Optician articles from April 2006

Optician archives from April 2006

Birdshot chorioretinitis Vitiliginous chorioretinitis.
April 14, 2006... DESCRIPTION Birdshot chorioretinitis is an uncommon cause of chronic, bilateral, posterior uveitis that typically occurs in middle-aged women. It is characterised by multiple patches of depigmentation of the choroid and retinal pigment...

Life on Mars.
April 14, 2006... Lens technology has moved on in leaps and bounds, so why haven't attitudes towards variable tint lenses? Luca Conte, business manager of Transitions Optical, gives his personal view There's a popular cops and robbers series on the...

Ready to wear models in masculine colours.(product introduction)(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... Daniel Swarovski eyewear has launched two new ready to wear models for men featuring a Penta Cut pentagonal precisely cut crystal in masculine colours. The crystals are inserted into a three-dimensional 23 carat gold or rhodium plated...

Keeping clinical skills in Czech.(Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Institute)( Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Institute was opened )
April 14, 2006... Bill Harvey attended the opening of the new Vision Care Institute in Prague last month and was envious of much of the facilities It is over two years since the first Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Institute was opened in Jacksonville,...

Oasis is red hot.(product introduction of Andrew Actman)(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... Andrew Actman has injected spicy bright shades of red into the latest Oasis model Wisteria. Combining fashion and fun, Oasis and Actman are always inspired to offer something a little different, the company said. The model is made of...

Progressive lenses Part 1 - review of their development.
April 14, 2006... Colin Fowler charts the development of the progressive power lenses, from the early 20th century patents to the latest individualised products (CET module C3737) Progressive power spectacle lenses have now been available commercially for...

Animate communicate captivate.(EyeMaginations software)
April 14, 2006... Simon Barnard looks at the latest EyeMaginations software A successful practice is not defined simply by how busy the appointment books are but also by the quality of eye care, spectacle dispensing and retention of patients. Quality...

Casual glamour from Robert Marc.(Eyeglass frames)(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... Robert Marc has launched his latest spring 2006 frame collection. Shapes include a multifaceted oval, sexy square (right), elliptical wrap and upscaled sunglass for women. Men's designs include a speed wrap, cut wrap (below), metal...

Allergy drops on offer to practices.
April 14, 2006... Alomide allergy eye drops for the treatment of ocular signs and symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis including hay fever, are being offered to opticians as well as retail pharmacies, said Alcon. The eye drops contain prescription...

Are you fitting comfortably?
April 14, 2006... Bill Harvey attended one of Johnson & Johnson's recent roadshows and saw some excellent presentations The fact that a recent run of roadshows organised by Johnson & Johnson were fully-booked just goes to show how popular these events are...

Contact Lens Optics and Lens Design.
April 14, 2006... Colin Fowler recommends the latest edition of William Douthwaite's Contact Lens Optics and Lens Design It is always a pleasure to see a new book on ophthalmic optics, and particularly pleasing to see this volume on contact lens optics....

An Ideal promotional campaign.(marketing management of Silhouette Optical Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... Silhouette is supporting its new Ideal Sun Collection for Summer 2006 (Product News, March 31), with a range of 'strong, sophisticated' POS and window display materials. Posters, counter cards and window decoration have been designed to...

Ultralase praised for 'deal of the year'.(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... Ultralase has won the Best Deal [pounds sterling]10m-[pounds sterling]50m award at the EN magazine Yorkshire Deals of the Year dinner following the [pounds sterling]30m sale of the company last May to Spanish cosmetic surgery giant, Corporacion...

Fight for Sight golf challenge.
April 14, 2006... Eye care charity Fight for Sight is hosting its 11th annual golf challenge at Stoneleigh Deer Park in Warwickshire this summer. The event on July 5 is being organised by Fight for Sight Warwickshire committee chairman Clive Stone and all...

News.(Optometry)
April 14, 2006... New players in optometry It is good to see that, at last, the review of GOS is under way. This is the opportunity that we have all waited for. The chance to bring up to date a service that, when it started out, was full of good intentions but...

Offer of something extra.(management of Kentoptic Ltd)
April 14, 2006... Prescription labs have had it tough and those who want to survive will have to evolve. Chris Bennett travels to Tonbridge to find out more about how Kentoptic has changed 'For decades we didn't have to worry about work, we really didn't,...

Consensus needed on what we charge.
April 14, 2006... Responding to my suggestion, that our fees are most palatable to the public when split between our ophthalmic and dispensing services (Optician, March 17), Richard Llewellyn fully agrees that the profession has a major problem. Richard...

