CONTACT LENSES TODAY

October 17, 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.


Practitioners Welcome to Join Free Chat Room
C&E GP Specialists has announced that it is now offering eyecare practitioners a free corneal reshaping/ortho-k chat room. According to the company, eyecare practitioners around the world can instantly communicate with their colleagues on this chat room about corneal reshaping and ortho-k with contact lenses. It encourages members to address questions, present problem cases for suggested solutions and to share successes with lenses from any source. To register, visit http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/orthok-chat.

The Future of Medical Records
The FDA has cleared Applied Digital Corporation's VeriChip Health Information Microtransponder System, which consists of an implantable radio frequency identification (RFID) microchip, for medical use in humans. According to the company, the VeriChip is about the size of a grain of rice and is painlessly inserted with only local anesthetic into the triceps area of the right arm between the elbow and the shoulder. Each VeriChip contains a unique 16-digit verification number. A brief pass over the insertion site with a scanner captures the number, which links to a secure database containing patient-approved healthcare information.

NEW AQuify® 5 Minute Multi-Purpose Solution
NEW AQuify® 5 Minute Multi-Purpose Solution -- The first MPS to clean, moisturize and disinfect lenses in just 5 minutes.
Aquify MPS is specially formulated following the introduction of silicone hydrogels to provide proper cleaning for these materials. Its HydroLock formulation with Dexpant-5, an ingredient found in dry-eye and wound-healing products, and Sorbitol, a humectant, together lock in moisture. The 5-minute option makes it more convenient for overnight* and extended lens wear.
AQuify® MPS from CIBA Vision, www.cibavision.com.
The New Generation of Lens Care for the New Generation of Lenses.
*Only an eyecare professional can determine if a patient may wear their prescribed lenses overnight.

--ADVERTISING

New Ortho-k Lens in the Pipeline
A PreMarket Application approval was recently assigned to Szabocsik and Associates for its JSZ Orthokeratology (oprifocon A) Contact Lens for Overnight Wear in the reduction of myopic refractive error. To learn more about this new lens, call (800) 645-0996 or e-mail jszadoc@sbcglobal.net.

Study Finds that Birth Weight Affects Eyesight
According to UK researchers, children whose weight was low when they were born have "a small, but statistically significant deficit" in their vision by the time they're 10 to 12 years old. The researchers published their findings in the September 2004 issue of the British Journal of Ophthalmology, where they said that a total of 572 low birth weight (LBW) children who had been examined in the neonatal period were asked to undergo further examination at 10 to 12 years of age. Of the 572, 293 agreed to the examination. One hundred sixty-nine 11-year-olds born at full term were the comparison group. The researchers found that the eyesight of the LBW children was significantly less sharp at near and at far distances than that of the comparison children, and the contrast sensitivity of their vision was lower.

Abstract: Understanding Factors that Affect CL Performance
In characterizing the surfaces of unworn conventional hydrogel and silicone hydrogel contact lenses, researchers used near-identical formulations of poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) to manufacture lathe-cut, spuncast and cast-molded contact lenses. Using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), they analyzed the surface of two of each of these lens types and to of each of two commercially available silicone hydrogel lenses (balafilcon A and lotrafilcon A). They used the ToF-SIMS spectra to reveal the presence of the bulk polymer pHEMA at the surface of all three hydrogel lenses, along with other contaminants, which are primarily derived from the various processing steps undertaken in lens manufacture, handling and storage. The researchers found that ToF-SIMS has the capacity to characterize the surface chemistry of contact lenses and that the ongoing application of this technique can assist researchers and clinicians to understand the clinical performance of contact lenses.
Maldonado-Codina C, Morgan PB, Efron N, Canry JC. Optometry & Visual Sciences 2004 Jun;81(6):455-460.


Editor's Commentary: CL Solutions -- Getting Specific
It is believed that nearly one in three of our contact lens wearers may be buying generic (mass merchandiser) multipurpose soft lens care solutions. These are old, obsolete formulas that are more likely to cause toxic reactions and to provide less cleaning action and less enhancement of comfort through better hydration. Make sure you tell your patients to bring their solutions to their annual examinations or contact lens check ups. If they have lapsed into buying these products, which can change formulation from month to month (depending on the lowest bidder), tell them to stop. Instruct them to use only what you recommend and to never switch brands without asking you first. Writing a prescription for the proper lens care product can also serve as a powerful tool.

Fitting Tip: Making Young CL Wearers Happy
As I see it, the only two choices for nonastigmatic patients is either a daily disposable lens or a silicone hydrogel. In the case of silicone hydrogel, I combine this with a regimen of Clear Care and a compatible multipurpose solution. When it comes to a cleaning regimen, all contact lens wearers want fast and I find that this combination is your best hope for compliance. If a patient starts young, then hopefully their compliance will carry on throughout their contact lens wearing years.
--Sean Duncan, R.O.
Orillia, Ontario, Canada


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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