Optician articles from December 2006

Optician archives from December 2006

Top of the multiples.(analysis of optical companies)(Industry overview)
December 8, 2006... Optician last conducted a listing of the biggest players in the UK optical market in 2001. Perhaps the most significant change since that time has been the domination of the sector by the biggest players and the sustained growth of some of the...

Diabetes.
December 8, 2006... DESCRIPTION, SYMPTOMS, SIGNS, INCIDENCE/SIGNIFICANCESee Diabetes - Macular oedema assessment.SEE ALSODiabetes - Introduction to Retinopathy, Diabetes - Introduction to Retinopathy Management, Diabetes - Nonproliferative Retinopathy, Diabetes -...

Canterbury tale.(Letter to the editor)
December 8, 2006... - I am writing to defend all those who worked so hard to make the graduation ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral an enjoyable and special occasion, marking the completion our years of study and commitment and celebrating our achievements.Our...

BBGR shapes the future with launch.(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... BBGR claims to have developed the first progressive lens that takes into account the shape of the eye, with the launch of the Anateo and Anateo PdM lenses on January 1. Professional relations manager Elaine Grisdale said, at an event in...

News.(Continuing Education and Training program by Boots Opticians)(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... Boots Opticians has planned four CET days, each with the same agenda, for professional staff in December.David Cartwright, director of professional services, said that with recent changes in CET funding support, Boots professionals could...

hoey attends hypertension launch.
December 8, 2006... MP for Vauxhall Kate Hoey helped launch an optometry-based blood pressure screening service. Four optometry practices in Brixton will work with a domiciliary service in the scheme, part of the Modernisation Intitiative funded by Guy's and St...

Carl Zeiss Vision celebrates.(celebrations of Carl Zeiss Vision)(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... ? Carl Zeiss Vision has recently begun a series of evening customer events to celebrate the launch of the new company and its commercial operation now selling the Zeiss, Sola and AO lens brands in the UK market.Customer events have already...

Clearlab delivers monthly toric addition to the family.
December 8, 2006... ? Clearlab International has extended its family of biocompatible lenses with the launch of clear all-day T monthly toric.A sister lens to the existing clear 1-day and clear all-day lenses, the toric is produced from clearGMA, initially in...

Clearlab delivers monthly toric addition to the family.
December 8, 2006... ? Graham Mullis, president and managing director of ClearLab resigned late last week, along with Bob Main, senior vice president professional network of parent company 1-800 Contacts.This follows 1-800 Contacts' recent closure of Clearlab's...

College elections.
December 8, 2006... A total of 978 votes (23 per cent) were cast in the College of Optometrists' 2006 elections to council, held in October.There were ballots for four regions London, North West, Scotland and South East, with the following elected to serve as...

Screening firm expands offering.
December 8, 2006... Diabetic retinopathy screening company 1st Retinal Screen has opened a London office after a recent contract win in London and appointed Grant Duncan as programme manager for its Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Grading Programme. The new...

Caring for individuals.(free eye tests for elderly at their homes)
December 8, 2006... Winifred Simpson is smiling. After a thorough eye examination in her living room, the housebound 86-year-old has just been told that with a new spectacle prescription and a special reading lamp, she will once again be able to enjoy her books...

Eyco introduces new range.(Eyco Instruments )(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... Eyco Instruments has launched a new range of 'Value for money' ophthalmic instruments, a relaunch of a company first established in the 1970s.Products from slit lamps to PD meters can be viewed online at www.eycoinstruments.com, where an order...

Eyeplan gets AOP approval.(Association of Optometrists)(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... Eyeplan has retained its AOP endorsement as an approved supplier to members, after the AOP's three-yearly review conducted in the autumn.Service delivery, overall cost and value for money were considered. Stephen King, AOP member benefits...

Runners wanted by Fight for Sight.
December 8, 2006... ? Fight for Sight is looking for people to run next year's Flora London Marathon on behalf of the charity. There are 19 places on offer and runners are asked to raise ?1,500. They should contact events@fightforsight.org.uk or call 020 7929...

From guide dogs to transplant surgery.(Hospital Optometrists Conference )
December 8, 2006... More than 200 hospital optometrists from across the UK were treated to a diverse and challenging range of lectures, workshops and presentations at this year's Hospital Optometrists Conference in Chester. Following the opening address, Dr...

