CONTACT LENSES TODAY
October 29, 2006
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.
SynergEyes Gets Clearance for Use of Opti-Free RepleniSH
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted market clearance to SynergEyes for the use of Alcon Opti-Free RepleniSH
multipurpose
disinfecting solution with SynergEyes contact lenses. Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Jerry Legerton, O.D., F.A.A.O. says the solution proved to be compatible
with the company’s HydrolEyes surface science. The SynergEyes contact lenses with FDA market clearance are SynergEyes A, SynergEyes KC, SynergEyes M and SynergEyes PS.
ReNu with MoistureLoc Still on Some Shelves
Bausch & Lomb (B&L) issued a permanent recall of its ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution in May after the product was linked to an
outbreak of Fusarium keratitis. However, AC Nielson Market data shows the solution maintained a 2% market share into the early weeks of September, suggesting it is still
available at some retail outlets.
AAO Endorses H.R. 6117
On October 20, Glenda Secor, O.D., F.A.A.O., Chair of the American Academy of Optometry’s
(AAO) Cornea and Contact Lens Section, sent a letter to
Rep. Ed Whitfield (R.-Ky.) endorsing H.R. 6117, the Contact Lens Consumer Health Protection Act. The bill would amend the FCLCA
to require positive verification of contact
lens prescriptions and establish a toll-free Patient Safety Hotline for eye care practitioners.
Dr. Secor referenced the Section’s position paper:
Health Eyes: Responsibilities of the Contact Lens Patient, available
at http://aaopt.org/userfiles/imagesPOSITION_PAPERS_CL/CCL%20PositionPaper%20on%20healthy%20eyes%20and%20contact%20lenses.doc. “The
lack of safeguards for the visual welfare of the public with the current legislation will be addressed when communication between doctors and third-party vendors is
enhanced by H.R. 6117,” she says. “The [AAO] joins the American Optometric Association, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Kentucky Optometric Association with
our support of H.R. 6117.”
Show Your Patients the Difference
Some of your astigmatic patients may still not realize that they’re able to wear contact lenses. Your astigmatic patients already wearing contact lenses might
say that their vision is good enough, but may be hoping for something better. Finding the right lens for these patients can provide a substantial boost to your contact
lens practice. ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM gives patients a breakthrough design with real-world results. Its Accelerated Stabilization
Design (ASD) offers patients superior rotational stability, and immediate, all-day comfort. Try ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ Brand for ASTIGMATISM on your patients and ask
them to see the difference during daily activities and throughout the day. And now, ACUVUE ADVANCE for ASTIGMATISM meets more patients' needs with the introduction
of -2.25 cylinder.
--ADVERTISING
Global Keratoconus Congress 2007
Register now for the first-ever Global Keratoconus Congress to be held January 26-28, 2007 in Las Vegas. This meeting will be hosted at
Bally’s on the Las Vegas Strip. Please visit http://www.gkc2007.com. There you will find the most up-to-date educational program
agenda and information on hotel accommodations, as well as the ability to register for the event.
--ADVERTISING
JCAHPO, CLAO Release CL Technician Training Resource
The Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JVAHPO) and the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists (CLAO)
introduce a new computer-based training program for contact lens technicians. The new Contact Lens Learning System uses computer simulation, animation and digital video
to teach technicians about key topics such as basic eye anatomy, optics, corneal topography, contact lens types, properties and fitting. It is currently available at
http://www.jcahpo.org/newsite/index.htm.
Optometry Giving Sight Battle of the Bands
At this year’s American Academy of Optometry meeting in Denver, Optometry Giving Sight’s Australia party will feature a Bands Battle to
Benefit Blindness. The event will take place Sat., Dec. 9, from 8:30pm to 1:00am and will feature the Bad Habits and the Lost Faculties. Make a $20 donation to OGS and
receive an OGS t-shirt. More information is available at http://www.givingsight.org.
Abstract:
Lysozyme Deposition on Various Contact Lens Materials
A group of researchers at the University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry’s Centre for Contact Lens Research in Canada recently compared
the kinetics of in vitro lysozyme deposition on silicone hydrogel (SH), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and FDA group I, II and IV contact lenses. They incubated lenses
in 1251-labeled lysozyme for a period from one hour to 28 days and determined radioactive counts. They found that SH and PMMA lenses deposited less lysozyme than
conventional hydrogel lenses. They note that lysozyme accumulation on group IV lenses reached a maximum on the seventh day and then plateaued, while deposition continued
to increase on groups I, II and SH lenses. They conclude that the kinetics of lysozyme deposition is highly material dependant.
Subbaraman LN, Glasier MA,
Senchyna M, Sheardown H, Jones L. Kinetics of In Vitro Lysosyme Deposition on Silicone Hydrogel, PMMA, and FDA Groups I, II, and IV Contact Lens Materials. Curr Eye
Res. 2006 Oct;31(10):787-96.
Editor's Commentary:
Silicone Hydrogel Survey
This week we launch a new service to readers, which we hope will help you better understand what your colleagues are thinking and how they
are practicing. By completing the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=741172772120 you can help
us all better understand current patient care and industry trends. We ask that only those active in practice respond to the survey. We plan to have more surveys in the
future and will share the results as they become available. Our thanks go out to Dr. Jeffrey D. Johnson at Robert W. Baird and Co. for the design of this survey, and many
thanks for your participation.
Fitting Tip:
Lost Lens Aid
Frequently, patients will come to the office complaining of a torn or intact lens “lost in their eye.” They may have removed a piece of the
lens and feel something remaining in the cul-de-sac. Usually, the entire lens has ejected with manipulation of the eyelid and reflex tearing, and
a self-induced corneal/conjunctival abrasion is what they are feeling. It can be very difficult to visualize small remaining pieces or a rolled-up or folded contact lens
deep in a patient's cul-de-sac. I have found that adding sodium fluorescein to the tear film accentuates the jagged or smooth edges of a "lost lens" with or without
cobalt-filtered light and also allows for discovery of mechanical abrasions.
Thomas Devetski, O.D.
Chapel Hill, N.C.
This month at http://www.siliconehydrogels.org, learn more about the new silicone hydrogel materials and develop an
understanding of piggyback lens systems.
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.
Send your favorite tips to tips@cltoday.com -- if your tip is selected
as 'Best of the Month,' you'll receive a free
T-shirt (see http://www.CLToday.com for details). Please include your full name, degree or title and city/state/country.
Visit Contact Lens Spectrum ( http://www.clspectrum.com ) for interactive clinical posters and issue
archives. Visit Contact Lenses Today for our Best Fitting Tips.
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