Seraphin’s Winter Frame Collection

"Centering around winter’s icy ambiance, Seraphin’s Winter Frame Collection evokes a subdued, cool sophistication," according to a Midwest Len post. " Creamy ivory, clear crystal and grey demi embody the arctic spirit of winter, while elements such as a smooth arched shape provide utmost comfort and style. Playful twists on the classic square shape paired with a wintry color palette, result in bold, eye catching frames. As always, each Seraphin frame is handmade with the finest quality materials and high quality craftsmanship." Read more.

New from Öga--Copenhagen 3

"Öga is excited to roll out the latest concept, Copenhagen 3 which follows in the footsteps of the Copenhagen styles which came before! This release continues the Copenhagen legacy, with slim temples and a retro masculine design," says Midwest Lens. "Keeping with tradition, Copenhagen 3 features the exclusive patented Öga spring hinge with spring blade. The hinge acts as functioning design element, adding texture and visual interest to this frame.
Soft eye shapes are available in a large range of sizes from 53 to 57. All models can be fitted with progressive friendly lenses while retaining a highly contemporary appearance. Copenhagen 3 is available in three models and four color combinations per model." Read more.

New from Dragon 2013

"In 2011, Dragon launched its revolutionary frameless goggle The APX, or Advanced Projects X, which was the first of its kind to hit the market.  More than a year later, the eyewear brand has released its Spring 2013 look book, complete with an update on the APX goggle, which includes the new cylindrical NFX technology, and limited edition collaboration product with Nike and Lacoste." That's the word from Transworld Business. "The brand is particularly stoked on the collection for 2013, since it also marks Dragon’s 20 year anniversary in the surf and snow eyewear business. We talked with Dragon’s Director of Product Mike Tobia to get the scoop on how the brand has set this season’s collection apart from the past, and what we can expect to see from them as we move into the upcoming round of trade shows." Read more.

Understanding Usher Syndrome

"After years of basic research, scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) are increasingly able to understand the mechanisms underlying the human Usher syndrome and are coming ever closer to finding a successful treatment approach," reports Medical News Today. "The scientists in the Usher research group of Professor Dr. Uwe Wolfrum are evaluating two different strategies. These involve either the repair of mutated genes or the deactivation of the genetic defects using agents. Based on results obtained to date, both options seem promising. Usher syndrome is a congenital disorder that causes the loss of both hearing and vision." Read more.

Glaucoma Slows Rapid Eye Movement

"Rapid eye movements are significantly delayed in patients with glaucoma, even those in the early stages of the disease, research has found," according to Science Digest. "The findings, led by Dr. Neeru Gupta, an ophthalmologist at St. Michael's Hospital, may shed new light on why glaucoma patients are at increased risk for falls and car accidents. Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness." Read more.

Polaroid Celebrating 75th Year

Polaroid Eyewear will celebrate its 75th anniversary on Tuesday 11th December from 7pm to 10pm at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City, after having postponed the original date of October 30th due to the unprecedented weather conditions caused by Hurricane Sandy in New York. Read more.

Safilo Renewed Its Max Mara and Max & Co. Licensing Agreement

Safilo Group renewed its licensing agreement for the design, manufacture and worldwide distribution of optical frames and sunglasses from Max Mara and Max & Co. The new agreement will now run until December 31, 2019. Read more.

New from Alaini Mikli

"For over 30 years, Alain Mikli has been in love with cellulose acetate, a natural material made from cotton and wood. The expertise of the material he has acquired with time enables him to give birth to an infinite combination of patterns and colors," according to Midwest Lens. "For his new Chamarel collection, Alain Mikli chose the checkered pattern. The checkered pattern, heritage of the brand since 1978, is a distinctive sign and a reference to the logo of the brand. Eyewear designer artist Alain Mikli designs squares and colors to create 9 exclusive harmonies." Read more.

Luxottica and Prada Retie the Knot

Luxottica Group and Prada SA renewed their licensing agreement. Luxottica, therefore, will continue to design, manufacture, and distribute Prada and Miu Miu brands opthalmic eyewear and  sunglasses through December 31, 2018.

Anderson Cooper Temporarily Blinded by UV

Celebrities can inspire people to mimic behavior, and the behavior of celebrities also can be a model of what not to do. Here's an example of the importance of wearing UV-protection: "Anderson Cooper found out the hard way last week that eye protection is important. The news broadcaster is recovering after he was temporarily blinded while on assignment in Portugal," notes a blog in the San Francisco Chronicle. "Anderson lost his sight after spending several hours filming on the water in bright sunshine for the TV series 60 Minutes. Cooper took to Twitter on Tuesday to share a photo of himself wearing an eye patch, writing, 'Temporarily blinded last week while on assignment. UV light bouncing off water. Much better now.'" Read more.