ISTC meeting fuels debate.(Independent Sector Treatment Centres)(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... There was heated debate at the House of Commons meeting on the impact of Independent Sector Treatment Centres on eye care.Professor David Wong relayed concerns that NHS units were under threat from ISTCs, highlighting quality of service and...

Ron Loveridge.
December 8, 2006... - I would like to take this opportunity to show my appreciation and thank everyone from the optics world, especially all at CIBA Vision, who have sent me flowers, presents, cards and letters on the very sad passing of my dear husband Ron. All...

Macular pigment and its measurement.
December 8, 2006... Interest has been raised into the protective role of the oxygenated xanthophylls group of carotenoids in the eye, particularly the retina. This group includes lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin, and they are the only carotenoids present in...

MacuScope release in new year.(new ophthalmic instrument to test age-related macular degeneration)
December 8, 2006... Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the main cause of sight impairment in the UK. There is much increasing excitement - reflected in these pages earlier this year - about the potential of some new treatment methods for certain...

Mambo offers sporty styles.
December 8, 2006... ? Mambo Eyewear's 'slick and sporty' collection is 'shock resistant, lightweight, provides 100 per cent UV protection and has extra polarising lens filters'.Wide acetate sports frames suitable for the sun and slopes include Jett, with a one...

Smoke and ire.(Letter to the editor)
December 8, 2006... - I have received from the local NHS an instruction that all optometrists' practices must ban smoking. I have had a ban on smoking for years, and although I thought the practice was my business and I pay all the bills, nonetheless the NHS takes...

Who cares?(Letter to the editor)
December 8, 2006... - No NHS pension. Corporate body strangle-hold. Deregulation of spectacle and contact lens supply. Internet price wars. Manipulated oversupply of newly qualified optometrists. Department of Health paying a joke subsidy for the eye examination....

Mikli masters black and white.(Alain Mikli, eyewear designer )(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... ? Renowned eyewear designer Alain Mikli has worked with acetate for 25 years resulting in the latest 'black and white' themed collection. Combining the elegance of black with the purity of white Mikli said that colour becomes a material of its...

Stop the subsidy.(Letter to the editor)
December 8, 2006... - Two and a half per cent! I can hear James Murray Wells laughing all the way to the bank, as yet again optometrists and dispensing opticians have to tease even more money away from the sales of spectacles to subsidise the inadequate fee for...

Change at Clearlab.(Darren Hall will be new president and managing director)(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... Graham Mullis, president and managing director of Clearlab, resigned last week, along with Bob Main, senior vice president professional network of parent company 1-800 Contacts.This follows 1-800 Contacts' recent closure of Clearlab's Estover...

Features.(Reichert Ocular Response Analyzer, new technology to measure intraocular pressure in glaucoma)
December 8, 2006... Measurement of intraocular pressure by contact applanation is the standard method and forms part of the basis of screening, referral and treatment protocols for glaucoma. Increasingly, researchers have shown that corneal anatomical factors...

Ministers back Scottish event.(Andy Kerr, Lewis Macdonald and Tom McCabe participates in the annual dinner of Optometry Scotland)(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... Optometry Scotland held its first annual dinner since its March 2004 launch last week at the Scottish Parliament building. Fifty members of OS and guests attended the event, sponsored by Janis Hughes MSP, including health minister Andy Kerr and...

Optos looks to profit as global sales surge.(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... Scottish firm Optos reported a 40 per cent rise in revenue to $67.7m over the previous year. The company now has 232 employees and an installed base of 2,593 P200 devices in its markets of North America (2,475 devices) and Europe. Its contract...

Iris created by women for women.
December 8, 2006... ? Aesthetic details weigh more than technical solutions and functionality in ProDesign's latest feminine line, Iris.Created by women for women, the products are made for women who are 'not intimidated by their femininity but seek to develop...

Ryanair raises ?46k for Orbis.(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... ? Ryanair has raised ?46,000 for Orbis, its chosen charity for 2006, by setting up collections at Dublin and Stansted airports during World Sight Day.Collection tins were positioned at all check-in desks and on board all flights departing from...

Examination fee rises by only 2.5 per cent.
December 8, 2006... The Department of Health has announced a 2.5 per cent rise in GOS fees, giving a sight test fee of ?18.85, backdated to April 1 2006.Domiciliary fees are ?33.19 for each of the first and second patients seen at one visit and ?8.31 for each of...

DO's objection.(Letter to the editor)
December 8, 2006... - On reading the article about the progress of CET (December 1), I was amazed, yet again, that members of an august body such as the GOC are so innocent in matters of real life. Their surprise that many practitioners appear only to be...

