NEWS spectrum

Contact Lens Management Report Updated

The Management & Business Academy (MBA), sponsored by Ciba Vision and Essilor and endorsed by the American Optometric Association, has updated its “Best Practices of Contact Lens Management” and its “Best Practices of Spectacle Lens Management” reports.

The reports discuss critical management topics for each device category, providing current optometric practice performance benchmarks, projections of revenue gains from process improvements, and concrete management techniques to increase revenue and patient satisfaction. Each report also includes extensive quantitative analyses drawn from MBA practice performance surveys among private practice optometrists and from proprietary research from the sponsor companies.

The 28-page report “Best Practices of Contact Lens Management” includes sections on upgrading the product mix, retail pricing and gross profit margin maximization, transaction cost reduction, managing in-office inventory, patient recall and annual supply sales strategies, and increasing the contact lens wearer base.

Both reports can be downloaded from www.mba-ce.com.

Akorn to Acquire AVR

Akorn, Inc., a niche generic pharmaceutical company, has entered into an agreement to acquire Advanced Vision Research, Inc. (AVR), the maker of TheraTears and Macu-Trition, for $26 million in cash on hand.

AVR was founded in 1995 by the late Jeffrey P. Gilbard, MD, with its lead products developed in the clinics and laboratories of Harvard University's Schepens Eye Research Institute. In 2010, AVR generated sales of $20 million, which consisted of domestic sales through major retail chains and sales in 20 countries across five continents.

Akorn also announced plans to launch a new Consumer Health Division to enter the OTC eyecare market, pending the acquisition of AVR. The company plans to further expand by licensing new products and developing private-labeled eyecare products for major retailers.

Akorn named Bruce Kutinsky, PharmD, as its president of the newly formed Consumer Health Division. Mr. Kutinsky joined Akorn as its senior vice president of Corporate Strategy in 2010.

“We have had a relationship with AVR for several years,” said Raj Rai, CEO. “With the acquisition, we can add value in future growth as we have an existing sales infrastructure that markets products to ophthalmologists, optometrists, and retailers nationwide complementing AVR's sales initiatives.”

Group to Advance Ortho-k Globally

The formation of a new International Academy of Orthokeratology (IAO) was announced at Vision By Design 2011, the annual conference of the Orthokeratology Academy of America (OAA) that was held April 28 to May 1 in Orlando, Fla.

The IAO brings together ortho-k organizations from America (OAA) as well from Europe and Asia. It is designed to promote and advance corneal reshaping worldwide through education and research presentations at meetings held around the world. The first meetings are planned for Europe (Fall 2011), China (March 2012), and Phoenix (April 2012).

Melbourne F. Hovell, PhD, MPH, from the Graduate School of Public Health in San Diego, delivered the keynote speech at the meeting, “Myopia as a Public Health Issue.” The meeting featured more than 25 hours of COPE-approved CE on corneal reshaping and rehabilitation. The international faculty included Patrick Caroline, Dr. John Mountford, Dr. Sami El Hage, Randy Kojima, Dr. Jerry Legerton, Dr. Hsiao Ching Tung, Dr. Charl Laas, Dr. Chris Eksteen, Dr. Eddie Chow, Dr. Helen Changmin Duan, Dr. Pei-Ying Xie, Dr. Iwane Mitsui, Dr. Antonio Calossi, Dr. Jacinto Santodomingo, Russell Lowe, and others. Also featured was a comprehensive “Bootcamp for Newcomers” in corneal reshaping as well as a number of workshops and breakout sessions.

The Academy also honored Dr. Mountford with a Research Fellowship (FOAA) for his work in developing the innovative BE retainer design and Dr. Legerton with the Outstanding Achievement in Orthokeratology Award for his contributions to the field of corneal reshaping including the Paragon CRT lens design.

Studies Point to Noncompliance

Findings from two independent, sponsor-masked online surveys, sponsored by Vistakon, of frequent replacement contact lens wearers suggest a number of missteps that occur before, during, and after contact lens wear. The respondents, aged 12 to 39 years old, represented wearers of two-week or monthly hydrogel and silicone hydrogel lenses available in the United States.

Nearly half of survey respondents admitted to not washing their hands with soap prior to lens application (44 percent) and removal (49 percent). In addition, few patients rub their lenses with disinfecting solution (27 percent in morning, 25 percent in evening), although this may be due to the “No Rub” on some product packaging. Results also showed generally low compliance with practitioner recommendations on lens replacement frequency. Furthermore, although 75 percent reported that they emptied disinfecting solution from the lens case in the morning, only 46 percent reported that they filled their case with fresh solution instead. The average frequency for cleaning the lens case was two to three times a week; 33 percent said they clean their cases monthly or less often. Most patients reported that their method of cleaning the lens case involved exposure to tap water. The studies also found that the median interval for intended and actual replacement of lens storage cases was four to six months; but 48 percent said they replace their storage case annually or less often.

These findings will be published in Contact Lens & Anterior Eye.