Vision Care Institute Trains 100,000th ECP

The Vision Care Institute, part of the Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Companies, reached a milestone. Its 14 sites on four continents have provided contact lens instruction to 100,000 eye care professionals from 56 countries. It offers more than 4000 courses taught in 30 languages by 257 faculty members. The institute estimates that the ECPs passing through its training programs have affected 43% of the global population. Some 125 million people around the world wear contact lenses, a 56% increase from 80 million in 2000. Read more.

TVCI Releases Free Clinical Grading Scale App

U.S. eye care professionals (ECPs) now have access to what is being called one of the most comprehensive grading scales used in clinical practice. The Vision Care Institute (TVCI), a part of Johnson & Johnson, has launched a free i-Phone compatible app designed to help practitioners assess the severity and evaluate the progression of complications associated with contact lens wear. TVCI calls it The Vision Care Institute Clinical Grading Scales. ECPs can download it from the Apple App Store. TVCI notes that it is not intended as and does not constitute a medical or optometric advice. It is only available in the U.S. App Store at this time.

The  app allows users to do the following:

• Evaluate nine common eye conditions (bulbar redness, corneal staining, lid redness, lid roughness, limbal redness, meibomian gland dysfunction, pterygium, pinguecula, cortical cataract) with severity levels that lessen and increase with real-time animation based on touch. 
• Evaluate the progression of complications by comparing severity levels in 0.1 increments side-by-side. 
•  Demonstrate clinical assessment to patients. 
•  Export a report for office records without collecting personal data. 
•  View a comprehensive assessment guide including slit lamp illumination techniques, corneal inflammation vs. infection, signs of oxygen deficiency, staining and lid assessments and more. 
• Read more or download now.