News.(Terence Conran to design eyewear for Inspecs)(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... Terence Conran has teamed up with Inspecs to develop the Vision by Conran concept. The frames are styled on design classics mixed with a modern twist and the application of Conran's trademark ergonomic design.The first 12 designs are male an...

Vision Call is named a fast-track company.
December 8, 2006... Vision Call Opticians has been named one of the UK's fastest growing private companies, coming 38th in the Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track league table published last weekend.The Cambuslang-based business brings mobile testing services...

Actman and Mico take inspiration from art-deco.(Andrew Actman, Janice Mico)(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... ? Art-deco is the inspiration for the latest Actman and Mico collection to create 'powerful images of expression'. 'Improvisation is a great tool for design and we're fired by the creative forces of previous generations,' said designers Andrew...

What if the vertex is different?(spectacles)
December 8, 2006... Ideally, the lens should sit in the chosen spectacle frame in exactly the same position as in the trial frame during refraction. If this is not the case, the way the lens behaves (and consequently the patient's visual comfort) may not be as the...

Pay and conditions.(of optometrists)(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... We all know the story, a once-revered group of dedicated, elite professionals is sidelined by those in government.Despite their protestations, the powers that be ignore their cries for pay parity with those in comparable occupations. As time...

News.(Essilor prize to Waseem Mohammed, student of Anglia Ruskin University)(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... Essilor's Professional Relations Manager, Andy Hepworth presents the company's annual Essilor prize to Waseem Mohammed. The presentation, at the Graduation Ceremony at Anglia Ruskin University, was awarded in recognition of the best final year...

The advent of digital gonioscopy.
December 8, 2006... Assessment of the anterior chamber is an important part of the eye examination but does present the optometrist with some problems. The curvature of the cornea means that light from the filtration angle itself hits the cornea at greater than...

Holden awards Vannas medal.(Brien Holden)(Brief article)
December 8, 2006... Finnish scientist and ophthalmologist Jukka Moilanen (left) was recently awarded the inaugural Vannas Fellowship for research in international eye care excellence in Helsinki. The fellowship medal and $20,000 prize was awarded by Scientia...

Diabetes.
December 15, 2006... DESCRIPTION Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) consists of a range of clinical signs that confirm the onset of diabetes-associated retinal damage. Although most patients with NPDR do not require specific ocular treatment, regular...

BBGR launches 'intelligent' lens.(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... ? BBGR's first UK-launched lens, Anateo, will be available from January 1 in a range of powers and materials.The Anateo (News December 8) is claimed to be the world's first progressive lens to take into account the physical shape of the...

Arctic treat for practitioners.(christmas treat for opticians)(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... There was a pre-Christmas treat for the winners of the Rodenstock Club's awards. Forty-four optometrists, dispensing opticians and their partners from around the UK travelled to Olos, inside the Arctic Circle. Among the winter delights the...

Cutting edge.(work of optometrist Kirit Patel)
December 15, 2006... Many readers will be familiar with Kirit Patel, at least by name. As a busy practising optometrist based in Radlett, Hertfordshire, Patel has always found the time to submit interesting case studies for publication. The varied range of these -...

BCLA to hold debate on myopia epidemic.
December 15, 2006... A full-day symposium featuring authorities from four continents discussing the worldwide epidemic of myopia and their differing approaches to prevention will be a highlight of the 2007 British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference and...

New year, new focus.
December 15, 2006... Independent practices were the focus of much of CIBA Vision's work this year. The contact lens manufacturer was on a mission to spread the word about professional fee-based pricing systems and how they could boost the profitability of...

Team vision.(Carl Zeiss commercial team reorganization)(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... Carl Zeiss Vision has introduced a new commercial team structure with one team of account managers representing its three lens brands Zeiss, Sola and AO throughout the UK.Following training and sales territory reorganisation, the new team will...

Streets of shame.(Letter to the editor)
December 15, 2006... - I read with some bemusement the comments of David Hewlett in your article on examination fee rises (Optician December 8).In the same week that the optical press was full of the sterling efforts made by the Optometric Fees Review Committee to...

News.(Optician Magazine awards students)(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... [extended pic cap] The work of third-year students from City University's Department of Optometry and Visual Science was recently recognised by Optician Magazine. At the department's annual prize ceremony, four teams of students received a Reed...

