New Eyewear from Vera Bradley

“Retro style blends with the latest Vera Bradley colors to warm up the December ladies optical collection. Vibrant Emerald Paisley, playful Cheery Blossoms and fresh Ink Blue add a lively touch to classic shapes.” That’s the word from Midwest Lens. Read more.

Optical Retailer Names 80 Stores “Helen Keller”

In an effort to sound chic and American, Chinese retailers have adopted odd names, according to a New York Times post:

Helen Keller, named for the deaf-blind American humanitarian, offers trendy sunglasses and classic spectacles at over 80 stores, with the motto “you see the world, the world sees you.” Read more.

CooperVision Expands U.S. Availability of clariti 1/Donates $115K to World Sight Day Challenge

CooperVision, Inc. has expanded U.S. availability of clariti 1 day with the of Sauflon. Customers can order clariti lenses through CooperVision. Fitting set availability will continue to grow in December, as well as availability of the lenses through authorized distributors.

Meanwhile, the company and its employees at more than 25 locations donated $115,000 to Optometry Giving Sight in support of the 2014 World Sight Day Challenge.

Packer’s Eddie Lacy Not a Compliant CL User

“When an athlete is able to put on their proverbial blinders in advance of a big game, it's usually a good thing.” That’s the start of the Sportal post about Eddie Lacy and his contact lenses. “But when it comes to Eddie Lacy's vision and the literal definition of, well, being ‘blind,’ the Packers running back is at a pretty big disadvantage heading into Sunday's matchup against the Buccaneers. Lacy told reporters Thursday he's been having issues with his contact lenses this week, and it's severely affected his practice habits. Apparently Lacy's is the classic case of wearing his expired contacts too long. He said he's ‘very blind’ and is having trouble seeing across the room, let alone picking his lanes and hitting holes on the field.” Read more. 

Tory Burch and Luxottica Extend Deal 10 Years

Luxottica Group and Tory Burch LLC. have renewed their license agreement. Under the ten-year deal, Luxottica will design, manufacture and distribute sun and prescription eyewear globally under the Tory Burch brand. Read more.

NJ ODs Step Closer to Avoid Vision Care Contracts

“A bill sponsored by Assembly Republicans Dave Rible and Anthony M. Bucco was approved today by the General Assembly that provides vision patients more freedom to choose the in-network eye doctor of their choice. The bill, A-1035, prohibits health insurance carriers from requiring optometrists to accept a vision care plan contract before becoming part of their network…,” according to PolitickerNJ. “Currently, health insurance carriers may require optometrists to accept a contract with a Vision Care Plan as a condition for participation in the carrier’s provider networks for the provision of medically necessary physician services.” Read more.

New Eyewear from Morel

“Morel releases Alpha 32 and 33, incorporating temples made of handcrafted acetate to the Lightec collection,” reports Midwest Lens. “Like all Lightec models, the minimalistic design of the brand is inspired by innovative technology. All models are created with the Lightec’s tagline, ‘Stainless Steel – Screwless – Lightweight,’ in mind. Finely worked eye shapes merge seamlessly into handcrafted acetate temples with a decorative stainless steel piece. The frame is fitted with Morel’s exclusive patented screwless and springless Alpha hinge system.” Read more.

Treatment Costs for Glaucoma to Soar

More than 2.8 million Americans now have glaucoma, according to the 2014 Prevent Blindness “Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems” report. In the next 18 years, those numbers could jump 50 percent. They will leap again by the middle of the century by 92 percent (5.5 million cases). Related treatment costs also will spiral upwards. During the next 18 years, they will double to $12 billion annually, and by the middle of the century, they will leap another $5.3 billion. The study also noted that today 64 percent of glaucoma patients are white and 20 percent are black.  By 2050, most will be non-white because of a rapid increase in Hispanic glaucoma patients. By 2050, blacks and Hispanics will each constitute about 20 percent of all glaucoma patients. By 2018, the largest age group of glaucoma patients will be 70-79. Fourteen years later: 80-89 year olds. Read more.

