Abbott announced it will acquire Visiogen, Inc., an ophthalmic medical device company specializing in the development of new vision alternatives for patients with cataracts.
    Visiogen's accommodating IOL, called Synchrony, is designed to deliver improved vision at all distances. "Visiogen's Synchrony lens allows Abbott Medical Optics to enter the growing accommodating IOL segment and enhances our premium IOL portfolio that includes the Tecnis Multifocal lens," said Jim Mazzo, senior vice president, Abbott, and president, Abbott Medical Optics. Synchrony has been implanted in more than 1,200 eyes and has been the subject of extensive clinical studies both in the U.S. and internationally. Synchrony has received CE mark designation and has been available commercially in Europe since January 2009. It also is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
    Abbott entered the vision care segment following its February 2009 acquisition of Advanced Medical Optics. Abbott Medical Optics offers a range of cataract, refractive and corneal products.

CooperVision announced it has once again expanded the parameters of Avaira two-week replacement silicone hydrogel lenses. With the addition of new plus sphere powers of +0.25D to +8.00D on a new 8.4mm base curve, Avaira's parameter range now extends from -12.00D to +8.00D.
     Avaira is available in a base curve of 8.4mm and 8.5mm, a diameter of 14.2mm, a Dk of 100, and a Dk/t of 125. The water content is 46 percent. Currently approved for daily wear throughout the United States, Avaira is available in a six-lens pack or a three-lens trial carton.

Patients wearing contact lenses for astigmatism feel the lens sometimes rotates on the eye, resulting in blurry vision. The Accelerated Stabilization Design (ASD) of ACUVUE OASYS^™ Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM provides greater stability by harnessing the pressure of the blink. ASD has four zones of stability to help maintain the position of the lens, resulting in more consistent visual acuity during repetitive eye movements and throughout everyday activities. So with ACUVUE OASYS^™ Brand for ASTIGMATISM, you provide your astigmatic patients with stable, crisp vision throughout their day.
For more information, click here.

ACUVUE Brand Contact Lenses are indicated for vision correction. As with any contact lens, eye problems, including corneal ulcers, can develop. Some wearers may experience mild irritation, itching or discomfort. Lenses should not be prescribed if patients have any eye infection, or experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, redness or other eye problems. Consult the package insert for complete information. Complete information is also available from VISTAKON, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., by calling 1-800-843-2020 or by visiting jnjvisioncare.com.
     ACUVUE, ACUVUE OASYS, and VISTAKON are trademarks of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. 2009.

--ADVERTISING

A Memorandum of Understanding to establish the American Board of Optometry (ABO) was signed by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) president, Dr. Mel Shipp. ASCO joins the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), the American Optometric Association (AOA), and the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) in establishing the new board certification body. The ABO is the entity that will develop and implement the framework for board certification and maintenance of certification.
     "ASCO is pleased to partner with other organizations to ensure the delivery of high quality patient care services by optometrists," Dr. Shipp said. "As a member of ABO, ASCO will be better able to ensure that the optometric education provided by its member institutions is consistent with this objective."

A U.S. judge granted a motion by Bausch & Lomb to exclude testimony from an expert witness in lawsuits against the company. Judge David C. Norton ruled the plaintiff did not submit any peer-reviewed studies, articles or case reports concluding that there is a causal relationship between B&L's ReNu with MoistureLoc and non-Fusarium infections.
     B&L said that in Fusarium-related cases where people were directly affected, the company sought to compensate them fairly, and has done so through more than 600 settlements. The company added it has vowed to fight vigorously where there is no scientific basis for claims, and will continue to do so, and that the court's ruling is consistent with this approach.
     "We believe the courts reached the correct decision based on the facts and the law," said Robert Bailey, Bausch & Lomb's corporate vice president and general counsel.

The Contact Lens Spectrum calendar, which mailed with the November 2008 issue, highlights an interesting and challenging contact lens case each month. The September case report, Don't Assume Status Quo for Traumatic Aniridia, follows the case of a patient which supports the importance of re-evaluating complicated cases that you may inherit . To view the details of the case, visit www.clspectrum.com/photocalendar.asp?month=September.
     Visit the Contact Lens Spectrum case report page after the first of every month to review details and images from the latest case study. You can also view case studies from previous months in the archive at the bottom of the page.
--ADVERTISING

The purpose of this study was to determine if Class I ultraviolet (UV)-blocking contact lenses prevents UV-induced pathological changes in a rabbit model. Twelve rabbits were assigned to one of three treatment groups (n = 4) as follows: 1) senofilcon A (Class I UV blocking) contact lenses; 2) lotrafilcon A contact lenses (no reported UV blocking); or 3) no contact lens. The contralateral eye was patched without a contact lens. Animals received UV-B (1.667 J/cm2) and UV-A (0.245 J/cm2) exposures daily for five days. Post-mortem tissues were examined as follows: in the cornea, expression of matrix-metalloproteinases (MMPs) was evaluated by zymography and apoptosis was evaluated by TUNEL and caspase-3 ELISA; ascorbate in the aqueous humor was evaluated by NMR spectroscopy; crystalline lens apoptosis was evaluated by TUNEL and caspase-3 ELISA.
     The exposed corneas showed a significant increase in MMP-2 and -9, TUNEL positive cells and caspase-3 activity in the lotrafilcon A group compared to the senofilcon A group (all p = 0.03). A significant decrease in aqueous humor ascorbate was observed in the exposed lotrafilcon A wearing group compared to the exposed senofilcon A wearing group (p = 0.03). Exposed crystalline lenses had significantly increased caspase-3 activity in the lotrafilcon A group compared to the senofilcon A group (p = 0.03). Increased numbers of TUNEL positive cells were noted in both the lotrafilcon A and non-contact lens groups.
     Researchers concluded they had shown that senofilcon A; Class I UV-blocking contact lenses are capable of protecting the cornea, aqueous humor, and crystalline lens of rabbits from UV-induced pathological changes.
Chandler HL, Reuter K, Sinnott LT, Nichols JJ. Prevention of UV-Induced Damage to the Anterior Segment Using Class I UV Absorbing Hydrogel Contact Lenses. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2009.

Our editorial staff at Contact Lens Spectrum diligently works to ensure that our publication is perceived as being credible by our readership. It should be considered a core value for any successful medical publication and it is something we do not want to take for granted. I would like to get your thoughts on how we can continue to maintain and improve our credibility. We value your opinions on content, format, and contributors. Please let me know if you have any thoughts as we are open to any ideas and suggestions (tips@cltoday.com).
Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO  

This month at www.siliconehydrogels.org: adverse events with daily wear of silicone hydrogels, SEALs with extended wear, controlling case contamination, contact lens complications, and part two of our AAO 2008 synopsis.