- Symposium Spotlight: To bolster the global nature of the Global Specialty Lens Symposium (GSLS), the organizers have named an International Advisory Board. The board will advise the GSLS program committee of international topics on specialty lenses and engage the international community in the broadest sense, with the goal to further contact lens education broadly across the world. The inaugural GSLS International Advisory Board is comprised of: Gonzalo Carracedo, PhD, Facultad Óptica y Optometría Universidad Complutense de Madrid; Peter Chen, MD, PhD, Fudan University Eye & ENT Hospital, Shanghai, China; Pauline Cho, BOptom, MEd, Phd, Hong Kong Polytechnic and editor of Contact Lens & Anterior Eye; Edgar Dávila-Garcia, OD, Puerto Rico; Carina Koppen, MD, PhD, University of Antwerp/Academic Hospital, president of European Contact Lens Society of Ophthalmologists; Langis Michaud, OD, MSc, professor at École d’optométrie-Université de Montréal; Brian Tompkins, BSc(Hons), FCOptom, TK&S Optometrists, Northampton, UK; and Stephen Vincent, OD, PhD, Queensland University Technology and associate editor of Contact Lens & Anterior Eye.
- CooperVision Specialty EyeCare has appointed Tony Sommer Jr. as general manager, Americas. Mr. Sommer will lead the organization’s continued growth and projected category expansion across the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Mr. Sommer most recently served as senior vice president of sales and marketing for Visioneering Technologies Inc. where he led strategic planning and commercial operations for the company’s contact lens portfolio.
- ABB Optical Group has announced the acquisition of Green Optics, an independent full-service optical laboratory based in Auburn Hills, MI. The acquisition will expand the ABB Labs network with the addition of its state-of-the-art, 24,000-square-foot facility. According to the company, Green Optics is equipped with the latest technology for digital lens manufacturing, thermally cured dip hard coating as well as anti-reflective and mirror coatings.
- Sight Sciences, Inc. announced the appointment of Brenda Becker to its board of directors, effective March 15, 2022. As part of her duties, Ms. Becker has joined the nominating and Governance Committee. Ms. Becker has more than 40 years of combined private and public sector experience focused on health policy and legislation. She currently serves as senior vice president, Global Government Affairs at Boston Scientific.
- SIFI S.p.A. announced that the FDA has approved the company’s Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) application for its investigational anti-infective polymer polihexanide for the treatment of fungal keratitis. SIFI is currently evaluating various options for the commercialization of Akantior (polihexanide) globally, including potential out-license agreements outside its core markets. Polihexanide is an anti-infective polymer that acts via a dual mechanism involving disruption of microorganism cell membranes and selective condensation and/or disruption of microorganism chromosomes by DNA binding. In addition to ODD for fungal keratitis granted by the FDA polihexanide has also ODD for acanthamoeba keratitis granted by the FDA and the European Medicines Agency.
- Allergan, an AbbVie company, announced that Lastacaft (alcaftadine ophthalmic solution 0.25%) is now available without a prescription. Lastacaft is an antihistamine eye drop that temporarily relieves itchy eyes due to pollen, ragweed, grass, animal hair, and dander for ages two and older. Lastacaft is available in a 5mL multidose bottle containing a 60-day supply, as well as a twin pack with two 5mL multidose bottles for a 120-day supply.
- Scott Jens, OD, has been named business advisor for EyeMedsNow. Dr. Jens has played a significant role in transforming EyeMedsNow into a “Software as a Service” (SaaS) platform, the company says. EyeMedsNow.com provides detailed information about prescription and OTC topical and oral ophthalmic drugs, including dosage, mechanism of action, contraindications, side effects and cost, among other characteristics.
