Optician articles from July 2003

Optician archives from July 2003

Nasolacrimal duct obstruction - congenital; Dacryostenosis, epiphora - congenital, dacryocele.
July 4, 2003... DESCRIPTION At birth, the nasolacrimal duct may be delayed in opening, leading to congenital epiphora (tearing). The most common cause of the obstruction is an imperforate valve of Hasner, the mucosal fold covering the opening of the...

Management of the dry eyein contact lens practice.
July 4, 2003... Part 4: Contact lens options In the final part in the series of management of the marginal dry eye in contact lens practice, Anna Sulley examines the range of management options when selecting the most appropriate contact lens along with...

Top 10 toric tips - Part 2.
July 4, 2003... Anna Sulley presents the second five answers to 10 frequently-asked questions on fitting soft toric lenses. The first part appeared in the June 6 issue of optician Following on from the previous article, part 2 provides the final answers...

nemowrites.(National health Service standards; General Optical Council's Rules of Publicity)
July 4, 2003... New boy So we have another Secretary of State for Health, charged with curing the chronically ailing NHS. Following the surprise departure of Alan Milburn, his replacement is former communist and much travelled (in Departmental terms)...

Lens price war leads to Guardian's collapse.(Guardian Optical )(Brief Article)
July 4, 2003... Heavy discounting and large debts have led Buckinghamshire-based prescription house Guardian Optical to cease trading, and will leave its optical customers out of pocket. Directors Ian King and Robert Heathcote instructed London-based...

The best of Brighton.(British Contact Lens Association conference)
July 4, 2003... The BCLA Clinical Conference is one of the best organised and most useful eye care events of the year. Andy Franklin and Bill Harvey report on the highlights from Brighton The annual BCLA conference took place last month in Brighton, a...

Healthcheck on the contact lens market.(Industry Overview)
July 4, 2003... Dr Philip Morgan finds that contrary to the downturns of the market in the late 1990s, the contact lens sector appears to be on the mend In recent years, concern has been expressed about the 'health' of the contact lens market in the UK....

Blind eye to the vital vitamin A.
July 4, 2003... A lack of vitamin A causes 100,000 children to go blind every year. As a result, UNICEF is calling on optometrists and dispensing opticians to help bring an end to this needless tragedy. Xerophthalmia is the clinical term used for blindness...

Thai transfer forces job cuts at Hoya UK.
July 4, 2003... Over 200 jobs are to go at Hoya's Wrexham plant. The news follows a decision by the global optical business to transfer some of its lens manufacturing to the company's Thailand-based facility. The announcement means a second wave of...

Wilshin retires from leading role at FMO.(Richard Wilshin, Federation of Manufacturing Opticians)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2003... Richard Wilshin has retired as general secretary of the Federation of Manufacturing Opticians. Staff from the FMO, ABDO and FODO held a party for him last Friday to mark the occasion. The FMO issued a statement to say: 'Richard joined...

Huge rise in number of OOs quitting NHS.(General Ophthalmic Services' optometrists quit National Health Service)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2003... Latest Department of Health figures show that 69 per cent more practitioners quit General Ophthalmic Services last year than in the previous 12 months. The figures which relate to England and Wales and cover 2002, followed a comprehensive...

NOC maps pathways to primary care.(Association of Optometrists' National Optometric Conference 2003)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2003... Primary care initiatives will be the focus for discussion at the Association of Optometrists' National Optometric Conference 2003. The event, to be held in the Midlands in October, is billed as the conference for optometrists involved in...

Keeler produces mini catalogue.(Kenneth Cole and CTP Coil )
July 4, 2003... u Keeler has produced a mini CD-Rom containing interactive information and user instructions for its product range. The company described the disc as an interface between user and manufacturer. The disc has a layout that resembles a web...

DoH group paves way for national care plan.(Eye Care Services Steering Group )
July 4, 2003... Momentum is building towards the autumn launch of a 'National Eye Care Plan' based on the work of the DoH's Eye Care Services Steering Group (ECSSG). The group, whose 34 members meet again this month, has discussed potential changes to the...

Institute appeal wins high profile support.(Institute of Optometry)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2003... Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Patricia Hewitt was the special guest at a private reception for the optical industry at the Institute of Optometry last week. The event marked the official launch of the Institute's Teaching...