New Delivery System of Stem Cells for Eyes

"Engineers at the University of Sheffield have developed a new technique for delivering stem cell therapy to the eye which they hope will help the natural repair of eyes damaged by accident or disease. This could help millions of people across the world retain -- or even regain -- their sight," notes Science Digest. "In research published in the journal Acta Biomaterialia, the team describe a new method for producing membranes to help in the grafting of stem cells onto the eye, mimicking structural features of the eye itself. The technology has been designed to treat damage to the cornea, the transparent layer on the front of the eye, which is one of the major causes of blindness in the world." Read more.

New from Columbia

"L’Amy America has launched a new 4 model ophthalmic series, expanding upon its highly successful Columbia Eyewear Extended Size collection," according to Midwest Lens. "The new models feature pure titanium frame fronts, combined with H-90™ injection-molded temple stems." Read more.

CDC Recommends Steps for Monitoring Nation's Vision Health

Prevent Blindness America reports the following:

Vision loss is a serious public health problem in the United States and will get worse in the next 30 years due to the aging of the population, increasing in chronic diseases affecting the eye and vision, and changing demographics of the US population. There are significant variations among demographic groups in vision outcomes. Therefore, the vision and eye care communities have identified the reduction of population disparities in visual loss and in access to eye care services as top public health priorities in Healthy People 2020.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) convened an expert panel of 14 national and international experts, to identify action steps and priorities to strengthen national and state surveillance systems  in assessing and monitoring disparities in eye health, vision loss, and access to eye care over time and responding to national, state, and local needs. The product of the meeting is eight papers that are published in a supplement at the American Journal of Ophthalmology.

The panel members agreed on how such a surveillance system would work and what the minimal content of such a system might entail. A vision surveillance system needs to:

1. Link data collection and analyses with ongoing public health interventions to improve eye health disparities.
2. Effectively assess vision loss and utilization of eye care.
3. Include defined populations to assess the disparities in vision loss and in utilization of eye care services.
4. Include and sustain ophthalmic/vision measurements and question components within national surveys.
5. Be forged among federal agencies and other stakeholders to monitor the nation's eye health and eye care utilization for trends in disparity.

Time to Warn Patients about Eye Injuries from Toys

"With the holiday season upon us, children are busy making their wish lists and checking them twice. But, parents may need to check them yet again to ensure toy safety. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 250,000 toy-related injuries are treated in emergency rooms each year. Most of these injuries affect children under age 15, and almost half affect the head or face. In light of these dangers, the American Academy of Ophthalmology encourages parents to be EyeSmart about toys this holiday season," notes a Science Daily post.

"Some toys, like airsoft guns, BB guns and paintball guns can be particularly hazardous, with the potential to propel foreign objects into the sensitive tissues of the eye. Common eye injuries from these toys include corneal abrasion, ocular hyphema, traumatic cataract, and increased intraocular pressure. These and other injuries sometimes require children to undergo eye surgery. In most cases, the victims of these toy-related injuries were not wearing protective eyewear." Read more.

EyeSmart has come up with five tips for selecting eye-safe toys. You can copy it from this EyeSmart webpage: www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/eye-health-news/buying-safe-toys.cfm 

Prevent Blindness America suggests:

• Make recommendations to family members and friends about gifts that you feel are appropriate for your child.  Be diligent about inspecting these gifts before allowing your child to play with them.

• Inspect all toys before purchasing.  Monitor toys that your child has received as gifts to make sure they are appropriate for your child’s age and developmental level.

• For younger children, avoid play sets with small magnets and make sure batteries are secured within the toy. If magnets or batteries are ingested, serious injuries and/or death can occur.

• Gifts of sports equipment should always be accompanied by protective gear (such as a basketball along with eye goggles or a face guard with a new batting helmet for baseball or softball). 

• Any toy that is labeled “supervision required” must always be used in the presence of an adult.  Keep toys meant for older children away from younger ones.
   
• Always save the warranties and directions for every toy.  If possible, include a gift receipt.  Repair or throw away damaged toys. 

• Avoid toys that shoot or include parts that fly off.

• Inspect toys for sturdiness. Your child’s toys should be durable, with no sharp edges or points. The toys should also withstand impact.  Dispose of plastic wrapping material immediately on toys as they may have sharp edges.

