NEWS spectrum

CooperVision Launches Multifocal Daily Disposable

CooperVision recently launched Proclear 1 Day Multifocal daily disposable contact lenses, which the company says provide presbyopic patients with excellent vision at all distances and address age-related dryness, all in the convenience of a daily disposable lens.

CooperVision says that its Proclear 1 Day Multifocal appeals to both daily and occasional wearers due to its healthier modality, ability to provide excellent vision at all distances, and the company's PC Technology. The Proclear 1 Day Multifocal can ease the adaptation that presbyopes encounter and can help prevent contact lens dropouts, according to the company.

CooperVision states that the center-near aspheric design and simplified fitting approach make it easier to select the right lens for patients in all stages of presbyopia— whether they are emerging or existing presbyopes. Proclear 1 Day Multifocal lenses are offered in a broad power range and are designed with a single power profile. With the use of a near boost in the non-dominant eye, CooperVision says that the lens can accommodate up to +2.50 add. As a result, practitioners will be able to more easily adjust prescriptions, contributing to less chair time, more profitable visits, and improved patient satisfaction, according to the company.

The lens will be launched initially in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and in a number of European countries. More information on the lens including parameters will be available in the next Product Spectrum.

AMO to Have New President

Abbott Medical Optics (AMO) announced that it will have a new president when Jim Mazzo retires at the close of 2012. AMO's new president will be Murthy Simhambhatla, from Abbott Corporate, who will take over effective January 2013.

Mr. Mazzo has led the organization for the past 10 years through a spin-off, initial public offering, numerous acquisitions, sale and integration into Abbott, and, most recently, his term as chairman of AdvaMed.

Mr. Simhambhatla is an engineer by training, and has held a succession of management positions at Guidant and joined Abbott through the acquisition of that business. Before leading Ibis, Mr. Simhambhatla served as general manager of the vascular business in Australia and as divisional vice president and general manager of Abbott's drug-eluting stent business.

Mr. Mazzo will work with Mr. Simhambhatla over the next several months to aid him in a speedy transition to AMO and the visioncare market.

2012 ARVO Grants Awarded

The American Academy of Optometry (AAO) recently announced the winners of the 2012 Student Travel Fellowship Awards. The travel fellowships, supported by an educational grant from The Vision Care Institute, allowed 10 students to present their research at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual meeting in May 2012. The 2012 winners and their respective schools were:

• Faryan Tayyari, MS – University of Waterloo
• Daniel Coates, MS – University of California Berkeley
• Preethi Thiagarajan, BS Optometry, MS, FAAO – State University of New York College of Optometry
• Bradley Dougherty, OD, FAAO – The Ohio State University
• Thomas Keith, OD – UAB
• Gang Huang – Indiana University Bloomington
• Vinod Maseedupally, BS Optometry – University of New South Wales
• Naveen Yadav, MS – SUNY
• Vivian Wong, OD, FAAO – Indiana University
• Lin He, Bmed – University of Houston.

The AAO administers travel fellowships to encourage optometry students, optometric residents, and students in eye and vision-related graduate programs to attend key national meetings and exchange scientific ideas on research. Fellowships are awarded primarily for accomplishment and potential in optometric research and education.

Applications for student travel fellowships for the American Academy of Optometry's annual meeting, Academy 2012 Phoenix, will be available in June 2012. For more information visit www.aaopt.org/meetings/academy2012/student.

Holden Honored by University of Houston

Professor Brien Holden has received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Houston. The degree was presented to Professor Holden, CEO of the Brien Holden Vision Institute, for his exceptional career in the field of optometry, his academic research, and his humanitarian accomplishments.

Commenting on the award, Professor Earl Smith III, Dean of the College of Optometry at the University said, “From our College's perspective, honorary doctorates are very special and are reserved for individuals who have made truly significant and lasting contributions to our profession.” The only other honorary doctorate was given to the late Dr. Irvin M. Borish.

“I am extremely honored to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Houston and am humbled to be the second such awardee to the legendary Dr. Irvin M. Borish,” said Professor Holden.

Holden's research focus has been in the area of vision correction and ocular health, in particular with contact lenses, spectacles, and surgery. He has been a driving force behind the development of a number of lens products, including the third generation of soft contact lenses to correct astigmatism and as the co-developer of the breakthrough highly oxygen-permeable silicone hydrogel lenses.

His humanitarian efforts include the International Centre for Eyecare Education, where he serves as CEO, and Optometry Giving Sight, of which he is Executive Chair. Under Holden's direction, the Brien Holden Vision Institute was a founding partner and continues to be a major contributor to these organizations.

Holden's close ties with the University have nurtured collaborations between the university and the Brien Holden Vision Institute, which have led development in treatments for myopia and further investment in research facilities to tackle myopia worldwide.