• Atlantis, a new scleral lens from X-Cel Contacts, is suited for irregular cornea conditions such as keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, corneal transplants, post-refractive surgery, post-corneal rings and ocular surface disease. It has also been successful on regular corneas, dry eye and in athletic wear. Visit www.xcelcontacts.com.

• The VSP Eye on Diabetes campaign continues, with an upcoming visit in Baltimore on March 30. This initiative seeks to provide disadvantaged residents with free health services, such as comprehensive eye exams and risk assessments for diabetes and high blood pressure. A free COPE-approved CE course will be offered in each city stop for licensed ODs. To register, visit www.vspeyeondiabetes.com.

• New promotional materials for PureVision2 and SofLens daily disposables from Bausch + Lomb include a waiting room movie trivia game that might win your patients a free movie rental or the grand prize of a 46” Samsung HDTV—on the spot. The campaign promotes the lenses’ performance in low-light conditions such as a movie theater. Visit www.bausch.com.

• A new year, a new look. The International Association of Contact Lens Educations (IACLE) has launched a new website with updated information and additional resources for educators, including a global member e-newsletter, an IACLE Fellows directory, the latest news and press releases, as well as profiles of board and staff members. For more information, visit www.iacle.org.

• The University of Houston College of Optometry has opened its first ASC, the Vision Source Ambulatory Surgical Center, at the Molly and Doug Barnes Vision Institute. It is one of only 50 nationwide that will perform ophthalmic surgery of all kinds and the only one to offer femto cataract surgery.

ASCRS: Reconsider Operative Medications
The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery’s Cornea and Refractive Surgery Committees issued a joint statement recommending that certain medications not be used immediately prior to or during LASIK or PRK while the stromal bed is exposed until further studies can be completed. The main concern is that vehicles within these medications (and some artificial tears and lubricating drops) can potentially be isolated underneath the LASIK flap or bandage contact lens following PRK and not absorbed.

“The joint statement highlights the concerns of some medications designed for increased contact time and the potential for a greater likelihood for adverse events when used immediately prior to or during LASIK or surface ablation with bandage contact lens use,” said Joseph Shovlin, OD, of the Northeastern Eye Institute, clinical editor of Review of Cornea & Contact Lenses. “A ‘polymer package’ can potentially be sequestered, especially under a newly created flap or bandage contact lens, and not be absorbed in a timely fashion. Of particular note, this alert includes a number of recently released highly viscous artificial tears that tout an improved contact time and consistent dosing.”

The medications listed include:
• Azasite (azithromycin 1%, Merck) with a vehicle of polycarbophil, edetate disodium and sodium chloride.
• Besivance (besifloxacin 0.6%, Bausch + Lomb) with a vehicle of polycarbophil, edetate disodium and sodium chloride.
• Restasis (cyclosporine 0.05%, Allergan) with a vehicle that includes castor oil.
• Durezol (difluprednate 0.05%, Alcon) with a vehicle that includes castor oil.
• Acuvail (ketorolac 0.45%, Allergan) with a vehicle of carboxymethylcellulose sodium.
• Lotemax gel (loteprednol 0.5%, Bausch + Lomb) with a vehicle that includes glycerin, polycarbophil, propylene glycol and tyloxapol. |
• Moxeza (moxifloxacin 0.5%, Alcon) with a vehicle that includes xanthan gum and tyloxapol.
• Nevanac (nepafanac 0.3%, Alcon) with a vehicle that includes mannitol, carbomer 974P, sodium chloride, tyloxapol and edetate disodium.
• Ilevro (nepafanac 0.3%, Alcon) with a vehicle that includes propylene glycol, carbomer 974P, guar gum and carboxymethlycellulose sodium.

Any artificial tear or lubricating drop that contains the abovementioned inactive ingredients could also create similar complications when used pre- or intraoperatively in LASIK and PRK.

There have been no documented problems with these medications when used postoperatively or in the FDA-approved solution or suspension formulas without advanced vehicles. For more information, visit www.ascrs.org.

New Software Offers Improved Tear Film Measurements
With FDA clearance, the LipiView v2.0 ocular surface interferometer (TearScience) can now be used to measure absolute thickness (opposed to relative thickness) of the tear film lipid layer in nanometers. The upgraded software also monitors a patient’s blinking process during examination. This information allows practitioners to identify patients who are partial blinkers, a condition that may limit lipid production and impact the ocular surface.

LipiView v2.0 software will be available to all new customers; current customers will be upgraded in the second quarter of 2013. For more information, visit www.tearscience.com.

One-Week Disposable Lenses Launched
For patients who are interested in frequent lens replacement but do not want to incur the cost of daily disposables, Hydrogel Vision introduces
Icuity H20, a one-week disposable soft contact lens.

Frequent replacement can help alleviate problems of dryness, discomfort and lens deposits. However, many patients are deterred from switching to daily disposables due to the higher cost. The Icuity H₂0 allows for weekly replacements at the same price as the two-week modality.

According to the company, Icuity H₂O is made with hioxiflcon A—a non-ionic ultra hydrating material that retains 99% of its water content throughout the wearing time. The lens is available in median and steep base curves: median +6.00D to -10.00D and steep -0.25D to -10.00D. For more information, visit www.hydrogelvision.com.

A New Preservative-Free Solution
When it comes to dry eye management, the more tools, the better. Allergan’s latest addition to its portfolio, Refresh Optive Advanced Preservative-Free lubricant eye drops, is designed to work on all three layers of the tear film to relieve dry eye symptoms. According to the company, the solution stabilizes the lipid layer to help reduce tear evaporation, hydrates the aqueous layer and provides an advanced lubricating and protective shield to the mucin layer, protecting epithelial cells from hypertonic stress.

Refresh Optive Advanced Preservative-Free delivers <0.1µL of liquid per drop and is available in 30 count single-use vials. For more information, visit www.refreshbrand.com.

Optimistic Outlook for Viral Conjunctivitis Therapy

Although there is no current FDA-approved acute treatment for viral conjunctivitis, researchers at NovaBay hope to change that soon. The first phase of a recent study found that the compound NVC-422, when used in vitro, demonstrated significant antiviral activity against major causes of viral conjunctivitis. Data from an ongoing global Phase 2b trial is expected in the second half of the year.

In the study, NVC-422 was tested against several serotypes of human adenovirus, coxsackievirus A24, enterovirus 70 and herpes simplex-virus-1.

The data and study results were published in the January issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.