Aug 2016

News
in brief
TECHNICAL COLOUR
California-based EnChroma, founded in 2010, has sold nearly
30,000 sets of sunglasses to people with colour-blindness who
are now able to see in technicolour for the first time. In news
reports the company’s glass scientist and co-founder, Dr Don
McPherson, said it all began more than a decade ago when he was
manufacturing glasses for laser surgery. When he tried them on, he
noticed his normal colour vision was enhanced. He offered them to
a colour-blind friend who found he could differentiate between red
and green for the first time. One of the unintended consequences
of the lenses Dr McPherson had developed was they absorb some
wavelengths of
light making them
beneficial for
people with colour
deficiency. The
current lenses aid
about 80% of people
and the company is
trying to develop a
new product for the
other 20%.
CONTACT LENS BOOM
The global market for contact lenses grew to US$9.4 billion in
2014 from US$8.9 billion in 2013, according to the report, Contact
Lenses: Technologies and Global Markets.
Published in June, the report says the CL product market is expected
to grow at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of
1.9% from 2015 to 2020, increasing from US$9.2 billion in 2015 to
US$10.1 billion in 2020. The rigid and hybrid lenses segment should
grow at a five-year CAGR of 9%, reaching US$466 million in 2020.
The others segment, including intraocular lenses and advanced
optics lenses, reached about US$2.2 billion in 2014, up from nearly
US$2 billion in 2013, and should grow at a five-year CAGR of 4.1%
during the forecast period.
RODENSTOCK AND CAMBODIA VISION
Rodenstock Australia has received a Certificate of Appreciation
from Cambodia Vision for its ongoing support. Strong supporters
of the not-for-profit organisation, the Rodenstock team attended
the annual Cambodia Vision fundraising dinner at the end of
June where they accepted the certificate. Cambodia Vision was
established in December 2006 to work with small provincial towns
in Cambodia on blindness prevention and basic healthcare. Research
shows Cambodia has a high incidence of preventable blindness with
approximately 70,000 new cataract cases each year. The foundation
survives solely through sponsorship and community support.
FIRST ASIAN BCLA CONFERENCE
The British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) will hold its first
conference outside the UK at the Cordis Langham Place Hotel in
Hong Kong from 13 to 14 September this year. The conference will
cover myopia management, presbyopia and dry eye. “The conference
is a perfect opportunity to hear the latest research including new
papers from some extremely talented professionals in Australia and
Asia,” said BCLA president Brian Tompkins in a statement.
The event, titled Correction for the Future, is a partnership
between the BCLA and the Hong Kong Cornea and Contact Lens
Society. Registration is open now.
GENETIC GLAUCOMA
Flinders University ophthalmology experts have joined US
colleagues to discover a new genetic cause of primary congenital
glaucoma, reported Australian Optometry. Glaucoma in children is
often more aggressive than in older people and requires multiple
surgeries and life-long daily treatment. Quoted in the article,
Flinders research leader, ophthalmologist Professor Jamie Craig,
said the study will use samples from around the world to link the
disease to mutations in the TEK gene, which can lead to a poorly
formed or absent cell-membrane receptor protein for proper
development of a drainage channel, leading to elevated eye
pressure over time. He said it’s hoped, through further research, a
new genetic test could be developed as well as better treatments.
Oculo teams up
with Optomates
Oculo, a new internet-based, secure-messaging service
designed to connect eye care professionals, has teamed up
with Monkey Software, another Australian-based company,
whose practice management software system, Optomate, is one of
the most widely used in New Zealand.
“Oculo is committed to quality patient care and also to
streamlining practice workflows,” says Dr Kate Taylor, CEO of Oculo.
“Optomate is a leading software for optometrists, widely used
by independent practices and covers scheduling, billing, supply
chain management, patient records and more. This is a really
exciting partnership, as it’s our first integration demonstrating our
commitment to working widely across the eye care industry. It is
the first step toward other integrations.”
