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Contact Lens Spectrum

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NEWS SPECTRUM

Contact Lens Spectrum January 1, 2020 Vol 35, Issue January 2020 Page(s): 2-5

FDA APPROVES COOPERVISION MISIGHT 1 DAY LENS INDICATED TO SLOW PROGRESSION OF MYOPIA

CooperVision has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its MiSight 1 Day contact lens (https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-contact-lens-indicated-slow-progression-nearsightedness-children ). This daily wear, single-use contact lens is the first and only FDA-approved product in the United States that is indicated to slow the progression of myopia for children between the ages of 8 to 12 years old at initial treatment. The MiSight contact lens is discarded at the end of each day and is not intended to be worn overnight.

MiSight 1 Day will launch in the United States as part of a CooperVision myopia management initiative, beginning in March 2020. According to CooperVision, the lens is already being successfully worn by myopic children in other parts of the world, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Australia. The company has also launched a new myopia management website at coopervision.com/practitioner/myopia-management .

The approval of MiSight was based on data obtained from a prospective clinical trial at four clinical sites and from real-world evidence. As part of the approval of MiSight, CooperVision is required to conduct a post-market study of the lenses to further evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the product as indicated. ■

BCLA LAUNCHES GLOBAL CONSENSUS REPORT ON CONTACT LENSES

The British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) announced a new BCLA global consensus report that will deliver evidence-based guidance on contact lenses and the anterior eye to ensure the best possible care for patients around the world. The Contact Lens Evidence-based Academic Reports (CLEAR) will include a series of nine global consensus reports, which will be compiled during 2020 and published in Contact Lens and Anterior Eye in March 2021. The reports will feature work from a panel of globally respected experts.

Papers will be chaired by internationally renowned experts and will focus on the following subjects: anatomy and physiology of the anterior eye—Dr. Laura Downie; biochemistry of lens materials, coating, comfort drops, and solutions—Professor Mark Willcox; effect of lens materials/design on the anatomy and physiology of the eye—Professor Philip Morgan; specialty lenses—Professor Pauline Cho and Dr. Melissa Barnett; contact lens complications—Professor Fiona Stapleton; medical use of contact lenses—Associate Professor Debbie Jacobs; contact lens optics—Dr. Kathryn Richdale; future applications of contact lenses—Professor Lyndon Jones; and evidence-based contact lens practice—Professor James Wolffsohn. ■

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SURVEY REVEALS CHILDRENS’ VISION IS DEPRIORITIZED BY PARENTS

In a new survey from The Global Myopia Awareness Coalition (GMAC), parents ranked annual visits to an eyecare practitioner as less important compared to visits to the dentist or pediatrician; only 27% of parents reported taking their children to an optometrist in the past year. This may be due to the misperceptions that the survey also revealed about what comprehensive eye exams entail. According to the survey, parents reported waiting until something was “wrong,” such as their children not being able to see the whiteboard (66%), seeing their children squint more than normal (62%), or seeing their children hold materials far away (52%), before taking them in for a comprehensive eye exam.

This survey, conducted online by Dynata on behalf of GMAC among parents in the United States, included 4,004 responses. ■

AAOF ANNOUNCES THE 2019 VSP GLOBAL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

The American Academy of Optometry Foundation (AAOF), the philanthropic arm of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), and VSP Global announced the recipients of this year’s Practice Excellence Scholarships. Nearly $200,000 was awarded to several top-performing fourth-year optometry students in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada as well as to four additional international students from Australia.

This year, in honor of the 3rd World Congress of Optometry held in conjunction with the Academy meeting in Orlando, FL, VSP Global added an Australian Practice Excellence Scholarship, open to students from four institutions: Deakin University, Flinders University, Queensland University of Technology School of Vision Science, and the University of New South Wales.

Two students from each school or college of optometry as well as one student from each Australian institution were selected by nomination from their individual institutions to receive the scholarship. The scholarships are funded through VSP’s Global Charitable Fund and are administered through the AAOF. Each scholarship included a travel grant to participate in the AAO’s 98th annual meeting, Academy 2019 Orlando.

A full list of recipients is available at https://www.aaopt.org/home/aaof/news-detail/2019/12/02/american-academy-of-optometry-foundation-is-pleased-to-announce-the-2019-vsp-practice-excellence-scholarship-recipients . ■

WARBY PARKER EXPANDS INTO CONTACT LENSES

Warby Parker has announced the launch of Scout, the company’s first-ever contact lens. The company is working with a Japanese manufacturer to produce the daily disposable lenses in hioxifilcon A material, with a 57% water content and a Dk/t of 25. The lenses will have a base curve of 8.4mm and a diameter of 14.2mm. According to Warby Parker, the manufacturer is employing CentraForm technology, which makes for smoother lens edges. Additionally, the lenses will be available in a space-saving flat pack.

