- Eyenovia Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved MydCombi (tropicamide and phenylephrine hydrochloride ophthalmic spray 1%/2.5%) for inducing mydriasis for diagnostic procedures and in conditions in which short-term pupil dilation is desired. This fixed-dose combination drop is the first product using Eyenovia’s proprietary Optejet device to be approved by any regulatory authority.
- Tarsus Pharmaceuticals Inc. launched “Don’t Freak Out. Get Checked Out,” a disease-education campaign designed to encourage patients who may have Demodex blepharitis to visit their eyecare provider for an eyelid check. The “Don’t Freak Out. Get Checked Out.” website, eyelidcheck.com , features tools and educational resources, including patient testimonials, information about joining a Demodex blepharitis community, social media channels, and a quiz on differentiating factors of potential causes of eyelid discomfort.
- Susan Cooper, OD, managing director of the World Council of Optometry (WCO) officially announced her retirement. Alyssa Callaghan will step into the role following her post as WCO operations and communications manager.
- The Acuvue brand announced the “Where Vision Meets Sight” social media campaign (#MyVisionMySight) that aims to encourage Generation Z to take social media breaks—to not only give their eyes a rest, but also recognize the impact screen time is having in their lives, according to Johnson & Johnson Vision. Through inspiring young creators, the campaign encourages Gen Z to close their apps and use their newfound time to clarify their vision for their lives, whether that’s becoming a beauty influencer, focusing on athletics, or embracing their unique talents. To learn more, visit acuvue.com/where-vision-meets-sight .
- Euclid Vision Corporation has joined forces with Visionary Optics to host “Patient Selection to Practice Growth: A Guide to Specialty Contact Lenses,” dinner discussions that offer attendees the opportunity to learn how to identify patient selection criteria for both orthokeratology and scleral lenses, develop a practice growth strategy, and troubleshoot common issues to ensure successful outcomes for patients. The first session was held on June 5 in Chicago. Future sessions will be held in Boston (July 13), Southern California (Sept. 20), and Houston (Nov. 2). To learn more or to register, visit euclidlenses.com/guide-to-specialty-contact-lenses-event .
- BostonSight announced that Lora Castle, COA, NCLE, joined the organization as director of professional affairs and consultation for BostonSight Scleral. Ms. Castle brings 14 years of industry experience to BostonSight. Ms. Castle previously served as consultant, vice president of professional services at Metro Optics.
- Regener-Eyes has introduced a new social media initiative called Social-Eyes. This project unites a team of eyecare professionals to share their expert knowledge and exciting content. Check out the team of experts and follow their social media content at regenereyes.regenereyes.com/social_eyes_00 .
- The International Sports Vision Association (ISVA) has launched “Ask A Sports Vision Expert” on its website. Eyecare practitioners, athletic trainers, researchers, and others with expertise in sports vision assessment and training will respond to questions related to how the visual system can help athletes gain optimal performance in a variety of sports and leisure activities. All questions are submitted directly through the website and no names or email addresses are required. Experts will not answer all questions submitted, but ISVA will post featured questions at least once a week and then archive all Q&A on a dedicated page on the website. To submit a question, meet the experts, and access the archives page, visit sportsvision.pro/ask-a-sports-vision-expert .
- The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine propose to conduct a consensus study to assess the current mechanistic understanding of myopia pathogenesis and causes of its increased prevalence, to identify knowledge gaps and barriers to progress, and to develop a research agenda aimed at better understanding the biological and environmental factors that could explain its increasing incidence. The committee includes Kevin D. Frick (co-chair), Terri L. Young (co-chair), Afua O. Asare, David Berson, Richard T. Born, Jing Chen, Jeremy A. Guggenheim, Anthony N. Kuo, Daphne Maurer, Tony Movshon, Donald Mutti, Machelle T. Pardue, Ramkumar Sabesan, Jody A. Summers, and Katherine K. Weise. Sponsors include American Academy of Optometry; American Optometric Association; Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety; Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley; Johnson & Johnson Vision; National Eye Institute; Reality Labs Research; Research to Prevent Blindness; and Warby Parker Impact Foundation.
- Black Pearl Vision—the world’s only Black-owned and woman-owned contact lens manufacturer—has acquired Ireland-based color contact lens manufacturer PolyDev and expanded its signature product line to include opaque color contact lenses in toric, plano, and spherical parameters.
- Optometry Giving Sight has announced the addition of Susy Yu, OD, MBA, to its board of directors. Dr. Yu has served for more than 20 years as director of strategy and operations support at Vision Essentials by Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Yu was previously a member of the California State Board of Optometry and currently serves on the National Board of Examiners in Optometry.