Premier league clubs host Nike trial.
April 14, 2006... Bausch & Lomb and Marchon are offering a programme of free Nike seminars where practitioners can gain a 'unique insight' into the brand. The evening seminars are taking place at Manchester United Football Club (April 19), Foxhills Golf...

Loyal support for Laura Ashley.(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... The Laura Ashley Loyal Partners programme from Norville is now to be supported by seasonal display material three times a year. Norville is discontinuing the direct mailing of frames to practitioners within the Loyal Partners scheme but is...

Sporn in shape for urban life.(multipurpose frame from Parasite Eyewear)(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... Parasite has combined fashion and sport to create Sporn, a multipurpose frame collection designed for urban life. The frames feature stretched out retangles and refined pilot eyes to give a high-tech look. Sporn is the first frame with...

Wholesale changes to GOS best way forward.
April 14, 2006... The goal of extending services for optometrists is highlighted in the profession's opening exchange to government on the GOS review. Department of Health project manager Dr Dilip Chauhan started the review by issuing a series of questions...

Optics could be 'flagship' for the rest of NHS.(National Health Service)(General Optical Council)
April 14, 2006... David Challinor reports on optometry's response to DoH questions on the GOS review Optometry's comprehensive response to the GOS review by the profession underscores and adds to previous discussion about the immediate future of optometry...

Challenge to Specsavers.
April 14, 2006... This is an open letter in the form of a challenge for Mssrs Perkins of Specsavers. In trying to earn a living as an optometrist I have been selling contact lenses on a website, and recently received a letter from a firm of solicitors...

Quality coating.
April 14, 2006... Hoya claims its Super Hi Vision coating technology reduces the chance of scratching to the absolute minimum, and is designed to provide the highest level of comfort and reliability to spectacle wearers. The scratch-resistant, easy to clean,...

Ground Rush.(Ground Rush effect building over the Review of General Ophthalmic Services)
April 14, 2006... There is a distinct Ground Rush effect building over the Review of General Ophthalmic Services. If the government takes on board just a fraction of the ideas suggested in the Response from the optical bodies, life in optical practices will be...

Opticians beware unwanted invoices.
April 14, 2006... Professionals are being alerted to a company that is sending unwanted invoices to practices to renew a subscription to appear in a directory of opticians. Dispensing optician Nick Singfield, a partner of The Eye Studio Opticians in London,...

Foresight has plan to set 'realistic fees'.
April 14, 2006... An optometrist who aims to help other practitioners increase their fees and become more profitable formally launched his scheme at the College of Optometrists conference. Somerset professional Richard Llewellyn has introduced a number of...

Dutch researchers unveil spectacles to aid hearing.(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... A new hearing aid in the form of a pair of spectacles and designed to help people stay active for longer has been unveiled by Dutch researchers. The Varibel has been developed by researchers at the Delft University of Technology in the...

Ex-D&A man fronts mobile online offer.
April 14, 2006... A former Dollond & Aitchison franchisee has agreed to run the UK version of a mobile eye care business targeting large corporate clients. Dispensing optician David Cregor will oversee Specslab.co.uk in Britain, which claims it offers...

Mozambique mission.(services of optometrists to orphan children)(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... Optometrists Sarah and Alex Gage (pictured) have been collecting unwanted spectacles for a charitable project in Mozambique next month. Sheffield-based Alex Gage Optometrists is reglazing donations for the trip, which will help 700 orphans in...

Bausch & Lomb halts US deliveries of ReNu.
April 14, 2006... Following the discovery of over 100 suspected cases of fungal keratitis in 17 states, Bausch & Lomb has suspended its US deliveries of ReNu with MoistureLoc. In the latest twist over the concerns about the contact lenses solution last...

Lecturer strike could prevent graduations.(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... Around 80 students are not expected to graduate from Glasgow Caledonian University this July due to a lecturer strike over pay arrangements. Lecturers are refusing to mark exam papers due to dissatisfaction over a pay increase offer of 6...

News.(Health Bill detail under scrutiny)(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... Health Bill detail under scrutiny Efforts to secure further reassurances from Westminster on the future of General Ophthalmic Services will take place later this month. New amendments to the Health Bill will be tabled at its grand...

News.(Optometric Advisers Group's meeting)(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... Chauhan to speak The project manager for the GOS review in England will speak to the Optometric Advisers Group next month. Dr Dilip Chauhan will address the meeting at Edinburgh's Scottish Health Services Centre on May 9. GOC reaction The...