Welsh waiting lists under investigation.(cataract operations)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2003... Targets for cataract operations in Wales were on track, despite an upsurge in waiting list numbers in April and May, the Welsh Assembly health minister said this week. The latest figures from Statistics Wales for May show that while the...

Charity gives [pounds sterling]156k to disease studies.(Fight for Sight funding research into retinitis pigmentosa and anophthalmia)
July 4, 2003... Optical charity Fight for Sight has announced two new research projects, one aimed at finding new treatments for retinitis pigmentosa and a second to tackle anophthalmia. The charity has made a grant of [pounds sterling]96,000 available to...

New hope for premature infants' vision.(Brief Article)
July 4, 2003... A Surrey university senior lecturer is leading a 'ground breaking' research project to prevent vision problems in premature babies. Dr Sarah Barman of Kingston University heads the new programme - co-funded by finance from Thailand -...

Cataract plan wins praise.(Peterborough Hospital NHS Trust )(Brief Article)
July 4, 2003... New health secretary John Reid praised a direct access cataract scheme involving Peterborough-based opticians this week. He was speaking at the NHS Health and Social Care awards held in London. Peterborough Hospital NHS Trust won the...

Italian job.(Cirillo Marcolin appointed to Anfao)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2003... Cirillo Marcolin, newly re-appointed president of Italian trade show Mido, was also made head of Anfao, the country's association of manufacturers of optical products at an industry meeting this week. The meeting, reported by...

Neurotrophic keratopathy; (Corneal anaesthetic keratopathy).
July 11, 2003... Description Corneal sensation is via the nasociliary branch of the trigeminal, fifth cranial, nerve. Aside from providing corneal epithelial sensation, these nerves also appear to provide trophic factors important for normal corneal...

Funny looking discs; Avoiding unnecessary referral.(optic nerve anomalies)
July 11, 2003... Peter Swann examines the development of the optic nerve head, and discusses congenital and acquired anomalies of the optic disc to help practitioners make the appropriate referral decisions The vitreal aspect of the optic nerve as it enters...

Maximising potential.(Assessment and Management of Children with Severe Visual Impairment)
July 11, 2003... Julie Lennon reports on the Assessment and Management of Children with Severe Visual Impairment course at the Institute of Child Health, University College London where the focus was on the importance of multidisciplinary teamwork This...

Meeting needs on Judd Street.(low vision services)
July 11, 2003... Anita Lightstone describes the process of developing a service to meet the needs of the visually impaired in a community which has culminated in the establishment of the new RNIB Judd Street facility T oo often when any service is...

A professional headache?(corrective lenses as a cure for headaches)
July 11, 2003... Are optometrists refraction machines or eye care specialists? How appropriate is it for an optometrist to be consulted for a headache? Devinder Chatrath asserts that optometrists cannot relieve headache and feels the profession is becoming...

Bvlgari offers balance of tradition and innovation.
July 11, 2003... u The latest collection of Bvlgari eyewear takes in 25 prescription models along with a range of sunglasses. The major introduction comes six years after Luxottica first agreed to produce Bvlgari eyewear and includes models for men and women....

Family values.(Scrivens managing director Nicholas Georgevic)(Interview)
July 11, 2003... A year on since the purchase of Melson Wingate, which increased the number of outlets by 60 per cent, Scrivens managing director Nicholas Georgevic is more conscious than ever of the wider role of his family business. David Challinor reports...

Oakley puts the rest in the shade.(optometrists achievements: Alec Oakley, Stephen Hill, Tom McMahon, Dawn Roberts, Arif Ladha)
July 11, 2003... u Optometrist Alec Oakley recently celebrated 25 years' service with employer regional group Batemans Opticians. Oakley, originally from London, started with the company in April 1978 as managing optometrist at Bideford in Devon. He...

Pagan & McQuade recognised for staff development focus.(Yates and Suddell, Dolland& Aitchison give back)
July 11, 2003... u North-east practice group Pagan & McQuade has achieved Investors in People status. The three-practice group has its head office and spectacle manufacturing facilities in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. The company says it is well known...

