The Global Myopia Symposium (GMS) is upon us this week, kicking off with the joint GMS-Asia Optometric Congress session on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 16. The educational program is nothing short of exceptional, with almost 40 speakers from around the world and covering myopia topics from A to Z.

The program includes the most up-to-date information on current research and practice trends, from using new technologies to the latest therapeutic approaches of managing myopia. If you have not already, please register here to join in on this outstanding experience.

And, while we are on the topic of myopia, we want to let you know of a project on which we are embarking. Contact Lens Spectrum is looking for nominations for a list of the most influential people in the field of myopia management over the last 35 years (1986 to 2021). See the news item below for more information and how to submit your nomination.
 

Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD
 

We Want Your Nominations for Most Influential in Myopia Management

Contact Lens Spectrum’s 35th Anniversary is upon us in September 2021, and we are doing some noteworthy things to commemorate this milestone. While we celebrate all aspects of contact lenses, it has become clear over the more recent time period that certain contact lens designs are key to slowing the progression of myopia. In a future issue, we will run a feature article on the most influential people in the field of myopia management over the last 35 years (1986 to 2021). The list may include anyone (practitioners, researchers, educators, and/or industry leaders) who has made a significant impact in the field of myopia management over the last 35 years. We are looking for people who have contributed or are contributing to the advancement of myopia management during this period.

We are asking you to nominate people for this honor. There is no limit to your nominations, so please put forward whomever you think is worthy of this distinction. If you have any comments about the specific accomplishments of your nominees, we welcome those as well. Please submit your nominations here.

Thank you in advance for your support of Contact Lens Spectrum.
 

J&J Vision Receives Approval in Canada for Acuvue Abiliti 1-Day Lenses

Johnson & Johnson Vision received approval from Health Canada for Acuvue Abiliti 1-Day Soft Therapeutic Lenses for Myopia Management. Earlier this year, the company also introduced Acuvue Abiliti Overnight Therapeutic Lenses for Myopia Management in the United States. Abiliti 1-Day lenses are expected to become available in select areas of Canada starting as early as this year and expanding beyond in 2022.
 

In Memoriam: Harold E. Davis, OD

Harold E. Davis, OD, passed away recently at the age of 98. Dr. Davis established one of the first contact lens specialty practices in the country and practiced optometry for almost three-quarters of a century, retiring recently after beginning practice in 1946. He graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry and founded Davis EyeCare in Oak Lawn, IL.

He was a prolific clinical researcher who served as past president of the International Society of Contact Lens Specialists. He was awarded the Achievement Award from the American Optometric Association (AOA) Contact Lens & Cornea Section, the Lifetime Service Award from the Illinois College of Optometry, and the Distinguished Practitioner recognition from the National Academies of Practice.

He is survived by Terry Davis, Robert (Cathy) Davis, Susan Davis, and Richard (Elizabeth Mayer-Davis) Davis as well as by 13 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren; dear companion of Joy Landan.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the American Academy of Optometry Foundation.
 

SynergEyes Launches SynergEyes ID in Europe and the United Kingdom

SynergEyes, Inc. announced the expansion of SynergEyes ID hybrid contact lenses into Europe and United Kingdom. According to the company, SynergEyes ID hybrid lenses are individually designed to each patient’s unique ocular anatomy utilizing keratometric readings, horizontal visible iris diameter (HVID), and refraction to personalize precise lens parameters.
 

AAOF Announces Residency Award Recipients

The American Academy of Optometry Foundation (AAOF) announced that Elizabeth Cho, OD, is this year’s recipient of the inaugural Rhonda S. Robinson Contact Lens Residency award. Dr. Cho is a cornea and contact lens resident at Southern California College of Optometry (SCCO) at Marshall B. Ketchum University. The award is intended to promote the practice and development of the field of contact lenses by providing incentive and support to talented optometric residents who demonstrate a passion and commitment to practice, research, and education.

AAOF also announced the recipients of the 2021 Johnson & Johnson Vision Residency Awards: Sheldon Wechsler Contact Lens Residency Award–Connie Chen, OD, University of Houston College of Optometry; Sheldon Wechsler Contact Lens Residency Award–Cori Jones, OD, George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center; George W. Mertz Contact Lens Residency Award–Alyssa Invergo, OD, Pacific University College of Optometry; and George W. Mertz Contact Lens Residency Award–Grace Tseng, OD, University of California, Berkeley School of Optometry.