Sony Introduces Clip-On Augmented Reality

“Sony has just announced a new attachable display module that can turn a "pair of fashionable glasses, goggles, sunglasses, or other type of eyewear" into smartglasses,” reports Endgadget. “And, yes, it's completely detachable so you can remove it whenever you want to. This module is comprised of a control board where the Bluetooth and WiFi sensors, processor and other components live, along with a 640x400 OLED microdisplay that serves as your screen. The company sees a long list of potential applications for sports, work and entertainment, so it plans to provide "partner organizations" with an SDK.” Read more.

Stems Cells Could Treat Corneal Hazing

“Treating the potentially blinding haze of a scar on the cornea might be as straightforward as growing stem cells from a tiny biopsy of the patient's undamaged eye and then placing them on the injury site, according to mouse model experiments. The findings could rescue vision for millions of people worldwide and decrease the need for corneal transplants.” That’s the word from Science Daily. Read more.

New Vision Guidelines for Children 3 to 5

The National Expert Panel (NEP) of the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH) at Prevent Blindness is providing an evidence-based approach to vision screening in children ages 3 through 5. It also recommends a system-based public health strategies to improve surveillance and program accountability for children’s vision.  The results appear in the January 2015 issue of Optometry and Vision Science and on this special NCCVEH-hosted Vision Health Systems for Preschool Age-Children website.

New Crocs Eyewear from A&A Optical

“A&A Optical announces an exclusive agreement to distribute Crocs eyewear throughout the United States. Crocs™ eyewear will feature adult eyewear styles that will release nationwide in January 2015,” according to Midwest Lens. “Crocs eyewear interprets the relaxed and distinctly fun Crocs spirit, incorporating the unique style and creative design in terms of colors, shapes, materials and comfort of Crocs branded products. The collection uses an assortment of high quality materials such as ultra-lightweight stainless steel, hypo-allergenic silicone rubber and flexible polymer.” Read more.

Free Handout Helps Contact Lens Wearers

AllAboutVision.com has released a new, free patient handout for eye care practitioners. The customizable handout focuses on five tips for contact lens wearers, which can complement doctors’ conversations with patients. For other questions, patients can visit www.allaboutvision.com/contacts for more information. Eye care practitioners can fill out the PDF with their practice information and then print it, or skip the customization and print the handout as is. Visit www.allaboutvision.com/ecp/handouts.htm and print “5 Tips for Contact Lens Wearers.”

New Sunglasses from ClearVision

“Eyewear industry leader ClearVision Optical introduces its 2015 Sun Collection featuring over 80 well designed styles for men and women from highly recognizable consumer brands,” goes the Midwest Lens post. “For years, ClearVision has offered its sunglass collection much earlier than other eyewear providers, allowing eyecare professionals to build a significant part of their sun collection at a great time and cost savings. The 2015 Sun Collection includes a variety of must have, fashion forward styles, featuring some of today’s most sought after trends including black and white, nude and soft coloration’s, tortoise, translucent materials, and flash mirror lenses. The collection also offers one of the largest selections of styles for hard to fit patients, including more Petite Fit styles than ever before, and additional XL Fit frames for men.” Read more.

New Eyewear from Modern Optical International

“Value eyewear leader Modern Optical International introduces six new styles to its Geneviéve Boutique Collection for women,” according to Midwest Lens. “Our very popular Geneviéve Boutique Collection presents beautiful eyewear tastefully designed with unique accents that range from flirtatious to elegant. This ultra feminine collection combines interesting textures and details with on-trend silhouettes in a broad color palette. Feel the power of looking your most beautiful with Geneviéve Boutique.” Read more.

Eye Vitamin Supplements Falling Short?

"With Americans spending billions of dollars each year on nutritional supplements, researchers have analyzed popular eye vitamins to determine whether their formulations and claims are consistent with scientific findings," reports Science Daily. "They determined that some of the top-selling products do not contain identical ingredient dosages to eye vitamin formulas proven effective in clinical trials. In addition, the study found that claims made on the products' promotional materials lack scientific evidence. The results of their study were published online in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology." Read more. See chart that compares supplements to the NEI's ARED recommended dosage.