Clearlab boss makes pledge.(Darren Hall )(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... Clearlab's new managing director Darren Hall (above) is keen to reassure practitioners of the company's commitment to the UK.Hall, who will be based in Singapore where Clearlab has a state-of-the-art volume contact lens manufacturing plant, has...

Clulow ventures.(David Clulow)(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... Two of David Clulow's most experienced optometrists are opening their own stores under the company's joint venture scheme.Nish Kotecha, previously manager at Selfridges Opticians, opened a new outlet in Loughton, Essex last week, saying it was...

Professional welcome.
December 15, 2006... Approximately 300 new members of the College of Optometrists are expected to attend the Diploma Ceremony at Westminster's Central Hall on Wednesday January 31.The event has moved from London's Guildhall, which is being refurbished....

Features.(optical sales during Christmas season)(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... Christmas is a great time for reflection but if you are thinking of indulging in some yuletide navel gazing make sure you look at the positives as well as the negatives.The end of the year traditionally spells a slowdown for optics and this...

News.
December 15, 2006... Shares in Cooper Companies fell over 10 per cent this week, in spite of a 55 per cent rise in fourth-quarter profit, which came in far below Wall Street expectations.per blamed production and shipping delays along with other issues.

Clinical skills recorded on DVD.
December 15, 2006... DOCET plans to commission DVDs on dry eye and binocular vision, following on from the success of its interactive DVD on developing clinical skills.The DVDs are aimed at registered optometrists, but could also be suitable for optometrists in...

News.(services of David Thomas Contact Lenses)(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... David Thomas Contact Lenses has continued its support for the contact lens clinics at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, recently donating six new diagnostic sets covering the Rose K2, Rose K Post Graft and Rose K IC lens designs....

Shocking result.(examination fees)(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... - On announcing the shockingly poor result of a 2.5 per cent increase in the sight examination fee, the Optometric Fees Review Committee reassure us that they have achieved some 'significant concessions and markers for the future'. What exactly...

Denver hosts Academy conference.(Brief article)(Conference notes)
December 15, 2006... More than 4,000 delegates attended the annual conference of the American Academy of Optometry in Denver last week. Despite record numbers of exhibitors, delegate numbers were down somewhat on previous years, partly explained by severe weather...

Denver hosts Academy conference.(American Academy of Optometry)(Conference news)(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... More than 4,000 delegates attended the annual conference of the American Academy of Optometry in Denver last week. Despite record numbers of exhibitors, delegate numbers were down somewhat on previous years, partly explained by severe weather...

News.(Calendar)
December 15, 2006... January 20078****Hertfordshire Optometric CPD, Welwyn Garden City, Disorders of the optic nerve (april.hall@nhs.net)10****West Sussex LOC, Chichester, The role of the optometrist in ophthalmic primary care...

Independent plan.(Letter to the editor)
December 15, 2006... - In response to the letters from Jim Osborne and Max Davison (December 8) and your own editorial, I have just one comment to add is it not time that as independents we put our own houses in order?I agree absolutely with Mr Davison and Mr...

FMO offers sales courses.(Federation of Manufacturing Opticians)(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... The Federation of Manufacturing Opticians (FMO) is offering optical sales and customer service staff one-day optically focused courses.Held by the specialist company Keyturn Training, the sales courses address call planning, appointment...

Features.(Queen of England's eyewear)(Column)
December 15, 2006... Ladies and gentlemen, this is my last Framed! It's time to move on to pastures new, but I've saved the best until last. When I first thought about writing this column two years ago, our monarch was top of my list of eyewear disasters. I...

3,000 practitioners yet to confirm CET target.(Center for Employment Training)(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... The General Optical Council is urging all practitioners to earn and confirm their continuing education and training points in time for the December 31 2006 deadline.Over 86 per cent of optometrists, 77 per cent of dispensing opticians and 76...

Grafton grows in Watford.(Grafton Optical Company)(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... Grafton Optical Company recently celebrated the opening of its new premises in Watford. The new premises are almost double the size of the company's former site, with 8,000 square feet available for a vastly expanded warehouse, display rooms,...

World's first daily disposable.
December 15, 2006... - By the 'world first' definition composed by Johnson & Johnson (Optician, December 1 2006, letter by Messrs Meyler and Ruston) it was not a 'world-first' when Neil Armstrong, on 20 July 1969, stepped onto the moon. According to them this...

Fields unit made for home visits.
December 15, 2006... ? There is a new version of the Henson visual field analyser specifically targeted at practitioners who undertake domiciliary visits and for use in smaller practices.Designed and manufactured in Croydon, Surrey, the new Henson 7000 is a more...

