CONTACT LENSES TODAY

September 26, 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.

Luxottica Cleared to Acquire Cole
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently cleared Luxottica Group's proposed acquisition of Cole National Corporation. The companies expect the transation to close on October 4, 2004, at which time shares of Cole National's common stock will be converted into the right to receive $27.72 per share, including the stipulated 4% annum from July 22, 2004 (the date of Cole National's stockholder approval of the merger) through the closing date.
Register Now, Get 30% Off CLES Fee
The Contact Lens and Eyecare Symposium (CLES) has announced that eyecare practitioners who register before November 30, 2004 can take advantage of early bird discounts of up to 30% off of the full registration fee. CLES will be held January 19 - 22, 2005 in San Diego, Calif. For more information, visit http://www.cles.info or call (866) 515-CLES.
Cooper Introduces New Product Portfolio, Launches New Multifocal Products
CooperVision recently introduced the latest addition to its Proclear line of contact lenses, the Proclear Multifocal, which combines Proclear's patented PC Technology and CooperVision's proven Balanced Progressive Technology. According to the company, this combination creates a premium soft multifocal lens that provides all-day comfort, visual acuity at every distance and the flexibility to fit virtually all of your presbyopic patients.

Cooper has also now fully integrated UltraVue 2000 into the CooperVision multifocal product portfolio with Cooper's Balanced Progressive Technology lens fitting system. The company says that this introduction is part of CooperVision's strategic focus on the growing multifocal lens market. To learn more, visit http://www.coopervision.com.
ACUVUE® ADVANCETM is the first contact lens to incorporate HYDRACLEARTM technology,
a combination of a new oxygen-rich material and a remarkable moisture-rich wetting agent that permeates the ACUVUE® ADVANCETM contact lens, creating a unique, silky, soft feel. HYDRACLEARTM is one of the many reasons ACUVUE ADVANCE contact lenses help keep eyes looking white. In fact, in a recent clinical trial, after patients wore ACUVUE® ADVANCETM with HYDRACLEARTM for 30 days, their eye were as white as with no lenses at all.*

For whiter eyes, recommend the NEW STANDARD in Daily Wear - ACUVUE® ADVANCETM with HYDRACLEARTM.
Visit http://www.ecp.acuvue.com for more details on ACUVUE® ADVANCETM with HYDRACLEARTM.
*Data on file
--ADVERTISING
New Lens Has Silicone Hydrogel and GP Properties
The FDA granted marketing clearance to Lagado Corporation for its ONSI-56 (onsifocon A) rigid silicone hydrogel contact lens. According to the company, the silicone hydrogel polymer has been formulated to hydrate on the surface like a soft silicone hydrogel while remaining rigid in the interior of the lens. The lens is available in the following colors: blue, green, gray, blue UV and onsure (blue-violet) and has a Dk of 56. For more information, call (800) 574-2581.
New GP Fitting System Will Satisfy CL Wearers' Desire for Immediate Gratification
In November, a new contact lens fitting system will be available, courtesy of Key Distributed Products International (KDPI). The Naturalens Dispensing Inventory System (DIS) will allow for the immediate dispensing of GP contact lenses, specifically Naturalens lenses, says the company. It uses only six base curves that cover six diopters and uses one large diameter. There are only 120 lenses in the dispensing inventory system. According to KDPI President Keith Parker, doctors will be able to take a lens out, put in on a patient's eye and then send them away that day with a lens. For more information, visit http://www.key.DPI.com.
Progent Now Available Through Paragon
Paragon Vision Sciences, Inc. has expanded its alliance with Menicon Co., Ltd. and will offer Menicon's FDA-approved premier protein remover, Progent, through its network of laboratory partners. The two companies formed this alliance in an effort to support the needs of the more than 2,000 Paragon CRT-certified practitioners in the United States and those practitioners who are fitting all brands of GP contact lenses. Progent is available through authorized Paragon Laboratories. Visit http://www.menicon.com for a complete list of distributors and for contact information.
Correction
On November 15, 2004, Dr. Rose will present a two-hour lecture on the Rose K2 Aberration Control lens in Denver (not Dallas). Blanchard Contact Lens, Inc. plans to launch the Rose K2 Aberration Control lens throughout North America in December. Also, authorized Rose K distributors will host practitioner presentations and Dr. Rose will offer two-hour CE lectures (11/9 Portland, OR [800-547-6330]; 11/10 San Francisco/Bay Area [800-547-8815]; 11/15 Denver; 11/16 Nashville [800-367-4009]; 11/17 Boston [800-367-4009]; 11/18 Buffalo, NY [800-433-3261]). Call the number of the authorized Rose K contact lens distributor that corresponds with the venue of interest for more information.
Abstract: ICL for Treating Myopic Refractive Errors
Researchers reported on the three-year post-op safety and efficacy outcomes with the Myopic Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) in 526 eyes of 294 patients with between 3.0D and 20.00D of myopia. At three years, 59% had 20/20 or better visual acuity and 95% had 20/40 or better uncorrected visual acuity if best spectacle-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 and patients were targeted for emmetropia. Sixty-eight percent of patients were within 0.5D and 88% were within 1.0D of predicted refraction. The mean improvement in best spectacle-corrected visual acuity ranged between 0.5 and 0.6 lines. At least three years of post-op, three eyes (0.8%) decreased by ³ 2 lines of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity, in contrast to 40 eyes (10.8%) that improved by a similar amount. Contrast sensitivity improved post-op. Early, largely asymptomatic, presumably surgically induced anterior subcapsular opacities (trace or greater) were seen in 14 eyes (2.7%), with only two being clinically significant. Five eyes (0.9%) of three patients developed nuclear opacities of grade >2 at two to three years post-op. The researchers concluded that their three-year results from this standardized, multicenter clinical investigation support the safety, efficacy and predictability of ICL surgery to treat moderate to high myopic refractive errors.
Sanders DR, Doney K, Poco M. United States Food and Drug Administration Clinical Trial of the Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) for Moderate to High Myopia: Three-Year Follow-Up. Ophthalmology 2004 Sep;111(9):1683-1692.
Editor's Commentary: Intacs for Keratoconus
We are always looking for new ways to care for our patients and to keep them informed. You may want to check out these two Web sites to help you learn more about keratoconus lens care: http://www.keratoconussolution.com (for doctors) and http://www.intacsforkeratoconus.com (for patients).
Fitting Tip: One-Step GP Solutions
There has been recent consumer interest in and manufacturer introduction of one-step GP solutions that combine the soaking and cleaning functions of traditional two- or three-bottle systems. While these are primarily convenience-driven, one-step solutions can also disrupt and even decrease previous wearing time by incompletely cleaning the lens surfaces. The resulting unclean surfaces create more chair time for eyecare practitioners by increasing the number of GP complaint visits with symptoms of filmy or hazy vision, foreign body sensation and decreased wearing time. Patients may quickly blame either the "fit" of the lenses or the material. Eyecare practitioners may also assume the problem is material-based and abruptly shift the patient to either an older GP material or refit to a soft lens. You can easily resolve the one-step bottle problem by having the patient switch back to a two- or three-bottle solution system. Sometimes a weekly enzyme may be needed to supplement cleaning in cases where a patient has a significant allergy that produces an excessive amount of mucus.
--Bob Grohe, O.D.
Homewood, Ill.
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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