Retina Changes "Language" Depending on Ambient Light

"A study at the University of Tübingen highlights the intricate nature of visual responses - findings may help to improve digital cameras as well as visual prosthetics," writes Medical News Today. "A new study...shows that this process is much more complex than previously thought. Scientists of the Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN) and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience at the University of Tübingen, together with colleagues from the University of Manchester, showed that the activity patterns sent to the brain - the 'language' of the retina - fundamentally depends on the ambient light level in our environment. When light conditions change, the retina speaks a different language. The study was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience." Read more. 

Actor Loses Weight. CLs Need to be Resized

"Domhnall Gleeson lost so much weight for Angelina Jolie's new movie Unbroken his contact lenses no longer fitted his eyes," writes ContactMusic. "The actor got serious about looking like an emaciated prisoner-of-war in the upcoming Louis Zamperini biopic and even Jolie was impressed with how far her went to achieve the perfect look for the film." Read more.

New Eyewear from Ogi

"Bursts of watercolor inspired streaks harmonize with coordinating colored metal temples in the 9209 by Ogi Eyewear," says Midwest Lens. "This feminine combination frame features lively blends of color in the translucent tinted acetate front and tips. From the smooth swooping brow to the carved stainless steel temples, this charismatic style gives a cheerful impression." Read more.

The Rise of the Expensive Lucentis

"When the drug maker Genentech introduced a major product in 2006, it found itself in an awkward position: persuading eye doctors to start using its new more expensive drug instead of a popular cheaper version that the company already sold," according to a New York Times post. "Ophthalmologists had been enthusiastically using the company’s cancer drug Avastin, which cost about $50 a dose, to treat a common eye disease in the elderly, wet macular degeneration. Then Genentech introduced Lucentis, a nearly equivalent drug that cost $2,000 a dose and was approved specifically to treat the disease.Use of Lucentis took off..." Read more.

Progress towards Prosthetic Retina

"New progress towards a prosthetic retina could help alleviate conditions that result from problems with this vital part of the eye," reports Medical News Today. "An encouraging new study published in Nano Letters describes a revolutionary novel device, tested on animal-derived retinal models, that has the potential to treat a number of eye diseases. The proof-of-concept artificial retina was developed by an international team led by Prof. Yael Hanein of Tel Aviv University's School of Electrical Engineering and head of TAU's Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and including researchers from TAU, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Newcastle University." Read more.

New Eyewear from Lacoste

"Inspired by the refined and elegant brand history, the new Lacoste leather edition consists of rich details, high-quality materials and distinguished style," according to Midwest Lens. "Specifically designed for this collection, a new, round metal emblem marked with a tennis racket and 1933, the brand foundation date, is positioned on the inner temple tips." Read more.

Kevin Durant Eyewear from Nike

"This season, Nike Vision will launch an optical collection in collaboration with one of today’s great basketball players, reigning MVP Kevin Durant," writes Midwest Lens. "The collection will consist of two unisex styles: an adult sunglass, the NK 7230 KD, as well as a Young Athlete design, the NK 5530 KD. The NK 7230 KD launched in October, while the NK 5530 KD will be available beginning in January 2015. Both feature Durant’s signature logo and will retail at select optical providers." Read more.

We “See” Infrared Light After All

“Any science textbook will tell you we can't see infrared light. Like X-rays and radio waves, infrared light waves are outside the visual spectrum,” notes Medical News Today.

“But an international team of researchers co-led by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that under certain conditions, the retina can sense infrared light after all. Using cells from the retinas of mice and people, and powerful lasers that emit pulses of infrared light, the researchers found that when laser light pulses rapidly, light-sensing cells in the retina sometimes get a double hit of infrared energy. When that happens, the eye is able to detect light that falls outside the visible spectrum.” Read more.