- ABB Optical Group has announced the appointment of Daniel Liberman to the company’s board of directors. Mr. Liberman brings decades of experience as a consumer, wholesale, and technology growth leader with many of these years spent in the eyecare industry, most recently as the chief commercial officer of Essilor of America. Mr. Liberman currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Salus University. He also recently served as president of the U.S. region for WS Audiology.
- Visionary Contact Lens presented the 2023 Visionary Award to Angelo Shimada, a graduating student from Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University. The annual $1,000 award is presented to a graduating student who demonstrates exceptional interest and proficiency in fitting GP contact lenses. Dr. Shimada will soon begin his residency in ocular disease/cornea and contact lenses at the Fromer Eye Centers in New York. His long-term goal is to apply his expertise in specialty contact lenses to improve quality of life for patients with challenging ocular disease and complex cornea conditions.
- Bausch + Lomb announced a reshaping of its executive leadership team, including the elevation of all business unit heads. Luc Bonnefoy, senior vice president (SVP), Surgical; John Ferris, SVP, Consumer; and Yang Yang, SVP, Vision Care; will join the executive management team of the company reporting directly to Brent Saunders, chairman and CEO. Concurrent with this change, Joseph Gordon, president, Global Consumer, Surgical and Vision Care, will transition to the role of strategic advisor to Mr. Saunders. Additionally, Louis Yu, PhD, executive vice president and chief quality officer, has notified B+L of his intent to retire later this summer, and the company will commence an internal and external search for his replacement.
- Jennifer Jones was appointed as the new president and CEO of the board of directors of Fighting Blindness Canada, effective May 23. A visionary, strategic, and empathetic leader, Ms. Jones has devoted over 20 years to social impact, advocacy, and fundraising across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. As the new president and CEO, she will be able to leverage her vision, strategic mindset, engaging leadership style, and passion for our mission—to advance vision research.
- The National Keratoconus Foundation (NKCF) has named NASCAR driver Joey Gase as ambassador. Visual acuity for NASCAR drivers can be no worse than 20/40. Mr. Gase had worn glasses and contact lenses for vision correction for most of his life, but three years ago, he felt his vision was diminishing and visited his eyecare practitioner who diagnosed him with keratoconus. Conversations with the NKCF led him to the ophthalmology department at the University of Iowa Medical Center where Mr. Gase was fit with impression-molded, custom contact lenses that improved his vision by compensating for the irregular shape of his cornea. With his vision improved to 20/10, he is more assured in his role as driver/owner.
- Hoot Health Inc. announced that it has launched a new capability that helps parents with strategies and tips on behaviors that support a child’s myopia management program. Hoot’s automated marketing system is designed to free up eyecare practitioners and their staff to focus on helping the patient while Hoot enables better parent education.
KEEP UP WITH INDUSTRY NEWS
between issues of Contact Lens Spectrum by subscribing to our e-mail newsletter, Contact Lenses Today. Visit the CLS site (clspectrum.com/newsletters ) to subscribe.
FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS VETOES SB 230
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed SB 230, a measure that would have added restrictions about titles used by medical professionals and required practitioners to wear name tags or display licenses when treating patients. Similar issues have been debated for several years in the legislature, in part because of efforts to draw distinctions between optometrists and ophthalmologists.
In a recent statement on the bill, the American Optometric Association (AOA) had said that the bill would undermine the doctor-patient relationship and jeopardize patient outcomes if passed. The AOA states it will continue to “use all means necessary to identify and defend against unjust targeting of our [Florida Optometric Association] members and the optometric profession.”
SB 230 was sponsored by Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Chairwoman Gayle Harrell (R), who argued during the legislative session that it would provide “transparency” to patients. Among other things, the bill could have led to practitioners facing discipline for not wearing name tags or not displaying licenses in their offices. Practitioners also would have been required to verbally identify themselves by name and profession to new patients.
SYMPOSIUM SPOTLIGHT: GSLS PAPERS & POSTERS
The Global Specialty Lens Symposium (GSLS) invites the submissions of abstracts for the presentation of free papers and posters to be held Jan. 17 to 20, 2024 at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. Topics can include new and innovative concepts, clinical cases, and research on all aspects of contact lenses (such as materials, designs, lens care, etc.) in addition to related topics such as corneal and ocular surface disease, diagnosis and treatment approaches, and practice management. Submissions accepted July 6 through Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. EST. Visit gslsymposium.com for more information.
![]({"src":"/media/zisflzfp/cover_cls_0723.jpg","focalPoint":null,"crops":[{"alias":"thumbnail","width":1110,"height":700,"coordinates":null}]})