News.
April 14, 2006... Scotland gets new listings Scotland's new listing arrangements mean that the ophthalmic list maintained by each NHS Board will be split into two parts from this month. Part one will list optometrists and OMPs who undertake to provide...

Artificial cornea developments.(Corneal disease causes permanent opacity or unmanageable refractive error )(Disease/Disorder overview)
April 21, 2006... Celia Hicks provides an overview of the latest technology in replacing scarred corneas When corneal disease causes permanent opacity or unmanageable refractive error severely affecting vision, surgical replacement of the affected tissue is...

Branch retinal artery occlusion.(symptoms and treatment)(Disease/Disorder overview)
April 21, 2006... DESCRIPTION Retinal artery occlusions may arise where atheromatous emboli break free, most often in the carotid artery, and travel in the bloodstream to cause a blockage downstream. Emboli may also be cholesterol (Hollenhorst plaques),...

Campaign directs public to the practice door.(advertising campaign of Johnson and Johnson Vision Care Inc.)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... Johnson & Johnson Vision Care has launched a new multi-media advertising campaign for 1-Day Acuvue Moist. The campaign includes national television, radio and magazine advertising along with posters on the London Underground, at mainline...

The Cult of Alek Paul.
April 21, 2006... Optician gets a preview of the new Alek Paul collection, a line of unisex acetates in exclusive colours, handmade in Italy A new line of predominantly acetate frames in soft colours and sellable designs is now available in the UK...

A course in low vision practice Part 8 - Using vision and other senses effectively.(visual impairment)(Disease/Disorder overview)
April 21, 2006... Barbara Ryan and Tom Margrain discuss various strategies which may help people with a visual impairment in their everyday lives (Module C3891, one standard point) When optometrists and dispensing opticians think of low vision an image of a...

Bilateral coloboma.(Eye examination)(Divergent heterotropia)(Disease/Disorder overview)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... Jonathan Bourton continues our series of case studies from the Institute of Optometry. The patient presented for an examination to see if she met the visual standards to become an ambulance driver A 27-year-old female Caucasian attended for...

Daysoft undercuts the supermarkets.
April 21, 2006... Daily disposable contact lens maker Daysoft is going direct to consumers with a website that aggressively undercuts the supermarkets on price, but provides financial support for independent opticians. The headline price for the lenses...

Direct competition.
April 21, 2006... You have got to hand it to Ron Hamilton, the founder of Daysoft contact lenses and a pioneer of the throw-away modality. At a time of life when many men would be rediscovering the garden and perusing the Saga travel brochure he has stuck a...

News.(TD Tom Davies)
April 21, 2006... Recently I have been watching a rather unpleasant (although largely entertaining) show called You Are What You Eat. It seems to be pretty much the same each week, some intellectually challenged lardies are hauled over the coals by a slight...

Referral guidelines.
April 21, 2006... In response to the letter from Chris Hemmerdinger (Optician, April 7) referring to my article on scleritis, I thank my colleague for his gracious compliments and constructive comments. My sole objective for including possible referral...

Innovators honoured with Queen's Awards.
April 21, 2006... Two companies in the ophthalmic industry are celebrating being honoured in the Queen's Awards for Enterprise today (April 21). Details of the achievements of the businesses, James Robinson and UltraVision CLPL, are highlighted on this page,...

Lens designers at the leading edge.
April 21, 2006... UltraVision CLPL has been honoured with the Queen's Award for Enterprise in the scheme's 'Innovation' category. The Leighton Buzzard business, which employs 60 people, was built by two former school friends J Keith Lomas (group CEO) and...

Lens dye firm wins accolade for true colour.
April 21, 2006... Huddersfield-based James Robinson Ltd, which has also achieved a Queen's Award for Enterprise Innovation has been commended for developing a range of patent protected photochromic dyes for ophthalmic lenses. The new dyes react to changes...

Book your place at the start line.(Sporting events)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... Fight for Sight is calling for volunteers to take part in the largest triathlon in the world. The 2006 Michelob Ultra London Triathlon is in its 10th year and attracts some of the world's 'finest athletes'. The event has no entry fee...

Practice excels in Tamworth.
April 21, 2006... A Tamworth branch of Vision Express has beaten 200 other stores to win the company's 'Store of the year' category. Vision Express in Ankerside Shopping Centre won the award for Vision Express at a ceremony held in Portugal. The award...

MP urges support for vision charity.
April 21, 2006... MP Gareth Thomas, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the department for international development, was the special speaker at an eye care charity event in London last week (April 12). Optometry Giving Sight (www.givingsight.org)...