Intel and Luxottica Introducing Smart Glasses Next Year

“Chip giant Intel and eyewear manufacturer Luxottica Group are teaming up to incorporate smart technology into premium, luxury, and sports eyewear,” reports PC Magazine. “Details remain scant, but the partnership is in the early stages. The goal, they said, is to "push the boundaries of research and development to anticipate what smart technology for eyewear will look like in the future." The first device from Intel and Luxottica is expected to launch in 2015…Earlier this week, reports indicated that the next-gen version of Google Glass would ditch Texas Instruments for Intel chips. Intel reportedly intends to market Glass to hospital networks and manufacturers, while also developing new workplace uses for the device. Luxottica, meanwhile, cozied up to Google in March, announcing a partnership in which the eyewear maker would provide a team of experts to work on Glass products, developed specifically under its Ray-Ban and Oakley brands.” Read more.

Statin Use Comes with an Increased Risk of Cataracts

"Few classes of drugs have had such a transformative effect on the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) as have statins, prescribed to reduce total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol," notes Science Daily. "However, some clinicians have ongoing concerns regarding the potential for lens opacities (cataracts) as a result of statin use. In an article, researchers report increased risk for cataracts in patients treated with statins. An accompanying editorial discusses the history of statins and positions this new study in the context of conflicting results from previous analyses of purported adverse effects due to statin use." Read more.

3D Printed Contacts Lenses with LED Displays--The Future Is Now

"Researchers at the University of Washington have created a contact lens with an LED display built into it. Whilst at present the contact lens device has only a single pixel of information, the researchers say it could be developed to display more complex information such as emails, creating a Google Glass-like contact lens, just one third of a millimeter in diameter," reports Newsweek. "Whilst theoretically it’s not difficult to build a display in a contact lens, actually fabricating the tiny, interrelated parts and then placing them on a miniature polymer disk is a very difficult task. However, the 3D printer, or 3D quantum dot LED printer to be more precise, has made this task a lot easier for researchers. Rather than the standard ‘domed plastic light bulbs’ that we recognize LEDs to be, the 3D printer works by sandwiching together different layers of interacting material, each with a different task." Read more.

New Eyewear from Eastern States Eyewear

"Eastern States Eyewear has announced the release of eight new ophthalmic styles within its Exces Eyewear collection," notes Midwest Lens. "The collection sees a vast mix of materials. In plastic, there are three new styles featuring a diverse range of color schemes that sport a mix of several animal print laminates or clever fades. In metal, there are two stainless steel styles in petite sizes (either a 48 or 49 eye). Both feature architectural temple shaping and two toned color schemes providing for a bright, youthful look." Read more.

MyEyeDr Buys Out Eye Care Assoc.

“Eye Care Associates, a major player in the Triangle eye care scene, has been acquired by the MyEyeDr. brand based in the Washington, D.C., area,” reports the Triad Business Journal. “Led by founder and CEO Stephen Bolick, Eye Care Associates has 300 employees spread across 27 locations, primarily in the Triangle but with outlying offices in the Triad and elsewhere. MyEyeDr., which is owned by Capital Vision Services, began aggressively acquiring eye care clinics this year and will have grown from 460 employees in 67 locations one year ago to more than 1,200 employees in 140 locations by the end of this year, including nearly 70 in North Carolina, says Sue Downes, MyEyeDr. CEO.” Read more.

New Insights into Causes of Presbyopia

“Long-sightedness [presbyopia] caused by age could be due to proteins in the lens of the eye that are converted from a fluid solution to a solid, glassy state. This has been shown in a study by researchers from institutions including Lund University,” according to a Medical News Today post. “Around the age of 40-50, many people find their sight deteriorates and they need to use reading glasses. This age-related long-sightedness is thought to be due to a reduction in the elasticity of the lens in the eye. A new research study appears to have put its finger on the details of what happens in the eye when long-sightedness develops.” Read more.

British Drivers Don’t Meet New Vision Standards

“Many UK drivers shouldn't be on the road as they don't meet new EU vision standards, according to research by Anglia Ruskin University,” reports Medical News Today. “The UK came into line with the rest of the EU in 2012 by introducing the need to achieve a score of 6/12 on a Snellen scale letter chart. The EU directive aims to standardise the level of vision required to drive across the EU so that license holders in one member state will meet the requirements to drive in others. In the UK, the directive has been addressed by introducing an acuity standard of 6/12 in addition to the existing test of reading a number plate at 20m outdoors, which has been the UK standard since 1935.” Read more.