CONTACT LENSES TODAY

September 19, 2004

Contact Lenses Today^® is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week, CLToday^® reaches more than 10,000 readers in 74 countries.

Inaugural OCRT Meeting to Take Place
The Optometric Council on Refractive Technology (OCRT) will hold its first annual meeting and educational seminar on December 8, 2004 at the Tampa Convention Center before the American Academy of Optometry meeting. The combined registration and OCRT dues will be $100 and the meeting will include a full day of interactive education, breakfast, lunch and an evening social. OCRT expects O.D. attendance to be close to 400. The program will include presentation of the latest technology, intraocular procedures vs. corneal procedures, debate on controversial topics such as co-management and optometric ownership of laser centers and a uniquely optometric perspective on the functional rehabilitation of the human visual system through refractive technology. For more information, e-mail Louis Phillips at lp@sightlinelaser.com or call (724) 933-5588.

Dropouts Linked to Corneal Oxygen Deficiency
After interviewing more than 1,500 U.S. patients between the ages of 12 and 59 who exclusively wore eyeglasses for vision correction, CIBA Vision found that 19% had formerly purchased and worn contact lenses but had discontinued wear. This spring 2004 data indicates an estimated 13.8 million contact lens dropouts in the vision correction population in this age range. When asked to report the reasons for dropping out of contact lenses, 47% cited discomfort as the primary reason, which was mentioned three times more frequently than any other reason. According to CIBA Vision, each of the symptoms the patients cited (discomfort, end-of-day discomfort, red eyes, dry eyes) can be potentially associated with corneal oxygen deficiency, which high-oxygen transmissible silicone hydrogel contact lenses address, says the company.

Wavefront-Guided CLs in Store for Future
Ophthonix and Optical Connection have announced a strategic alliance that will produce wavefront-guided contact lenses. The Ophthonix Z-View aberrometer captures low- and high-order aberration measurements, which can be used to create Ophthonix iZon spectacle lenses. Under the new alliance, these wavefront measurements can also be used to produce iZon by Definition contact lenses, made by Optical Connection. The iZon contact lenses will be available no later than the first quarter of 2005 through Ophthonix and Optical Connection.

New from CIBA Vision -- O₂OPTIX^™ - The Healthy Choice for Daily Wear
Corneal metabolism varies widely and there is no simple test to predict requirements for individual patients. Maximizing oxygen transmissibility helps protect against the signs and symptoms of corneal oxygen deficiency, especially in patients with the highest O₂ demands, including those who wear thicker lens parameters.

New O₂OPTIX from CIBA Vision provides oxygen transmissibility more than five times higher than the leading soft contact lens.
O₂OPTIX - Breathable Lenses Designed for Healthy Eyes
http://www.cibavision.com
--ADVERTISING

Blanchard to Launch New Lens, Educate ODs
Blanchard Contact Lens, Inc. plans to launch the Rose K2 Aberration Control lens throughout North America on December 1, 2004. The company will host its annual authorized distributor meeting in Henderson, Nev. November 11 - 14, during which Dr. Paul Rose will present the new Rose K2 lens design. Also, authorized Rose K distributors will be hosting practitioner presentations and Dr. Rose will offer two-hour CE lectures (11/9 Portland, OR; 11/10 San Francisco/Bay Area; 11/15 Dallas; 11/16 Atlanta; 11/17 Boston; 11/18 Buffalo, NY). For further details, get in touch with the authorized Rose K contact lens distributor in your area.

Verisyse/Artisan IOL Approved
The FDA has approved the Verisyse/Artisan phakic IOL for use in myopic patients. The FDA-approved product labeling will indicate that the Verisyse/Artisan lens is suitable for the reduction of myopia in adults who have myopia ranging from -5.0D to -20.0D and in patients 21 years old and older. Advanced Medical Optics is currently coordinating surgeon training and certification for the Verisyse lens in the United States and expects to begin releasing the product to trained surgeons by next month.

Herbal Eye Drop Now Available
Molecular Health Commerce, Inc. has introduced an eyecare product to its PrimaVu brand of specialized herbal healthcare products. According to the company, PrimaVu Herbal Eye Drops Acuta has been carefully formulated, in accordance with homeopathic principles, to help cleanse and soothe the eyes, relieving the irritation or "itchiness" associated with exposure to allergens and environmental contaminants such as pollen, smog, smoke, dust and pollution. The product contains a special combination of homeopathic dilutions of four herbal ingredients: fennel, yellow sweet clover, German chamomile and euphrasia (eyebright). According to Molecular Health Commerce, its eye drop products offer "a refreshing alternative for those who are seeking a gentle, more natural choice to the traditional 'pharmacy' formulas." To learn more, visit http://www.molecularhealth.com.

Correction
The abstract in the September 5 edition of CLToday read, " . . . Patients wore soft contact lenses (ionic [etafilcon A] and nonionic [polymacon] high-water for six hours . . . . " Because no high-water, polymacon material exists, the abstract should have read, ". . . and nonionic [polymacon] low-water for six hours . . . ." We apologize for the incorrect information.

Abstract: Examining the Impact of Manufacturing Method on CLs
In establishing the clinical impact of three different methods of manufacture used to produce soft contact lenses, researchers investigated the clinical performance of five lens types by undertaking a prospective, double-masked, randomized, crossover study. Three of the lenses were made from poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) by three different manufacturing processes (lathing, spin casting and cast molding) and two lenses were cast molded from hydroxyethyl methacrylate/methacrylic acid and hydroxyethy methacrylate/glycerol methacrylate (HEMA/GMA). Thirty four soft contact lens wearers wore each lens for one month on a daily wear basis and researchers measured several clinical variables such as ocular response, visual acuity, lens fitting, prelens tear film, lens surface dehydration, subjective response and protein deposition. The researchers found that in general, the HEMA/GMA lens performed inferiorly compared with the other cast-molded lenses and thought it to be the most difficult lens to handle. The spun-cast lens deposited the least protein of the pHEMA lenses but in general, the spun-cast pHEMA lens performed inferiorly compared with the other pHEMA lenses. The researchers concluded that overall, their work has shown that manufacturing method and material composition have a fundamental effect on many clinical properties of a lens and therefore, method of manufacture is also an important consideration in the overall performance of a soft contact lens. Maldonado-Codina C, Efron N. Impact of Manufacturing Technology and Material Composition on the Clinical Performance of Hydrogel Lenses. Optometry & Vision Science 2004 Jun;81(6):442-454.

Editor's Commentary: Report Noncompliance with FCLCA
Recent examples of non compliance with the new Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act (FCLCA) by non-licensed suppliers of contact lenses have been noted including: No date and time on faxes, multiple requests after receiving the doctors response, refusal to accept "prescription has expired" responses, selling without a prescription, ignoring the eight-hour rule, substituting lenses and unintelligible recorded messages (AOA News Aug. 30, 2004). You can file complaints at http://www.ftc.gov or AOA members can report at http://www.aoa.org or eye care practitioners can also send an email copy of any complaint to FTCcomplaint@aoa.org.

Fitting Tip: Wearing Schedules: Pushing the Limits
I have been seeing an increasing number of patients over wearing their contact lenses and most of these are wearing two-week disposable lenses. I often hear the same type of response from my new patients: "My last doctor said I could wear these for four weeks or until they bother me." In the past, I always just assumed that the patients just misunderstood their instructions, but I've seen this so much more lately, that I have to believe that it's happening. When we give patients such advice we're hurting them and from a practice management standpoint, it's also hurting the contact lens companies and us.
--John Chatelain, O.D.
Houston, Texas

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.

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