- High Point University (HPU) announced that Catherine Heyman, OD, will serve as the founding dean of HPU’s new School of Optometry. It will be North Carolina’s only School of Optometry. Dr. Heyman envisions bringing to optometric education the HPU approach of using experiential learning, emphasizing life skills, and interprofessional education. Dr. Heyman is a Fellow and Diplomate in the Binocular Vision and Vision Perception Section of the American Academy of Optometry and a Fellow of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.Previously, she was an associate professor and the associate dean of student affairs at Marshall B. Ketchum University’s Southern California College of Optometry, where she earned her Doctor of Optometry degree in 1993. She also was the coordinator of the Special Populations and Pediatric Low Vision Service at the University Eye Center at Ketchum Health and coordinator of the vision program at Beyond Blindness.
- BVS Sight Inc. is the first company created through a partnership between Boomerang Ventures Studio, Purdue Foundry, and the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization. The partnership develops Purdue-related health care startups and health care-related intellectual property yet to reach the market. Chi Hwan Lee, MS, PhD, the Leslie A. Geddes Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering in Purdue’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, led a research team that developed new ocular technology to continuously monitor intraocular pressure in a person’s eye. Dr. Lee is BVS Sight’s co-founder and chief scientific officer. BVS Sight must achieve several milestones to bring the smart contact lens technology to market.
- CooperVision Specialty EyeCare has become the exclusive provider of a scleral lens design system. Using a novel algorithm, ScanFitPro software precisely maps topographical data from patients’ eyes to create custom lens designs unique to their ocular profiles, without diagnostic lens fitting or physical impressions. Moving forward, all SynergEyes ScanFitPro orders and customer support will be managed by CooperVision Specialty EyeCare.The technology was developed by EyePrint Prosthetics, which continues to operate as an independent company. The ScanFitPro design software is compatible with Oculus Pentacam’s Corneal Scleral Profile Report, Oculus AXL Wave, and the Eaglet Eye’s Surface Profiler. According to the company, both scanning technologies capture a patient’s eye in a straight-ahead gaze, maximizing lens accuracy.
- IDOC, an independent optometric alliance, and Three Rivers Optical, an independent optical laboratory, have combined to bring a suite of practice enhancement and lab services to eyecare professionals. The two companies will continue operating in the marketplace under their existing names. The management teams of IDOC and Three Rivers Optical will continue as the leaders and owners of the combined company. Details of the merger are not disclosed.
- Essilor Instruments, a division of EssilorLuxottica, and Espansione Group announced a long-term exclusive partnership for North America. Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, Essilor Instruments is the official distributor for the North American market of Espansione Group’s full portfolio of current solutions and future innovations. Espansione Group focuses on ophthalmic and dermatological solutions to treat a number of conditions via patented, certified, and light-based technologies such as light modulation low-level light therapy, its photobiomodulation technology, and optimal power energy intense pulsed light.
- CooperVision has announced its sponsorship of Ocumetra’s mEYE Guide, a parent conversation tool for eyecare professionals (ECPs), and mEYE Gauge, an axial length estimator. According to CooperVision, this partnership will broaden access to the tools with additional languages, extending their capabilities to non-English speaking markets worldwide. mEYE Guide is designed to simplify the conversation between ECPs and parents of children who have myopia.And, while ocular biometry remains the gold standard for tracking myopia progression, axial length estimator mEYE Gauge empowers ECPs to begin integrating axial length into their myopia management routine without the upfront expense of an optical biometer. Through CooperVision’s sponsorship, mEYE Guide and mEYE Gauge will expand to support additional languages including Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Czech, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
Ocumetra has plans underway for other languages as well. With these additional languages, the tools will be able to serve regions with the highest prevalence of myopia around the world. Ocumetra’s mEYE Guide and mEYE Gauge are available on a subscription basis. A free trial is available at cvi.ocumetra.com . - CXL Ophthalmics announced that Jonathan Talamo, MD, has been appointed as its new chair of the board of directors. Dr. Talamo has served as a board member of the company since 2020. After 25 years in the clinic, Dr. Talamo, an ophthalmic surgeon who has more than 25 years in of clinical practice, pivoted to executive roles in biomedicine and health care. He served as chief medical officer of Ocular Therapeutix and chief medical officer and worldwide vice president of clinical and medical affairs at Johnson & Johnson Vision.
- Ophtecs Corporation has signed a new advisory contract with Cristina M. Schnider, OD, MSc, MBA, as the company’s senior director, global medical affairs.
- Valley Contax Inc., in partnership with Contamac U.S., announced their next travel grant award opportunity for one student in the graduating classes of either 2024 or 2025. The submission process will begin with each candidate submitting 100 words about why they chose optometry as their career. Submissions opened on Feb. 14 and close on Apr. 2. The Valley Contax social media team will announce a winner for this next award on Apr. 17. The submission form is available at fs10.formsite.com/MqlEMM/studentgrants/index.html .
