CONTACT LENSES TODAY
October 16, 2005
Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches more
than 12,000 readers in 74 countries.
FDA Approves New Opti-Free Formulation
The U.S. FDA has cleared Alcon’s Opti-Free RepleniSH Multipurpose Disinfecting Solution for use with all soft contact lenses, including
silicone hydrogels. This new formulation of the company’s original product contains Tearglyde, a wetting system that the company says keeps lenses fresh and moist.
Opti-Free RepleniSH is labeled to recondition the lens surface to retain moisture for enhanced comfort.
Alcon also announced the results of a 24-month analysis
on the long-term safety of Retaane suspension, an investigational treatment that inhibits angiogenesis. Results showed no clinically significant safety issues with
Retaane due to the drug or the procedure.
In addition to investigating the safety of Retaane, the study compared its effects with those of Visudyne photodynamic
therapy (PDT) for the treatment of wet AMD. The data shows the treatments are clinically equivalent, with patient’s experiencing similar adverse events and stable
visual acuity from 12 to 24 months.
New Soft Lens for Keratoconus
UltraVision CLPL announces an alternative to GP lenses for keratoconus and post-graft patients. The Kerasoft DuraWave contact lens employs
wavefront technology to optimize aberration control, according to the manufacturer. UltraVision CLPL supplies contact lenses only to eye care professionals.
NY Signs Cosmetic Lens Law
New York Governor, George Pataki signed legislation aimed at stopping unauthorized distribution of plano contact lenses. The new law
requires anyone wearing non-corrective contact lenses to also have a prescription for them, which has been signed by a physician, optometrist or ophthalmic dispenser.
The law will go into effect in mid-December.
Real-world feedback from eye care professionals now supports pre-launch claims of ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ Brand Contact Lenses for
ASTIGMATISM.
When compared to Soflens66® Toric, ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ for ASTIGMATISM clearly provides more predictable orientation and
crisper, more stable vision; the advantage comes from the Accelerated Stabilization Design. Less lid interaction leads to superior performance versus the traditional
prism-ballast design such as found in Soflens66® Toric. Also, because of HYDRACLEAR™ Technology, the lens delivers significantly better comfort both upon
insertion and at the end of the day.
--ADVERTISING
EBay Pleads Not Guilty
EBay Inc. denied charges it broke U.K. law by allowing the sale of contact lenses on its Web site. Britain’s General Optical Council is
prosecuting the Internet retailer’s U.K. subsidiary on ten counts of aiding and abetting the sale of contact lenses without the supervision of an eye care professional.
The first seven charges carry a maximum fine of £2,500 (or $4,400). The other three counts have a maximum fine of £5,000. Court documents show the lenses were sold on
EBay between March 21st and July 24th of this year. The trial is scheduled for March 6th, next year in central London.
Abstract:
GP Lenses Protect Against Trauma
Researchers at Jules Stein Eye Institute in Los Angeles and the University of Illinois College Of Medicine at Chicago’s Department of
Ophthalmology and Visual Science report two cases of patients whose rigid gas-permeable contact lenses protected them from serious foreign body-related eye injury.
Two case reports are included as evidence. The authors conclude that, while rigid GP lenses are not recommended for protective purposes, they can have a protective
effect against some types of trauma.
Tang K, Shah A, McMahon TT, Weissman B. Gas-Permeable Contact Lenses Can Protect Against Ocular Trauma: Two Cases. Eye
Contact Lens. 2005 Sep;31(5):244-245.
Editor's Commentary:
GP Lens Safety
I teach my students that, while contact lenses are not a substitute for safety-eyewear or sunglasses, they are more often than not protective
devices when it comes to flying objects. There are far too many instances like those mentioned in this week's
CLToday abstract that demonstrate a contact lens protects
the eye from injury, rather than increasing the risk when something strikes it.
On another note, we received a number of comments regarding last week's news item and
my commentary on legislation that could increase the availability of contact lenses from alternative sellers. They ranged from public health concerns to comments about
the irony of the state the bill's sponsor is from.
Fitting Tip:
The Great Outdoors
Just a quick thought on contact lens solutions. For those patients who enjoy the outdoors, or do much camping, CIBA Vision’s Clear Care is
my choice. Not only does it clean their contacts, it can aid in cleaning cuts or abrasions on the skin as well!
Brian Haag, O.D.
Des Moines,
Iowa
This month at href="http://www.siliconehydrogels.org">http://www.siliconehydrogels.org, read part two of our BCLA synopsis and learn more about toric silicone
hydrogels, including guidelines for comparing the performance of different toric silicone hydrogels, a comparison of corneal swelling with toric and spherical silicone
hydrogels, and one patient‚s experiences switching to these lenses.
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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