Optician articles from August 2003

Optician archives from August 2003

Pannus and pseudopterygia; (Superficial corneal vascularisation).
August 1, 2003... Description There are three main types of superficial corneal vascularisation: Pannus: a fibrovascular infiltration of the superficial, subepithelial, peripheral cornea due to extension of the normal limbal vessels. It is relatively...

Turning failure into success.
August 1, 2003... Anna Sulley and Jane Veys report on the campaign to return lapsed wearers to contact lenses and find that the number of contact lens drop-outs in the UK is in decline Contact lens drop-outs are a significant problem for the contact lens...

Paragon CRT - a review.(Paragon Vision Science's Corneal Refractive Therapy lens)
August 1, 2003... Basil Bloom reviews Paragon's orthokeratology system, Corneal Refractive Therapy, which it introduced in the US last year Paragon Vision Science's Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT) lens consists of a series of curves and angles designed to...

Powers of promotion.(optician gets award for Contact Lens Practice of the Year)
August 1, 2003... A part-time practice in Northampton won this year's optician Award for Contact Lens Practice of the Year. So how was the business able to grow its contact lens patient base significantly in just four years? When WPS Optometrists of...

Optometrist breached confidentiality.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A Glasgow optometrist who qualified 15 years ago has been found guilty of serious professional misconduct for breaching a patient's confidentiality. Mayookh Popatlal Panchal, a former Specsavers practitioner, appeared before a GOC...

nemowrites.(Government reform of NHS)
August 1, 2003... Nota bene The reported comments of retiring BMA chairman Dr Ian Bogle make sad reading for anyone interested in health matters - and who, in the light of the Government's continuing failure to cure an ailing NHS, is not? He used the...

Des-res for Maui Jim in Peasmarsh.(firm has state-of-the-art systems)
August 1, 2003... u Maui Jim UK has moved into a new office and warehousing facility at Peasmarsh outside Guildford, Surrey and will now be supplying the UK from the site. The company, which previously distributed from France, is headed by UK sales director...

French equity group bids for GrandVision.(Vision Express may buy GrandVision)
August 1, 2003... The parent company of Vision Express is the subject of a multi-million pound takeover bid. Paris-based private equity group PAI Partners has launched the e491m deal for French-based GrandVision, the business which bought Vision Express six...

Tight ties are found to raise IOP.(tight ties increases eye blood pressure, risk of glaucoma)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... If your next patient is looking particularly smart you might advise him that he is risking his ocular health. Researchers have found that an overly tight tie increases eye blood pressure and therefore the risk of glaucoma. The study,...

Profession rewrites publication scheme.(Freedom of Information Act planning)
August 1, 2003... A new 'publication scheme' on the Freedom of Information Act is being written for the profession following a meeting between optical representatives and the Information Commission. Concerned practitioners are being asked not to take any...

The personal touch.(personal relationships with patients is key)
August 1, 2003... According to Susan Bowers, offering a wide range of services with the latest technology should be the goal of the independent practitioner. Equally important are the personal relationships with patients that make them want to come back to the...

DOaccused.(charges of false accounting)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A dispensing optician appeared in Cardiff Crown Court last week accused of defrauding the NHS. Ceri Malpas-James, a mid Glamorgan practitioner, was alleged to have made NHS claims for spectacles her patients never received, reported the...

Scotland agrees fees for diabetic screening.(recommended list of fees for national diabetic retinopathy screening)
August 1, 2003... Optometrists in Scotland are to be offered a recommended list of fees, ranging from [pounds sterling]10 to [pounds sterling]25 for involvement in national diabetic retinopathy screening. The list has emerged with the release of a new...

Aston forms research link with Birmingham.(future ophthalmic practice)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A 'mutual think tank' between an optometry university and an optical equipment supplier aims to shape future ophthalmic practice. Birmingham Optical Group announced this week it is to establish a research platform with an ophthalmic...

College considers its CET role.(College of Optometrists will manage program)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The College of Optometrists has been contacted by ACT Consultants, the group approached by the GOC to manage a compulsory CET programme. After running a successful voluntary scheme for some years the College has been asked to consider how...

