News from Alcon, American Medical Association, Bausch + Lomb, Cognition Therapeutics, Contact Lens Institute, CooperVision, EssilorLuxottica, and more…
Practice Tip: Telemedicine can be utilized for emergency and after-hours visits, says Christopher Wolfe, OD, FAAO, of Exclusively Eyecare, in Omaha, Neb. “With telemedicine, I am now on call 24/7 with my patients, but in a way that is reasonable, and I am comfortable doing it,” he says. “Previously, if my patients were out of the area or I was out of the area, I would have to find another doctor who could see them. But now, I can take a look at them myself.” See “Is Telemedicine Here to Stay?,” at
https://www.optometricmanagement.com/issues/2022/june-2022/is-telemedicine-here-to-stay.
Alcon Drafts Los Angeles Rams Wide Receiver for Ocular Allergy Campaign
Alcon has partnered with Cooper Kupp, wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams, to share his experience with eye allergies and help other eye allergy sufferers find relief through the “The Right Tool for the Job” campaign surrounding the company’s Pataday Once Daily Relief Extra Strength. For more information, visit Pataday.com.
American Medical Association and FDA Offer CME on Dietary Supplements
The American Medical Association (AMA) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now offers a new course aimed at helping doctors and other medical health professionals understand how dietary supplements, such as ocular nutritional supplements, are regulated, and how to counsel patients about their risks and benefits. The continuing medical education (CME) course reviews how dietary supplements are defined, regulated, and labeled; potential interactions among supplements, medications, and laboratory tests; and how to report adverse events to the FDA. To view the new dietary supplement CME course, which includes companion patient education materials, visit the AMA Ed Hub at
bit.ly/NuSuppl.
Bausch + Lomb Launch New Contact Lens Solution
Biotrue Hydration Plus Multi-Purpose Solution, from Bausch + Lomb, is a contact lens solution formulated with bio-inspired ingredients, specifically hyaluronan, to provide more moisture for contact lens wearers without compromising cleaning and disinfection. Hyaluronan is a moisturizer found naturally in tears; this solution formula contains 25% more than previous Biotrue-branded formulas. The new solution also contains ingredients, such as potassium and erythritol, informed by the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society’s DEWS II report. Visit biotrune.com for more information.
Cognition Therapeutics to Hold Age-Related Macular Degeneration Symposium
Cognition Therapeutics, Inc. will hold a virtual KOL symposium tomorrow, June 9, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EDT to talk about dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD). The company says it plans to start a phase 2 clinical study with its lead sigma-2 (σ-2) receptor modulator, CT1812, in dry AMD patients in the second half of 2022. Following the discussion, all speakers will participate in a live moderated Q&A. Registration for the event is free and may be accessed https://live.panavid.com/#/live/b1867114-b1a9-46e4-bf50-4eefa0cd30fe.
Contact Lens Institute Consumer Behavior Webinar Available On Demand
The webinar “Revealed! New Consumer Data Shows What's Holding Back Your Contact Lens Practice,” is now available on demand at https://bit.ly/CLIOnDemand22. Specifically, the webinar discusses research that shows a disconnect among patients and U.S. eye care practitioners regarding contact lens wear, and includes these panelists: Klaus Ito, OD, Essence Johnson, OD, FAAO, Elise Kramer, OD, FAAO, FBCLA, FSLES, and Jennifer Lyerly, OD. Contact Lens Institute members include Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, CooperVision, and Johnson & Johnson Vision. Visit contactlensinstitute.org.
CooperVision Expands MiSight 1 Day Range
CooperVision’s MiSight 1 Day contact lenses will be available in higher prescriptions, beginning June 2022. According to the company, the expanded range covering –0.25 D to –10.00 D (0.50 D steps after –6.00 D) means that MiSight 1 Day will cover 99.97% of prescriptions for Asian children and 99.97% for Caucasian children who have myopia and less than 1.00 D of astigmatism. The range available may vary by country. The expanded range will be included in CooperVision’s OptiExpert Contact Lens Calculator, an app-based tool.
EssilorLuxottica Launches Foundation for Global Advocacy and Philanthropy
EssilorLuxottica launched the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, marking a new chapter in the group’s journey to help everyone in the world “see more and be more,” the company says. The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation unites many of the group’s global advocacy and philanthropic actions and will raise awareness on the importance of good vision and supporting the creation of sustainable vision care through philanthropic grants, according to the press release.
Executives Discuss Sustainability Issues in Conjunction With World Oceans Day
In conjunction with World Oceans Day, CooperCompanies Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel at CooperCompanies Dan McBride and Plastic Bank Founder and CEO David Katz are offering insights to deepen the eye care industry’s understanding of how plastic neutrality benefits practices, patients, and communities worldwide. The fireside chat is now available on CooperVision's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKj3c7xVF2w.
