NEWS spectrum
B+L Unveils New Daily Disposable Lens
Bausch + Lomb (B+L) announced the launch of Biotrue Oneday, its new daily disposable contact lens. It was introduced in Italy in May, and the company received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance in late June, with U.S. distribution beginning in July.
Biotrue Oneday is made from HyperGel, a material that B+L says combines the best features of traditional hydrogels and silicone hydrogels. The lens offers high water content and delivers more oxygen compared to a traditional hydrogel—without the need for silicone—while maintaining the comfort of traditional hydrogels. B+L says the bio-inspired material helps the lenses retain moisture and optical shape even after hours of wear and allows oxygen to flow freely through the lens. The lenses extend the Biotrue brand portfolio that also includes Biotrue multipurpose solution.
Biotrue Oneday lenses contain 78 percent water, the same water content as the cornea, while delivering virtually the same oxygen level as the open eye. The outer lens surface is designed to mimic the lipid layer of tear film to help prevent lens dehydration. Additional information on the lens will appear in a future Product Spectrum.
AOCLE Holds Annual Workshop
The Association of Optometric Contact Lens Educators (AOCLE) held its annual workshop at Indiana University School of Optometry from June 7 to 10, 2012. More than 50 contact lens educators and 20 industry representatives gathered at the workshop, which had a theme of “Current Controversies in Cornea and Contact Lenses.” Guest lecturers were Dr. Carolyn Begley, Dr. Desmond Fonn, and Dr.Loretta Szczotka-Flynn. New officers were elected as follows: Dr. Bruce Morgan-Chair, Dr. Judy Perrigin-Vice Chair, Dr. Susan Kovacich-Secretary, Dr. John Corzine-Treasurer, and Dr. Vinita Henry-Immediate Past Chair.
The George Mertz New Educator Travel Award was presented this year to three new contact lens educators: Dr. Amy Dinardo-Michigan College of Optometry, Dr. Christina Newman-Southern College of Optometry, and Dr. Nikki Rai-University of Waterloo.
The Lester E. Janoff Memorial Award, presented to an optometric educator of the AOCLE who has demonstrated excellence in the area of contact lens-related publications, contact lens education and research, and who has an active role in the AOCLE, was presented to Dr. Janice Jurkus of Illinois College of Optometry.
More information regarding the AOCLE and its resources is available at www.aocle.org.
| INDUSTRY BRIEFS |
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| ■ Alden Optical, Inc. has signed an agreement to license NovaKone to David Thomas Contact Lenses, a group subsidiary of Menicon Holdings BV. David Thomas Contact Lenses, based in the United Kingdom, is one of the world's most respected specialty contact lens laboratories with a strategic focus on lenses for irregular corneas. David Thomas Contact Lenses plans to launch NovaKone in the regions that the company serves by September 2012. ■ Paragon CRT celebrated its 10th FDA approval anniversary in June while approaching two million worldwide consumers who wear corneal reshaping lenses. The company says that an estimated 55 percent of CRT lenses are prescribed for children between the ages of 8 and 18 and that practitioners worldwide are focused on CRT as an accepted standard of care for consumers who want to avoid wearing glasses or daytime contact lenses, are underage or averse to surgery, are soft contact lens dropouts, or who suffer from end-of-day discomfort or dryness. ■ Madrid OK, the first educational meeting of the European Academy of Orthokeratology (EurOK), was held June 9 to 10 at the Universidad Europa de Madrid. The meeting was attended by close to 200 ortho-k practitioners from all over Europe and the world. The conference offered dual translation in Spanish and Italian with topics including clinical ortho-k, myopia control with ortho-k, biomechanical effects of ortho-k, adverse effects in ortho-k and how to reduce them, and worldwide ortho-k today. ■ The Heart of America Contact Lens Society is calling for participants to be part of the inaugural class of poster presenters at its 52nd Annual Heart of America Contact Lens and Primary Care Conference at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo. from Feb. 15 to 17, 2013. Students are eligible for a $2,000 award, and a $100 travel grant will be awarded for all accepted posters. The poster submission deadline is Oct. 1, 2012. Visit www.hoacls.org or email the director of education at education3@thehoacls.org for more information. ■ In May 2012 ClinRoc, LLC - Clinical Insights and Solutions was founded and commenced operations consulting for the eyecare industry. Co-Founders Gerard Cairns, PhD, MCOptom, FBCLA, FAAO, and Tara Vaz, OD, FAAO, have joined forces to support eyecare-related businesses and practitioners alike. As specialists in medical, clinical, and scientific Affairs, ClinRoc, LLC provides a broad range of services for R&D, clinical regulatory, data analysis/interpretation, and medical writing. Call (585) 203-7090 or visit www.clinroc.com. ■ To support its considerable investment in the Asia Pacific region, CooperVision, Inc. recently made the following appointments: Ed Northup has joined CooperVision as president, Asia Pacific Region; Weilin Jin has been named general manager of CooperVision China; and Guy Whittaker, vice president of Marketing for the Asia Pacific Region, adds responsibility as general manager of Singapore, Malaysia, India, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. |
BCLA: Successful 2012 Meeting
A total of 1,203 visitors from 45 nations attended the 36th British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) Clinical Conference and Exhibition from May 24 to 27, at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham, UK that included four days of education, business, networking, and socializing.