DO cleared.(dispensing optician acquitted of false accounting)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2003... Welsh dispensing optician Ceri Malpas-James was acquitted last week of 36 charges of false accounting at Cardiff Crown Court. Solicitors acting for the Glamorgan-based DO have pointed out that there was never a suggestion that their client...

Selcott to run in aid of the RNIB.(Michael Selcott)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2003... Michael Selcott from Michael Selcott Designs will be taking part in the half-marathon Great North Run in September to raise money for the RNIB. He is appealing to the optical industry for support. Contact Michael Selcott Designs on:...

Review of techniques in lens manufacturing.
August 8, 2003... optician provides answers to the multiple-choice questions for CET module A1315, published in the Dispensing Supplement May 30 1 What is the transmission of white light on to an uncoated CR39 lens? (A) 7.6 per cent; (B) 91.8 per cent; (C)...

Murrays take Safilo's golf day.(Scottish Golf Day)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2003... u Safilo recently held its inaugural Scottish Golf Day at the prestigious St Andrews Bay Resort. More than 20 golfers turned up for the event, which was organised by YSL manager Duncan Harkness, and enjoyed a 'magnificent' day round the...

What's in a name?(Ophthalmic lenses evaluated)
August 8, 2003... Ophthalmic lenses will never be the most exotic of items, but a well-chosen product name can add appeal and give an idea of what the product actually does to both practitioners and consumers alike. According to branding expert, the...

Walters clocks up a quarter century with the group.(25 years in optical industry)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2003... u General manager and partner of Wiltshire-based optical group Haine & Smith Gary Walters (far right) has recently celebrated 25 years with the partnership. Since joining the team in 1978 as a trainee dispensing optician, Walters has...

Assessing the hazards of non-coherent light sources.(potential for ocular damage)
August 8, 2003... Douglas Clarkson looks at the potential for ocular damage from the vast array of light sources that are present in the modern environment Modern technology is providing exposure to new sources of light and there is a necessity to be able to...

Playing the Games.(Special Olympics World Summer Games)
August 8, 2003... Shelagh Hardy reports on the optical profession and industry's involvement in the Special Olympics World Summer Games, held in Dublin in June The Special Olympics World Summer Games held in Dublin at the end of June marked the first time...

Baby boomers set to bring US optics boon.(Optical industry eyes US market)
August 8, 2003... Optical industry decision makers looking to expand their business overseas should consider the US market if a new report is anything to go by. A strong, growing optical market is predicted in the US as America's baby boom generation enters...

GOC disciplinary committee is told of superiority in Snodland.(optometrist violates publicity rules)
August 8, 2003... A GOC disciplinary committee last month found that an optometrist had breached publicity rules and claimed superiority over another practice. The committee heard how the owner of The Village Opticians objected to his only rival's...

Sight Village 2003.(annual international exhibition on visual impairments)
August 8, 2003... Dr Scott Mackie visits the Sight Village 2003 exhibition, now in its 10th year, at Queen Alexandra College, Birmingham Sight Village, an annual international exhibition for people with visual impairment, was held at Queen Alexandra College...

Managing keratoconus - a hospital clinic audit.(management of keratoconus at contact lens clinic)
August 8, 2003... Sheetal Kapur, Dr Martin Rubinstein and Dr James Wolffsohn discuss the management of keratoconus within Nottingham University Hospital contact lens clinic Keratoconus is a slowly progressive ectatic condition which involves a...

Keratoconus andcorneal transplants.(outcome ofcorneal graft surgery)
August 8, 2003... Professor Charles McGhee describes keratoconus and then discusses the factors influencing the use and outcome ofcorneal graft surgery Keratoconus is a bilateral non-inflammatory corneal ectasia, the exact cause of which remains unknown. The...

The cost of blindness is quantified in new report.(financial cost of vision loss)
August 8, 2003... The financial cost of vision loss has been quantified, and individual lifetime costs reveal a haemorrhage of resources which preventive programmes could stem What is claimed to be the first report to show the 'cost of blindness' to the...

