CooperVision has named Dennis Murphy President of its Americas region. Murphy joins CooperVision with an extensive background in healthcare, medical devices, and consumer products. "Dennis is joining CooperVision at an exciting time. We have new products in the market and in the pipeline, and manufacturing and distribution capabilities in place that will help us execute our global strategies," said John Weber, President, CooperVision. "His strong understanding of multi-tiered customer channels and focus on the importance of meeting our customer requirements will help us achieve our long-range goals."
     Murphy will join CooperVision's commercial team, which is responsible for executing global strategies, including the seamless integration of marketing, product development, manufacturing, and sales across the organization. He previously served as President and CEO of two early stage companies, including dock3 and Carttronics LLC, which provide service-oriented solutions to large retail and industrial organizations, respectively. Prior to that, Murphy was Chairman of the Board for Medibuy, an e-commerce solutions provider, and also served as President of McKesson Health Systems based in San Francisco. Murphy also held a variety of positions with American Hospital Supply and Baxter International.

Vistakon, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., announced the launch of Acuminder In-Office, the latest iteration of the companys free online Acuminder contact lens compliance and reminder service. Acuminder In-Office provides eye care professionals an opportunity to sign up patients for regular reminders to help them remember when to change their contact lenses, purchase new lenses, and schedule an eye exam. Introduced last year as a complimentary online service designed to help improve contact lens compliance and eye health for contact lens wearers, the free service allows patients to choose reminders that best fit their lifestyle: e-mail, text message, or downloadable desktop widget. To date, more than 15,000 contact lens wearers have signed up for Acuminder on either www.acuminder.com or the recently launched www.acuminder.com/facebook. 
     "Acuminder In-Office is a great, free tool that you and your staff can incorporate into an eye exam to encourage all contact lens wearers to adhere to proper wear and care schedules," explains Sheila Hickson-Curran, Director, Medical Affairs, Vistakon. "When your patients change their contacts on schedule, they are more likely to return for appointments on time and order contact lenses more often. Its also a good way of further demonstrating your commitment to their ocular health."
     To register your practice for Acuminder In-Office, visit www.acuminder.com/doctor.

VSP launched a new comprehensive Spanish website, www.vsp.com/espanol, which, according to the company, helps Latinos learn about the unique health risks they face and how vision is connected to overall health, as well as assists them in finding an eye doctor.
     The website includes specific eye health information for Latinos such as their risk for diabetes and the impact it could have on their vision. Additionally, the website includes all components of VSP's English website such as the Eyecare Discovery Center where one can learn more about diseases affecting the eye; benefit summaries which allow a member to learn about the unique features included in their plan; and VSP in the Community where one can learn about VSP's community programs such as Mobile Eyes and its strategic sponsorship with the American Diabetes Association.
     In addition to VSP's new Spanish website, it added Spanish-language customer service representatives and a specific phone number, 1-866-673-0307. VSP has also introduced a number of new Spanish materials for the Latino community to help them understand the importance of an eye exam and overall eye health.  

CooperVision has expanded the sphere powers of its 8.6mm Proclear Sphere monthly replacement contact lenses. New sphere powers range from +20.00D to -20.00D. Proclear Sphere lenses are made with omafilcon A material, the only lens material with an FDA-cleared indication associated with improved comfort for contact lens wearers who experience mild discomfort or symptoms relating to dryness during lens wear, per the company. Proclear Sphere lenses have a 62 percent water content, an 8.6mm base curve, and a 14.2mm diameter. For more information, visit www.coopervision.com.

Alcon provided close to $750,000 in product and cash donations for victims of the cyclone in Myanmar and the massive earthquake in China. With these gifts Alcon aims to ensure that victims eyecare needs are met as they face the challenge of rebuilding their lives and their communities. 
     "Alcon is committed to giving back to the global community by helping those in need of eyecare wherever they live," said Sara Woodward, Alcon's Director, Corporate Humanitarian and Community Services. "In addition to disaster relief in China and Myanmar, Alcon has contributed more than $167 million in cash and products globally over the past four years." 
     As part of this commitment, Alcon supports multiple charitable programs, including: The Alcon Medical Missions Program, which works to improve eye health worldwide by donating products to eye care professions who provide sight-saving surgeries and training for local physicians; US Patient, Clinic, and Institutional Assistance which provides support wherever there is need, both for individuals who cannot afford eyecare products and for clinics and medical institutions who serve those in need; and The Alcon Foundation, Inc. gives cash contributions to U.S. based organizations that provide eyecare, research, education, public awareness, and civic and community leadership. The company support also includes substantial grants to groups like Optometry's Charity - The American Optometric Association Foundation and their VISION USA program which provides basic eye health and vision case services free of charge to low-income uninsured people and their families using the volunteered services of member optometrists.