- EssilorLuxottica and CooperCompanies announced the finalization of their joint venture agreement for SightGlass Vision. This collaboration accelerates the commercialization of novel spectacle lens technologies to expand the myopia management category, according to the companies. SightGlass Vision’s Diffusion Optics Technology incorporates thousands of micro-dots into the lens that softly scatter light to reduce contrast on the retina, which is intended to reduce myopia progression in children. SightGlass has also named three eyecare industry veterans to executive leadership positions: Andrew Sedgwick as CEO; François Bloquiau as CFO; and Balthazar Masurel as vice president of Strategic Marketing. In addition, three SightGlass Vision executives will continue to serve in their current roles: Peter Hones, PhD, as senior vice president of R&D & Technology; Vanessa Tasso as senior vice president of Regulatory & Quality; and Ed Caufield as vice president of IT.
- Alcon Vision LLC has agreed to pay $20 million to settle a consumer antitrust class action over disposable contact lenses, according to a notice filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The settlement is subject to approval of U.S. District Judge Virginia Covington in Tampa, Florida, who is presiding over the case. A spokesperson for Geneva-based Alcon said the company was not admitting liability as part of the proposed settlement. This settlement relates to a complaint filed in 2017 that alleged that major eyecare companies had agreed between 2013 and 2018 to restrain competition for certain disposable contact lenses. Three companies earlier reached settlements that collectively totaled $43.2 million: CooperVision Inc., ABB Con-Cise Optical Group LLC, and Bausch & Lomb Inc. The companies denied liability as part of the settlements. Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. is the sole remaining defendant in this case.
- Prevent Blindness has announced that Alan J. Gunner, vice president, Revenue Cycle Management, AEG Vision, LLC, has been named to its board of directors. At AEG Vision, Mr. Gunner leads managed vision care operations, revenue cycle management and the revenue cycle integration of newly acquired businesses into the AEG Vision common platform.
- Healthy Eyes Advantage (HEA) and Professional Eye Care Associates of America (PECAA) officially joined forces as a unified brand. This follows HEA’s 2021 purchase of PECAA. The unified entity’s new name is “PECAA: Delivering More with HEA. The Power of Independence.” Additionally, PECAA Max, a comprehensive, customizable new membership experience that enables each member to choose from a combined suite of buying group and alliance services was announced.
- CooperVision announced its 2022 Best Practices honorees and student scholarship recipients. The 2022 Best Practices honorees are: Blaine Eye Clinic, Brill Eye Center, Clements Vision Care, Edmonds Vision Center, Eyecare of Lehi, Invision Eye Care, Mountain View Vision, Urban Optics, PLLC, Wauseon Eye Care, and Woolf Eye Lab,. CooperVision has also added a Best Practices Award of Excellence, which was given to: Anderson & Chhabra Eyecare, The Chicago Lighthouse, Clarity Vision, Dr. Hanlen and Associates, Elevated Eyecare, Harbor Eyecare Center, Littleton Eye Care Center, Moses Eyecare Center, Sea Eye Care, and Vision Source Rio,. Additionally, The 2022 Best Practices Scholarship recipients are Dana DeVito, Indiana University School of Optometry; Benjamin Gutsin, Salus University Pennsylvania College of Optometry; and Briana Vargas, Rosenburg School of Optometry. Full details are available at bit.ly/373if4o .
- Contamac has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for the therapeutic use of its Optimum Infinite (180Dk) lens material in scleral contact lenses. Already FDA-cleared for daily wear in spherical, toric, multifocal, and orthokeratology modalities, obtaining expanded 510(k) clearance to include ocular surface disease offers an additional treatment option, with enhanced material characteristics to support the ocular health of such conditions, according to Contamac.
- Olympic Ophthalmics announced that the FDA has granted its 510(K) request for its second-generation iTEAR100 device, a prescription neuromodulation therapy to acutely increase tear production in adult patients over a 30-day period. iTEAR100 is a medical device for home use that can increase natural tear production in all adult patients. It is non-chemical and does not touch the eye. The second-generation device offers telehealth tools, including prescription download capability and activation through a mobile phone app.