These residency awards support post-graduate advanced training in optometric clinical care, education, and research methods specific to the fields of children’s vision and contact lenses. The 2021 residents were selected by peer review conducted by members from the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses and Refractive Technologies and from the Binocular Vision, Perception and Pediatric Optometry Section. Each recipient will receive $2,000 toward his or her graduate education and a $750 travel grant to attend Academy 2021 Boston in November.
 

Luneau Welcomes Clinical Technology Specialist Jessica Masters

Luneau Technology USA announced that Jessica Masters is joining its North American team as a clinical technology specialist (CTS), focused on its Visionix line of products. As a CTS, Ms. Masters will lead consultative dialogue with eyecare practitioners (ECPs) to help them choose the right mix of refraction and screening technologies to elevate the patient experience and to meet their ROI goals. In this newly created role, she will be reporting to Milbien Medina, brand marketing director for North America, and will work cross-functionally with a team of regional clinical application specialists to help ECPs navigate Visionix’s product line to connect with their patients in a whole new way.
 

GSLS Papers & Posters Deadline Approaching

The Global Specialty Lens Symposium (GSLS) Education Committee seeks topics including clinical case reports, case series, and clinical and basic research on all aspects of contact lenses (such as materials, designs, lens care) in addition to related topics such as corneal and ocular surface disease, diagnosis and treatment approaches, and practice management.

All submissions are due by Oct. 1, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. ET. To submit an abstract click here.
 

World Council of Optometry Launches Myopia Management Online Resource

The World Council of Optometry (WCO) and CooperVision have jointly developed an easy-to-use online resource that provides multilingual assets and approaches that will enable busy eyecare professionals—regardless of geographic location—to apply a standard of care to manage the condition. The resource site is live and can be found at https://myopia.worldcouncilofoptometry.info.

The myopia online resource was developed to serve as a valuable point to provide information that has not been easily accessible and to provide a forum to encourage the exchange of knowledge and experiences within the global optometric community. The site is organized around the three main pillars of the evidence-based standard of care unanimously adopted by the WCO board of directors—mitigation, measurement, and management. Each pillar provides a listing of papers and studies that have been distilled into one-page "Myopia Moments" that are available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
 

AAO and AAOF Announce the 2021 Student Travel Fellowship Grant Recipients

The American Academy of Optometry (AAO) and its Foundation (AAOF) announced the recipients of the 2021 Student Travel Fellowship Grants. These travel fellowships will allow students to attend Academy Boston in November.

The 2021 Student Travel Fellowship Grant recipients are:

AAO Student Travel Fellowships
Yvonne Adu-Agyeiwaah, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Elizabeth Day, The Ohio State University
Angelica Echiverri, University of Houston
Esther Senanu, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Allison Wirt, Southern College of Optometry

Arizona Chapter Student Travel Fellowship
Tysen Bringhurst, Midwestern University, Arizona

Brazelton Low Vision Student Travel Fellowship
Chrysanthi Stevens, New England College of Optometry

Brett G. Bence Clinical Student Travel Fellowship
Joseph Trinh, University of Houston

Bence Family Leadership Student Travel Fellowship
Amber Sarver, Illinois College of Optometry

BSK Student Travel Fellowship
Julie Lin, State University of New York College of Optometry

Edward I. Goodlaw Travel Fellowship
Meredith Fry, Southern College of Optometry

Elmer H. Eger Memorial Student Travel Fellowship
Ewa Kowalczyk, State University of New York College of Optometry

Rebecca Phung, Southern California College of Optometry

Frank W. Weymouth Student Travel Fellowships
Sampson Abu, Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University
Curt Fritts-Davis, The Ohio State University

Irvin M. Borish Student Travel Fellowships
Tiffany Luu, University of California, Berkeley
Keyur Salva, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Johnson & Johnson Vision Student Travel Fellowships
Funded by an educational grant from Johnson and Johnson Vision
Onyekachukwu Amiebenomo, Cardiff University
Bright Asare-Bediako, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Khob Bhandari, University of Houston
Samantha Blanke, Southern College of Optometry
Joshua Canavan, The Ohio State University
Ariel Hsuan Chao, University of Montreal
Deepa Dhungel, University of Houston
Sara Javidinejad, Chicago College of Optometry
Allison Jussel, University of Houston
Andrew Kageyama, State University of New York College of Optometry
Wei Hau Lew, University of Houston
Anusha Mathew, University of Houston
Hiral Patel, Chicago College of Optometry
Sanjana Saksena, State University of New York College of Optometry
Alexa Scalia, University of Montreal
Alina Shahid, Illinois College of Optometry
Logan Skrobarecek, Rosenberg School of Optometry
Elizabeth Stern-Green, The Ohio State University
Rachel Wang, University of Houston
Jia Zhou, Nova Southeastern University