Research suggests that many toric contact lens wearers are not satisfied with their visual performance. Make your patients experience satisfying with new ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM. The latest in toric lenses combines HYDRACLEAR® Plus for all-day comfort with Accelerated Stabilization Design for crisp, clear vision. To learn more, go to jnjvisioncare.com.
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Vistakon, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., and the American Optometric Foundation (AOF), announced recipients of the Vistakon Ezell Fellowship program and AOF- Vistakon Research Grants.
     The recipients of the Vistakon Ezell Fellowships are: Joe Phillips, BS, University of Houston, College of Optometry, TX and Lakshman Subbaraman, BSOptom, MS, FAAO, University of Waterloo College of Optometry, Canada. Each will receive $8,000 toward their graduate education and $750 travel grants to the annual meetings of the American Academy of Optometry and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. These are competitive fellowships with the recipients selected by the AOF from over 40 applicants.
     The $25,000 AOF- Vistakon Research Grant was awarded to Danielle M. Robertson, OD, PhD and H. Dwight Cavanagh, MD, PhD for The Role of the Post Lens Tear Film in Lipid Raft-Mediated Pseudomonas Internalization. The $10,000 award went to Lyndon Jones, BSc, PhD, FCOptom, DipCLP, DipOrth, FAAO and Doerte Luensmann, Dipl Ing for The Impact of Rub and No-Rub Care Products on Protein Removal and Localization. These are highly competitive research awards with the awardees selected by the AOF from numerous qualified applicants.
     Vistakon has partnered with the AOF for over a decade, providing over one million dollars of support for scholarships, fellowships, and research grants. "Through the support provided by Vistakon, we are truly changing the future of optometry by supporting the education of our students and the advancement of research," said Mark A. Bullimore, MCOptom, PhD, FAAO, President, American Optometric Foundation.

Best-selling author of The Deep End of the Ocean and dry eye sufferer Jacquelyn Mitchard has teamed up with the Red Hot Mamas, the nation's largest menopause management education organization, and Allergan, Inc., to unveil the Top 10 Tear-Jerker Book List and launch the Dry Eye Book Club, a national health education campaign. According to the announcement, the campaign aims to raise awareness among women, who are disproportionately affected by dry eye due to hormonal changes caused by aging and menopause, about the impact dry eye can have on everyday activities like reading.
     To raise awareness of dry eye and the importance of tears, 325 people across the country experiencing dry eye symptoms voted on the Top 10 Tear-Jerker Book List, which includes stories that bring tears to their eyes. Mitchard and the Red Hot Mamas encourage women to visit www.DryEyeBookClub.com to join the Dry Eye Book Club, learn about dry eye and treatment options, and follow along as Mitchard makes her way through the Top 10 Tear-Jerker Book List.
     In addition, the site so offers a quiz for women to see if they may have dry eye, questions to help start a conversation with their eye doctor and information about dry eye symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment options and long-term effects.
     The Dry Eye Book Club is an educational initiative sponsored by Allergan, Inc.

SynergEyes, Inc., the high Dk hybrid contact lens manufacturer, announced its sponsorship of the Patient Outreach and Education Program of the National Keratoconus Foundation (NKCF). SynergEyes supports the mission of the NKCF to improve the quality of life of persons with keratoconus by making educational material available to them, their families and their eye care professionals. 
     "The NKCF is an important source of information for keratoconus patients worldwide to learn about the disease and available vision correction options. SynergEyes is proud to be a sponsor of the Foundation's efforts to improve the quality of life for the thousands of people suffering with keratoconus," said Kellie Kaseburg, Vice President of Global Marketing for SynergEyes. "The NKCF is pleased to welcome SynergEyes as our newest sponsor," says NKCF Executive Director Catherine Warren, RN. "SynergEyes lenses address a wide spectrum of vision conditions and meet the needs of many keratoconus patients."

