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PCO to Become Salus University

NEW NAME RECOGNIZES THE DIVERSITY OF NON-OPTOMETRIC PROGRAMS AND RESEARCH.

■ Effective July 1, 2008, the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), located in Elkins Park, Pa., will become Salus University, announced the school's president, Thomas L. Lewis, O.D., at an oncampus press conference in late May.

"Our transformation to a University began nearly 30 years ago. In the mid-1970s, PCO was examining the feasibility of expanding and diversifying academic programs and enhancing our research activities," Dr. Lewis said. "Since 1983, in addition to optometry, the College has offered programs in Graduate Studies that include Low Vision Rehabilitation, Orientation and Mobility, Vision Rehabilitation Therapy and Programs for Teachers of Children with Visual and Multiple Impairments."

PCO established a Doctor of Audiology Degree in 2000 and a Physician Assistant Program in 2007, Dr. Lewis added.

Recruitment for these non-optometric programs increasingly was hindered, however, by the PCO name and structure of the College as the school diversified, according to a PCO press release. As a result, the administration decided that PCO needed a new name to accurately reflect the diversity of its existing programs. In addition, they felt the new name would enable the school to gain recognition for its research.

"Salus, a Latin word for health and well-being, underscores this institution's vision of an academic community that emphasizes a holistic approach to education, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, and includes a commitment to interdisciplinary learning," Dr. Lewis explained.

Now, PCO optometry alumni and current students will tell students and colleagues that they attended/attend the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University.

O.D. Charged in Kidnapping

OPTOMETRISTS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT

David T. Matusiewicz

■ Optometrists may help capture two alleged fellons. David T. Matusiewicz, O.D., age 41, of Newark, Del., and his mother are charged with a felony warrant for kidnapping his three daughters: Laura (age 6) Leigh (age 4), who has autism, and Karen (age two). Also, The FBI has charged Dr. Matusiewicz with mortgage fraud for allegedly forging his ex-wife's name to a $249,000 home-equity loan.

Dr. Matusiewicz, his mother and the three girls have been missing since September 10, 2007, when his ex-wife, Christine Belford, with whom he shared joint custody, expected them to return from their purported two-week vacation to Disney World.

"David has family in Edcouch, Texas, and we're looking into Canada and Mexico, so I'd really appreciate it if your readers who practice in these areas could keep an eye out for him," Ms. Belford, says. "Also, he'd told me he was interested in other areas of medicine, such as biofeedback therapy. He told me he'd gotten certified in it, so he may be practicing this specialty."

For photos of the Matusiewicz children and their grandmother, visit www.missingkids.com. If you have any information about their whereabouts, please call the 24-hour hotline at (800) 843-5678. Special thanks to Cris Barrish at The News Journal, for his assistance with this story.

Pediatric Soft Contact Lens Wear May Not Increase Myopia Progression

NO CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE FOUND

■ Soft contact-lens wear appears to have no effect on increasing the rate of myopia in children, says an Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) poster presented at this year's meeting.

Results revealed that spectacle wearers progressed -1.08 + 0.71D and the lens wearers progressed -1.27 + 0.72D (analysis of covariance, p = 0.005). In addition, the spectacle wearers' axial growth was 0.59 + 0.37mm and the lens wearers' axial growth was 0.63 + 0.34mm (analysis of covariance, p = 0.27). Also, the change in the steep corneal meridian was 0.05 + 0.69D for spectacle wearers and 0.10 + 0.70D for the lens wearers (analysis of covariance, p = 0.43). While myopic progression was statistically higher in the lens-wearing group, the difference, 0.19D, was not clinically significant, say researchers. No difference existed in axial growth between the two groups.

The researchers enrolled 484 children between age eight and 11 and randomized them to wear either single-vision spectacles (237) or soft contact lenses (247) (Acuvue 2 or 1 Day Acuvue, from Vistakon) to measure their refractive error, corneal curvature and axial length through a three-year period.

Kirby Puckett Education Center Opens

HALL OF FAMER'S MINNEAPOLIS CENTER WILL FOCUS ON GLAUCOMA EDUCATION, TESTING AND SCREENING.

■ Glaucoma cut short Kirby Puckett's professional baseball career. Now, the family of the former Minnesota Twin center fielder, who passed away of a stroke at age 45 in March 2006, wants to ensure that the silent thief doesn't rob anyone else of their quality of life. That's why they've opened the Kirby Puckett Education Center at the Phillips Eye Institute (PEI) in Minneapolis, with support from Pfizer Ophthalmics.

The Center houses comprehensive education materials about glaucoma, so patients can better understand the disease. The Center will eventually provide Glaucoma testing and vision screenings, says a PEI press release.

Above: Members of Pfizer Ophthalmics reveal the interior of the Center. Below: Kirby's children Catherine and Kirby Jr. join mom, Tonya, and June Sinkfield (Kirby's sister) to cut the ceremonial ribbon.

"Kirby's mission was to raise awareness about glaucoma, so that others would not have to deal with ultimately what he did, which was blindness," says the late ball player's wife, Tonya. "He started this mission as a national spokesperson for the Glaucoma Foundation and worked with Pharmacia & Upjohn, which Pfizer now owns, to spread the word about the disease. With the opening of the Center, we're just finishing something that Kirby started a long time ago."

For more information on the Center, visit www.phillipseyeinstitute.com.

Advance Lens for Astigmatism

NEW ACUVUE CL

■ Vistakon announced that the Acuvue Oasys Brand Contact Lenses for Astigmatism will soon be available to some U.S. optometrists with distribution increasing in coming months. The lens is indicated for daily wear and may also be worn for up to six consecutive nights (seven days) of extended wear. Features of the lens include:

► senofilcon A, the silicone hydrogel material used in Acuvue Oasys Brand Contact Lenses.

► accelerated stabilization design (ASD). ASD uses the pressure of the blinking eye to balance the lens in place and realign it if it rotates out of position.

► Hydraclear Plus technology, a new formulation of the Hydraclear technology, which provides the wearer with consistent, all-day vision and comfort, says Vistakon

In addition, the lens blocks greater than 96 percent of UVA rays and 99 percent of UVB rays.

Fast Facts:

Consumers Remain Clueless About Sun Damage

Although almost 80% of consumers know that ultraviolet (UV) exposure can cause skin cancer, only 5% are aware that it can harm their eyes as well, says a recent survey conducted on behalf of the New England Eye Institute and Transitions Optical by Opinion Research Corporation. Further, 57% of respondents said they don't wear protective eyewear when out in the sun for extended periods of time.

Health Illiterate Glaucoma Patients at High Risk For Disease Progression

Glaucoma patients who aren't able to obtain, process and understand basic health information and the services required to make appropriate health decisions may be more likely to have greater disease progression than health literate patients, says a study in May's Archives of Ophthalmology.

Results revealed that patients with poor health literacy showed a higher visual field loss on their initial visit and significantly worse visual parameters when comparing standard deviation on both recent and initial visual field tests than those patients deemed to have adequate health literacy.