Kirschen Family Student Travel Fellowship
Matthew Hepworth, Midwestern University at Arizona

Lois Schoenbrun Student Travel Fellowship
Jenny Xiang Jun Liu, Illinois College of Optometry

Luxottica Student Travel Fellowships
Melissa Huynh, Illinois College of Optometry
Neda Tahvilian, Rosenberg School of Optometry

Michael G. Harris Student Travel Fellowship
Ryan Funai, Southern California College of Optometry

N. Rex Ghormley Student Travel Fellowship
Jin Zhao, Nova Southeastern University

Robert D. Newcomb Student Travel Fellowship
Jaime Antonio, The Ohio State University
 

BostonSight to Host Third Annual FitAcademy Retreat for Cornea and Contact Lens Residents

BostonSight announced that it will host its annual FitAcademy Retreat for Residents at New England College of Optometry (NECO) in Boston on Sep. 17 to 19, 2021. FitAcademy for Residents is available to cornea and contact lens residents and fellows at the 25 schools and colleges of optometry throughout the United States and Canada. During FitAcademy, residents will learn about scleral lens fitting and assessment and how to manage and co-manage a range of corneal and ocular surface disorders, including dry eye disease and keratoconus.

FitAcademy is led by Karen G. Carrasquillo, OD, PhD, and is taught by BostonSight staff Bita Asghari, OD, associate director of Clinical Education; Chirag Patel, OD, associate director of Innovative Technologies; Alan Kwok, OD, director of PROSE Network Clinical Relationships; and Daniel Brocks, MD, chief medical officer and cornea specialist. In addition, this year’s guest faculty includes Gloria Chiu, OD, associate professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at USC Roski Eye Institute, who will present along with NECO faculty Kellen Riccobono, OD, adjunct assistant professor; Jennifer Liao, OD, assistant professor of Optometry; and Anita Gulmiri, OD, assistant professor of Clinical Optometry.
 

Azura Ophthalmics Appoints Steven Altschuler, MD, as Chair of the Board

Azura Ophthalmics Ltd., a clinical-stage company developing innovative therapies for meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and related eye diseases, announced the appointment of Steven M. Altschuler, MD, as chair of its board of directors. Dr. Altschuler brings more than 20 years of experience building, scaling, and leading world-class healthcare and biotechnology companies. He currently serves as managing director of Healthcare Ventures at Ziff Capital Partners. Previously, he co-founded Spark Therapeutics and served as board chair through its progress from private company to IPO and later acquisition by Roche in 2019.
 

Vision Health Alliance Launches First Consumer Awareness Campaign

Vision Health Alliance, The Vision Council’s new consumer education initiative, announced the launch of its first consumer education movement. The “Let’s Be Clear” campaign debuted last week online across multiple digital and social media channels and features direct, to-the-point messages that highlight the importance of annual comprehensive eye exams.

The Let’s Be Clear campaign aims to speak to consumers directly about the important role that eye care plays in healthcare and in overall wellbeing as a primary source of early detection of dozens of illnesses, identifying childhood vision issues, and maintaining quality of life. Messages are targeted to audiences in key demographic groups defined by new consumer research conducted by Vision Health Alliance in coordination with The Vision Council.

Vision Health Alliance supporters include Alcon, American Optometric Association, Eschenbach, EssilorLuxottica, Eyemart Express, Healthy Eyes Advantage, Hilco, MyEyeDr., Shopko Optical, Vision Expo, and The Vision Council.
 

 

What percent of your clinical practice activity is myopia management-based?

Click here to vote.

 

Vicente Berbegal García, Teixido Optiques, Reus, Spain

The lipid layer of the tear film can be evaluated by observing the interferential pattern through a slit lamp. In this picture, we can observe a marmoreal color pattern, which indicates an excessively greasy tear film.

We thank Vicente Berbegal García for this image and welcome photo submissions from our other readers! It is easy to submit a photo for consideration for publishing in Contact Lenses Today. Simply visit http://www.cltoday.com/upload/upload.aspx to upload your image. Please include a detailed explanation of the photo and your full name, degree or title, and city/state/country.
 

 

What is Your Strategy for Your Specialty Lens Patients Who Undergo Cataract Surgery?

It is amazing to work in a specialty in which you can have tangible outcomes with vision and ocular symptoms in patients. Fortunately, many of the lenses that we fit will last several years for our patients. Thus, many of our patients will ultimately need cataract surgery at some point. And, for some of our patients who use systemic steroids, that point comes a bit sooner than for most!

