- BostonSight announced its new free-form lens design feature, Smart360, for the BostonSight Scleral. Using Smart360, practitioners can design a free-form lens from 16 mm to 19 mm. Smart360 currently integrates with the Oculus Pentacam CSP and CSP Pro and with Eaglet Eye’s Eye Surface Profiler (ESP). BostonSight Scleral also offers two “triple-play” FitKits, which are diagnostic trial sets with three diameters per set: 16 mm, 16.5 mm, and 17 mm or 18 mm, 18.5 mm, and 19 mm.
- British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) announced that the conference BCLA Focus will occur June 11 and June 12, 2022. The event will be held both online and in person at The Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham, UK. The full program, which will be open to BCLA members and non-members, will feature a live lecture stream and workshop sessions, while providing sponsors and exhibitors the opportunity to discuss the latest innovations and share new products and business strategies. Registration for the event will open in early 2022, with full details on bcla.org.uk .
- Contact Lens Update, the free publication from the Centre for Ocular Research & Education, gives perspective on the increasing amount of screen use by adults and children and the connection of ocular discomfort and dry eye disease. Through a review of current research, the issue provides practical advice for eye care professionals to use with patients, and includes an opening editorial by James Wolffsohn, highlighting evidence for changes to the meibomian glands that may be associated with screen use. Visit https://contactlensupdate.com .
- CooperVision Specialty EyeCare launched Optimized Pupil Optics tool (OPO) for its Onefit Med and Onefit Med+ scleral contact lenses in the United States and Canada. Visit blcalculator.com/tools/multifocal to access the fitting tool.
- Envision is hosting Envision Conference East 2022, an in-person conference that will occur at the Ohio Union on The Ohio State University campus in Columbus, Ohio, between May 19 and May 21. Submissions for presentations in Clinical Education, Panel/Symposia courses, and Research Abstracts are now being accepted through Feb. 15, 2022. Attendees may earn up to 13 hours of CE credits. For registration information, visit bit.ly/3pjtdsz .
- Eurolens Research, at the University of Manchester, published a paper that compares the vision correction experience of contact lenses and spectacles when worn with face masks. Results show pairing contact lenses with face masks increases adherence to mask use. Additionally, statistically significant differences were found in favor of contact lenses for breathability, overall comfort, distance vision, near vision, fogging, glare, and more. Study participants — spectacle wearers with no history of contact lens use — were randomized to continue with spectacles or wear a daily disposable contact lens along with a surgical face mask for at least one hour per day on at least four days per week. (See “Using face masks with spectacles versus contact lenses,” at bit.ly/3mYFa5k .)
- GPN Technologies released a key metrics report that covers a 3-year look back of national and regional results and explores year-over-year trends in five significant key performance indicators (KPIs), including average revenue per exam, capture rate, optical products, professional services (clinic), and managed care plan performance. Within the report, KPIs and national results are paired with case-study examples from specific practice business scenarios, with actionable suggestions for performance improvement. The “2020 Key Metrics Report” is available at gatewaypn.com/gpn-key-metrics-report/ .
- Mediniche Inc. introduced OcuLash, a non-prescription, cosmetic gel product that is an enhancement and a follow-up to the former Lash Advance product. OcuLash features Peptiplex, a proprietary, advanced complex of two fortifying peptides that help convert young hair to mature hair, and that support the natural renewal cycle of lashes and brows, making them look lush, healthy, and rejuvenated, says the company. OcuLash was developed in conjunction with Kathryn A. Reynolds, OD. OcuLash has a wholesale price of $24.00/tube and a suggested retail price of $48.95 for a three-month supply.
- Myopia Profile offers a two-hour, self-paced, and interactive course —”Communicating the Myopia Message”— to help providers communicate the science and clinical messaging surrounding myopia and its management. The online course, which consists of 25 lessons over six modules, aims to increase provider confidence in discussing myopia with patients and parents, giving them practical tools and tips for communicating about onset, progression, management options, decision-making, outcomes, consent, and more. The course is recognized for accredited CE, and costs $45. Instructors include Myopia Profile founders Dr. Kate Gifford and Dr. Paul Gifford.
- Ophthalmic Sciences says it plans to launch IOPerfect, a contactless device to measure IOP using artificial intelligence (AI) and a virtual reality (VR)-like headset to allow providers to monitor glaucoma remotely. Patients wear the calibration-free headset, which uses controlled air pressure plus micro-video cameras to measure IOP in under two minutes. Data is then uploaded to a secure cloud where the company’s proprietary algorithm provides AI-based image processing analysis of vascular pressure response, and results are accessed and interpreted by the clinician. The device should launch in the United States and Europe in 2023, the company says.
- Oyster Point Pharma launched a patient support program called TEAMTyrvaya, which allows eligible patients to pay as little as $0 for the company’s Tyrvaya (varenicline solution 0.03) nasal spray for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. For more information on the TEAMTyrvaya patient support program, visit www.Tyrvaya-Pro.com .
- PentaVision’s Global Myopia Symposium (GMS) will be held virtually in September 2022. Chaired by Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, of Contact Lens Spectrum, a sister publication of Optometric Management, the Symposium is focused solely on myopia and its management involving clinicians, researchers, and educators from around the world. The program committee is comprised of Mark Bullimore, MCOptom, PhD; Kate Gifford, PhD, BAppSc(Optom)Hons; Shalu Pal, OD; Jeff Walline, OD, PhD; and Oliver Woo, OD. For up-to-date information, visit https://www.visioncarece.com/conferences .
- SECO 2022 registration is now available with virtual and in-person options. The meeting will occur from March 9 to March 13, 2022, in New Orleans. Up to 35 hours of CE are scheduled over five days for optometrists, opticians, technicians, and paraoptometrics. Course fees begin at $9 per hour for non-physicians, and range from $17 per hour for physicians, based on the package selected. Also included in all registrations is Inability to Attend Insurance, which offers a 100% refund of paid registration fees for covered reasons. Information on registration packages and educational offerings is available at www.attendseco.com .
- TJ Nutrition introduced Parasym Plus Eyes, an oral supplement that supports systemic and ocular health neurologically and simultaneously, by boosting both lacrimal and vagus nerve function. The lacrimal nerves control tear production, while the vagus nerve controls inflammation; both release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Parasym Plus Eyes supports acetylcholine, thus triggering tear production while controlling inflammation. For information, visit vagusnervesupport.com .
- VSP Global has partnered with non-profit Black EyeCare Perspective to launch scholarships, leadership development programs, and conduct outreach to increase awareness about the optometric profession to minority communities. The program will also establish mentoring programs to assist in career planning and networking.
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LEADING OFF: Also Notable
Optometric Management
January 1, 2022
Vol 57, Issue January/February 2022
Page(s): 66
