CONTACT LENSES TODAY

August 31, 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.

Lower Cholesterol and Fight Age-Related Maculopathy at Same Time
A team of researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham studied 550 patients newly diagnosed with age-related maculopathy and reported their results on the effect of statins on these patients in the August issue of the British Journal of Ophthalmology. The researchers found that the patients who had maculopathy were 50% less likely to have been prescribed a statin, which is a cholesterol-lowering drug, than were the 5,500 control patients (who did not have maculopathy). Interestingly, they found no difference between the two groups of patients in the use of other types of cholesterol-lowering drugs. According to the researchers, a clinical trial is the only way to see if statins really do lower the risk of developing age-related maculopathy or slow the rate at which it progresses.

Sunglasses Possibly More Than Just Sun Protection?
Yale University researcher Dr. Marc Abreu developed a new technology, called TempAlert, that constantly reads body temperature. Hong Kong-based Giant Wireless Technology Ltd expects to launch commercial applications of the technology, which could take the form of an eye patch or conventional sunglasses, as early as next year. According to Dr. Abreu, a small area of skin around the eyes and nose is connected to a "thermal storage center" in the brain and this area has the thinnest skin and the highest amount of light energy. By constantly reading body temperature, TempAlert could help prevent heat stroke and dehydration in athletes and couples could use it to detect ovulation and track fertility.

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Ophtec and AMO Granted Expedited Review Status for Phakic IOL PMA
The FDA has accepted Ophtec USA, Inc.'s and Advanced Medical Optics' (AMO's) Pre-Market Approval (PMA) application for the Artisan/Verisyse phakic intraocular lens. In addition, the FDA has assigned expedited review status to the product, which Ophtec will continue to market under the trade name Artisan, and AMO will continue to market under the name Verisyse. AMO has global distribution rights and has marketed the Verisyse lens in Europe since 2002.

The current PMA application is for the correction of myopia in phakic eyes ranging from -5.00D to -20.00D and, according to the companies, is the first of several planned product offerings that will include indications for the treatment of hyperopia, astigmatism and cataracts, all of which are currently approved for use in Europe.

Color CL Survey Reveals Contrasting Results
Vistakon recently conducted a survey of 150 eyecare professionals in which 74% of respondents stated that they felt that color contact lenses provide a significant source of growth and profit for their practices. Ninety percent of eyecare professionals said that color contact lenses don't have to be a drain on their chair time and 83% reported that fitting plano patients with color lenses would help grow their practices. Despite the positive feedback, only 6% of the survey respondents proactively recommend color lenses, 53% present color lenses as one of several options and 41% only prescribe them if a patient requests the option. Therefore, since this study also found that only 18% of patients who wear contact lenses use color lenses, eyecare professionals can tap into significant growth and profit opportunities by fitting more patients with color lenses.

Update On Advanced Corneal Systems (now ISTA Pharmaceuticals) and Corneaplasty
Our story last week was not current enough and for that we apologize.

Founded in 1992 as Advanced Corneal Systems, Inc., the company changed its name to ISTA -- the Lakota Sioux Indian word for the eye. ISTA had two products in the early stages of clinical development based on formulations of hyaluronidase: Keratase and Keraform. The company has slowed the development of these formulations as treatments for corneal opacification and keratoconus, respectively.

Nevertheless, CLToday believes that someone somewhere is still investigating "Corneaplasty." More on this later.

Abstract: Experimental Bifocals Provide Good Binocular Visual Function
Researchers measured 30 former Acuvue Bifocal wearers for high and low contrast visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. Good contrast sensitivity using both eyes together was found with experimental, anterior-surface difractive soft contact lens bifocals. Subjective responses seemed to parallel the good visual acuity and contrast sensitivity measurements.
Soni, PS; Patel, R; and Carleson, RS. Is Binocular Contrast Sensitivity at Distance Compromised with Multifocal Soft Contact Lenses Used to Correct Presbyopia? Optom Vis Sci. 2003 July; 80(7):505-514.

Editor's Commentary: CLMA to Meet this Weekend
This week's fitting tip points out the underutilized value of GP contact lenses. Astigmats, those who want extended wear and who have astigmatism, those who have irregular corneas and young myopes are all great candidates for these lenses. And most of these patients will end up with some of your healthiest corneas and will be the most loyal to your practice. This weekend the Contact Lens Manufacturers Association (CLMA) meets in Bal Harbour, Florida. See http://www.clma.net/members2.htm for more details.

Fitting Tip: Take a Positive Approach
As a practicing OD who has worn PMMA lenses for 14 years and GP lenses for 24 years (currently progressive GPs), I constantly tell patients that as long as the cornea is healthy (I have been plugged top and bottom for 12 years with Herrick plugs), there's no reason not to wear contact lenses for as long as you want. I'm also surprised at how few young ODs prescribe GPs in general and they almost never prescribe GP bifocals. These lenses work a lot better than soft bifocals and require a lot less chair time.

For whatever reason, I'm seeing more presbyopes in the 45- to 50-year range in the last few months. How can you "sell" monovision and bifocals if you don't wear them? Similarly, I imagine a car salesperson can sell SUVs a lot better if he drives one. It helps if patients see that you believe and use a product. If you want to be in the contact lens business, you'd better wear them.
--Robert D. Bard, OD
Whitesboro, Texas

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