Metro Optics, Austin, TX, launched an exclusive, new iPhone app that guides users step-by-step through the ordering process for custom Soft and GP lenses. This free application saves time by streamlining the order process, while Metro Optics' exclusive designs help increase patient retention, per the company.
     Orders are automatically placed through the system and the practitioner receives email updates as the order is processed and shipped.
     The application is available at the iPhone App Store. For additional information, contact Joe Brown at joebrown@metro-optics.com or 800-223-1858. Learn more online at www.metro-optics.com.

Contact lenses prescribed for longer replacement intervals can lead to more extreme over wear (stretching) that could lead to undesirable clinical effects, new research shows. More than half of frequent replacement contact lens wearers surveyed say they are not compliant with their prescribed replacement schedule, whether wearing a two-week or monthly lens.
     A random sample of 645 frequent replacement contact lens wearers answered questions relating to lens replacement frequency, using an online, sponsor-masked survey. The respondents represented wearers of hydrogel and silicone hydrogel lenses available in the United States that are prescribed for two-week or monthly replacement.
     About four-in-ten (43%) wearers of lenses prescribed by their eye doctor for two-week replacement reported that they replaced their lenses as prescribed. Sixty-five percent replaced them at three weeks; 85 percent within four weeks, four percent at eight weeks or more, and two percent at ten weeks or more.
     Only about one-third (36%) of wearers of lenses prescribed for monthly replacement reported that they replaced their lenses as prescribed. Over half (55%) replaced them at five weeks, 23 percent at eight weeks or more, and 14 percent at ten weeks or more.
     "The most surprising finding from this research is the percentage of patients who admitted to stretching lens replacement to eight weeks or more," said study author Sheila Hickson-Curran, BSc (Hons), MCOptom, FAAO, Director of Medical Affairs, Vistakon, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. "Monthly lens wearers were about three times as likely as two-week wearers to go up to eight weeks before changing their lenses. Contact lens prescribers need to continually reinforce the importance of replacement compliance and educate patients about how over wear can impact lens comfort, vision performance, and ocular health."

Contamac announced the launch of a new Professional Services Section on the company website. As part of a strategic decision to offer clinical data to enhance practitioner expertise, this new educational section will include case studies on specialty designs produced by global contact lens laboratories.
     "We are eager to expand our clinical focus for contact lens fitters with this innovative approach and emphasis on specialty lenses," said Tim Koch, Vice President of Professional Services, "and will continue our efforts to expand this important feature."   
     In addition, practitioners are invited to contact their area contact lens manufacturers or Contamac, to obtain information on participating in a case study promotion for specialty lenses, produced using Contamac materials.
     Visit the new practitioner site at www.contamac.com/professional.

Your practice thrives when your patients are healthy and happy-and ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR® Plus can help you fulfill this goal, by providing exceptional comfort, vision, and health. It's a fact: more than 9 out of 10 patients stay in ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand.¹ So when you fit your patients with ACUVUE® OASYS™, you're laying a solid foundation of patient commitment and satisfaction leading to practice growth.

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

1. Data on file.
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

Wearing times in children show contact lens wearers typically wear glasses one to two days per week, according to research assessing the vision correction wearing time pattern of children participating in the the Adolescent and Child Health Initiative to Encourage Vision Empowerment (ACHIEVE) Study. The findings were presented at the American Academy of Optometry meeting.**
     Researchers report that, adjusting for myopia amount, young children wear contact lenses as much as older children. Data also shows that a number of sporting activities, spectacle satisfaction, and appearance in glasses do not affect wearing time.
     A total of 484 eight-to-11-year-old nearsighted children participated in the randomized, single-masked ACHIEVE trial conducted from September 2003 to October 2007 at five clinical centers in the U.S. Children were randomly assigned to wear spectacles (n=237) or contact lenses (n=247) for three years. Children randomly assigned to wear contact lenses were provided the option of daily disposable or 2-week disposable lenses, and they chose daily disposable contact lenses 93.3% of the time.
     Parents of children in the ACHIEVE study completed a form indicating how many hours their child wore glasses, contact lenses, or no correction each day. Younger spectacle wearers wore their glasses longer than younger contact lens wearers, but there was no difference among older subjects (age*treatment interaction p = 0.0050), though a multivariate model indicated that age was not associated with wearing time once refractive error (RE) was considered (age p-value = 0.03404, RE p-value = 0.0038). Other variables considered were number of sports reported, low satisfaction with wearing spectacles at baseline, and lower scores on the appearance subscale of the PREP survey. None of these variables were associated with differences in wearing times.
     Level of myopia showed those with low myopia wore their correction significantly less than both moderately and highly myopic subjects (p-value = 0.0025).
     The study was supported by funding from Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and The Vision Care Institute, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson Company.
** Jones, Lisa (PhD, FAAO) et al., "A Comparison of Correction Wearing Times in Spectacle and Contact Lens Wearers"