- Art Optical Contact Lens Inc., in partnership with Contamac, recently awarded a Specialty Contact Lens Student Travel Grant to Janna Pham, BSA, a fourth-year optometry student at the University of Houston College of Optometry. The $750 grant was awarded at the annual Global Specialty Lens Symposium in Las Vegas where Ms. Pham presented a poster she co-authored with Karen Lee, OD. The poster in the Clinical Case Report/Series category was titled: “Highs and Lows: Scleral Lens Fitting on a Patient with Severe Keratoconus and Post Penetrating Keratoplasty.”Students and residents with an interest in specialty contact lenses can apply for a travel grant to attend one of the remaining professional contact lens meetings in 2023. Additional qualification details and grant applications can be requested from the cornea and contact lens chief at each U.S. and Canadian optometric university or by contacting Art Optical.
- Alcon announced the Canadian launch of Total30 for Astigmatism and Dailies Total1 for Astigmatism. This launch extends Alcon’s portfolio of reusable and daily disposable lenses, with high-performing options designed for astigmatic patients.
- Greater than 63 global eyecare organizations and more than 25,700 practitioners have accepted the World Council of Optometry (WCO) Myopia Management Standard of Care Pledge challenge. WCO and CooperVision issued the challenge for eyecare professionals worldwide to adopt myopia management as the standard of care. Learn more and take the pledge by visiting myopia.worldcouncilofoptometry.info/myopia-management-pledge .
- Menicon has made a series of appointments in its professional services team. Henrik Bo Larsen joined Menicon in December as the company’s new European professional services manager. Mr. Larsen will work to support the ties between Menicon and eyecare professionals, as well as aiming to see the company more broadly established in the U.K. market. Josie Barlow, who has been Menicon’s professional services manager since 2016, has now been made head of professional services for Made To Order (MTO)/Myopia Management Division. Ms. Barlow will be responsible for delivering high-quality education, training, and support to U.K. practitioners.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended immediate discontinuation of the use of EzriCare Artificial Tears, an over-the-counter drop for dry eye, after linking various infections with the eye drops. The CDC issued a statement (stating that it is “investigating a multistate cluster of Verona Integron-mediated Metallo-β lactamase (VIM)- and Guiana-Extended Spectrum-β Lactamase (GES)- producing carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (VIM-GES-CRPA) associated with multiple different infection types, including eye infections.” Recent epidemiology and laboratory evidence link these infections to the use of EzriCare Artificial Tears (carboxymethylcellulose Sodium 10 mg), according to the CDC.The CDC recommends that clinicians and patients immediately discontinue the use of EzriCare Artificial Tears until the epidemiological investigation and laboratory analyses are complete.
- The World Council of Optometry and Alcon have opened registration for “Dry Eye Spotlight 3: Management,” the third in a series of complimentary global dry eye disease education initiative webinars. The March 14 webinar, led by Professor Lyndon Jones and featuring Professors Jennifer Craig and James Wolffsohn, explores the importance of being choiceful and methodical in different approaches available to manage dry eyeIn the webinar, the faculty discusses how management strategies may be adjusted based on a further understanding of mitigating factors and measurements collected from patients. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation to give participants exclusive access to distinguished expert faculty members. Register at bit.ly/DryEyeManagement . The webinar will be independently presented in three time zones 5 p.m. HKT/SST, 6 p.m. CET, and 6 p.m. PST.
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GPLI ANNOUNCES AWARD RECIPIENTS
At the GP Lens Institute’s (GPLI) Annual Rising Star Awards program, held on Jan. 21, it presented awards to six notable individuals.
- The Thomas E. Anastor GPLI Distinguished Service Award is awarded to an individual with a long history excellence in service to the GP Lens Institute. This year, the award was presented to both Ursula Lotzkat and Pamela B. Witham.
- The Dr. Arthur B. Epstein GPLI Award for Excellence in Specialty Contact Lenses and Anterior Segment Disease is awarded for outstanding contributions via lectures and publications in the area of specialty contact lenses and anterior segment disease. The inaugural award was presented posthumously to Arthur B. Epstein, OD, and was accepted by Dr. Epstein’s wife Shannon L. Steinhäuser, OD.
- The Dr. Edward S. Bennett GPLI Educator of the Year award is presented for excellence in specialty contact lens education. The 2023 awardee was Langis Michaud, OD, MSc.
- The Thomas J “Tommy” Pham GPLI-NKCF Keratoconus Practitioner of the Year award is given for long-term excellence as a keratoconus practitioner. Clark Chang, OD, MSA, MSc, was presented this year’s award.
- Additionally, the Naomi “Jo” Svochak GP Practitioner of the Year award is given for outstanding professional expertise in fitting customized contact lenses to benefit patients with improved vision and corneal health, and to advance the contact lens field. This year’s award was presented to Gloria Chiu, OD.