China in your hands.(The Hong Kong Optical Fair )
December 15, 2006... To say Hong Kong works like clockwork is an understatement. If the old mechanical timepiece had functioned as smoothly as the former British-run colony the digital watch would never have been invented. 'Made in Hong Kong' was always a...

Extra Transitions.
December 15, 2006... ? The Hoya and Transitions range has been extended to include additions of +0.75 to +3.50, available to order on Hoyalux Summit Pro 1.50 Transitions V, Hoyalux SummitCD 1.50 Transitions V and Hoyalux Wide 1.50 Transitions V progressive designs,...

Sir Harold Ridley and his fight for sight.(Sir Harold Ridley and His Fight for Sight: He Changed the World So That We May Better See It)(Book review)
December 15, 2006... In this, the centenary year of Sir Harold Ridley's birth, referral for cataract extraction and subsequent intraocular lens (IOL) implantation is commonplace for optometrists and ophthalmologists alike. Indeed, the last 50 years has seen the...

Lulu Guinness recalls 50s style.
December 15, 2006... ? The latest sunglass collection from Lulu Guinness is inspired by the 1950s, with a nostalgic nod to an era of feminine shapes, cool cars and modern designs. The sunglasses therefore take in shark fin curves and arched brow shapes, mirroring...

Nothing achieved.(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... - If the OFRC has only managed to 'negotiate' the same 2.5 per cent increase in fees that all NHS groups have received, then to my mind they have spent nine months and God knows how much money, to get nothing!A startling achievement, but not...

News.(award for Mary Perkins of Specsavers)(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... Specsavers' Mary Perkins is everywomanSpecsavers' co-founder Mary Perkins has received the Spirit of everywoman Award at the Natwest everywoman Awards to recognise Britain's most inspiring female business owners.The London ceremony was hosted...

Guided by experts.(Letter to the editor)
December 15, 2006... - 'Lumen writes' (Optician December 1 2006) reads 'Wake up, James! Explain to me where what you do is "good eye care" and where your "proper safeguards" are in place'. I would be delighted, and appreciate the offer, and presume my response...

News.
December 15, 2006... A former corporate vice president of Microsoft has joined the board of See20/20. John Leftwich was responsible for Microsoft's sales, marketing and service in Europe, Middle East and Africa. He said that See20/20 was precisely the type of...

News.
December 15, 2006... Web businessA former corporate vice president of Microsoft has joined the board of See20/20. John Leftwich was responsible for Microsoft's sales, marketing and service in Europe, Middle East and Africa. He said that See20/20 was precisely the...

News.(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... Free market data is now available to users of OcucoRelcon practice management systems Acuitas and FOCUSFree market data providing a monthly insight into the UK optical market is now available for users of OcucoRelcon practice management systems...

News.
December 15, 2006... Optrafair to offer insight into latest manufacturing technology Visitors at Optrafair 2007 will have the chance gain an insight into the latest lens manufacturing technology at Lab Tech 2007, the lens producers' symposium.Eight speakers will...

Disinfection works with the tear film.
December 15, 2006... ? A Canadian contact lens disinfection system, called Panasept, is now being distributed by Ocular Solutions and Mid Optic in the UK.The system, used in Canada for several years, has been awarded CE mark status for European distribution and is...

Perkins recognised as women's champion.(Mary Perkins of Specsavers gets award)(Brief article)
December 15, 2006... Specsavers' co-founder Mary Perkins has received the Spirit of everywoman Award at the NatWest everywoman Awards to recognise Britain's most inspiring female business owners.The London ceremony was hosted last week (December 7) by BBC presenter...

Are visit rules being ignored?(Letter to the editor)
December 15, 2006... - I read with interest the article 'Caring for Individuals' (December 8) and find that some of the statements are to say the least quite basic and obvious. I have been an optometrist who has undertaken domiciliary services before the additional...

Registrants urged to return form promptly.(Public notice)
December 15, 2006... Practitioners are being urged by the GOC to complete and return their retention forms, sent out last week, as soon as possible.It warns that registrants who do not return their completed form and payment by March 15 2007 or who do not meet the...

News.
December 15, 2006... Practitioners are being urged by the GOC to complete and return their retention forms, sent out last week, as soon as possible.The GOC warns that registrants who do not return their completed form and payment by March 15 2007 or who do not meet...