Bausch & Lomb (B&L) announced that Fred Hassan has been elected to its Board of Directors. Mr. Hassan was chairman and CEO of Schering-Plough Corporation from 2003 until its acquisition by Merck & Co., Inc. Before joining Schering-Plough, he served as CEO (from 2000 to 2001) and as chairman and CEO (from 2001 to 2003) of Pharmacia Corporation until the company was acquired by Pfizer Inc. in 2003. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Hassan was CEO of Pharmacia & Upjohn, Inc., which merged with Monsanto Company in 2000 to become Pharmacia Corporation. From 1972 to 1997, he served in various senior management roles at major pharmaceutical companies.
     "Bausch & Lomb and its customers will benefit from Fred Hassan's extensive global business experience and his in-depth knowledge of the healthcare industry," said Gerald M. Ostrov, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, B&L. "We will especially value Fred's insights as we develop and market innovative pharmaceutical products for the global eye health industry."

New software advances for the Atlas Corneal Topography System were released by Carl Zeiss Meditec during the American Academy of Optometry meeting in Orlando, Florida. Review Software and MasterFit II Contact Lens Software for the Atlas corneal topography system are designed to make clinical data and images more accessible for eye care providers, while facilitating improved eye care diagnosis and treatment solutions for patients, as reported by the company.
     With Atlas Review Software, each patient's diagnostic information can be accessed from any computer within the office or from a remote location. Providing greater freedom and flexibility while streamlining workflow processes, Atlas Review Software allows users to retrieve important patient data from the patient exam lane, front and back office, research center or any networked location. It also eliminates the need for static print-outs, increases the instrument's availability within the office and allows practitioners to educate patients more easily from any computer screen within the office.
     The new MasterFit II Contact Lens Software for Atlas 9000 is now also available. MasterFit II is designed to make fitting gas permeable (GP) lenses faster and easier for the practitioner while minimizing chair-time to improve patient comfort. Simulated fluorescein patterns and tear film thickness profiles promote effective lens design, such as spherical, aspheric, bi-toric, back toric and front-toric lenses.
     For further information please visit our website at: www.meditec.zeiss.com

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

To increase patient compliance with prescribed ocular vitamin regimens, safety, and maximize effectiveness, EyeScience announced a program which enables doctors to properly educate, inform and promote return checkups to monitor the success and eye health impact and increase profits with the sale of products from their offices. EyeScience is a privately held company that develops and markets the most complete, physician-created, clinically proven vitamins and supplements to treat macular degeneration and dry eye, according to the company.
     "According to a 2003 study published in Drugs and Aging, up to 59 percent of older adults do not adhere to treatment instructions. Giving patients clear, easy to understand instructions positively impacts usage adherence for taking vitamins as required," said Jeff Northup, President and CEO of EyeScience Labs. "The key is to accurately and clearly reinforce the doctor's recommendations to encourage compliance in medications for the best possible outcomes."
     "I have seen a remarkable increase in patient compliance with our in-office sales program," says Greg Evans, OD. "For my patients who suffer from AMD or Dry Eye Syndrome there has been a positive impact on follow-up visits and to my bottom line."
     The program is designed to improve accessibility to EyeScience products. Once the patient is educated with the benefits of using Macular Health Formula or Dry Eye Formula, the patient can either purchase the product directly from their eye-care professional or go to any convenient CVS/pharmacy.
      For more information, contact EyeScience at 877-393-8482 or visit www.eyescience.com.

Researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, set out to compare the risk for vision loss from laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) versus long-term contact lens wear using decision analysis. Based on previously published data, a decision tree was constructed using Markov modeling to calculate the probability of vision loss from LASIK versus contact lenses over time. An outcome variable, visual acuity-adjusted life-year (VALY), was defined to account for timing and severity of vision loss. The VALYs were tallied over a 30-year simulation to determine whether the risk for vision loss with contacts exceeded that with LASIK. Sensitivity analyses were performed to test the effect of changes in key variables including probability of contact lens-related keratitis, probability of ectasia after LASIK, and probability of early post-LASIK vision loss.
     The model's conclusions were highly sensitive to changes in several variables tested, especially risk for post-LASIK ectasia, risk for early vision loss after LASIK, and risk for contact lens-related keratitis (which correlated with type of lenses worn). Rigid gas-permeable lenses were safer than LASIK in every analysis. The safety of LASIK exceeded that for daily-wear soft lenses only when assumptions were most favorable to LASIK, whereas the safety of LASIK always exceeded that for extended-wear lenses except when assumptions were least favorable to LASIK.
     This decision analysis found that the risk for vision loss associated with LASIK and with long-term contact lens wear might be closer than generally assumed.
McGee HT, Mathers WD. Laser in situ keratomileusis versus long-term contact lens wear: decision analysis. J Cataract Refract Surg 2009;35:1860-7.

This week's abstract relates to an important topic that periodically resurfaces-that is, the risks wearing contact lenses compared to other modes of refractive correction such as refractive surgery. The abstract of the week is intended to alert you to important literature that is relevant to our field. As always, I strongly encourage you to read the full article before drawing conclusions.
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.