal over the next year to acquire several additional, complementary eyecare
products that AMO may divest in the future.
Wet Lens, Patient Satisfaction
Among those ages 35-49, 65% of patients who consider dropping out of contact lens wear cite dryness sensation as a key reason. ACUVUE®
OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR™ Plus are made from senofilcon A, a next generation silicone hydrogel material. The proprietary formulation includes
a remarkable moisture-rich wetting agent and no surface coating. The senofilcon A material balances properties to meet the demands of contact lens wearers in environments
that can make eyes feel tired and dry. This breakthrough material creates a lens so moist and smooth that an eyelid glides effortlessly over it. ACUVUE® OASYS™
Brand Contact Lenses can help keep your patients in contact lenses by increasing their comfort and also giving them crisp vision and healthy lens wear.
--ADVERTISING
Company Correction
In a July 25th press release, Vistakon stated its new, Acuvue 1-Day Moist contact lens is the only daily disposable contact lens with UV
blocking. The company has since provided clarification that CooperVision offers two daily disposable products with UV blocking: Biomedics 1-Day and ClearSight 1-Day.
Vistakon apologizes for the error and any confusion it may have caused.
Global Keratoconus Congress Accepting Submissions
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 26-28, 2007 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 www.gkc2007.com for
information.
Additionally, the Global Keratoconus Congress is pleased to announce that registration is open for attendees. The website has been
updated to include hotel information and a preliminary agenda as well as registration information. Please visit http://www.gkc2007.com
for information and to register
Abstract:
Novelty Contact Lens Produces Visual Loss
Researchers at the Gold Coast Hospital in Queensland, Australia report the case of a patient who developed a corneal abscess after wearing
plano colored contact lenses. A 13-year-old girl with no significant medical history was referred to for management of a left corneal abscess. She had borrowed her
friend’s plano colored contact lenses the preceeding weekend and presented to her general practitioner with a red, painful, left eye. Her community ophthalmologist
prescribed topical chloramphenicol. She was referred to the Gold Coast Hospital 24 hours later with deteriorating visual acuity, increasing pain and purulent ocular
discharge.
Upon admission, the patient’s visual acuity in the left eye was light perception. Slit lamp exam revealed a large, central, necrotic
corneal abscess and hypopyon. Corneal scrapings and the patient’s contact lens case were submitted for microscopy, Gram stain and bacterial, fungal and viral culture.
The authors prescribed fortified gentamicin, cephalothin and oral ciprofloxacin. Testing isolated
Pseudomonas aeruginosa 48 hours after admission. Clinicians then changed
treatment therapy to gentamicin and tobramycin. The patient’s symptoms abated and the ulcer re-epithelialized after scraping. She was discharged after three weeks with
marked corneal thinning, dense residual scarring and limited visual acuity (to count fingers at 30cm).
Li YC, Zeldovich A, Chua BJ, et al. Hazardous contact: a
case of visual loss following Pseudmonas keratitis from novelty contact lens wear. Med J Aust. 2006 Aug 7;185(3):173-4.
Editor's Commentary:
CL Solutions, Drops and Airplanes
Recently two of my colleagues suggested the following tips for helping patients who will be flying and carrying on their contact lens
solutions. Dr. Jeff Schafer suggests writing a prescription for what the patient needs to carry on, even if it's an OTC product. Dr. Kelly Nichols contacted the TSA
and learned the following:
Current exceptions to the ban on liquids and gels include prescription medicine with a name that matches the passenger’s ticket, and up
to 4 oz. of non-prescription liquid medications. Most eye drop prescriptions have the pharmacy label on the box (or amber container) and not the bottle, but eye drop
bottles without Rx patient labels will be allowed as long as they are under 4 oz. The typical bottle size for prescription medication and for many over-the-counter
lubricant eye drops or contact lens rewetting drops is 15mL (or about 0.5 oz.). Contact lens solution trial bottles are usually 2 oz. bottles. Multiple bottles and
non-preserved unit-dose vials can be in carry-on luggage as long as the total volume does not exceed 4 oz. So, to summarize:
• Prescription eye drops with the
pharmacy label on the bottle or box are allowed.
• A doctor’s note may suffice if Rx information is not on the bottle.
• Up to 4 oz. total volume of eye
drops/ contact lens solutions is allowed.
When in doubt, pack additional eye-related products in checked baggage. For questions or concerns about travel tips,
permitted and prohibited items, and information on filing a claim for lost, stolen or damaged items, please call the TSA Contact Center toll free at 1-866-289-9673.
E-mail TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov or
visit http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/new-items.shtm#1
Fitting Tip:
Keep Patients Moving
To help improve patient flow, I have laminated
fluorescent colored cards and printed different instructions on them based on
where a patient is in the exam process. The cards say things like, "Dilating," "Doctor needs to see trial lens," and "referral." So, after I see a patient and have checked keratometry and decided on which contact lens I want the patient to try, or after I have dilated their eyes, I place the appropriate card in the patient's chart and
send them to the front.
The technician at the front then knows what the patient needs. This has helped our office to run more efficiently, and prevents patients
from leaving before their dilated exam is complete, or before I have assessed their contact lens fit.
Kelly Scott Hynes, M.D.,
Columbia, S.C.
This month at http://www.siliconehydrogels.org, get an update of silicone hydrogels
at ARVO 2006 and review ‘oxygen flux‚’ as well as the cornea’s response to different levels of oxygen transmissibility.
Report adverse contact lens reactions here: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/ or
call (800) FDA-1088.
Access a reporting form for complications you've seen that were a result of contact lenses dispensed without a valid
prescription at the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry's (ARBO's) Web
site: http://www.arbo.org/arbo.asp?dt=R&doc=Complications. Complete and send the form online or print it
out and fax it to (866) 886-6164.
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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