Optician articles from June 2003

Optician archives from June 2003

Membranous and pseudomembranous conjunctivitis.
June 6, 2003... Description Conjunctival membranes consist of an exudate of loose fibrin-cellular debris. With pseudomembranes this membrane is not adherent to the underlying epithelium while with true membranes the conjunctival epithelium is intimately...

Trends in UK contact lens prescribing 2003.
June 6, 2003... Dr Philip Morgan and Professor Nathan Efron present the results of the eighth annual Eurolens Research survey into contact lens prescribing trends The eighth annual survey into UK contact lens prescribing was conducted between January and...

Sight-seeing in Monaco.(Bausch & Lomb's Global Symposium on Vision Correction)
June 6, 2003... In the second of two reports from Bausch & Lomb's Global Symposium on Vision Correction, held in Monaco in April, Alison Ewbank and Judith Morris look at the sessions relating to contact lenses, cataract surgery and co-management After an...

Understanding the UK contact lens market.
June 6, 2003... Alison Ewbank reports on new research into contact lens provision and recommendation at practices across the UK Who fits contact lenses in the UK and what type of lenses do practices offer? How much contact lens work do practitioners carry...

Top 10 toric tips - Part 1.(fitting soft toric contact lenses)
June 6, 2003... Anna Sulley presents the first five of 10 answers to some common questions on fitting soft toric contact lenses Historically, fitting soft toric contact lenses was fraught with uncertainties and was sometimes regarded as a speciality. Will...

Management of the dry eye in contact lens practice.(Sjogren's syndrome.)
June 6, 2003... Part 3: Causes of dry eye and Sj?gren's syndrome In the third part of this series, ophthalmologists Mohammad Laiquzzaman and Sunil Shah describe Sj?gren's syndrome and the underlying causes of dry eye which are important considerations for...

Ray-Ban thrilled by Angels' choice.
June 6, 2003... u Ray-Ban is the official eyewear supplier for the second instalment of Columbia Pictures' Charlie's Angels movie which is scheduled for release in the US late in June. The film, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle features Cameron Diaz, Drew...

nemowrites.(National Health Service and ophthalmic opticians)
June 6, 2003... Covert factor? Despite the depressing evidence of the past 50 years or so, hope still springs eternal among ophthalmic opticians that one day the NHS will provide them with recognisably adequate remuneration for sight testing. In theory...

Ultralase hits back with data on re-treat rate.(Brief Article)
June 6, 2003... The refractive sector this week continued its backlash against bad publicity with a north-west-based clinic group publishing re-treatment rates. Chester-based Ultralase has claimed to be the first laser eye provider to announce audited...

Van Colle's murderer loses appeal.(Brief Article)
June 6, 2003... The murderer of 25-year-old optometrist and practice owner Giles Van Colle failed to have his conviction overturned at the Court of Appeal last month. Daniel Brougham, 34, shot dead Mr Van Colle outside his practice on November 22 2000,...

Accommodative IOLapproved.(CrystaLens from C&C Vision)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2003... The US Food & Drugs Administration's ophthalmic devices panel has agreed to give the first 'approvable' recommendation to an accommodative intraocular lens. California-based C&C Vision has received the recommendation for approval from the...

Hoya launches high index lens.(new products)
June 6, 2003... u Hoya Lens UK has launched the Eyry second generation 1.7 high index lens material. The company states that, as well as being thin and lightweight, aesthetically pleasing and with 'superb' optical performance and sharp vision, the lenses...

OEL set for 'Sizzling Summer'.(Optometric Educators)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2003... Continuing education group Optometric Educators has promised a 'Sizzling Summer' of CET this month. The London-based company will run the event eight times - starting on Tuesday, June 10 - which includes five topics: Nutrition and the...

Video games boost vision.(Brief Article)
June 6, 2003... New research has claimed that video games may improve a range of attention-related visual skills. The research, commissioned by the US Government's National Institute of Health, found that young adults who played action games such as Grand...

Optometrist faces hearing at the GOC.(Elliott David Bloom goes before the General Optical Council )(Brief Article)
June 6, 2003... An optometrist is to appear before a General Optical Council disciplinary committee hearing later this month charged with serious professional misconduct. Bournemouth-based practitioner Elliott David Bloom will face allegations that he...

Lasik safety debate.(Brief Article)
June 6, 2003... NetLectures has revealed details of its fourth Annual NetLectures Live CET Conference which will take place later this year. The one-day conference will be held on Sunday October 19 at the Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College in...

Cartwright wins high street Lasik debate.
June 6, 2003... The premise that high street refractive surgery is having a detrimental effect on practice standards was rejected by delegates at a professional conference at the end of last month. Following a debate at the annual clinical conference of...

Practitioners praised for polite behaviour.(Optical Consumer Complaints Service statistics)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2003... An annual barometer of consumer dissatisfaction continues to show fewer members of the public are lodging formal complaints against the profession. The Optical Consumer Complaints Service (OCCS) received 744 complaints in 2002, a drop of...

