N. Rex Ghormley OD, FAAO passed away on November 4th. Dr. Ghormley was a pioneer in clinical contact lens practice and an icon in the optometric profession. He received his Doctor of Optometry degree from the Southern California College of Optometry. He was an officer in the Medical Service Corps of the US Navy for three years prior to entering into private practice. Dr. Ghormley settled in St. Louis and established his practice, Vision Care Consultants, which was one of the first practices limited to contact lenses.
     Dr. Ghormley was Past President of the American Academy of Optometry and former Co-Editor of International Contact Lens Clinic. He received numerous honors including the Heart of America Contact Lens Society "Optometrist of the Year" and the Achievement Award from the American Optometric Association Contact Lens and Cornea Section. Dr. Ghormley was an advisor to many organizations and industry partners and a mentor to an innumerable number of optometrists.
By Ed Bennett, OD, MSEd, FAAO, Clinical Features Editor, Contact Lens Spectrum

CooperVision has expanded the sphere powers of its Proclear 1 Day disposable contact lenses. The lenses are now available in a broader sphere power range from +8.00D to -12.00D. As part of CooperVision's PC Hydrogel family of lenses, Proclear 1 Day lenses are manufactured with patented PC Technology, which keeps them moist and comfortable throughout the day, according to the company. The 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.
     For more information, visit www.coopervision.com/1day. 

SynergEyes, Inc., the high Dk hybrid contact lens manufacturer, has launched new practitioner training modules for the SynergEyes A and SynergEyes Multifocal lenses on www.FitSynergEyes.com, a website dedicated to practitioner education and training. The new training modules include updated fitting and troubleshooting techniques, tips for patient communication and education, and practice development information.
     FitSynergEyes.com is the first step to prescribing SynergEyes hybrid contact lenses and provides the eye care professional with all of the information necessary to be successful with SynergEyes hybrid technology according to the company. Once practitioners have completed the training for each lens design, they are designated as a Certified Practitioner, may purchase diagnostic sets, and have access to the practitioner website at www.SynergEyes.com. FitSynergEyes.com is available to practitioners 24 hours a day so that eye care professionals can learn to fit SynergEyes lenses at their convenience.

Alden Optical Laboratories Inc, manufacturer of custom made-to-order soft and GP contact lenses, announced that Tom Shone has joined the company as President. Mr. Shone will lead all commercial and strategic development. Shone, a 20-year veteran of the contact lens industry was most recently President of CooperVision's US business unit. 
     "Tom brings a wealth of experience to Alden Optical and we look forward to his leadership as we continue to broaden our portfolio," stated Charley Creighton, Chief Executive Officer. Shone commented, "I am excited to be part of the Alden team. Over the years Charley has built a great custom contact lens business based on excellent products and service and I look forward to working with him to grow Alden Optical in both the custom and specialty sectors."
     For more information on Alden Optical, visit www.aldenoptical.com.

Your contact lens patients may be suffering in silence when it comes to comfort. Though 90% of patients state that they are satisfied with contact lenses,¹ almost 1 in 5 contact lens wearers are considering dropping out.² The primary reason? Discomfort.² But there's hope. Just by asking the right questions, you can reveal those patients who are experiencing discomfort in their current contact lenses. And by recommending ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses, you can open their eyes to a new world of comfortable, healthy, contact lens wear!

$100 rebate for new wearers! Good when patients get an eye exam and purchase 8 boxes of ACUVUE® OASYS™ (spherical product only)
Visit jnjvisioncare.com/rebate for more details.

1. Contact Lens User and Engagement Study, Jan-Oct 2008 & US Government Census Data. 2. 2008 Gallup study of the consumer contact lens market.
     ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses are indicated for vision correction. As with any contact lens, eye problems, including corneal ulcers, can develop. Some wearers may experience mild irritation, itching or discomfort. Lenses should not be prescribed if patients have any eye infection, or experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, redness or other eye problems. Consult the package insert for complete information. Complete information is also available from VISTAKON®, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., by calling 1-800-843-2020 or by visiting jnjvisioncare.com.
     HYDRACLEAR® Plus is our brand name for the next generation of our proprietary technology that allows us to use a higher volume of a moisture rich wetting agent in a state of the art formulation. This creates a more wettable, ultra smooth contact lens, especially for challenging environments that make eyes feel dry.
     ACUVUE®, ACUVUE® OASYS™, HYDRACLEAR®, and VISTAKON® are trademarks of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
© Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. 2009.