Report calls for rise in practitioners' NHS fee.(National Consumer Council's paper, Creeping Charges)
July 11, 2003... Creeping charges in the provision of NHS services is pricing out the most disadvantaged in society from the care they need, says a report from the National Consumer Council. In its paper, Creeping Charges, NHS prescription, dental &...

Tedious but inescapable.(Freedom of Information Act 2000)
July 11, 2003... The deadline to comply with the Freedom of Information Act nears. Practitioners must put pen to paper soon - unless you are a DO Concern was growing this week in the profession that the latest bureaucratic document practitioners have to...

Think tank rebuffs the profession's criticism.(Social Market Foundation on free eye tests)
July 11, 2003... The Social Market Foundation has rebuffed optics' criticism of its report on prescribing, which questioned optical pricing. The influential think tank has called for universal free NHS tests, and in its latest response its chairman Lord...

School scans pupils' irises.(Brief Article)
July 11, 2003... School pupils in Sunderland will have their eyes scanned in the dinner queue to identify them and charge food they buy to their account. Iris scan technology is more commonly expected to provide identification solutions at airports or as...

Vision Express takes pounding in first half.(Brief Article)
July 11, 2003... Sales at the 105 Vision Express/ optical lab stores fell 14 per cent in the first half of 2003, reports the multiple's French parent GrandVision. The financial figures, which exclude 90 'joint venture' franchised outlets, reveal that the...

Optometrists summoned to GOC hearings.(Brief Article)
July 11, 2003... Two optometrists are due to appear before GOC disciplinary committees later this month. Glasgow-based practitioner Mayookh Popatlal Panchal will appear on July 23 charged with serious professional misconduct. Panchal, who registered in...

Freedom Act deadline nears.(Freedom of Information Act)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2003... Practitioners and companies contracted to GOS are being told to heed guidance from their professional bodies on the implications of the Freedom of Information Act. Those involved - which include optometrists who are contracted to GOS and...

FODO and GOC hold pre-reg year summit.(The Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians and the General Optical Council )(Brief Article)
July 11, 2003... The profession's largest retail employers met with the GOC this week to discuss the pre-registration period and what plans the Council has for changes to the student year. The multiples and their smaller counterparts, which provide the...

Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP).(eye diseases)
July 18, 2003... Description Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP) is a bilateral (although frequently asymmetric) progressive cicatrising (scarring) condition of unknown aetiology but thought to be due to an autoimmune assault on the conjunctival basement...

Star treatment.(new eyewear collections)
July 18, 2003... optician discovers that celebrity eyewear is not restricted to the US, with some old favourites in the UK optical market too What do actors Jean Reno (of Leon fame), Joe Pantoliano (formerly Ralphie in The Sopranos), and legendary US rocker...

Essilor broadens the choice with Airwear tints.(UV-absorbent lens)
July 18, 2003... u Essilor has launched Airwear Tints, a range of tints which comprises Physiotints and a sun tint. The company states that the usual benefits of Airwear, combined with a 100 per cent UV-absorbent lens means that dispensers can now give...

Brands on the run.(sunglasses seen in fashion magazines)
July 18, 2003... An increased interest in sunglasses in the summer means fashion magazines feature more eyewear than usual. Tom McCulloch and Rob Moss look at which brands are hot and which eyewear companies are getting the most coverage Last summer,...

School's out.(Children's top spectacles)
July 18, 2003... If they're not on holiday already, they probably break up today. For the next seven weeks parents will hit the high street looking to renew the kids' school uniforms and, in some cases, get them some smart new specs. Rob Moss finds the latest...

Twisting TV advert leads to law suit.(Memoflex spectacle frame case)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2003... Chubby Checker - the rock n'roll singer who's invited millions to 'Let's Twist Again' - has filed a lawsuit against the worldwide patent holder for Memoflex spectacle frames Aspex. Lawyers for the 61-year-old star, born Ernest Evans, filed...

nemowrites.
July 18, 2003... Aunt Sallys Recent events referred to later bring to mind George Bernard Shaw's description of the professions as 'conspiracies against the laity'. While some of their critics may be less condemnatory, there is no denying that for one...

New focus on how we see.(visual system study)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2003... The visual system can concentrate on more than one object at a time, according to research published in this week's Nature. Perception of an object can be improved by directing our attention to it. This 'moveable spotlight' gives...