With a valid prescription, customers will be able to get a six-day trial lens pack for $5. The lenses will be sold for $110 for a 90-day supply of two lenses, or approximately $440 a year. The Scout lenses will be sold online as well as in the company’s new “eye exam suites.” The company has plans to triple its number of in-house optometrists, to 80, and to add the exam suites to 40 more of its stores this year.

In addition to the Scout lenses, Warby Parker will be selling contact lenses from Acuvue, Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, Clerio Vision, and CooperVision. ■

GSLS SPOTLIGHT: AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

The Global Specialty Lens Symposium Award of Excellence is given periodically to clinicians, scholars, and/or scientists to recognize their lifelong achievements in the field of contact lenses. This year, on Jan. 25 at 10:15 a.m., GSLS will honor Joseph T. Barr, OD, MS. Notably, many nominations mentioned his leadership and mentorship within the contact lens community. Dr. Barr is an emeritus professor at The Ohio State University College of Optometry and was with Bausch + Lomb from 2007-2014. He also spent two decades as editor of Contact Lens Spectrum and was founding editor of Contact Lenses Today. ■

SCIENTISTS DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY TO WIRELESSLY CHARGE SMART CONTACT LENSES

South Korean scientists have developed a technology to wirelessly charge smart contact lenses for continuous operation. A team of scientists led by Park Jang-ung, a materials science professor at Yonsei University in Seoul, used ultrafine printing methods to build a supercapacitor, rectifying circuits, and a light emitting diode inside a soft contact lens; a supercapacitor can rapidly charge and discharge electronic devices and is a key part of very small wearables that cannot use internal batteries.

The National Research Foundation, a state-run foundation in Seoul, added that since the contact lens can be wirelessly charged, there is no need for a plug-in power port that can lead to safety issues and foreign objects getting inside the lens and affecting the circuitry. Tests have also shown that there is no real rise in heat during the charging process and that the lens can be stored in normal contact lens solutions. ■

IN MEMORIAM

  • Stephen Paul Burke, formally with City Crown, Polymer Technology, and Bausch + Lomb, passed away on Nov. 5, 2019 in Port St. Lucie, FL from multiple health issues at the age of 63. Steve’s career within the contact lens industry spanned multiple decades working with independent contact lens laboratories as an active member of the Contact Lens Manufacturers Association. Possessing tremendous engineering skills, Steve’s ability to help contact lens laboratories become more efficient, solve critical manufacturing challenges, and improve product quality were second to none. What made Steve such a perfect fit for his role was his determination to solve problems and his love of being challenged. –Contributed by David Bland and Jim Lunkley. 
  • Pierre Pitance died suddenly on Sunday Dec. 1 at 54 years old. Pierre had led Precilens as CEO since 2004. He was a well-respected optical pioneer and business leader. Pierre leaves behind his wife Christel, four children, and the memory of a warm man with an entrepreneurial soul. Those who worked with him praise his friendliness.
  • Leonard Osias, OD, passed away on Nov. 15 at the age of 95. In addition to private practice in San Lorenzo, CA, Dr. Osias was a clinic professor at the UC Berkeley School of Optometry for 20 years as well as an active leader in his profession. Dr. Osias, along with several colleagues, was also a founding member of the Primary Eyecare Network, which began in 1984.
  • Newton Lee Wesley passed away at the age of 78 on Nov. 28. After his schooling, Mr. Wesley started in sales at Wesley-Jessen The Plastic Contact Lens Company (founded by his father) and then became manager of the research department until the company was sold in 1980. While at Wesley-Jessen, he helped develop a computerized method of fitting contact lenses as well as the company’s first soft lens. When Wesley-Jessen was sold in 1980 to Schering-Plough Corp., he became president of the Dr. Newton K. Wesley Foundation Fund, overseeing investments, scholarships, grants for vision research, and preservation of the history of the contact lens and Wesley-Jessen.
  • Richard John Wlodyga passed away on Nov. 16 at the age of 93. Dr. Wlodyga was a pioneer and innovator of contact lens design that led to the development of the orthokeratology (ortho-k) lenses that are used today. In the mid-1980s, he collaborated with Nick Stoyan to develop the first three-zone reverse geometry lens.
    Earlier in his career, in the early 1960s, he was co-patent holder of the Astrocon lens, a unique cloverleaf design for contact lenses made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) prior to the development of GP materials.
    He practiced optometry for 42 years primarily at the Warren Optometric Clinic, which he founded in the 1960s. In addition, Dr. Wlodyga was a past president of the Michigan Optometric Association, the Warren Lion’s Club, and the National Eye Research Foundation (NERF). ■

