Diagnostic Tools

Heart Disease Prevention
HeartSmart Technologies Eye Care is a new company division from HeartSmart Technologies that provides eye care professionals with the diagnostic tools necessary to easily detect the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases through a comprehensive eye exam.

HeartSmartIMT plus is a non-invasive screening that utilizes ultrasound technology to image and measure the carotid arteries, the major arteries that supply blood to the brain and eyes. By analyzing the images of the Intimal Medial Thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery walls and correlating the results with HeartSmart’s proprietary 40,000+ IMT image database, HeartSmart assesses a patient’s risk of a coronary event such as a heart attack or stroke.

For more information, visit www.HeartSmartEyeCare.com.

Office Design 

Tower Display
Model GL615 from Tecno Display is a square tower with a central solid divider. It is spacious, practical and reliable, the company says. The case arrives fully assembled with tempered glass, adjustable shelves, locking hinged door, halogen top lighting and two drawers with locks.

For more information, call (800) 255-3536 or visit www.tecnodisplay.com.

Contact Lenses 

New Hybrid Lens
Duette from SynergEyes, a second-generation silicone hydrogel hybrid contact lens, is now available in the U.S. This lens incorporates never-before-available materials for both the RGP center and the soft lens skirt. The high modulus MaxVu RGP has a Dk of 130 and class II UV blocker incorporated, while the high-Dk, low modulus silicone hydrogel skirt has a Dk of 84 and is 32% water. The patent-pending surface treatment, HealthyEyes, increases wettability and resists protein deposits to maximize comfort, the company says. Duette is rotationally symmetric and provides corneal astigmatism correction without inconsistent axis shift by utilizing an optimized lacrimal layer to decrease aberrations and enhance optical performance.

Duette is currently available in sphere powers of +4.00D to -12.00D and is offered in five base curves and three skirt curves. The lens is approved to correct up to 6.00D of corneal astigmatism. 

For more information, visit www.fitsynergeyes.com.

Dry Eye 

Soothing Relief
MediBeads Eye Hydrating Compress from Wilson Ophthalmic provides patients a safe and effective way to bring natural, drug-free relief to dry, red eyes.

This warm compress helps unplug oil glands allowing the oils to flow into the eyes, slowing tear evaporation.
It features patent-pending beads that continuously absorb and store water molecules from the air. When microwaved, the absorbed water is released as clean, soothing moist heat. The compress can be applied as often as desired for relief of mild to moderate dry eye discomfort.

For more information, call (800) 222-2020 or visit www.WilsonOphthalmic.com.

Education

Benefits of Vision Therapy

“Jillian’s Story: How Vision Therapy Changed My Daughter’s Life” offers a mother-daughter team’s personal account of the wonders of vision therapy, along with information for parents, teachers and medical professionals. The book, written by Robin Benoit with her daughter Jillian, is an inspiring tale of determination.

Diagnosed with amblyopia at age five, Jillian was born with good vision in one eye and extremely weak vision in the other. After years of minimally successful treatments, it took just 15 months for Jillian’s double vision, lack of depth perception and eye-teaming to be corrected by vision therapy. Now, at age 11, she has 20/40 vision with a corrective contact lens and excels in school.

For more information, visit www.jilliansstory.com.

Show and Tell

A new Orbital Eye Model from Gulden Ophthalmics can be used to demonstrate to patients and staff various eye components, musculature, vascularization, enervation and the surrounding orbital structures.

This new eye model extends the range of structures by presenting the muscles of the eye, the arteries, veins, nerves that supply the eye, the bone, nasal structures that comprise the eye orbit and surrounding features.

The model exhibits highly defined details of the cornea, retina, iris, macula, lens, lacrimal sac, optic nerve, optic veins and arteries and the bones that comprise the eye orbit. Each of the 50 identified structures is numbered on the model and corresponds to the identification of the item on the patient education card that accompanies the model.

The model opens to reveal internal eye structures and attachments. Ten components can be removed to show their location and function to aid patients’ understanding. The Orbital Eye Model is three-times life size, is constructed of durable, long life plastic and is mounted on a sturdy base.

For more information, call (215) 884-8105 or visit www.guldenophthalmics.com.

Allergy Brochure
To help allergy sufferers better understand and manage their condition, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) offers a free educational brochure titled “Eye Health & Allergies” that is supported by 1-Day Acuvue Moist (Vistakon).

This brochure provides patients with useful information on how eye allergies occur, common signs and symptoms, and practical advice on treatment and prevention. It also includes helpful information about eye allergies and contact lenses, including advice on the benefits of daily disposable contacts.  

To request a PDF or a complimentary set (50 brochures) for your practice, email eyeallergybrochure@rprmc.com.

Ophthalmic Lenses 

Tinted Lenses
Zeiss, Sola and AO designs from Carl Zeiss Vision are now available in new Transitions XTRActive lenses, which are the darkest everyday lenses available from Transitions Optical. Outdoors, they will reach a 90% tint at 73° F and 80% at 95°F. They have a slight tint indoors, clearing to 83% light transmittance without AR, and 89% with AR. Behind a windshield, their tint darkens to 50%.

