Contact Lenses

The deadline for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Unique Device Identification (UDI) rule has been extended for an additional year for some medical device manufacturers.

S. Barry Eiden, OD, FAAO, talks about what you can expect from the Global Contact Lens Forum to be held from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 17, 2014 in Las Vegas during Vision Expo West.

Michigan College of Optometry’s Vision Research Institute recently announced the availability the Scleral Lens Fit Scales, a downloadable document was created by the VRI for educational purposes and is designed to assist clinicians in practice.

The Senate Judiciary Committee's nine-member antitrust panel recently met to consider the decisions by Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, and Johnson & Johnson to put in place minimum sale prices for some of their products.

Every optometrist who fits contact lenses knows what a problem many patients have with contact lens discomfort. It is likewise a significant clinical challenge.

Do you know what consumer media is telling your patients about buying glasses and contact lenses?

The Cooper Companies, Inc. recently completed its acquisition of Sauflon Pharmaceuticals Limited in a transaction valued at approximately $1.2 billion, expanding CooperVision’s range of contact lens offerings.

The general feeling is that the eyeglass patient is much more profitable to a practice then the contact lens patient. Let’s look at this misconception in some detail.

We would also like to think that our beloved patients are taking that instruction to heart: washing their hands, rubbing and rinsing their lenses, cleaning and replacing their cases, and never, ever topping off. But the harsh reality is that overall compliance is relatively poor. Research has uncovered the astonishing apathetic behaviors of patients time and time again, but we have yet to use that information to change future behavior. A recent study may help shed some light on how to elicit better habits from our contact lens wearers.

CooperVision has launched an app that will help patients find more information on the right contact lenses for them, find an optometrist, and remind them when it’s time to replace their lenses.

A recent study published in Optometry and Vision Science supported the biocompatibility of contact lenses coated with an antimicrobial peptide, which could help lower the risk of contact lens-related infections.

Dr. Mile Brujic and Dr. Jason Miller debate the need for contact lens follow-ups.

A healthy ocular surface is critical for the visual acuity and comfort of soft contact lenses. Despite this, treating dry eye is often an afterthought. Instead, contact lens practitioners may make multiple changes to the lens material, lens modality, and/or cleaning solution in an attempt to improve comfortable wear time and avoid dropout.

This morning, I saw a patient who came to our office complaining of discomfort, itching, and irritated eyes. She said she had done nothing different with her two-week soft contact lenses over the past three years. Her lenses were fogging up and would dry out after a few hours of wear. Upon examination, slit lamp biomicroscopy showed Grade 3 giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC) in both eyes. Her lenses were moving excessively. Naturally, I assumed that this patient was non-compliant in her lens care. Doctors have been dealing with compliance issues with contact lenses since they were invented.

Alcon has released a compliance kit will help eyecare professionals educate their patients on how to take care of their contact lenses while also providing consumers with a clear doctor recommendation.

A recent report from BCC Research, a publisher of technology market research reports, projects the contact lens market to grow from $18.9 billion in 2013 to $20.1 billion by 2018, a compound annual growth rate of 1.2 percent over the five-year period.

During the American Optometric Association’s Optometry’s Meeting, Mile Brujic, OD, moderated a debate on contact lenses among Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, David Kading, OD, FAAO, and Jack Schaeffer, OD, FAAO. Topics ranged from lenses from lens discomfort to mitigation of microbial keratitis to the use of daily disposable lenses.

Alcon announced the launch of its Air Optix Colors silicone hydrogel color contact lenses at the American Optometric Association’s Optometry’s Meeting.

Baush + Lomb announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued marketing clearance for Biotrue ONEday for Presbyopia (nesofilcon A) soft (hydrophilic) daily disposable multifocal contact lenses at the American Optometric Association’s Optometry’s Meeting.

Tom Quinn, OD, FAAO, and Shalu Pal, OD, FAAO, discussed the contact lens market at the American Optometric Association’s Optometry’s Meeting.

Philadelphia-Johnson & Johnson Vision Care announced its plans to discontinue the Acuvue Advance brand contact lenses next year, and also announced the availability of a six-month supply pack of Acuvue Oasys at the American Optometric Association Meeting 2014.

According to research presented at the 2014 British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference, found the coefficient of friction of the 1-Day Acuvue TruEeye and Acuvue Oasys brand contact lenses were comparable to that of the human cornea.

The British Contact Lens Association recently welcomed Susan Bowers as its president for 2014-15. The new president elect is Brian Tompkins.

Recently, the Ophthalmic Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) met to discuss recommendations for guidance documents for contact lenses and care solutions.

The treatment choices presented to presbyopic patients will depend on many factors, including lifestyle, profession, general attitude toward vision, and levels of disposable income. The first step is ascertaining which two of the three visual acuities are most important to them: near, intermediate, or distance vision. For example, you probably wouldn't recommend a multifocal intraocular lens (IOL) to a professional airline pilot because those lenses may compromise nighttime distance vision.