- Icare USA, Inc. announced 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its next generation self-tonometer, the iCare Home2. According to the company, the iCare Home2 tonometer provides ease of use in measuring patients’ real-world intraocular pressure (IOP) outside normal clinic hours to help support glaucoma management. Most patients can utilize the iCare Home2 on their own by following the smart light guide and the interactive display screen. iCare Home2’s new design also allows IOP measurements to be taken while the patient is supine, reclined, and sitting. Additionally iCare Clinic is a cloud-based software that stores IOP data measured by the iCare Home2 tonometer. The iCare Clinic reports provide healthcare professionals an in-depth overview of changes in their patients’ IOP status. Patients can actively participate in their eyecare management using the iCare Home2 and Patient2 mobile app. The Patient2 mobile app allows patients to share IOP measurements more efficiently via Bluetooth using their smartphone for healthcare professional review.
- Luneau Technology will change its name to Visionix and adopt a new visual identity. In addition, Optovue will transition to a product brand for Visionix’s OCT and OCTA line. The changes went live on March 31. Additionally, Visionix will launch a new website that offers its customers a more personalized experience and an exclusive resource center featuring content produced by industry experts.
- The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent (11,204,455 B2) to Ron Ace, president of EyeQ Company for a dye that helps with colorblindness. The dyes can be incorporated in sunglasses, prescription and non-prescription contact lenses, window thin films, and artificial light sources such as incandescent, fluorescent, and LED light bulbs to provide improved photopic color vision, improved mesopic dim light color vision, and also sharper scotopic night vision.
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IN MEMORIAM
Rients Visser Sr.
Contributed by Eef van der Worp, BSc, PhD
An icon in the scleral lens field has passed away recently: Rients Visser was one of the pure pioneers of scleral lenses, and the name Visser is renowned worldwide in the field.
He was one of the few in the contact lens community who, about 40 years ago, kept believing in scleral lenses. Despite the criticism from a number of opponents—who pointed at the lack of lens movement of sclerals, the theoretical limited oxygen delivery to the cornea, the potential intraocular pressure increase, etc.—Rients simply kept saying: “but it works!—and I can make patients happy.” He urged us to continue the path of fitting sclerals for patients who could benefit from them, while finding scientific answers to the questions raised.
He was also perhaps one of the first in the world who recognized the opportunities in using toric back-surface scleral lenses, and he did this without having access to proper imaging technology and with that he acknowledged the irregular nature of the scleral shape. Toric and other asymmetric scleral lenses have become mainstream now but for decades Rients Visser always started with a toric scleral lens as his first lens option for every patient. If, in some rare cases, the sclera happened to be spherical, he could always return to a spherical back surface. But, in the bulk of eyes, that was not the case.
Rients has received a number awards including one from the Optometristen Vereniging Nederland (OVN) and the Global Specialty Lens Symposium Award of Excellence in 2015.
Rients passed away just days after his 80th birthday in his hometown of Nijmegen in the Netherlands, in the presence of his wife, children, and grandchildren. He will always be linked to the development of scleral lenses and remembered as not only a visionary, but also a very cordial and warm-hearted person.
William J. “Joe” Benjamin, OD
The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry Professor Emeritus William J. “Joe” Benjamin, OD, MS, PhD, recently passed away. During his tenure at the School of Optometry, Joe Benjamin served as associate dean from 2013 to 2014 and interim chair of the Department of Optometry from 2011 to 2014. He was a senior scientist in the Vision Science Research Center from 1995 to 2014 and served as the director of the Clinical Eye Research Facility from 1996 to 2005.
He had given more than 100 lectures, received numerous prestigious awards, and was extensively published. Of note, he edited and served as co-author of one of optometry’s bedrock textbooks, Borish’s Clinical Refraction (2nd ed.)
A clinically oriented researcher and a clinician in contact lens practice and primary care, Dr. Benjamin was a key player in the standardization of contact lens materials. He became internationally recognized as an authority on the measurement of a constant that describes the ability of a contact lens material to pass oxygen to the eye.
He served 15 years as chair of several contact lens committees of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and served on the Z80 committee on Ophthalmic Products of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). He was past chair of the American Optometric Association (AOA) Commission on Ophthalmic Standards. Most recently, Dr. Benjamin served as president of Material Performance Assessments, LLC.
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