Dr Taylor reiterated the need for wider communication and
teamwork in order to provide the best service to clients.
“Our aim is to connect the eye care ecosystem. This partnership
will make it easier for independent optometrists to tap into what
Oculo has to offer. We are also reaching beyond an optometry and
ophthalmology platform, to offer access to low vision services,
support groups and additional networks that offer a continuity of
Chewing it over
The Save Sight Institute at the University of Sydney
has developed a simple ‘chewing gum’ test to help
prevent blindness.
The test requires patients to chew gum at a rate of
one chew per second to unmask claudication of the
jaw muscles – a symptom specific to giant cell arteritis
(GCA). This condition, most common in people over 50,
can be hard to diagnose because the symptoms, such
as headaches and vision problems caused by artery
inflammation in the head, are often subtle and easy to
associate with other conditions. The ‘chewing gum’ test
can reproduce a patient’s tell-tale pain, allowing further
investigation with a blood test and an arterial biopsy to
confirm diagnosis.
Outlined in a letter in June’s New England Journal of
Medicine, researchers presented two cases where the
chewing gum test allowed clinicians to better characterise jaw
pain, confirm a diagnosis and successfully treat both patients.
The 4 days of Optics
23 - 26 September 2016
care for eye patients, enhancing the quality of their experiences and
outcomes.”
Dr Taylor also noted this partnership would make it easier for
independent practices to access the services Oculo provides. Chris
Monks, director of Monkey Software, reiterated this point.
“Independent optometrists are committed to providing the best
possible quality of clinical care. We recognise that today collaborative
care is an important part of optometrists’ contribution to eye care,
and so we are keen to facilitate this.
“Working with Oculo, who have grown with a vision for enhanced
eye care, is a good fit for Optomate’s dedication and ongoing
investment to support our optometrists’ commitment to patients.
Communications through Oculo will also help our optometrist users
connect with GPs and other medical specialists - important both
for patient care and to promote the central role of optometry in
primary eye care.”
Oculo’s software was developed at the Centre for Eye Research
(CERA) in Australia. The Australian roll-out began in April and now
exceeds 1,000 users, with 215 ophthalmologists and 400 practices. It
was officially launched in New Zealand in June. ▀
GCA is one of the most common causes of blindness in older
people and a condition that poses a high risk of death.
The test is currently undergoing further study. ▀
CCLSA
registrations open
Registrations are now open for the Cornea and Contact Lens
Society of Australia’s (CCLSA’s) next master class, which will take
place at the beautiful Ayers House in Adelaide from 26 to 27
November, immediately after the Blue Sky Congress.
This year’s programme will include presentations on finding
the confidence to increase the percentage of contact lens
wearers in your practice, three different perspectives on
applications for contact lenses outside refractive correction,
identifying dry eye, secrets of the edge design of RGP contact
lenses and managing acute contact lens complications. ▀
NEW CONJUNCTIVITIS DRUG
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted a New
Drug Application (NDA) from Nicox for AC-170, a novel, proprietary,
cetirizine eye drop formulation, for the treatment of ocular
itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis. This is the first time
cetirizine, a second-generation antihistamine, has been used in
a topical drug for the treatment of ocular itching associated with
allergic conjunctivitis. AC-170 was developed by Aciex Therapeutics,
which became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nicox in October 2014
and was subsequently renamed Nicox Ophthalmics.
LIVE THE EXPERIENCE
silmoparis.com
ACBO FAREWELLS BERNIE
Bernie Eastwood has stepped down as president of the Australian
College of Behavioural Optometrists (ACBO) to focus on opening a
new Perth-based practice. The ACBO Board has invited current vicepresident
Steve Leslie to assume the role of acting president until
the next AGM, at which time an election will be held for the role of
president and any other Board vacancies. The ACBO Board thanked
Bernie for her considerable contribution and her commitment to
her profession. ▀
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