■ Allergan recently announced that David E.I. Pyott, chairman of the Board and chief executive officer, Allergan, and the Allergan Board of Directors have named Douglas S. Ingram as president of Allergan. In this newly established role, Mr. Ingram will report directly to Mr. Pyott and will lead the company’s global commercial operations, with responsibility for the company’s portfolio of pharmaceutical, consumer, and medical device products including Restasis, Lumigan, Alphagan, Combigan, Ganfort, Optive, and Ozurdex as well as some products not related to eye care.

Mr. Ingram has been with Allergan for 17 years. For the past three years, he has served as executive vice president and president, Europe, Africa and Middle East (EAME). In this role, he was responsible for Allergan’s regional pharmaceutical and medical device operations, with a focus on strategic planning, sales and marketing, development, and general management. Mr. Ingram previously served as executive vice president and chief administrative officer, among other roles in the company.

For the Record

In the June News Spectrum, we issued a correction for the May article “Troubleshooting Scleral Lenses,” by Jeffrey Sonsino, OD, FAAO, and Muriel Schornack, OD, FAAO, for the Dk and wetting angle of Contamac’s Optimum Comfort material. However, it is Contamac’s Optimum Extra material that is available for scleral lenses. Optimum Extra has a Dk of 100 and wetting angle of 3 degrees, which appear in Table 1 of the article as attributes of Optimum Comfort.

AMO Announces Acquisitions

Abbott Medical Optics (AMO) announced two significant acquisitions in July: the Brazilian surgical distributor Vistatek and OptiMedica Corporation, a privately held Silicon Valley-based ophthalmic device company.

The acquisition of Vistatek will allow AMO to expand its vision care presence in Latin America. Vistatek is headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, and has served as a distributor of AMO’s cataract and laser vision correction technologies.

The agreement with OptiMedica enables AMO to expand its business into femtosecond laser technology for cataract surgery. OptiMedica’s Catalys Precision Laser System is designed to allow surgeons to replace some of the technically demanding manual steps with a precise, computer-guided, femtosecond laser technology. The laser system has received both the CE Mark in Europe and clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

■ Alden Optical has unveiled a new mapping tool to help keratoconus patients interested in locating practices fitting the company’s NovaKone custom soft lens for keratoconus. The mapping tool is featured on the company’s redesigned patient page at www.aldenoptical.com/patient. More than 500 NovaKone fitting practices are listed on a “Google Maps”-like map interface. Patients can zoom into their geographic region to see practices that are fitting the NovaKone lens.

■ Bausch + Lomb (B+L) and Mimetogen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. recently announced that B+L has acquired an option to license an investigational compound currently in Phase 2 development for treating dry eye syndrome. Mimetogen’s new compound, called MIM-D3, has the potential to be the first in a new class of agents called TrkA agonists. MIM-D3 stimulates the production of mucin and may have additional benefits beyond those currently available in dry eye therapies, including the potential to improve neural function. A Phase 3 study is expected to begin before the end of 2013.

■ The American Optometric Association (AOA) has launched a new website at www.aoa.org to better serve its members and the profession. The new site features responsive design, an enhanced Doctor Locator, and a single sign-on for many AOA features. In the coming months, sections of the site will continue to be developed including ongoing enhancements to AOAMarketplace as well as the area dedicated to providing the public and patients with information about common eye conditions.

■ Google Glass was used during an eye examination in Ferris State University’s Michigan College of Optometry (MCO) to determine how the wearable computer can improve vision care. Elyse Kleifgen, a second-year intern in the university’s professional program, is among 8,000 people chosen by Google to be a Google Glass Explorer. On Tuesday, July 2, she and MCO professor Dr. Bruce Morgan conducted what may be the first eye exam using the much-anticipated device. A statement from MCO said that it appears that Google Glass has far reaching potential in optometry from the perspective of hands-off video and photographic documentation, ocular image and data comparisons, plus remote live interactions with professors and instructors.

■ Oasis Medical Inc. and Shape Ophthalmics, LLC, have announced a joint venture to introduce a proprietary shape memory plug technology triggered by natural body heat. This unique punctal plug for the treatment of dry eye will be manufactured exclusively by Oasis Medical Inc. for worldwide distribution. Shape Ophthalmics, LLC is a company founded by faculty members from the University of Colorado’s Ophthalmology and Bioengineering departments. Among its research endeavors, Shape Ophthalmics is currently exploring several innovations in medical devices for use in ophthalmic practice. Oasis expects to begin distribution of the plug in 2014.

■ Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) is urging all members of the optical community and anyone who values good vision to take part in the World Sight Day Challenge from Sept. 1 through to World Sight Day on Oct. 10, 2013. To participate, simply make a monthly or annual donation on or before World Sight Day. To make or pledge your donation or register your intention to fundraise, visit givingsight.org or call (800) OGS GIVE.