Luxottica extends OPSM bid.(eyewear industry acquisition)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2003... Italian eyewear group Luxottica has extended the period of its A$550m ([pounds sterling]218m) bid for Australian optical giant OPSM. Reports suggest that the extension has been made as OPSM shareholders have been slow to accept the offer...

Giant Fielmann defies downturn in Germany.(optical chain reports strong earnings)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2003... Despite Germany's recession, optical giant Fielmann recorded the best trading results in its history for 2002. Europe's largest high-street optical chain said it had defied the 'crisis' and seen sales rise 6 per cent to E807m ([pounds...

Former RCO president dies.(Peter Wright remembered)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2003... Former president of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists Peter Wright has died. An obituary in Monday's The Independent reports that Wright, born September 7 1932, died at his home in Bovey Tracey, Devon on May 26. As well as being the...

Boots follows patients to the edge of town.(franchising of optical stores)
July 18, 2003... A month after announcing it will trial franchising in its optical stores Boots has told optician it is preparing to relocate more practices to edge of town locations. Boots Opticians managing director Norman Usher said the move to new...

Singapore to step up tests on children.(nationwide screening program)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2003... Child vision screening in Singapore is to be extended to include five-year-olds after schools noticed more first-year children with poor vision. Last year the country began a nationwide screening programme for six-year-olds, which showed...

Star rating highlightslow-achieving PCTs.(independent health watchdog rates trusts)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2003... England's 304 primary care trusts have been rated for the first time by the independent health watchdog the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI). PCTs - the groups which commission co-managed care schemes and General Ophthalmic Services...

Plano lens regulation 'will be challenged'.(cosmetic lenses debate)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2003... A supplier of plano contact lenses has vowed to fight the much-publicised efforts by the profession to restrict the sale of cosmetic lenses to registered optometrists. Lincolnshire based FashionWear Services - which manufactures one...

Ophthalmia neonatorum.(conjunctivitis)
July 25, 2003... Description Conjunctivitis occurring in the first four weeks of life is referred to as ophthalmia neonatorum. Ophthalmia neonatorum is usually secondary to an infectious cause and is acquired during delivery with passage of the baby...

What's so special about this practice?(John Tomlinson)(Brief Article)
July 25, 2003... Twelve years ago, optometrist John Tomlinson opted to go it alone and set up his own practice, with a difference. Bevis O'Neill catches up with him in a small village in theEast Riding of Yorkshire In 1991, at the age of 26, optometrist...

Have you heard of Chip and Pin?(preventing credit card fraud)
July 25, 2003... No, they are not the characters from some new children's cartoon but a revolutionary system to combat credit card fraud currently being tested in half a dozen opticians Credit card fraud appears to be getting out of hand. The Association...

Mixed fortunes.(sales down for June 2003)
July 25, 2003... Although June and May are generally busy times of the year, last month did lag slightly behind on the previous month and on 2002 June and May are generally busy months in terms of dispensing and turnover and this year was no exception....

Artisan phakic lens implants.(eye surgery)
July 25, 2003... Dr Catharine Chisholm discusses the use of Artisan phakic IOLs in refractive surgery A refractive surgeon should be able to provide intraocular solutions to refractive error along with corneal treatments. This usually comprises refractive...

Optometric co-management of Lasik - Part 3Postoperative complications.(laser in situ keratomileusis)
July 25, 2003... In the final part of her series, optometrist Michelle Hanratty reviews the complications that practitioners should look out for with the post-Lasik patient Optometrists' wide participation in private and NHS co-management schemes is...

Visual recognition: Diabetic retinopathy.(Illustration)
July 25, 2003... In the second of our CET series testing practitioners' visual recognition skills, Chris Steele analyses a selection of photographs featuring diabetic retinopathy. CETmodule C4478b The term 'background' or 'non-proliferative' diabetic...

Are you covered?(insurance for practitioners )
July 25, 2003... In the first of three articles looking at the main types of insurance that practitioners should seek, Lesley Owen and Martin Bell look at practice contents insurance and employer liability for opticians Optical practices that do not stock...

More power to the practice.(Boots Optician's plans)(Interview)
July 25, 2003... Norman Usher has been at the helm of Boots Opticians for two years now. As Boots prepares to celebrate 20 years in retail optometry in August, he spoke to David Challinor about why he feels a change in the operation's culture is so important...