AOA ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2020 HALL OF FAME

Nominations for the 2020 National Optometry Hall of Fame are now being accepted online, with inductees to be honored at Optometry’s Meeting 2020. The deadline for online submissions is Jan. 31, 2020. Administered by Optometry Cares—The AOA Foundation, it has recognized outstanding eyecare practitioners since 1998. Practitioners may be nominated in the academia or private practice/federal service categories. For more information, visit http://www.aoafoundation.org/halloffame/nomination-form . ■

SIMPLE CONTACTS OFFERS NEW TRIAL LENS SERVICE

Simple Contacts has launched a new service for users who want to try out a new contact lens prescription. Those users will take an online test and provide certain information about the contact lenses that they currently wear. Once the test is complete and the company is assured that a user’s prescription hasn’t changed, Simple Contacts will recommend a daily disposable lens that would be the right fit for a user. The company says that users can contact their own eyecare practitioner if they have any issues or questions regarding the trial lens.

In other news, the company has also begun offering a broader array of prescription services under its Simple Health brand by expanding into other aspects of the healthcare market. ■

INDUSTRY BRIEFS

  • C&E GP Specialists, Inc., a manufacturer of orthokeratology specialty GP contact lenses, has been awarded the ISO 13485:2016 management system certificate. This certificate is provided exclusively to organizations that manufacture and sell medical devices while meeting the standards for a management system that provides consistent customer and applicable regulatory requirements.
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  • ABB Optical Group announced that Marc Tersigni has joined the company as country manager for its Canadian operations. In this role, Mr. Tersigni will be responsible for leading business operations in Canada; ABB Optical Group will begin distributing contact lenses to Canadian eyecare professionals starting in the first quarter of 2020. Tersigni most recently served as country manager for Essilor’s Canadian operations. Prior to that, he was Essilor’s country managing director in the United Kingdom.
  • Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the signing of an agreement for the acquisition of Avizorex Pharma, S.L. (AVX Pharma), a Spanish ophthalmic pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for the treatment of dry eye disease. The active ingredient in AVX Pharma’s lead product, AVX-012, is a potent and selective agonist of the TRPM8 ion channel, a cold sensor and osmolarity sensor that regulates ocular surface wetness and blink rate, according to the company.
  • Professional Eye Care Associates of America (PECAA) launched “90 Days to Dry Eye,” a new dry eye program, to its membership. The program, developed in conjunction with Dry Eye University, walks participants through the process of building a dry eye profit center in just 90 days, according to the company. The member-exclusive program costs $899 and includes a one-year subscription to Dry Eye Access for the entire office; it covers the Dry Eye University registration fee and all meals at the live event taking place on March 20 and 21, 2020.
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  • Bausch + Lomb (B+L), in collaboration with TerraCycle, donated custom training modules to the Guide Dog Foundation. The training modules—including benches, tables, waste stations, and an agility ramp—were made from used contact lens materials collected through the Bausch + Lomb One by One Recycling Program as well as other recycled material. The donation was funded through the Bausch Foundation.
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  • Bio-Tissue, Inc. launched www.DiscoverMDE.com , an educational website on mechanical dry eye (MDE), also referred to as conjunctivochalasis (CCh). The website features educational information, videos, testimonials, and other resources for both patients and healthcare providers. The website enables physicians to differentiate MDE/CCh from conventional dry eye and to engage patients in a discussion to provide options to manage this condition.
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  • EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc. appointed George O. Elston as CFO and head of Corporate Development. He will lead the company’s financial, capital markets, and corporate development initiatives. In unrelated news, EyePoint Pharmaceuticals has entered into a formal two-year contract with one of the largest integrated delivery systems in the United States to offer Dexycu within its network. This agreement opens up new distribution channels for Dexycu that were previously unavailable in key U.S. regions.
  • Vivior and SwissLens have agreed to collaborate in the field of personalized multifocal soft lenses for presbyopia correction. The objective is to optimize the design in soft multifocal contact lenses by using the data generated by Vivior’s visual behavior monitor, the Vivior Monitor.
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  • Santen Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announced that the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) Canadian Drug Expert Committee released a reimbursement recommendation for Verkazia (cyclosporine 0.1%) eye drops. Verkazia cyclosporine 0.1% topical ophthalmic emulsion is indicated for treatment of severe vernal keratoconjunctivitis in children from 4 years of age through adolescence.
  • Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Vision announced the national availability of Acuvue Oasys with Transitions Light Intelligent Technology in the United Kingdom. It is now commercially available at select retailers in the United Kingdom and is being rolled-out to other markets in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
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  • Nicox SA and Samil Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd signed an exclusive license agreement for the development and commercialization of Zerviate (cetirizine ophthalmic solution), 0.24% in South Korea. The product is indicated for the treatment of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis.
  • Sight Sciences, Inc. appointed Erica Rogers to its board of directors. Ms. Rogers is president and CEO of Silk Road Medical. Previously, she has held executive positions with Medicines360, Allux Medical, and Visiogen.

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