Practice Tip: Contemplate providing patients with a buy now, pay-over-time financing option to improve your optical capture rate and second pair sales, as well as increases in annual supply sales of contact lenses, writes Brianna Rhue, OD, FAAO, in “Don’t Overlook Administrative Technology,” which appears in the August 2022 issue of Optometric Management. This approach may align more with your practice model than offering discounts: “As we are all offering higher-paying services, such as dry eye disease management and myopia control, it is important to charge patients what those services are worth. By discounting services, we are actually doing the patient a disservice because now, we can’t invest as much back into the practice to help them,” she explains. See https://www.optometricmanagement.com/issues/2022/august-2022/don-8217;t-overlook-administrative-technology.
American Optometric Association President Resigns; Prior President Steps Up
Citing personal reasons, James P. DeVleming, OD, resigned as the American Optometric Association (AOA) president. After being informed, the AOA board of trustees met and designated Robert C. Layman, OD, who served as AOA president from 2021 to 2022, to serve as president.
Art Optical Announces Specialty Contact Lens Student/Resident Travel Grant Program for 2023
Art Optical Contact Lens Inc. announced a travel grant opportunity for optometry students and residents for 2023. Specifically, the company will award up to 6 travel grants, valued at $750 each, to attend a specialty contact lens meeting. Grants will be awarded to four winning optometry students and two winning optometry residents. Art Optical’s technical team will review all submissions and select winners based on the relevance of the topic to current or future trends in specialty lens fitting, practice, or research. Additional details and grant applications can be requested from Art Optical. Their number is (800) 253-9364.
Contact Lens Expert to Consult on PentaVision Educational Projects
Pentavision LLC (the parent company of Contact Lens Spectrum, Contact Lenses Today, and Optometric Management (OM), among other publications) announced that Craig Norman, FCLSA, adjunct faculty member at the Michigan College of Optometry’s Vision Research Institute, will consult with the company on several educational projects for Contact Lens Spectrum, Eyecare Business, and OM. Additionally, he will contribute to virtual and in-person events, such as the Global Specialty Lens Symposium (GSLS), Global Myopia Symposium (GMS), and Optometric ManagementSymposium (OMS).
Education Discount for Cornell University Courses via The Vision Council
Members of The Vision Council are offered a discount on executive certificates and courses from Cornell University in more than 145 areas of professional development, including leadership, business, finance, marketing, and human resources. Visit https://ecornell.cornell.edu/portal/tvcdei/ for more information, including prices and specific offerings.
Global Specialty Lens Symposium Seeking Clinical Photos for Contest
The Global Specialty Lens Symposium (GSLS) is on the lookout for interesting photographs of conditions, diseases, or other occurrences from one’s clinical practice, with a special interest in contact lenses and the anterior segment. Three winning photos will be selected by the GSLS planning committee and be featured on a future issue of Contact Lens Spectrum. All entries must be submitted no later than Dec. 31 here: photos.gslsymposium.com/upload/upload.aspx.
NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Targets Lash Market
NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Inc. launched a marketing campaign for its Avenova lid and lash solution that focuses on the large and growing number of women who wear eyelash extensions.
Lash extensions can attract oil, dust, dirt, and debris that may shorten their life span, cause irritation, and increase the likelihood of eye infections. NovaBay says that Avenova will not damage the adhesive that holds the extensions in place and can prolong the life of these beauty enhancers.
Ocuphire Lengthens U.S. Patent Protection for Reversal of Mydriasis Drug
Ocuphire Pharma, Inc. announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 11,400,077, which it says provides added intellectual property protection for the company’s late-stage product candidate, Nyxol (phentolamine mesylate). The drug reverses mydriasis. The patent is eligible for listing in the U.S. FDA Orange Book, and has a term extending into year 2039.
Patient Enrolled in Demodex Therapy Trial
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals Inc. has enrolled its first patient in the Phase 2a clinical trial studying TP-03, (lotilaner ophthalmic solution, 0.25%) for the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction in patients who have Demodex mites. The therapy has been evaluated in two previous trials collectively involving more than 800 Demodex blepharitis patients, where it met the primary endpoint and all secondary endpoints and was well-tolerated.
Study Finds Redness, Flare Ups Bothersome to Rosacea Patients
A new report from the National Rosacea Society found that the great majority of rosacea patients have experienced persistent facial redness and that two-thirds reported experiencing flare-ups more than once a week. Additional findings include 43% of respondents had red, irritated or watery eyes indicative of ocular rosacea. Further, about 80% said they have discussed treatments for redness with their health care provider, although compliance with any prescriptions varied.
Study Shows Potential New Indicator for Glaucoma
A study published in the July/August issue of Ophthalmology Glaucoma reports that a new, non-invasive ocular imaging method may be able to detect an early indicator of glaucoma. Specifically, the study focused on measuring flavoprotein fluorescence (FPF). Produced by mitochondria when stressed, levels of FPF are elevated in people who have glaucoma compared to those without. A team of researchers used the OcuMet Beacon, a fundus camera with filters that isolate fluorescence, to analyze 86 eyes. Levels of FPF correlated with other means of detecting glaucoma, including VF mean deviation, VF pattern deviation, and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness.
Vision Expo West Announces New Show Floor Neighborhood
The organizers of Vision Expo, The Vision Council, and RX, announced The Panorama, a new show floor neighborhood for Vision Expo West (VEW), which takes place Sept. 14 to Sept. 17, 2022, in Las Vegas at the Venetian Expo & Convention Center. The Panorama neighborhood will spotlight the innovative frontier of vision technology, including cutting-edge business solutions, medical advances, software, and wearables, according to the press release. Additionally, VEW will welcome The Atelier neighborhood, an area that features artisanal eyewear and a limited group of sought-after independent designers from across the world, which appeared at Vision Expo East.
OD Notebook is published weekly on Wednesdays. Unless otherwise noted, the information presented is based on press releases and/or announcements by the respective organizations. Find earlier editions here. To submit a press release to be considered for publication, click here.