Oakley's global growth atones for summertime blues in US.(eyewear company Oakley Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 25, 2003... Eyewear company Oakley has seen mixed fortunes for its second quarter results, with a downturn in US sales, but record figures for international dealings. The company claimed that America's recent bad weather caused its second quarter...

Trachoma study puts emphasis on hygiene.
July 25, 2003... A British-based professor has told the World Health Organisation that improvement to Third World hygiene is key to WHO's aim to eradicate trachoma worldwide by 2020. Writing in The Lancet (July 19), David Mabey, professor of communicable...

Selbie takes the Metzler Golf Shield.(UK Golf Open Challenge)
July 25, 2003... u Metzler International held the finals of its UK Golf Open Challenge on July 9 at the Blackwell Golf Club near Birmingham. After preliminary heats where more than 90 of Metzler's golfing opticians took part, 20 winners met in a...

Chromagen lens study shows positive results.(therapeutic lens helps learning disabilities)(Brief Article)
July 25, 2003... Cantor & Nissel is claiming that a study of children using its Chromagen lenses provides new hope for dyslexia sufferers. Midlands-based optometrist Chabaan Zeidan claimed that 91 per cent of 434 children fitted with individually prescribed...

Silmo's show of strength.(Paris eyewear industry trade show)(Brief Article)
July 25, 2003... This year's Silmo exhibition in Paris will feature 1,000 exhibitors across three halls covering 33,500m2 of stand area. The show takes place from October 17 to October 20. Hall 1 will house spectacles, sunglasses, designer frames, contact...

Ciba results '14% ahead'.(Ciba Vision)(Brief Article)
July 25, 2003... Novartis reported this week that first-half sales for Ciba Vision rose 14 per cent to $627m, against group sales up by 20 per cent. Ciba benefited from the strong performance of its disposable and continuous wear lens business and growing...

Meeting on pre-reg changes improves understanding.(optometrist training regulations)(Brief Article)
July 25, 2003... The first meeting to discuss how to proceed with the proposed changes to the pre-registration system was held last week between representatives from the GOC, the College of Optometrists and FODO. The meeting consolidated the understanding...

DO who went astray restored to Register.(dispensing optician cleared of charges)
July 25, 2003... A dispensing optician who was struck off for defrauding the NHS of tens of thousands of pounds has been restored to the Register four years after the initial investigation. Shabir Ibrahim appeared before a disciplinary committee of the GOC...

omenwrites.(concept of optometry)
July 25, 2003... Professional head scratching It was with a sense of amazement, incredulity and some amusement that I read Head to Head 'A professional headache', (optician July 11). Amazement that a journal such as optician and a clinician with the...

BCLA seeks conference presenters.(British Contact Lens Association's Clinical Conference)(Brief Article)
July 25, 2003... Would you like to present a workshop at the British Contact Lens Association's Clinical Conference? Proposals are now invited for clinical workshops at the 2004 conference, to be held in Birmingham from May 21-23. Any topic of...

Contact lens groups put pressure on DoH.(cite health concerns over cosmetic contact lenses)
July 25, 2003... The General Optical Council has received further support for its efforts to regulate plano contact lenses this week. National press reports earlier this month raised awareness of the GOC's long-held ambition. The proposals will be discussed...

GOS meeting announced.(Department of Health conference)(Brief Article)
July 25, 2003... The optical profession will meet with the Department of Health on Tuesday (July 29) to discuss the 2003 GOS fee agreement. The meeting follows the Government and the British Medical Association's announcement last week that they had reached...

GOCnames company to run CETscheme.(continuing education and training for optometrists)
July 25, 2003... The company likely to manage the compulsory continuing education and training scheme for optometrists and dispensing opticians starting in 2005 has been chosen. It is Act Consulting, a Sheffield-based business founded in 1989 which counts...

Clarification sought over freedom Act.(introduction of Freedom of Information Act)(Brief Article)
July 25, 2003... Optical representatives met with the information commissioner Richard Thomas yesterday (July 24) to discuss the introduction of the Freedom of Information Act. As previously reported (News, July 11), the Act requires optometrists and...