NEWS spectrum

Record Numbers for BCLA

This year's Clinical Conference of the British Contact Lens Association took place in Birmingham from May 29 to June 1 and was the largest in its 32-year history, with a total of 1,027 delegates registering from 48 different countries. This is the second successive year that the event has attracted more than 1,000 delegates, with 55 percent of those registered attending from overseas.

The Principal Key-note Speaker was Professor Deborah Sweeney, CEO of the Vision CRC in Sydney, Australia. At the Gala Dinner, outgoing President Nick Atkins presented conference scientific programme officer Jonathan Walker with honorary life membership of the Association in recognition of his contribution to the growing success of the conference during his 12 year involvement.

Also awarded at the conference were 18 new BCLA Fellowships, a mark of esteem in the field of contact lenses which allows recipients to use the letters FBCLA after their names.

In addition, the BCLA Medal for outstanding achievement in the field of contact lenses went to Professor Desmond Fonn, University of Waterloo, Canada.

Martin Cardall of Aston University, Birmingham, received the Dallos Award, a £5,000 award to fund a research project judged likely to further understanding of a topic related to contact lenses or the anterior eye.

Dr. Rachael Peterson, University of Waterloo, Canada, presented the Irving Fatt Memorial Lecture.

The 2009 BCLA Clinical Conference and Exhibition will be held from May 28 to 31 in Manchester. For more information on BCLA events and membership, visit www.bcla.org.uk, email vfreeman@bcla.co.uk or call 020 7580 6661.

Daily Disposable Silicone Hydrogel to Launch

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care announced it is launching a daily disposable silicone hydrogel contact lens which will be available in the United Kingdom and Ireland this autumn. The announcement was made at the 2008 British Contact Lens Association annual meeting.

The 1•Day Acuvue TruEye Brand Contact Lenses combine narafilcon A, a new-generation, high-performance silicone hydrogel material, with the convenience of a daily disposable lens. The lens features new Hydraclear 1, a proprietary formulation of the company's patented Hydraclear technology.

"The distinctive lens design and manufacturing process of 1•Day Acuvue TruEye makes it the biggest breakthrough to date in daily disposable contact lens technology," said David Ruston, director of professional affairs for UK, Ireland, Holland & Nordics at Johnson & Johnson Vision Care.

OAA Hosts Ortho-k Meeting

The Orthokeratology Academy of America (OAA) held its first annual meeting and education conference in San Diego from April 18 to 20, with a focus on non-surgical myopia control. International researchers presented information to 225 attendees from almost 20 countries on the use of orthokeratology for myopia control, new lens designs for improved efficacy and post-LASIK rehabilitation. A number of presentations described corneal cellular changes that are responsible for ortho-k results — information not previously understood. In addition, new designs for myopia correction as well as hyperopia and high astigmatic correction were unveiled.

The international faculty included Cary Herzberg, OD; Patrick Caroline, FAAO; Earl Smith III, OD, PhD; Jeff Walline, OD, PhD; Helen Swarbrick, PhD; Pauline Cho, BOptom, PhD; Jennifer Choo, OD; Sami El Hage, OD, PhD, DSc; Rob Gerowitz, OD; Brien Holden, PhD; and others. Topics included vision correction, compliance, myopia control, fitting techniques, tear film considerations, incorporating ortho-k into practice, and marketing and advertising, among others. The meeting also included wet lab sessions.

At the meeting's awards dinner, Norm Leach, OD, PhD, received a Fellowship in OrthoKeratology Research and Dr. Reim received an Annual Excellence in OrthoKeratology Award as well as a Fellowship in OrthoKeratology Research.

The OAA will co-host a meeting in Little Rock, Ark. with The Exodus Group from Oct. 23 to 25. The OAA portion of the meeting will be specifically aimed at new ortho-k fitters with courses taught by OAA board members who have successful ortho-k practices. Details are available at www.the-exodus-group.org.

AMO Advocates Rub and Rinse

Advanced Medical Optics presented before the FDA's Ophthalmic Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee to address several general issues regarding the safety and effectiveness of contact lens solutions and demonstrated that infection control is a complex issue that involves more than the formulation of the solution itself. The presentation came during a meeting held by the FDA Panel on June 10 to discuss general issues concerning the post-market experience with various contact lens care products.

AMO advocated the rub-and-rinse regimen and stated that safe use of contact lens care products depends heavily on patient compliance with labeled instructions for use. Specifically, the company emphasized that it is focused on the education of eyecare professionals and patients on proper lens care compliance and that real-world testing of contact lens care products should be considered when evaluating product safety and efficacy.

"AMO is committed to protecting the ocular health of people who wear contact lenses and use lens care products," said Russ Trenary, executive vice president, global public policy and medical education at AMO. "We support safety measures that provide patients with appropriate steps for proper handling, disinfection and hygiene of contact lenses."

The company also addressed the FDA's interest in evaluating preclinical microbiology test methods to better serve as predictors of real-world product performance. AMO supports established standards for testing the effectiveness of contact lens solutions in effectively disinfecting against a broad range of organisms in the best interest of the patients who use its products.