NeoVista, Inc. made public the 18-month data from the company's Phase II feasibility study examining its novel epiretinal brachytherapy for treatment of the wet form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at the 41st Scientific Meeting of the Retina Society in Scottsdale, AZ. The long-term data from the study, which was initiated to test the safety and efficacy of their therapy when used in conjunction with Avastin (bevacizumab), showed a marked advancement in mean visual acuity results at month 18, while only a limited number of patients required additional injections of Avastin.
     According to NeoVista, the therapy applies a targeted dose of beta radiation to the leaking blood vessels that affect central vision; concomitantly, two injections of an antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agent are delivered to maximize the acute therapeutic response. Per the company report, preliminary data show that NeoVista's targeted radiation therapy can be safe for both the patient and the physician, and may be able to restore the patient's vision. "We're very delighted with the latest data from our Phase II study, as not only did the visual acuity improve in our patients over the long-term, but very few patients received additional injections as well," said John N. Hendrick, President and CEO of NeoVista. 

Imagine not being able to work or look after your family simply because you don't have access to an eye exam and a pair of glasses.
Take the World Sight Day Challenge on October 9, 2008
         ...and give sight - and hope - to people in need.
Register at www.givingsight.org or contact 1-888-OGS-GIVE / usa@givingsight.org.
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Recent studies have shown that low tear phospholipid levels are associated with tear film instability in hydrophilic contact lens wearers. The concentration of secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2), the enzyme that hydrolyzes phospholipids, in tears is known to exceed the levels found in serum by four orders of magnitude. This study was performed to determine the levels of sPLA2 from the deposition on two different frequent-replacement contact lens materials.
     Polymacon and etafilcon A contact lenses worn for two weeks by 16 experienced contact lens wearers were used for the analysis. Total lipids were determined by the sulfo-phospho-vanillin reaction. Phospholipids in lipid extracts were estimated by phosphorus determination with ammonium molybdate through enzymatic digestion. Total protein was measured by bicinchoninic acid analysis. Double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine sPLA2 concentrations.
     Total lipid deposition was found to be greater in the polymacon group (66.3+/-16.3 microg/lens) than in the etafilcon A group, although phospholipids were not detected in either group. The etafilcon A group had greater deposition of protein (3.7+/-0.7 mg/lens) than the polymacon group had. The etafilcon A group deposited statistically significantly more group IIa sPLA2 (1.1+/-0.3 microg/lens) than the polymacon group (0.07+/-0.04 microg/lens) did (P<0.001).
     The researchers concluded that there was a significant difference in the lipid and protein deposition profiles in the two lenses tested. A significant amount of sPLA2 in the deposition on contact lenses may play a role in tear film instability in hydrophilic contact lens wearers.
Mochizuki H, Yamada M, Hatou S, Kawashima M, Hata S. Deposition of lipid, protein, and secretory phospholipase A2 on hydrophilic contact lenses. Eye Contact Lens 2008;34:46-9. 

I worked at Barnes-Hind in the late 80s. Dr. Murray Sibley, responsible for development of new cleaning and disinfection solutions for the company, conducted a study which demonstrated that rubbing and rinsing a soft contact lens with saline solution (no added surfactants) removed 99.9% of the bioburden from the lens. I never needed any more proof than that. I never bought in to the no rub concept and have always stressed the importance of a rub and rinse to my patients.
     We know that lens care compliance will always be an issue, so lens care and handling recommendations must start at the doctor level and should always err on the conservative side.
Garold L Edwards, OD, FAAO
Vice President, Clinical Affairs
SynergEyes, Inc.
Carlsbad, CA

I have been fortunate to see a great deal of industry and practice trends recently. Although the financial markets have generally not faired well as of late, I believe that our field has maintained itself this past year. In many discussions I have had with practitioners, most believe that their practices are at least as busy as they were last year. We've benefited from the release of numerous new lens designs, particularly torics and multifocals. With so many great options that we currently have available to us in caring for our patients, what do you anticipate this next year will bring to our practices? I am curious to know what you think will have the single biggest impact on the contact lens field in the next year. We'll do our best to bring comprehensive coverage of those topics to you.
Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO

This month at www.siliconehydrogels.org: multipurpose solutions, one- and two-step peroxide solutions and the effect of continuous wear on epithelial barrier function.