Transitions XTRActive lenses are available on customized polycarbonate and 1.67 lenses from Carl Zeiss Vision, including Individual and Individual Single Vision, as well as Sola ASL polycarbonate and 1.67 semi-finished single vision.

New Designs for Wrapped Lenses
Carl Zeiss Vision introduces a full line of customized lens designs created specifically for highly wrapped lenses. This line includes three wrap-specific customized lens designs (Individual PAL Wrap, GT2 3D Wrap and GT2 3D Short Wrap), as well as Individual SV Wrap for single vision wearers. The combination of customized design and Carl Zeiss Vision’s Rx and prism compensation widens the area of clear vision in these lenses by as much as 50% over standard lens designs in wrap frames, the company says. Depending on the specific design chosen, this may include prescription customization, an adjustable corridor and compensation for the way the lenses fit the wearer’s face. These customized wrap lenses are fully compatible with i.Scription, the

Zeiss process that creates the lens design based on the patient’s higher-order wavefront aberrations to deliver superior night vision.

These designs are available in clear, Transitions Gray and Brown and NuPolar Polarized Gray and Brown, in 1.50 hard resin and 1.59 polycarbonate materials.   

For more information, visit www.vision.zeiss.com.

Durable, Scratch-resistant Lens
Crizal Easy lenses from Essilor of America feature No-Glare technology and offer ease of cleaning, glare and scratch protection, and smudge resistance. The new product will replace the original Crizal lenses and features a super-hydrophobic topcoat for improved oil, water and smudge resistance. Crizal

Easy lenses feature Essilor’s patented Pad Control System layer that ensures adhesion of the leap pad for precise and consistent edging and drilling. Crizal Easy lenses are available in both Rx and Finished Single Vision lenses.

For more information, visit www.crizalusa.com.

Frames

Marchon
Michael Kors Eyewear introduces a new vintage-inspired aviator that combines mineral glass lenses with a stainless steel frame. This construction makes for high-quality sunwear that offers crisp visual acuity. M2047S and the smaller M2046S feature the luxurious yet simplistic style of Michael Kors and are available in six different lens colors and finishes.

Call (800) 645-1300 or go to www.marchon.com.

Safilo USA
The new Tommy Hilfiger eyewear collection from Safilo USA is classis yet modern. The optical collection is comprised of 11 models: four acetate styles, six metal styles and one titanium style. The metal frames offer a range of clean lines, while the acetate styles feature a vintage feel. The sunglass collection offers 12 men’s/unisex styles and three women’s styles and includes four aviator shapes in either metal or acetate, four vintage inspired silhouettes in acetate, three oversized acetate frames, two modern metal looks, a metal shield and a smaller sporty acetate style. Color combinations include red, pink, white and blue, as well as black and Havana or palladium and ruthenium red. 

Go to www.safilo.com.

Mobile Apps

IOL App
To raise awareness about the importance of vision correction, Bausch + Lomb is offering a free iPhone application, called Crystalens iClear, that will educate consumers about vision, cataracts and the B+L Crystalens product. This app will teach users about cataracts, allowing them to self-check their visual acuity and color vision, and look for a Crystalens surgeon by using the “doc finder” feature. Users can also play “Photo Hunt” on the app.

For more information, visit www.cataracteducation.com.

Ophthalmic Lens App
A new iPhone and iPod touch App from Essilor of America teaches patients about the benefits of ophthalmic lenses and makes it easy to locate eye care professionals.

Both eye care practitioners and their patients can discover the visual benefits of Varilux, Crizal and Xperio lenses through interactive and engaging modules.

The Essilor App is available free-of-charge at the App Store directly from an iPhone or iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

For more information, contact iPhoneApp@essilorusa.com.

Award Winning Glasses
Superfocus glasses from Superfocus LLC, were awarded the coveted 2011 iF International Forum Design Award in the medical device category. These glasses are the world’s first adjustable focus eyeglasses to provide perfect focus at all distances, through the entire field of view, the company says.

Superfocus glasses are comprised of two components: the interchangeable front prescription lenses and the “superframe.” The front lenses are custom-made to correct the user’s distance vision needs. These prescription lenses latch onto the frame and are held in place by a patented system of tiny magnets.

The superframe contains the glasses’ focusing mechanism and the focusing lenses. Each focusing “lens” is actually a set of two lenses—one firm and one flexible. The flexible lens (closest to the eye) has a transparent distensible membrane attached to a clear rigid surface. The space between the membrane and rigid surface holds a small quantity of clear optical fluid. As a user moves a slider on the bridge of the nose, the fluid is pushed forward to alter the shape of the membrane, altering the shape of the flexible lens as well. Changing the shape changes its focus, mimicking the performance of the natural lens in the youthful human eye.

The superframe is constructed of stainless steel and is available in two styles inspired by masters of contemporary design and architecture: Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier.

For more information, visit www.superfocus.com.