International Association of Contact Lens Educators Announces 2022 Award Winners
The IACLE announced the winners of the 2022 IACLE Contact Lens Educator of the Year Awards to recognize and reward achievement in contact lens education. The U.S. Educator winner is Dr. Lindsay Sicks, of Illinois College of Optometry. Sponsored by CooperVision, three IACLE Contact Lens Educator of the Year Awards will be presented, one for each of its three global regions, at the American Academy of Optometry, in San Diego, Oct. 26 to Oct. 29, or at the British Contact Lens Association’s Clinical Conference & Exhibition in Manchester, UK, June 9 to June 11, 2023.
Nicox SA Closes Screening for Additional Patients in Phase 3 Glaucoma Treatment Study
Nicox SA has closed screening for more patients in its phase 3 Mont Blanc clinical trial of NCX 470 0.1% in open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension patients. The company says it expects to announce the topline results of the clinical trial in November. So far, NCX 470 0.1% has shown a statistically significant reduction of IOP in a phase 2 trial.
Olleyes Partners With Eye Tracking Company
Olleyes Inc. announced a partnership with eye-tracking technology company Tobii to incorporate advanced eye tracking features within the Olleyes VisuALL ETS virtual reality platform for assessment of visual functions. The Olleyes VisuALL tests collect data by projecting stimuli on specific areas of the retina as a user interacts with the device's software. By utilizing the eye tracking, the VisuALL ETS stimulus remains consistent with the same region of the retina regardless of user error. It also increases the precision of the data and improves doctors' ability to confidently diagnose their patients, according to Olleyes.
Olympic Ophthalmics Obtains FDA 510 (K) Clearance for DED Device
Olympic Ophthalmics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted its 510(K) request for its second-generation iTEAR100 device, a prescription neuromodulation therapy to increase tear production in adult patients over a 30-day period, according to the press release. The device offers telehealth tools, such as prescription download capability and activation through a mobile phone app. Further information, such as how to purchase the device and clinical trials, can be found at www.olympicophthalmics.com.
Ranibizumab Biosimilar Available After July 1 in US
Optometrists can educate their AMD patients that BYOOVIZ (ranibizumab-nuna, Biogen Inc. and Samsung Bioepis Co.) has been launched in the United States, with availability as of July 1 through major distributors. The therapy, an FDA-approved ophthalmology biosimilar to LUCENTIS (ranibizumab, Biogen Inc.) is available as a 0.5 mg intravitreal injection for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration, macular edema following retinal vein occlusion, and myopic choroidal neovascularization.
Valley Contax Announces 2022 AAO Meeting Student Travel Grant Award
Valley Contax Inc., in partnership with Contamac US, announced their next travel grant award opportunity. Through the companies’ Student Travel Grant Award program, one student in the graduating classes of either 2023 or 2024 will be selected to receive a grant to attend the American Academy of Optometry meeting in October in San Diego, Calif. The submission process starts with each candidate submitting a 100-word essay about the teacher who made the biggest impact on them and why. Submissions are open from June 13 to Aug. 5. The Valley Contax social media team will announce a winner on Aug 9. The submission form is available at fs10.formsite.com/MqlEMM/studentgrants/index.html.
The Vision Council Names Director of Shows
The Vision Council appointed Sara Bonizio as the organization’s new director of Shows. In this position, she will work closely with The Vision Council’s partners at RX, the co-organizer of Vision Expo East and West, to create opportunities for the growth and development of the shows. Before joining The Vision Council, Ms. Bonizio worked for The Bronx Chamber of Commerce, most recently as vice president, Communications and Partnerships, where she expanded its capacity, streamlined, and enhanced operations through team building, program and service development, and internal and external communications.
Webinar on Research Paper Will Be Focus of Awareness Week
A panel of eye care experts will discuss the everyday impact of a contact lens research paper published in Contact Lens & Anterior Eye earlier this year during a webinar being held as part of “Love Your Lenses Week.” The webinar, sponsored by Bausch + Lomb, forms part of a suite of activities being staged to mark the global campaign delivered by the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) that promotes the safe wearing of contact lenses. The Zoom webinar, titled “Not all Contact Lenses are Equal; The Real-World Significance” is at 6.30 p.m. EST on June 14. To register, visit bcla.org.uk.
Zeiss to Launch Corporate Volunteering Program
To celebrate its 175th anniversary, Zeiss is launching the corporate volunteering program “A Heart for Science,” which encourages young people to go for a career in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM. Specifically, employees globally will volunteer to pass their knowledge on, using a handbook about the initiative, age-appropriate-guided experiments, and a digital platform where volunteers can get together and collaborate on their joint projects. Selected activities are also being funded by ZEISS.
O.D. 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.