The association welcomed 1,060 registered delegates in addition to 143 visitors who came just for the three-day exhibition, which was supported by 167 industry representatives from around 50 companies. On the opening day of the exhibition at the ICC Birmingham, 695 people were scanned into the hall to view the stands and learn about the latest innovations at the popular Exhibitors' Pavilion.
About half of this year's delegates were from the United Kingdom (484) with the largest overseas contingents coming from the United States (110), followed by France (54), Sweden (37), Italy (36), Denmark (32), and Germany (28). The conference also saw its firstever delegates from Costa Rica and Swaziland.
Announced at the Gala Dinner were 19 new BCLA Fellowships, a mark of esteem in the contact lens field that allows recipients to use the letters FBCLA after their names. Past BCLA President William Thomas was awarded an Honorary Life Membership.
The 37th BCLA Clinical Conference and Exhibition will take place at Manchester Central, UK, from June 6 to June 9, 2013. For more information about BCLA events and how to join the association, visit www.bcla.org.uk, email events@bcla.org.uk or call 0207 580 6661.
| Health Benefits Company Acquires 1-800 Contacts |
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| WellPoint, Inc., one of the nation's largest health benefits companies, has acquired 1-800 Contacts, Inc. The deal, which was announced June 4, was not expected to be completed until the third quarter of 2012, but was completed earlier than expected in late June. Angela F. Braly, WellPoint's chair, president, and CEO, said she was pleased that the sale was completed earlier than anticipated, and that the acquisition of 1-800 Contacts would help diversify the company's revenue stream. Jonathan Coon, CEO and co-founder of 1-800 Contacts, said that the company was looking forward to being a part of one of the largest health benefits providers in the United States. 1-800 Contacts will remain headquartered in Draper, Utah, and will be a wholly owned operating division of WellPoint. |
Eyecare Industry Vet to Retire
A longtime eyecare industry professional announced his retirement after 40 years in the industry. Phil Keefer, following a 23-year career with Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, will retire effective Sept. 1, 2012.
Mr. Keefer is currently president of The Vision Care Institute, where he conceived and implemented a professional education strategy that resulted in the creation of 15 Vision Care Institutes and nine satellite centers around the world. Mr. Keefer joined Johnson & Johnson Vision Care in 1989 as executive vice president, Sales, Marketing, Professional Affairs and Strategic Planning, where he oversaw the initial launch of the Acuvue brand. In 1993, he was appointed vice president, New Business Development, where he created and implemented global strategic plans that included the international expansion of the Vision Care franchise. He served as managing director/president of multiple regions, including Asia Pacific, the Americas, Latin America, and Japan.
Mr. Keefer was chairman of the Contact Lens Institute Board of Governors and has also served on the boards of the American Optometric Foundation, Vision-Web, Inc., the National Boards of The Vision Council of America and Prevent Blindness America, and the Florida Board of Prevent Blindness America. In 2009, The American Academy of Optometry presented him with the Honorary Fellowship Award.
During his long career, Mr. Keefer also held positions at Allergan, CooperVision, Optical Radiation Corporation, and Polymer Technology Corporation.
| New Material Science Lab Opens at Lagado |
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| Lagado Corporation has recently been renovated and expanded, and its Material Science Laboratory (MSL) is now fully operational and ready to receive visitors. The MSL, which features state-of-the-art manufacturing capability for custom soft and GP lenses, is destined to become a valuable resource for Menicon's laboratory partners around the world, according to the company. Led by Tony Parrinello, a seasoned industry professional with more than 25 years of contact lens manufacturing experience, the MSL will serve as a center of excellence for customers, vendors, and employees to learn about and see Menicon's manufacturing technologies; provide customers with hands-on support in custom soft and GP lens manufacturing and the use of lens design software; handle product release testing for soft and GP materials produced in the facility; and provide real-time feedback on manufacturing characteristics of soft and GP materials under development. |
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