For the majority of my patients, I have them bring their habitual lenses to the visit and put them on in the office. I proceed to check the fit to ensure that everything is as expected and that no further changes or a complete refit needs to be done.

From there, I start with a spherical over-refraction. If this yields the best anticipated vision, I stop and proceed with ordering. If anticipated vision in not obtained, I move on to a spherical-cylindrical over-refraction. If feasible, I incorporate this into the contact lenses. If the axis is at an oblique location or I have concerns about rotation, I correct that with glasses. I typically do this at one month, which is a similar protocol for glasses.

For scleral lens patients, if they are cleared by the surgeon to wear their lenses for comfort, they can do so. I usually warn them preoperatively that things may be a little blurry.
 

 

Troubleshooting Scleral Lens Fogging

Consider the tear film. It is complex. It is the most important refractive surface. With the increasing popularity of scleral contact lenses to improve visual outcomes for patients who have irregular astigmatism, corneal ectatic disease, or even ocular surface disease, there are a few unique challenges to overcome.

When a patient presents with complaints of hazing in their vision with scleral lens wear, it’s important to parse out whether it is true lens fogging or attributable to poor surface wettability.

If the vision improves, even momentarily, it is usually due to the surface of the lens. Patients who have comorbid ocular surface and lid conditions—such as rosacea, blepharitis, and meibomian gland dysfunction—often exhibit poor surface wettability. Therefore, the first line of treatment is lens removal and manual debris/deposit removal. However, this process becomes tedious, and patients are better served by aggressively treating the underlying cause. Additionally, consider applying a plasma treatment to the lenses for patients who are exhibiting poor wettability and anterior lens deposition. Plasma treatment makes the lens more hydrophilic, thus improving wettability and wear time outcomes.

With posterior lens fogging, consider having patients trial different ratios of viscous preservative-free drops to sterile preservative-free scleral solutions to mitigate post-lens tear reservoir debris buildup. Additionally, consider trying a soft contact lens under the scleral lens. The soft lens provides a barrier between mucin/lipids and the post-lens tear reservoir to prevent fogging. This is, however, another short-term solution for fogging while you address the underlying cause.

Take another look at the ocular surface and determine whether all aspects of patients’ ocular health status have been addressed. Scleral lenses provide a smooth new refractive surface when the cornea is unable to provide this function, but there a few important considerations to ensure successful lens wear.
 

 

Antiviral Effect of Multipurpose Contact Lens Disinfecting Solutions Against Coronavirus

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antiviral potential of five multipurpose disinfecting solutions against coronavirus (mouse hepatitis virus, a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2 human coronavirus).

Test solutions (Biotrue, Renu Advanced [Bausch and Lomb], Acuvue RevitaLens [Johnson and Johnson Vision], Cleadew [Ophtecs Corp.] or AOSept Plus [Alcon]) were mixed with the coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus at 10⁴ plaque forming units (PFU)/mL as the final concentration and incubated at room temperature for the specified disinfection time. Surviving virus from each sample was then quantified by standard PFU assay, and the reduction of PFU for each disinfectant was compared to the phosphate buffer saline (PBS)-treated negative control. A regimen test was also conducted using Biotrue.

The three multipurpose disinfecting solutions, Biotrue (containing polyhexamethylene biguanide [PHMB] and polyquaternium-1), Renu Advanced (PHMB, polyquaternium-1, and alexidine), and Acuvue RevitaLens (polyquaternium-1 and alexidine), did not kill the coronavirus at the manufacturers’ recommended disinfection time in the standalone test. After treatment, the virus’ titer (3.8 ± 0.2 log₁₀ for Biotrue, 3.7 ± 0.1 log₁₀ for Renu, and 3.7 ± 0.2 log₁₀ for RevitaLens) was similar to the negative control (3.7 ± 0.1 log₁₀; p ≥ 0.996). AOSept Plus (hydrogen peroxide) and Cleadew (povidone iodine) significantly (p < 0.001) reduced the numbers of coronaviruses to below the detection limit (i.e., killed 3.7 ± 0.1 log₁₀ viruses compared to control). However, there was a significant reduction (p = 0.028) in numbers of coronaviruses attached to lenses when using the regimen test with Biotrue.

This study shows that oxidative contact lens disinfecting solutions (i.e., those containing povidone-iodine or hydrogen peroxide) provide superior antiviral activity against a coronavirus surrogate of SARS-CoV-2, unless the full regimen test (rub, rinse, disinfect) is used.

Yasir M, Vijay AK, Willcox M. Antiviral effect of multipurpose contact lens disinfecting solutions against coronavirus. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2021 Aug 27;101513.[ Online ahead of print]