• Don’t give toys with small parts to young children. Young kids tend to put things in their mouths, increasing the risk of choking.  If the part of a toy can fit in a toilet paper roll, the toy is not appropriate for children under the age of 3.

• Do not purchase toys with long strings or cords, especially for infants and very young children as this can become wrapped around a child’s neck.

• Always dispose of uninflated or broken balloons immediately. According to the CPSC, more children have suffocated from them than any other type of toy. 

Read more.

Fully PIxelated CL Displays on Horizon

"The Centre of Microsystems Technology (CMST), IMEC’s associated laboratory at Ghent University (Belgium), have announced that it has developed an spherical curved LCD display, which can be embedded in contact lenses. The first step toward fully pixelated contact lens displays, this achievement has potential wide-spread applications in medical and cosmetic domains," reports Electronics Feed.

"Unlike LED-based contact lens displays, which are limited to a few small pixels, imec’s LCD-based technology permits the use of the entire display surface. By adapting the patterning process of the conductive layer, this technology enables applications with a broad range of pixel number and sizes, such as a one pixel, fully covered contact lens acting as adaptable sunglasses, or a highly pixelated contact lens display. The first prototype presented contains a patterned dollar sign, depicting the many cartoons that feature people or figures with dollars in their eyes. It can only display rudimentary patterns, similar to an electronic pocket calculator. In the future, the researchers envision fully autonomous electronic contact lenses embedded with this display." Read more.

Study Shows That Eye Care Low Concern for Employers

"If an employee had a traffic accident and it was found their eyesight was not good enough to drive without corrected vision, this would not be enough to raise the priority of eyecare in an organisation, according to employers questioned in a recent survey," reports the British website Workplace Law. "Specsavers Corporate Eyecare discovered that among more than 200 employers surveyed (representing up to 356,611 employees), not one employer felt that a traffic accident would instigate a change in the priority of eyecare. The study also suggested that a even if a corporate manslaughter charge was upheld against an organisation because an employee had driven with poor eyesight and caused a fatal accident, it still would not cause the company to think twice about the importance of eyecare." Read more.

FYI: Eye Test for Alzheimer's

Cognoptix, previously known as Neuroptix, has signed an exclusive license for a non-invasive eye-scanning test that could detect Alzheimer's Disease at an early stage. The patent is held by the University of California at San Diego (“UC San Diego”), which developed the test with Cognoptix. The UC San Diego technology is the subject of a scientific paper recently published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Chemical Society (“Aminonaphthalene 2-Cyanoacrylate [ANCA] Probes Fluorescently Discriminate between Amyloid-β and Prion Plaques in Brain”). Read more.

New from Diva

"Expanding conceptually, Diva shows a continued growth and diversity with intriguing material combinations and treatments," according to Midwest Lens. "A variety of shapes and thickness comprise this new release – thin metal designs, as seen on the 5375, offer a classic, elegant look. Chunkier, more fashionable deep plastic shapes, as in the 5372, provide a more modern, colorful alternative for women seeking Diva’s panache. Finally, color finishes such as horns, prints, and marbles can be found throughout the collection’s acetate styles. A mix of gold and silver bases comprise the metal styles, these are additionally colored with brown, burgundy, navy, black, and ivory." Read more.

Honeywell Develops Safety Eyewear with Voice

"Honeywell Safety Products [has] introduced Uvex AcoustiMaxx Stereo Bluetooth eyewear, an all-in-one solution combining maximum impact protection with hands-free voice communication," according to Manufacturing.net. "Uvex AcoustiMaxx enables workers in remote or noisy environments to focus on the task at hand while remaining protected and in contact with their teams, improving safety and productivity on the job. This marks the first time Bluetooth-enabled eyewear is available for industrial applications." Read more.

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Gets Patent for Screw-Cap Package for CLs

"Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Jacksonville, Fla., has been assigned a patent (8,317,016) ...for a "screw cap package for contact lens," notes Equities.com. "The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: 'A contact lens package includes a holder having a receptacle for holding a contact lens and a cap having a seal for sealing a contact lens within the receptacle. The cap is attached to the holder and is movable from an end of the holder where the receptacle is formed toward an opposite end of the holder. As the cap moves toward the opposite end of the holder, the end of the holder where the receptacle is formed ruptures the seal such that the contact lens can be removed from the package.'...The full-text of the patent can be found at <http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=8,317,016.PN.&OS=PN/8,317,016&RS=PN/8,317,016
Written by Kusum Sangma; edited by Anand Kumar.
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