Sama teams up with Arnie for Terminator 3 film.(Sama Eyewear seen in Terminator 3)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2003... u Sunglasses by LA-based Sama Eyewear grace the face of the Terminator in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, now showing at all good cinemas. Having custom-designed the model specifically for the star Arnold Schwarzenegger, using what...

who's on the ; move.(Pennine Optical reports sales growth)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2003... Pennine Optical has seen significant sales growth and has expanded its sales team with two territory sales managers. Simon Gold, who is based in London, has joined from Michael Selcott and will support new and existing customers in the London...

Melson Wingate plays host to Chernobyl visit.(students receive free eye tests and spectacles)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2003... u Melson Wingate Opticians in Didcot, Oxfordshire, acted as host to a visit from a group of children from Chernobyl. The Broadway branch invited the seven children and their interpreter to receive free eye tests and spectacles where...

DoH figures reveal a 4% drop in vouchers.(schoolchildren glasses program)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2003... 137,000 fewer spectacles were reimbursed via the voucher scheme to English schoolchildren in 2002-2003 compared to the previous year. The figure is the major contributor of the 4 per cent drop in spectacle vouchers reimbursed by Primary...

Ciba Vision wins football trophy.(7th Annual Optical Football Tournament)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2003... u Leightons Opticians hosted the 7th Annual Optical Football Tournament on July 27 at the IBM Sports Club near Winchester, Hampshire. Eight teams took part representing Rawlings Opticians, Eyesite Opticians, Gregory & Seeley Opticians,...

moneowrites.(proposed National Eye Care Plan)
August 8, 2003... Pilot funding In the light of the news that the Eyecare Services Steering Group has finalised its recommendations for a proposed National Eye Care Plan, I have been pondering what this actu ally means for the optometrist on the high...

Luxottica signs a 10-year deal for Prada and Miu Miu names.(Prada signs 10-year worldwide licensing agreement)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2003... Luxottica and luxury group Prada have signed a 10-year worldwide licensing agreement for the production and distribution of Prada and Miu Miu frames and sunglasses. Under the agreement, Prada will oversee the creation, design and creative...

Holiday reading round-up.(ophthalmology research)
August 8, 2003... Bill Harvey presents a review of some recently published ophthalmology titles worthy of the attention of eye care practitioners this summer It appears that Jack Kanski has been working overtime of late as there have been a number of titles...

Steering the right course.(National Eye Care Plan)
August 8, 2003... Professional sources have applauded the first report from the DoH's Eye Care Steering Group, which forms the basis for its 'National Eye Care Plan'. optician looks at what it all means It has taken nearly 10 months to prepare, but the first...

diary.(Brief Article)
August 8, 2003... SEPTEMBER 2 Wakefield LOC, Clayton Eye Centre, Westgate, Wakefield Seminar Room, 6.30pm, 'Low Vision' by Ruth Perrott (colin@perrotts.fsnet.co.uk). 8 Hertfordshire AOP, Postgraduate Centre, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Welwyn Garden...

Heeding the message.(report on blindness costs)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2003... Efforts by optical pressure groups to persuade the Government to take the health of the nation's vision more seriously can often hinge on potential costs and benefits. With this in mind, the Moorfields-backed report The Cost of Blindness,...

Argos joins cosmetic contact lens market.(plano lens wearers)
August 8, 2003... A 'helpline' for practitioners to record their experiences regarding plano lens wearers is being considered by the profession. It could lead to a body of evidence on the controversial market being submitted to the Department of Health. The...

'Hot topic' to be debated at SCO meeting.(proposal for free eye examinations in Scotland)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2003... A debate on the controversial proposal to extend free eye examinations to all Scottish people will be one of the highlights of next month's Scottish Committee of Optometrists' annual conference. In June, optician reported that the ruling...

Radio 4 hosts debate on 'fun' contact lenses.(cosmetic contact lenses debate)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2003... A BBC flagship consumer programme enlivened the debate on cosmetic contact lenses this week. Radio 4's long-established You & Yours, which broadcast the item on August 6, interviewed optician editor Chris Bennett on the subject. 'If...

Multiple-choice questions.(lenses eliminate vertical prism)
August 15, 2003... There is one correct answer for each question 1 Which list contains lenses that can all be used to eliminate unwanted vertical prism and provide prescribed prism (in any direction)? A D 25 (straight top), 'E' type bifocal B...

