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. 

Maryland Makes CL Prescriptions Mandatory

It takes some people longer than others to catch on. Maryland finally did in regards to decorative contact lenses. It finally passed legislation making it illegal to sell contact lenses—even the decorative one—to an individual who does not have a CL prescription. Residents can report offenders to the Maryland Board of Examiners at 410-764-4710 or email dhmh.optometry@maryland.gov. Read more.

Another Glaucoma Treating CL

In what could be a significant step toward improving the management of glaucoma, researchers from the UCLA School of Dentistry have created a drug delivery system that may have less severe side effects than traditional glaucoma medication and improve patients' ability to comply with their prescribed treatments. The scientists bound together glaucoma-fighting drugs with nanodiamonds and embedded them onto contact lenses. The drugs are released into the eye when they interact with the patient's tears. The new technology showed great promise for sustained glaucoma treatment and, as a side benefit, the nanodiamond-drug compound even improved the contact lenses' durability. Read more.

SynergEyes Makes Returns Easier for ECPs

“SynergEyes, Inc., has changed its policies for ordering and returning lenses,” according to a notice from the AOA. “Effective Nov. 1, prescribers will no longer need to return lenses in order to receive credit for discontinued fits, whether they are working with Duette, UltraHealth or SynergEyes lenses. In addition, the warranty period for all lenses will be 90 days and receiving credit, when necessary, will be easy and hassle-free. SynergEyes also will be automating a number of procedures, from account setup to billing. Accounts will have the option to receive printed versions of their statements or go paperless by using an online account management system.” Read more.

Making AR Contacts a Reality

“Though it may be hard to imagine now, we may eventually be able to ditch head-worn devices like Google Glass and simply see images projected floating in front of us using contact lenses,” reports MIT’s Technology Review. “Researchers at Belgian nonelectronics reseach and development center Imec and Belgium’s Ghent University are in the very early stages of developing such a device, which would bring augmented reality–the insertion of digital imagery such as virtual signs and historical markers with the real world–right to your eyeballs. It’s just one of several such projects (see “Contact Lens Computer: It’s Like Google Glass Without The Glasses”), and while the idea is nowhere near the point where you could ask your eye doctor for a pair, it could become more realistic as the cost and size of electronic components continue to fall and wearable gadgets gain popularity.” Read more.

CLs Help Actor with Irlen Syndrome

“For two years the The Bourne Ultimatum actor and Tyrannosaur director [Paddy Casidine] believed he was suffering with the Asperger's syndrome, until professionals realised he was actually suffering from a rare condition that made it difficult for him to cope with light,” says the Telegraph. “Considine said that his brain was telling him to shut down and he hid under the table when people knocked on his door. But since his diagnosis tinted contact lenses have made him ‘alive’ again, he told the Radio Times.” Read more

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Should Customers Need a Valid Script to Order Online CLs? UK Debates

“Buting prescription contact lenses online is the subject of continued debate due to the legislation that surrounds the purchase of contact lenses in the UK. At the moment, the UK is the only country in Europe that insists that consumers have a valid prescription in order to buy contact lenses and they can only buy the amount of lenses that fall within the dates of that prescription,” according to AllMediaScotland. “So, should consumers be allowed to buy contact lenses online without a prescription? Unsurprisingly, there are many differing opinions on the subject. During a recent You & Yours interview on BBC Radio 4, Dr Catharine Chisholm, from the British Contact Lenses Association, stressed that she believed that it was not safe to buy contact lenses without a prescription. She said: ‘You must always buy based on a valid prescription that’s within date because the eye changes, and it may be that some newer lenses are more suitable for your eyes and your eye care practitioner needs to see the lens on your eye to know that it’s working and needs to follow it up over time.’” Read more.

More on Johnson and Johnson's CLs with Shadow Effect

Equities.com ran the following post about the contact lens with shadow effect from Johnson and Johnson, which recently received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office:

From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: "Contact lenses can be colored or tinted to provide a variety of effects to the appearance of the eye. This can be done to correct a problem with the appearance of the eye or for cosmetic purposes. Such contact lenses can be used to enhance a particular aspect of one's appearance or even one's overall appearance. The invention is directed to contact lenses that perform these functions through a shadow effect.

"It is desirable to retain the cosmetic lenses of the invention in a particular position on the eye, keep the lenses within a range of positions on eye, or return the lens to a particular position or range of positions after movement of the lens. This maintenance of the on-eye orientation of a lens typically is accomplished by altering the mechanical characteristics of the lens. Prism stabilization including decentering of the lens' front surface relative to the back surface, thickening of the inferior lens periphery, forming depressions or elevations on the lens' surface, and truncating the lens edge are examples of stabilization approaches. Additionally, dynamic stabilization has been used in which the lens is stabilized by the use of thin zones, or areas in which the thickness of the lens' periphery is reduced. Typically, the thin zones are located at two regions that are symmetric about either the vertical or horizontal axis of the lens from the vantage point of its on-eye placement."

Read more.

C Ls Measure Eye Pressure

"Continuous intraocular pressure measurement with a contact lens sensor was safe and tolerable with repeated use, although mild adverse effects were common and the measurements were variable, researchers said," according to MedPage Today. "In a 40-patient trial, in which participants wore the sensors for 24 hours on two separate occasions, all but two experience some type of adverse event such as blurred vision, conjunctival hyperemia, or superficial punctate keratitis, reported Robert N. Weinreb, MD, of the University of California San Diego, and colleagues." Read more.

