what's new
For Your Patients and Practice

Glare-cutting lens

At the American Academy of Optometry meeting, Corning introduced a new filter lens.

The CPF 450X GlareCutter lens is a darker version of Corning's CPF 450X. The CPF 450X GlareCutter is a photochromic filter lens. It's for your light-sensitive patients who spend a lot of time outdoors and find that their dark glasses don't provide much comfort.

Patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have successfully used the CPF 450X lens and its predecessor, the CPF 450. Currently, Corning is evaluating the lenses for individuals who are extremely photophobic because of "post-trauma vision syndrome" associated with traumatic brain injury and other neurological conditions.

For more information, call (800) 742-5273, fax (800) 215-2578 or visit www.optical.corning.com.

Teens behind the wheel

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, teenage drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a traffic accident than all other drivers combined. Because of this, CIBA Vision has created Driving Teens to Focus, a program for high-school driving education classes that promotes safe driving and encourages regular eye exams.

As part of the program, CIBA Vision is offering a package that includes an interactive CD-ROM, a poster, a T-shirt and information on driving statistics.

The CD-ROM features entertaining and educational visual games, such as Freeway Frenzy and Traffic Trivia. CIBA Vision hopes these games will raise awareness of peripheral vision, refocusing time and the effects of speed on depth perception.

The Driving Teens to Focus package is available while supplies last. Call (800) 845-6585 or visit www.DrivingTeensToFocus.com. 

Accura award

The Briot Accura Lab edger has been awarded the Colts Laboratories Performance Seal.

"We're proud that our edger has earned this prestigious award," says a Briot spokesperson. "It certifies our claims of the Accura's speed, accuracy and overall performance."

The Accura Lab edger combines four functions in one machine. It grooves, safety bevels, edges and polishes automatically without removing the lens until all finishing steps are completed.

For more information, call (800) 292-7468.

New Fitovers

Fitovers Eyewear has redesigned and repackaged its Jonathan Paul (JP) Series sunglasses.

The JP Series still fits over 98% of all prescription eyewear. However, Fitovers now manufactures the JP Series from strong, supple Crystal Nylon. Also, the JP Series now comes in a frame color of blue, which Fitovers calls Neptune, in addition to the original frame colors of honey, kauri, piano and midnight oil.

Fitovers offers the JP Series in two sizes, small and large. Size small measures 4.75" wide and 1.25" high; large measures 5" wide and 1.5" high.

For more information, you may call (888) 834-8872, e-mail ussales@fitovers.com or visit www.fitovers.com. 

Solera lenses

At Vision Expo East, the Invicta Corporation debuted Solera lenses.

Invicta says that the photochromic Solera lenses "allow for the widest selection of fashion colors for lenses that are lighter in density indoors and darker outdoors."

Solera lenses feature ultraviolet and scratch protection. Colors include yellow, orange, rose, violet, blue and teal; coming soon are brown and gray.

For more information, call (800) 557-4677.

Practice software

MediNotes has upgraded Charting Plus 4.0, its practice management software.

Charting Plus 4.1 lets you annotate an image, and then add it to a saved or printed note. The image can come from Charting Plus's anatomical image library, or it can come from any bitmapped image that's stored on the hard drive of your practice's own computer.

Another new feature of this software is internal messaging, which lets you send text messages to other Charting Plus users. Similar to e-mail, internal messaging offers you and your staff the option to save, delete, forward and reply to messages. Medinotes says, "Internal messaging is an effective tool for communicating important clinical information to physicians on the system using the security built into the software."

For more information, you may call (877) 633-6683 or visit www.medinotes.com.

Magnifier and seminars

Eschenbach has expanded its line of Bright Field stand magnifiers by introducing a smaller, lightweight version to the market.

The new 1424 offers 1.8x magnification and is 45 mm in diameter. Like the other magnifiers in the Bright Field line, Eschenbach has designed the 1424 to gather light, thereby creating a brighter image through the lens.

In other Eschenbach news, the company will be hosting a new seminar, titled "Low Vision Care . . . What's It All About?"

This seminar is an introductory, hands-on workshop and lecture. It's approved for three continuing education credits by the American Board of Opticianry (ABO) as well as the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO).

Dates and locations for the month of July include:

• July 10: Kansas City, Mo.
• July 11: Rapid City, S.D.
• July 11: St. Louis
• July 17: Salt Lake City
• July 18: East Lansing, Mich.
• July 18: Shreveport, La.
• July 19: Ann Arbor, Mich.
• July 19: Reno, Nev.
• July 24: Milwaukee
• July 26: Eau Claire, Wis.
• July 31: Holtsville, N.Y.

If you'd like to know about additional seminars, call (877) 422-7300, e-mail info@eschenbach.com or visit www.eschenbach.com.