LEADING OFF

TIPS, TRENDS & NEWS

BAUSCH + LOMB ADDS ALDEN OPTICAL LABORATORIES INC. TO PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

Bausch + Lomb (B+L) acquired Alden Optical Laboratories, a specialty and custom soft and GP contact lens manufacturer, reports a B+L news release. The acquisition was made through B+L’s Specialty Vision Products (formerly Advanced Vision Products), which is dedicated to specialty and custom contact lenses.

The Alden portfolio includes the Astera multifocal toric, BioColors Opaque, HP Sphere and Toric lenses, NovaKone for keratoconus and the Zenlens, a mini-scleral lens. Alden, coupled with B+L’s other R&D initiatives, will provide contact lenses for conditions such as keratoconus, PMD, post-refractive surgery and more, the company says.

Specialty Vision Products will be led by David Bland, director of custom lens business, under Mark McKenna, senior vice president and general manager, contact lenses, B+L. Charley Creighton, Alden CEO, and Tom Shone, Alden president, will remain with B+L as senior consultants to Mr. McKenna. ■

DIGITAL EYE STRAIN SYMPTOMS AFFECT MOST AMERICANS, REPORT REVEALS

A total of 65% of Americans say they have digital eye strain symptoms (neck/shoulder/back pain, eye strain, headache, blurred vision and dry eyes), more than nine out of 10 of them report using digital devices for two or more hours daily, and women are more inclined to mention digital eye strain symptoms (69%) vs. men (60%), shows The 2016 Digital Eye Strain Report: “Eyes Overexposed: The Digital Device Dilemma,” from The Vision Council.

Specifically, the report reveals that women are slightly more prone to checking digital devices before going to sleep vs. men and are more apt to utilize two or more digital displays at the same time (74%) vs. men (67%). (In fact, a total of 77% of all Americans who have digital eye strain use two or more devices at the same time.)

The take home: Ask your patients, and your female patients who suffer from dry eye already, about their various digital device usage habits and symptoms, and prescribe specific computer or digital eyewear accordingly, explains optometrist Bridgitte Shen Lee, who practices in Houston. “It [questioning patients and prescribing special eyewear] has really helped to gain loyal patients and to earn referrals, especially through these female patients’ social media circles,” she explains.

Optometrist Justin Bazan, who practices in Brooklyn, N.Y. says in the Report, “When using technology, many think suffering with digital eye strain is a necessary evil, but it doesn’t have to be.”

The report, which was amassed from a nationwide survey of 10,329 adults in November, provides a look at digital media use and its impact on eye health. To download the report, visit bit.ly/1SOTuIg. ■

IDOC ACQUIRES PRIMA

IDOC, an optometric alliance also known as Independent Doctors of Optometric Care, has purchased the optometric consulting and alliance firm PRIMA Eye Group. During a phased transition period, the two companies will continue to operate as IDOC and PRIMA Eye Group, remaining in their headquarters in Norwalk, Conn., and Atlanta, respectively.

IDOC’s president and Chief Executive Officer, Dave Brown, will remain in these positions in the joint company, and the senior management team will include current IDOC Chief Financial Officer, Oliver Spandow and PRIMA’s co-founder, president and Chief Operating Officer Neil Gailmard, O.D., who will serve as IDOC’s Chief Operating Officer, but will also remain president of PRIMA Eye Group. Prima’s co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Jerry Hayes will retire in June, and IDOC founder and chairman Mark Feder, O.D., will become advisor to senior management. Drs. Gailmard and Feder will have ownership in the new company.

During the transition phase, members of both companies will receive information about how to they can benefit from the new company. ■

ALCON OPENS EYE HEALTH EDUCATION AND TRAINING CENTER

In an effort to help train and educate eye care professionals about its surgical, ophthalmic pharmaceuticals and vision care products, the Alcon Experience Center was recently opened on the company’s Fort Worth, Texas campus.

The Center, comprised of more than 36,000 square feet, provides an optometric training area with exam lanes to simulate an actual practice environment; an OTC Innovation Studio for visitors to “test” merchandising concepts and a wet lab and several interactive cataract and LASIK technologies for M.D.s.

Alcon’s Experience Center provides an interactive experience.

In addition, the Center will host high school and college students in North Texas to foster education in engineering, math, science and technology. ■