CONTACT LENSES TODAY

September 29, 2002

Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches 8,874 readers in 74 countries.

Approved Calif. Bill Allows Anyone to Fill CL Prescriptions
Governor Gray Davis just signed a bill that allows Californians to get their contact lens prescriptions filled anywhere, not just through their doctors. The bill requires that online or mail-order lens sellers verify the prescription with the doctor's office if a written prescription isn't sent with the order. This is to ensure that the perscription is valid and hasn't expired. Two bills are currently pending in the U.S. Senate and House that would make the same changes in states that haven't proposed their own laws on the subject.

Still Catching Illegal CL Sellers
A vendor at the Oklahoma State Fair recently violated Oklahoma's optometry guidelines by selling contact lenses without a prescription, reported Eyewitness News 5 in Oklahoma City. Not only did the vendor violate the state's optometry guidelines, but an optometrist from the Oklahoma Board of Optometry said that he may have also violated the manufacturer's code. The Oklahoma State Fair is giving the vendor the option to pull the contact lenses and stay open for business.

The Future in CLs for Cataract Patients Holds Promise
Clinical trials for a new, light-adjustable lens will begin in the United States next spring, reports one investigator. The lens is made of a light-sensitive silicone that changes shape in response to ultraviolet light. After surgery, the patient wears sunglasses for approximately two weeks and then returns for an adjustment. Calhoun Vision, Inc., of Pasadena, Calif. makes the lens.

CV ENCORE TORIC™: So Much More Than Just "Location, Location, Location." It's patient preference, parameter range and in-stock product availability. Recent studies show that 95% of patients prefer CV Encore Toric to the leading disposable toric. And with the addition of a -2.25D cylinder power and sphere powers from +6.00D to -8.00D, you can now fit more of your patients with the most advanced disposable toric. Plus, you'll appreciate over 99% in-stock product availability. For more information on this outstanding toric lens, contact CooperVision at (800) 341-2020 or on the Web at http://www.coopervision.com.
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UK Court Dismisses Patent Infringement Action
The judge in the patent infringement suit brought by CIBA Vision (UK) Limited against CooperVision Limited has concluded in his draft judgment that CooperVision's Frequency Color contact lenses do not infringe on the "Knapp" patent and that this patent is not valid in the United Kingdom.

Previously, CIBA Vision (UK) signed a Consent Order discontinuing its lawsuit in the United Kingdom for patent infringement against CooperVision under the "Janke" patent and consented to an Order of the Court that the Jahnke patent be revoked in the United Kingdom.

Editor's Commentary: Laws Will Help Make Order Out of Chaos
California's new law and possibly federal rules will help us defend proper filling of contact lens prescriptions. But expect a lot of continued anarchy over the next few years until some enforcement gets the noncompliers in line. We will need to provide prescriptions when asked, but that's the way it should be, after a reasonable monitoring period to confirm good eye health. Good patient management skills and practice management procedures will keep most lens orders, contact lens care and service the best combined option for the patient in the long run.

Fitting Tip: Make a Patient Comfortable During Fitting
The key to successful GP wear is comfort. Studies show that the perception of comfort as well as increased overall success occurs when the lenses are presented in a non-threatening way (e.g., substituting the word "awareness" for "discomfort") and using a topical anesthetic at the fitting visit.

In addition, the initial comfort is increased when a patient's first experience results in a positive visual outcome. If a diagnsotic lens is not available in a power approximating the patient's prescription, ordering the lenses empirically is recommended to provide a good initial visual outcome.
-- by Edward Bennett, O.D., M.S. and the RGPLI Advisory Board

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