--ADVERTISING

Bausch & Lomb (B&L) announced that Mohinder Merchea, OD, PhD, MBA, FAAO, FBCLA was named Director of Medical Affairs - North America (NA), Vision Care. He will primarily be responsible for serving as the liaison with academic institutions and professional organizations in NA in collaboration with his professional relations colleagues, communicating with key leaders in the field, and representing the voice of the eye care professional on the B&L NA leadership team.
     Merchea has more than 12 years experience in medical device clinical research. He joined B&L in 2002 as Manager of Clinical Research in refractive technologies. Since 2007, he has led Vision Care, Clinical Affairs for new lens and lens care product development. Merchea obtained his Doctor of Optometry degree from The Ohio State University College of Optometry and subsequently completed a combined Advanced Practice Fellowship in cornea and contact lenses and a MS in Physiological Optics. He also completed a PhD in Vision Science, and an MBA at the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.
     Dr. Merchea is a Diplomate in the Cornea, Contact Lens and Refractive Technologies section of the American Academy of Optometry, a Fellow of the British Contact Lens Association and a member of the American Optometric Association and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that patient enrollment is complete in its Phase 3 clinical trial with Prolacria, the proposed U.S. tradename for diquafosol tetrasodium ophthalmic solution 2%, for the treatment of dry eye disease. This is a six-week trial comparing Prolacria to placebo, administered four-times daily as eye drops, in a targeted 450 dry eye patients. The trial is based on a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreement with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company expects to have top-line results from this trial in the first quarter of 2010.
     In addition, the company stated that the Azasite (azithromycin ophthalmic solution) 1% for blepharitis Phase 2 program is targeted to enroll approximately 600 patients in two trials. One trial includes a two-week treatment period with a two-week follow-up period and the other trial includes a four-week treatment period with a four-week follow-up period. Inspire announced that enrollment is complete in the four-week trial and enrollment in the two-week trial is progressing well with 250 out of a targeted 300 patients enrolled. The company expects to have enrollment completed in the two-week trial in the first quarter of 2010.

Plan now to attend the Global Specialty Lens Symposium in January 2010. With an expert international faculty and a CE-accredited agenda, the 2010 GSLS will include insightful presentations by experts in the field, hands-on demonstrations of cutting-edge products as well as scientific papers and posters. Look for more detailed information in future issues of Contact Lens Spectrum and online at www.GSLSymposium.com.
--ADVERTISING

Advanced Vision Research, Inc. (AVR), makers of TheraTears Brand Lubricant Eye Drops, announced the appointment of Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD as Chief Medical Officer.
     Dr. Donnenfeld has been a leader in ophthalmology for more than 20 years. He was involved in the study that led to the FDA approval of the excimer laser. He is on the editorial board of nine medical journals, and is one of the authors of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Refractive Surgery Basic Science Book. Dr. Donnenfeld graduated with honors at the top of his class at Dartmouth Medical School. He was Chief Resident at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital and he completed his Cornea and Refractive Fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.
     Dr. Donnenfeld has written over 500 papers, books and book chapters on corneal, cataract and refractive surgery. He is chair of the ASCRS cornea clinical committee, past president of the ocular microbiology and immunology group (OMIG), clinical professor of ophthalmology at NYU, and a trustee of Dartmouth Medical School. He is a renowned international authority on cornea, cataract, and refractive surgery and is a leader in the field of dry eye disease.
     Leigh Reynolds, Chief Operating Officer, states, "Dr. Donnenfeld is one of the preeminent ophthalmologists practicing today with a broad scope of experience and knowledge. He is a key thought leader who will play a critical role for Advanced Vision Research as we move forward with new product research and development. His appointment is particularly important following the untimely death in August of Jeffrey P. Gilbard, MD, Founder of Advanced Vision Research. We look forward to working with him and benefitting from his knowledge and experience."  

Knowledge of differences in the demographics of contact lens prescribing between nations, and changes over time, can assist (a) the contact lens industry in developing and promoting various product types in different world regions, and (b) practitioners in understanding their prescribing habits in an international context. Data that these researchers gathered from annual contact lens fitting surveys conducted in Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the UK and the USA between 2000 and 2008 reveal an aging demographic, with Japan being the most youthful. The majority of fits are to females, with statistically significant differences between nations, ranging from 62% of fits in Norway to 68% in Japan. The small overall decline in the proportion of new fits, and commensurate increase in refits, over the survey period may indicate a growing rate of conversion of lens wearers to more advanced lens types, such as silicone hydrogels.
Morgan PB, Efron N, Helland M, Itoi M, Jones D, Nichols JJ, van der Worp E, Woods CA. Demographics of international contact lens prescribing. Cont Lens Anterior Eye 2009.

It is unfortunate that we have to bring you the news of the untimely passing of Dr. N. Rex Ghormley. Without question, he was a legacy in this field and we honor him in his passing. Our sincerest condolences go to his family.
Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO

This month at www.siliconehydrogels.org: adverse events with daily wear of silicone hydrogels, SEALs with extended wear, controlling case contamination, contact lens complications, and part two of our AAO 2008 synopsis.