UV-Blocking CLs Could Postpone AMD

Blocking the transmission of ultraviolet light (UV) through a contact lens may have an effect in maintaining the eye's macular pigment density, according to new research presented today at the 2012 British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference. Existing research suggests that a higher level of macular pigment appears to have a protective effect against age-related macular degeneration, a major cause of severe vision loss for people over the age of 55. Read more.

CLs Change Color When Sugar Levels Change

"For the millions of Americans with diabetes, the inconvenient and often painful method of testing blood sugar levels is a way of life. But research and innovative product design by scientists at The University of Akron may eliminate the need for needle pricks, blood draws, or other invasive devices," according to a University of Akron post. "Researchers have developed a contact lens that senses glucose which is the blood sugar in tears, the natural fluid that bathes the eye. If sugar is not being metabolized properly and glucose concentration builds up in the body, the contact lens will detect a problem and change color." Read more.

Freeman Back at Third

"[Freddie] Freeman made his third visit to Braves ophthalmologist Alan Kozarsky this morning after being diagnosed with scratched corneas and microscopic abrasions on both eyes," reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "He was given a new set of contact lenses, which he was still getting used to before the game. After sitting in the doctor’s office for 35 minutes to make sure he reacted well to the new lenses, Freeman sent a text message to Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez informing him he was able to return. 'All the scratches are gone,' Freeman said. 'The abrasions are gone. Everything is good. I got lucky that nothing was serious.'" Read more.

FDA Grants Special Clearnace for Avaira Toric 2-Week CLs

"The Food and Drug Administration has granted a Special 510(k) clearance for CooperVision's Avaira Toric 2-week silicone hydrogel contact lenses for astigmatism," reports Modern Medicine. "The lenses are available for select distribution beginning this month. The company also has made a 2-year commitment to support Optometry Giving Sight as a Platinum Gold Sponsor. The World Council of Optometry, the International Centre created Optometry Giving Sight in 2003 for Eyecare Education and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness to mobilize resources from the global optometric community to fund sustainable vision care in underserved areas." Read more.

CooperVision Launches New Multifocal CL

CooperVision has launch of Proclear 1-day multifocal daily disposable contact lenses for presbyopes. Proclear reportedly is the only lens material cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the claim that it: "May provide improved comfort for those who experience dryness or mild discomfort during lens wear." This is especially important for presbyopes who must deal with dry eyes. The new lens offers what is being called natural biocompatibility, meaning that the lenses are made to imitate the cells of the human eye. Read more.

Indian Diety Fitted with Diamond Studded Contact Lenses

When thousands of devotees turned up for their regular "darshan" of deity Mahalaxmi earlier this week, they noticed a strange glint in her eyes — glowing but very different from what they were accustomed to. They were surprised to learn that deity Mahalaxmi was "wearing" diamond-studded contact lenses, donated by an eye surgeon, Chandrashekhar Chavan,"reports Gulf News. "Considered to be over 5,000 years old, the 40-kilogram idol of the deity here is made of gemstone and is studded with precious stones.But controversy has erupted among devotees and media which has questioned the limits to which various temples and other religious places can go while accepting devotees' donations." It is said that "the diamond contact lenses actually block the deity's divine energies believed to pass through her eyes on to the devotees." Read more.

Bryce Harper Ready to Play Ball with New CLs

"Hagerstown Suns center fielder and Washington Nationals top draft pick Bryce Harper, warms up before a minor league baseball game in Hagerstown, Md., Wednesday, May 25, 2011," reports WTOP. " Since getting new contact lenses, the Nationals teenager is even more of a sight to behold, tearing up Single A ball in his inevitable march to the big leagues." Read more.

Tear Film Altered by Long-Term Use of Siicone Hydrogel CLs

"Silicone hydrogel contact lenses tend to modify the tear film and impression cytology of the ocular surface significantly after long-term use, a study found. 'Silicone hydrogel lenses, despite their high oxygen permeability and low water content, produce significant changes on tear film and impression cytology on long-term use,' the study authors said." That's the post from the OSN Super Site. Read more.

Optical News of 2012: Drake and Dollicia Snap over Hazel CLs

"Just a few days after she confirmed they were a couple, the Young Money rapper was spotted boo’d up with his ex-girlfriend Nebby at his NYE performance in Times Square," writes Gossip on This. "According to The YBF, Drake and Dollicia got into a heated argument over whether or not he should wear hazel colored contacts (we already know what side Drizzy was on) while dining at Villa Blanca in L.A." Read more.

Monicon Purchases Japan's 4th Largest CL Retailer

Menicon Co., Ltd. will purchase W.I. System Inc., Japan's fourth largest CL retail chains with annual gross sales of $130 million. W.I. System stores will continue to provide a broad array of lenses and lens-related products from Menicon and other manufacturers to meet the diverse needs of Japan's contact lens wearers. Read more.

Blind Cop Settles over CL Dispute

"A Garda [police] sergeant who claimed he was left blind due to a failure to promptly diagnose an infection of the eye linked to wearing contact lenses has settled his High Court medical negligence action for an undisclosed sum," reports the IrishExaminer. Read more.