Sunday best for 2006 Replay conferences.(2006 Clinical Conferences of Replay Learning)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... Optical educator Replay Learning has announced the dates of its 2006 Clinical Conferences. The conferences will take place over a number of Sundays later this year and each will feature a series of lecture seminars and workshops, and the...

Scrivens strengthens presence in the south.
April 21, 2006... Acquisitive Midlands opticians Scrivens has bought more practices. The Birmingham-based multiple has taken over the OC Weathersbee group for an undisclosed sum, bringing the total number of Scrivens outlets to 119. The acquisition of...

optrafair prepares for launch.
April 21, 2006... Invited guests will attend the launch of Optrafair 2007 next week in London. Optrafair 2007 will be held at the NEC from April 21-23 and the launch event - at Birmingham W1, the National Exhibition Centre's new office in Piccadilly - will show...

ReNu saga goes on.
April 21, 2006... The pain for contact lens giant Bausch & Lomb over fears that its ReNu with MoistureLoc solution is unsafe goes on. The global nature of the scare has spread, with concern reported from markets as far flung as the Philippines and...

News.
April 21, 2006... Awards deadline Applications to use Fight for Sight's [pounds sterling]3m commitment to eye research over the next three years need to be in by next Friday (April 28). The grants include clinical fellowships of up to [pounds sterling]170,000...

LOC benefits from B&L funding.
April 21, 2006... The first LOC to benefit from industry funding to establish a website has gone 'live' with its communications platform. Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth LOC received a bursary of [pounds sterling]500 from Bausch & Lomb to get the website,...

Branch retinal vein occlusion - Assessment.
April 28, 2006... DESCRIPTION In branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) there is a tendency for the occlusive thrombus to occur at arteriovenous crossings, where the stiff-walled atheromatous artery may compress the lumen of the adjacent thin-walled vein, creating...

Buyer beware.
April 28, 2006... Six months after the law on contact lens supply was changed, the Optician team undertook a major mystery shopper exercise to test how the new regulations were working in practice. Emma White, Rob Moss, David Challinor, Rory Brogan, Alison...

Webster wins.(survey conducted through opticianonline.net)(Brief article)
April 28, 2006... DO Graham Webster is the winner of the iPod nano following the Vanalstynes prescription lab survey conducted through opticianonline.net and email. Webster's name was chosen from the 500 or so readers who took part in the survey to find out more...

Haine & Smith rewards staff.
April 28, 2006... Haine & Smith opticians treated staff from its Warminster and Westbury branches to an all expenses paid Spa day at Lucknam Park Hotel near Bath. The day was organised by Haine & Smith and CIBA Vision to reward staff who had successfully...

Marcolin lines up Ferrari range.
April 28, 2006... The launch of Ferrari eyewear was hosted by Ferrari managing director Jean Todt and Marcolin CEO of style and licensing Maurizio Marcolin at the Ferrari Store in Milan. Luxury and Sport Elite are the two themes for the 18-model range that...

Maximising the potential of your practice Part 2 - Taking advice.
April 28, 2006... In the second of three articles on getting the most from your practice, Optician examines what specialist business consultants have to offer In Part one of this series (March 31) we looked at tracking the performance of your practice, the...

Actman expands sales team to accommodate additional brands.
April 28, 2006... Andrew Actman has formed a new sales division following recent additions to the company portfolio including Lacoste Eyewear and Hobbs Eyewear. The eight-brand company said that customer service was a key element of the business success and...

Double retirement at Batemans.(Brief article)
April 28, 2006... Brothers David and Allan Johnson (pictured) have retired from Batemans Laboratories after long careers with the company. Former glazing manager David began with Batemans in 1961, learning specialist glazing techniques, and is noted for...

Students seek adventure sponsorship.
April 28, 2006... Three Cardiff optometry students need to raise [pounds sterling]750 in order to travel to Romania this September for a charity trip. Nicola Goodall, Amy Green and Rachael O'Connell are hoping to join a team to provide free sight...

Summer colours from Bourgeois.
April 28, 2006... Nams is the new Figures Libres collection from French firm Bourgeois and is described as combining 'fine lines with a play on colours for an original and harmonious result'. The stainless steel rimless frames are light and flexible and have...

Golf captain steps down.
April 28, 2006... The manufacturers/industry team captain for the annual Triangular Cup golf competition, Charles Pieters, has retired. He is replaced by Grafton Optical managing director Brian Bowles. The competition has been played for since 1961 by three...