CONTACT LENSES TODAY
November 12, 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.
National Diabetes Awareness Month
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an estimated 20.8 million people in the United States had diabetes in 2005, but only
14.6 million had received a diagnosis. According to current projections, about 48 million people in the U.S. will have been diagnosed with diabetes by 2050. Lifestyle
changes and exercise can prevent or delay the onset of type two diabetes among high-risk adults. Information on how to prevent and control diabetes is available
at http://www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/diabeted.htm and http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/ndep.index.htm. Throughout the month, the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report will publish reports on diabetes and its complications in specific populations.
FDA Grants Approval to Heidelberg Spectralis
Heidelberg Engineering announced last week that the FDA has granted approval to its Spectralis HRA + OCT, a device that combines optical
coherence tomography with laser angiography. The new product detects previously unrecognized structures, combining high-resolution cross-sectional images of the retina
with four imaging modalities: autofluorescence, infrared, fluorescein angiography or ICG angiography. It scans the retina at 40,000 scans per second. The company expects
to begin shipping in mid-2007.
Correction
Two weeks ago, CLToday reported that ReNu with MoistureLoc had garnered a 2% share of the contact lens care market in the first few weeks of
Sept. 2006 despite the product's recall. We have since been in contact with AC Nielson, the source to which the information was originally attributed, and have confirmed
that this information is incorrect. B&L reports the actual number is twenty eight hundredths of a percent for the weeks heading into early September. CLToday regrets the
error.
A Confident Choice
ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM are the # 1 astigmatic lenses for new wearers. Eye Care Professionals surveyed
said the comfort level of ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ Brand for ASTIGMATISM was superior to other lens designs, and they also gave it high marks for its average settle time
of 53 seconds. In a survey of more than 200 ECPs participating in a market test, 99% rated the lens very good to excellent for ease of fit; and 98% agreed the rotational
stability and predictable orientation of ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ for ASTIGMATISM was very good to excellent. With the increased comfort, ease of fit and the highest UV
protection available, ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ for ASTIGMATISM is designed to quickly give you complete confidence in your first choice lens. 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
J.D. Power Ranks Eyecare Customer Satisfaction
J.D. Power and Associates’ 2006 National Vision Plan Member Satisfaction Study ranks Vision Service Plan (VSP) highest in member satisfaction
among national vision plans. The study measures member satisfaction in the areas of coverage and communication, customer service, doctor network and clinical service, cost
and eyewear purchase experience. In a separate National Retail Vision Satisfaction Study, J.D. Power ranked Costco highest in customer satisfaction among in-store mass
merchandiser/department store optical departments. For more information on both surveys, visit http://www.jdpower.com.
Abstract:
Optical Aberrations and Contact Lenses
Researchers in Madrid, Spain, recently used a laser ray tracing system to evaluate the impact of disposable soft contact lenses on visual
performance of myopic eyes with and without contact lenses. They measured the aberrations of 18 eyes, comparing the findings for the naked eye, the eye with a test lens
and with a disposable contact lens. They found large variability among subjects, but report the general tendency was that test lenses did not modify aberrations, but
contact lenses tended to increase ocular aberrations for large pupils by an average of 40%. There was a lower increase for smaller pupils. They conclude that the use of
disposable contact lenses did not show a significant, adverse effect on the quality of vision during daylight conditions, but did show a small decline in night
vision.
[Laser ray tracing to measure optical aberrations in eyes with contact lenses.] [Article in Spanish]. Arch Soc Esp Oftalmol.
2006 Oct;81(10):575-80.
Editor's Commentary:
The
Value of Patient Care
Recently Consumer Reports reported on saving on spectacle purchases. They mention a large mass merchandiser who has good service and
good prices. They then say that the service was nearly as good as private medical (and I'm sure that also includes optometry) and small independent optical shops.
Then they say the latter options (private medical and independent optical shops) have good service but higher price.
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? You get
what you pay for? Providing great contact lens (or any type of medical eye) care is costly and should not cut corners. Whenever the topic comes up I think about what
Craig Norman once asked me; "What would you charge a patient for contact lenses (care) if the lenses were free or if you made nothing from the lenses themselves?" You
need to think this way, increasingly, if you want to work hard enough to do the best for your patient.
Fitting Tip:
Measuring High Power Contact Lenses
When measuring very high power contact lenses for keratoconus or (pediatric) aphakia keep in mind two things. One is that some lensometers
don't measure this high. Some autolensometers may measure this high but make sure they have a contact lens setting because the spherical aberration in these lenses may
cause a high minus lens to appear more minus or a high plus lens to appear too high in plus. On the plus side remember also that back vertex power is higher than front
vertex power and you need to know which vertex power your lab makes.
Joe Barr, OD, MS, FAAO
Ohio State University.
This month at http://www.siliconehydrogels.org, learn about the challenges associated with
Silicone hydrogel lenses, and read about the benefits of contact lenses for teens.
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 golf 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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