Accessories to all areas.(European accessories company Centro Style expands to UK)
August 15, 2003... European accessories company Centro Style recently made the decision to set up in the UK, Chris Bennett finds out why When WT Rees went into liquidation earlier this year, Italian accessories and parts supplier Centro Style had some tough...

Pilot scheme.(Frame designer Brian McGinn)
August 15, 2003... Frame designer Brian McGinn, who is inspired by mod culture, test pilots and T-Bird cars, is hoping his new line will soar with the Algha group. Rory Brogan tracks him down in the East End of London If Dublin-based frame designer Brian...

Funding proves key to Lenstec lab's success.(Optical laboratory Lenstec is expanding)
August 15, 2003... Optical laboratory Lenstec says premium products and good quality are the key to its current success, with growth of more than 10 per cent last year. It is continuing with the improvement in new orders this year - mostly from the...

Sun, sea and specs.(good sunglass sales)
August 15, 2003... Seaside practices suffer massive seasonal downturns but make up for it with good sunglass sales. Or do they? With some practices struggling to attract their fair share of eye care professionals to work beside the sea, optician asks...

rating.(optician's new feminine acetate styles)
August 15, 2003... acetate Bold plastic frames can create a strong, striking look unachievable with light metal or rimless styles. optician showcases some of the latest feminine acetate styles to ascertain for your practice While rimless styles can...

nemowrites.(General Optical Council's legislative program)
August 15, 2003... Two-way traffic Despite the General Optical Council's ambitious legislative programme - the culmination of several years' dedicated work - I suspect that the optical public has only a limited knowledge of its far-reaching proposals. ...

Managing anisometropia.(spectacle correction for visually disturbing prismatic effects)
August 15, 2003... Janet Carlton discusses ways to dispense spectacle correction to the anisometrope that minimise the potentially visually disturbing prismatic effects (CET Module: C4685a) Prism is prescribed to maintain a single perceived image when the...

Millions 'deliberately ignoring' poor vision.(University of Warwick study on vision)
August 15, 2003... New research says millions of Britons are deliberately ignoring the fact they have poor vision, and most of them doing so because of 'outdated information about contact lenses and preconceived ideas about glasses'. As many as 2.5m UKadults...

Theft without forced entry is chief concern.(insurance for independent practitioners)
August 15, 2003... Theft without a forced entry is the most common area of concern for independent practitioners. This was the finding of insurance brokers Layton Blackham, who conducted market research to establish its first insurance scheme, dedicated to...

MPtables questions on 'fun' CLs to Reid.(cosmetic contact lenses worries)
August 15, 2003... An MP who has tabled eight questions to health secretary John Reid over his concerns about cosmetic contact lenses, has told optician he hopes legislation will stop 'those making a quick killing' in the sector. John Robertson, MP for...

Missing the message.(contact lens industry's market growth)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2003... it seems that In spite of the success of the contact lens industry's market growth initiative, there is still much to do to educate the public about the advances in CL technology. In a study of 989 adults without vision correction from...

Lens firms Seiko and Pentax are to merge.(global ophthalmic lens sales units to merge)
August 15, 2003... Lens giants Seiko and Pentax have announced they are to merge, but the European subsidiaries will continue their day-to-day business operations as separate units for the 'foreseeable future'. The two businesses are bringing together all of...

Peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK).(an overview of the condition)
August 22, 2003... Description Peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK) is not a specific disease entity but rather a clinical presentation with a typical constellation of peripheral corneal inflammatory signs. The recognition that a patient has PUK is...

Measuring macular pigment levels: An in-practice procedure?
August 22, 2003... Catherine Viner describes the background to the development of a screening instrument which may one day help to predict which patients are at particular risk of developing AMD The macula lutea derives part of its name from its colour....

Dealing with complaints.(while there are few complaints generated from eye examinations, it is important for opticians to know how to handle them)
August 22, 2003... Only a tiny fraction of the 17 million eye examinations that take place each year in the UK give rise to a complaint. The Optical Consumer Complaints Service received 744 complaints in 2002 and the General Optical Council just 224. Antonia...

