CONTACT LENSES TODAY
November 4, 2007
Contact Lenses Today® is edited by Dr. Carla Mack and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum. This week CLToday® reaches more than 12,000 readers in 74 countries.
Vision Problems and Visual Discomfort Make Driving in the Dark Difficult
Nearly one of every three drivers on the road (32 percent) say they have difficulty seeing all or most of the time while driving in the dark according to
Shedding Light on Driving in the Dark, a nationwide survey conducted by Kelton Research on behalf of Road & Travel Magazine and Acuvue brand contact lenses. The survey assessed attitudes, perceptions, practices and experiences with driving in low-light conditions. More than one-fourth (26 percent) report that they have trouble seeing signs or exits; one-fifth (20 percent) acknowledge difficulty seeing animals or pedestrians, and one-fifth (20 percent) also have difficulty with seeing turns in the road. More than one in five (22 percent) also report problems in judging distance while driving in the dark.
A total of 515 vision-corrected Americans aged 18 and over participated in the survey. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of respondents expressed concern and a lack of confidence about their driving skills in the dark. Vision problems and discomfort also leave them feeling concerned (24 percent) and unsafe (21 percent) behind the wheel.
More than six in ten (61 percent) say that headlights from oncoming traffic or from cars behind them are particularly bothersome, and nearly half (48 percent) report experiencing glare or light sensitivity while driving in the dark. Compared to the overall vision-correction population, people with astigmatism were significantly more likely than other vision-corrected respondents to report being disturbed by glare or light sensitivity (55 percent vs. 48 percent of others) and halos or starburst patterns around lights (39 percent vs. 28 percent) when driving in the dark.
Alarmingly, while 73 percent of respondents believe that correcting their vision problems could improve their night time driving, only 27 percent have ever consulted an eye care professional about treatments or products that could improve their vision while driving in the dark.
To view the findings from the survey, along with information about driving in the dark, visit www.acuvue.com/press.htm.
FTC Warns 15 Marketers of Cosmetic Contact Lenses
On October 12, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) staff sent warning letters to 15 sellers of non-corrective, cosmetic contact lenses who appeared to be providing contact lenses to consumers without valid prescriptions.
Under the FTC’s Contact Lens Rule, sellers of both corrective and non-corrective cosmetic contact lenses must have a copy of a valid contact lens prescription or verify it with the prescriber before dispensing contact lenses to consumers. Failure to do so can result in civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation.
New Treatment for Corneal Ulcers
Vistakon Pharmaceuticals, LLC, announced the introduction of IQUIX (levofloxacin ophthalmic solution) 1.5% ocular anti-infective medication, the only newer-generation fluoroquinolone approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of corneal ulcers.
IQUIX is a sterile topical ophthalmic solution containing 1.5% levofloxacin. IQUIX rapidly penetrates corneal tissue and provides broad coverage of the most sight-threatening gram-negative and the most prevalent gram-positive pathogens, including
Cornyebaterium species, Staphyloccus aureus, Staphyloccus epidermis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Viridans group streptococci,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Serratia marcescens.
FDA Approves Eye Drop for Reduction of IOP
Allergan, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved COMBIGAN (brimonidine tartrate/timolol maleate ophthalmic solution) 0.2%/0.5%, an alpha adrenergic receptor agonist with a beta adrenergic receptor inhibitor, for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension who require adjunctive or replacement therapy due to inadequately controlled IOP.
COMBIGAN is a prescription eye drop that works in two ways to reduce elevated IOP and will be available to physicians in the fourth quarter of 2007. Elevated IOP is a leading risk factor for glaucoma, and the only risk factor that can currently be treated.
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The AAO Section on Cornea and Contact Lenses Presents Awards
At last week’s American Academy of Optometry annual meeting in Tampa, Florida, the
Section on Cornea and Contact Lenses presented their annual awards.
The Max Schapero Memorial Lecture Award is given to a clinician, researcher or scholar who has made a significant contribution to the cornea and contact lens field by virtue of publications lectures or research efforts. This year’s award was presented to Oliver D. Schein, MD, MPH who presented on
The Epidemiology of Contact Lens-Related Microbial Keratitis: a 25 Year Perspective
The Founders' Award is given to an individual, group, or company who has made an outstanding contribution to the clinical aspect of the art or science of contact lens fitting. This year the recipients were Perry Rosenthal, MD and Vistakon for the 20th anniversary of Acuvue as the first disposable contact lens. For more on the history of the disposable contact lens and Vistakon’s 20 years of innovation, go to this article in the
Contact Lens Spectrum archives:
A History of Contact Lens Innovation.
