Practice Tip: Help patients improve contact lens hygiene with take-home instructions 
In their January 2024 article “Improve patient lens hygiene,” Drs. Chris Lievens and Elyse Rayborn provide the following take-home instructions for patients on cleaning lenses: “After you remove your lenses, place them in the palm of your hand and add 2-3 drops of solution; gently but firmly rub it to remove deposits and proteins. Rubbing and rinsing should take 20-30 seconds for each lens.” For additional instructions on case cleaning and other related patient education, click here.  

AOA reports subsequent probe into benefit plan abuses
The Government Accountability Office has been tasked with evaluating and promptly reporting back to Congress on “how vision and dental benefit manager consolidation, market concentration, and acquisitions of small and other independent health care practices may impact consumers — including through the prices paid by consumers, and health care providers,” reports the American Optometric Association (AOA). This investigative action builds on an earlier vision benefit manager probe underway since August. Optometrists experiencing difficulties with a health or vision plan should report their challenges to the AOA Third Party Center at stopplanabuses@aoa.org.  

CooperVision raises over $300,000 in 2023 for World Sight Day Challenge
CooperVision raised more than $300,000 in 2023 through global initiatives in support of Optometry Giving Sight (OGS), according to a press release. Since 2008, CooperVision has helped OGS raise more than $4.9 million dollars. To learn more about the World Sight Day Challenge and how you can participate, click here. 

Eyenovia Redwood City facility completes FDA inspection
Eyenovia announced that the company’s facility in Redwood City, Calif., successfully completed FDA inspection for approval as a commercial manufacturing facility. The facility will primarily be used for final assembly, packaging, and labeling activities in support of Mydcombi, a fixed-combination of tropicamide and phenylephrine for in-office and presurgical pupil dilation using Optejet technology, according to a press release.

International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness seek candidates for Young Systems Leader Awards
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) launched the Young Systems Leader Awards. This is a new initiative designed to amplify the voices and empower early career professionals driving transformative change in eye health, according to a press release. The award will shine a spotlight on exceptional young professionals (under age 35 years) who embody critical systems thinking. For more information and to nominate a candidate, click here. 

Ocuphire Pharma appoints new members of leadership team
Ocuphire Pharma, Inc. announced the appointments of Ash Jayagopal, PhD, MBA, as chief scientific and development officer, and Nirav Jhaveri, CFA, MBA, as chief financial officer. Dr. Jayagopal is a bioengineer by training with over 15 years of experience leading multidisciplinary research teams focused on therapeutic research and development, drug-delivery platforms, and biomarkers for retinal diseases in industry and academia. Mr. Jhaveri brings over 20 years of valuation, business development, and capital markets experience focused on the biopharma industry, according to a press release.

Ocular Therapeutix doses first three patients in wet age-related macular degeneration treatment clinical trial
Ocular Therapeutix announced the first three subjects have been screened and received their first aflibercept injection in the phase 3 SOL-1 clinical trial of axitinib intravitreal implant, also known as OTX-TKI. The trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of the treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration.

SightGlass Vision gets FDA’s Breakthrough Device designation 
SightGlass Vision announced that the FDA granted Breakthrough Device designation to its Diffusion Optics Technology spectacle lenses, which are intended to slow myopia progression in children, according to a press release. The design uses the contrast management mechanism of action, incorporating thousands of elements that gently scatter light across the retina. The FDA’s Breakthrough Devices Program is for devices that provide effective treatment or diagnosis of life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating human disease or conditions.

Transitions Optical to launch new photochromic lens
Transitions Optical will introduce Transitions Gen S in April 2024. It is a photochromic lens that darkens in 25 seconds and fades back in less than two minutes, according to a press release. Additionally, the lens blocks 100% UVA and UVB rays and filters up to 32% of blue violet light in the clear state and up to 85% when activated. Transitions Gen S will be available in eight exclusive colors, such as Ruby.

World Council of Optometry registers over 2,500 for Latin America myopia virtual event series
More than 2,500 professionals have registered for “Myopia Management: From Theory to Practice: Focused on Latin American Integration of Myopia Management in Clinical Practice,” according to the World Council of Optometry. The conference, held in partnership with CooperVision, will take place over Feb. 20, Feb. 22, Feb. 27, and Feb. 29. No cost registration remains open by visiting https://bit.ly/47xLDJ6.

OD Notebook is published weekly on Fridays. 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.