Evaluating the latest additions in trial lenses.
August 22, 2003... Dr James Wolffsohn reports on a study of three new trial sets recently launched onto the market One of the core functions in an eye examination is to refract. Also, whether we like it or not, refraction is indirectly responsible for the...

Public reacts to item on colour screening.
August 22, 2003... Dispensing optician Ian Jordan has been 'inundated' with calls following his television appearance during which he outlined how colour screening can help autistic children. On BBC2's My Family and Autism (July 30), he explained how his...

nemowrites.(a discussion of the changes in intra-professional relationships of ophthalmic opticians)
August 22, 2003... a case of 'ne'er the twain shall meet'. The dispensing community, for its part, was eminently content with its medical affiliations. Ophthalmic opticians, on the other hand, for understandable economic reasons, jealously guarded their dual...

Ophthalmic technology: Where is it taking us?(Dr. Jennifer Craig discusses the implications of imaging for measurement purposes)(Column)
August 22, 2003... In the second of her reviews of advances in ophthalmic instrumentation, Dr Jennifer Craig discusses the implications of imaging for measurement purposes, whether that be of the cornea, the fundus and disc or the crystalline lens With the...

LOCs announce winter dates.(a calender of upcoming LOC events in Britain)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 22, 2003... Britain's LOCs have begun to announce their autumn/winter meeting schedules. Wakefield LOC's lecture series starts on September 2 with a talk on low vision and the problems encountered by cataract patients and ARMD sufferers. The lecture...

Asda sets up pre-reg scheme and expands.(Asda/Wal-Mart)(Brief Article)
August 22, 2003... New store openings before the end of 2003 will bring Asda/Wal-Mart's total number of optical 'departments' to 66 it has been revealed. In all, 36 new jobs will be created by the supermarket's expansion. Asda launched its own pre-reg scheme...

Topcon BV-1000: ; Rise of the machines.
August 22, 2003... Bill Harvey introduces a new instrument that has been raising a few eyebrows recently with its promise of fully automated subjective refraction 'If a machine was able to carry out refraction accurately, this would leave us more chair time...

'Core optometry' on offer by CETcompany.(Brief Article)
August 22, 2003... Optometric education provider NetLectures has announced its detailed programme for 2003 and 2004. The Windsor-based business has been given DOCET funding to run seven conferences in England and Wales, and the meetings will focus on this...

Statins may prevent AMD, study claims.(statins could help prevent age-related macular degeneration)(Brief Article)
August 22, 2003... Statins, the drugs used to lower blood cholesterol, may help prevent age-related macular degeneration, research published in this week's British Journal of Ophthalmology claims. US researchers assessed 550 people newly diagnosed with...

Conference details revealed by AOP.(the Association of Optometrists plans the Hospital Optometrists' annual conference)(Brief Article)
August 22, 2003... Details of the Hospital Optometrists' annual conference have been released by the Association of Optometrists. The 29th conference, which takes place next month, will run for three days in South Gloucestershire. In addition to nearly a...

Winterton lists key roles for orthoptists.(health minister Rosie Winterton provides '10 key roles' for allied health professionals to follow to improve patient care)(Brief Article)
August 22, 2003... Orthoptists and other allied health professionals (AHPs) have been given '10 key roles' by health minister Rosie Winterton, designed to improve patient care. The 10 aims include: 'To develop extended clinical and practitioner roles which...

College calls for clear strategy on children.(the College of Optometrists questiones the lack of a clear strategy on children's eye care)
August 22, 2003... Concern over the lack of a clear strategy on children's eye care in the Department of Health's National Service Framework (NSF) for children has been voiced by the College of Optometrists. Helen Stanforth, the College's head of professional...

Optometry schools see improved grades.(in Britain)
August 22, 2003... Higher-quality applicants characterised this month's admissions process for Britain's optometry universities, with departments chasing the cream of the A-level academic year for their respective courses. Representatives of the eight...

Disciplinary hearing date is rescheduled.(optometrist Elliott David Bloom faces allegations that he breached the 1989 Opticians Act)(Brief Article)
August 22, 2003... An optometrist is to appear before a General Optical Council disciplinary committee early next month charged with serious professional misconduct. Bournemouth-based practitioner Elliott David Bloom will face allegations that he breached...