CLCS on Capitol Hill
The AOA Contact Lens and Cornea Section (CLCS) Council was recently welcomed to the Washington, DC by Rep. John Boozman, O.D. (R-AR), the only optometrist currently serving in Congress. The CLCS Council participated in a Capitol Hill strategy session with Rep. Boozman focusing on building new support for AOA-backed bills before Congress, including the Contact Lens Consumer Health Protection Act (HR 2012) and the Military Eye Trauma Treatment Act (HR 3558).
Global Keratoconus Congress 2007 – Agenda Available
The agenda for the second Global Keratoconus Congress is now available online. The event will be hosted at Bally’s in Las Vegas, January 25-27, 2008. Please visit
http://www.GKCongress.com. There you will find the educational program agenda and information on hotel accommodations, as well as the ability to register for the event. The program will be accredited for continuing education under COPE, NCLE and JCAHPO.
Companies interested in exhibiting should contact Heather Seasholtz at 215-643-8073.
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Abstract:
Fungal Attachment and Penetration of Conventional and Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses
Researchers analyzed the relative capacities of Fusarium solani and Ulocladium sp. to attach to and penetrate soft contact lenses. Representative silicone hydrogel (SH, siloxy complexes) and conventional [hydroxyethylmethylacrylate (HEMA)] soft contact lenses were exposed to suspensions of F. solani and Ulocladium sp. in vitro (10 conidia/mL in phosphate-buffered saline). The lenses were incubated with shaking at ambient temperatures and examined after rinsing in a multipurpose contact lens solution (MPS) by light and scanning electron microscopy.
Isolates of both genera firmly attached to and penetrated both lens types, but Ulocladium sp. did so in greater density and more rapidly than F. solani. The extent of firm attachment and time needed for penetration into the lenses varied with strain and substratum, particularly with the isolates of F. solani. Morphologic characteristics (e.g., penetration pegs, microcycle conidiation, and chlamydospores) of F. solani in the SH and HEMA lenses were similar to those observed in several lenses from patients with ReNu with MoistureLoc (RML)-associated Fusarium keratitis.
To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report that F. solani produces coiled penetration pegs in the matrices of SH hydrophilic soft contact lenses similar in morphology to those found in HEMA lenses. They concluded that F. solani attaches firmly to SH lenses and rarely penetrates the lens matrix, but viable fungal propagules may remain on the lens after vigorous rinsing with MPS. Failure to use a manual cleaning-disinfection procedure may help to explain the increased incidence of Fusarium keratitis associated with contact lens wear.
Ahearn DG, Simmons RB, Zhang S, Stulting RD, Crow SA Jr, Schwam BL, Pierce GE. Attachment to and penetration of conventional and silicone hydrogel contact lenses by Fusarium solani and Ulocladium sp. in vitro. Cornea. 2007 Aug;26(7):831-9.
Editor's Commentary:
Offer Value and Get Profitable
I received great feedback from private practitioners, those in industry and academics at the AAO last week in Tampa on my last few commentaries regarding offering patients the best and allowing them to choose. While in Tampa, I had the opportunity
to listen to a number of great lectures and paper presentations but the lecture that gave me the most pleasure was titled Billing for Medically Necessary Contact Lens Prescribing: Submitting Correct and Profitable Claims presented by Clarke Newman, OD, FAAO. Dr. Newman made several statements early in the lecture which are certainly worth repeating. First, he explained that every time you give your services away you tell your patients that you don't value what you do and then they won't either. His second bold statement was "Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot be profitable fitting contact lenses." I'm in total agreement that if you provide value to your contact lens patients and bill appropriately, you will be more profitable.
Carla Mack, O.D., F.A.A.O.
This month at http://www.siliconehydrogels.org explore the significance of the recent “no-rub” solution recalls, learn about atypical upper lid margin staining in dry-eyed silicone hydrogel wearers and review the latest in silicone hydrogel research.
Report adverse contact lens reactions here: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/ or call (800) FDA-1088.
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