Centro sets up in UK.(Brief Article)
June 6, 2003... Italian parts and products supplier Centro Style has established a subsidiary in the UK following the liquidation of its former distributor WT Rees. Since the demise of WT Rees, Centro Style had been operating from a temporary office to...

London OOs invited to discuss primary care.(Brief Article)
June 6, 2003... Optometrists in north west London are being encouraged to discuss the development of primary care with other health professionals at a special conference later this month. Practitioners from the eight primary care trusts in the area have...

Titanic proportions.(Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers meeting)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2003... As the contact lens fraternity meet in Brighton this weekend they will have much to celebrate at their Titanic-themed gala dinner. Not only will they be relaxing after a hard day of learning but they can do so in the knowledge that, after a...

Number of contact lens wearers increases 11%.
June 6, 2003... The number of contact lens wearers in the UK has reached a new peak, according to industry figures released this week. The latest statistics compiled by the Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers indicate that there were 2.95 million...

Hillier's 50 years are marked in Monaco.(Bausch & Lomb Global Symposium on Vision Correction )(Brief Article)
June 6, 2003... A London-based practitioner has been recognised for his 50 years' service to the profession. Independent optometrist Len Hillier, who runs Hillier Opticians in North Harrow, this month celebrates his golden anniversary in optics. He...

College to put case for screening of diabetics.(Brief Article)
June 6, 2003... English primary care trusts will be able to purchase digital cameras for diabetic screening from a list of contracted suppliers by the end of this month. The news comes at the start of Diabetes Week (June 8-14), and as preparations are...

MPs debate drivers' vision.(Brief Article)
June 6, 2003... 'Vision and Driving' will be the theme of the next meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health. The June 17 meeting will take place in the House of Commons, and the group will hear from three speakers involved in research in...

Molluscum contagiosum.
June 13, 2003... Description Molluscum contagiosum are localised skin infections caused by a pox virus. They are spread by direct skin-to-skin contact and are common in children. Children attending a childcare centre are at particular risk of contracting...

Laura Ashley out on the Towne.(products from Norville and Pentax)(Brief Article)
June 13, 2003... u The Norville Group has released the new Towne collection from Laura Ashley Eyewear. The range is aimed at city practices, and Norville is supporting the new collection with distinctive point of sale material. The three frame stands,...

Funny looking fields.(visual field testing and glaucoma)
June 13, 2003... In the light of recent research, Professor Algis Vingrys discusses how visual field assessment can be a useful tool in the early prediction of glaucoma Visual field testing is thought to have a high sensitivity for glaucoma. In a UK study,...

Medicines Update; for optical practitioners - Part 15.
June 13, 2003... Professor Michael Doughty provides an overview of eye medicines and other eye care products introduced in the past three months Medicines Update for optical practitioners is designed to keep the UK optometrist up to date with all aspects of...

Plastic progress.(a short history of plastic lenses)
June 13, 2003... Steve Ainsworth looks back at the history of plastic ophthalmic lenses 'Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door'. What Ralph Waldo Emerson forgot to add was that half of those on your doorstep would be...

IOP in diabetic and non-diabetic patients in South Wales.(intraocular pressure )
June 13, 2003... Dr David Woolf reports on intraocular pressure distribution in diabetic and non-diabetic patients in South Wales Patients suffering from diabetes mellitus are at risk of developing several associated ocular complications such as: ...

An A-Z.(Anterior Eye Disease and Therapeutics A-Z)(Book Review)
June 13, 2003... Dr John Lawrenson reviews Adrian Bruce and Michael Loughnan's Anterior Eye Disease and Therapeutics A-Z, a serialisation of which appears each week in optician This book is designed to provide a comprehensive reference source of anterior...

moneowrites.(refractive surgery - buyer beware)(Column)
June 13, 2003... Truth, the whole trutha Just recently there has been a lot of discussion in the practice concerning refractive surgery. We changed our approach to advising on this way to correct vision quite some time ago. I attended a conference where...

OOs return from the coal face.(optometrists involved in charities and new appointments)
June 13, 2003... u A team of optometrists have just returned from another Heart For You project to Romania. The team - Dave Bennett, optometrists Usher and Jayna Mistry, Will Luff and his son and Bob Furnell - visited the ex-coal mining community of Petrosani....

Boots sheds staff with closure of optical labs.
June 13, 2003... The Boots Group is to close Boots Opticians' 170 optical labs with the loss of 240 jobs. However, the company has denied it will embark on a practice closure programme or any plans to sell off its opticians business. The move follows its...

College enters debate about kids' screening.(College of Optometrists)(Brief Article)
June 13, 2003... The College of Optometrists has entered the children's screening debate with an attack on a new edition of a hitherto respected publication devoted to protecting children's health, claiming that it suggests relaxing regular vision screening in...

Brought to book.(child vision testing)
June 13, 2003... Launching its Children's Eye Health Week (News May 30) the Royal National Institute for the Blind recently warned that unless action was taken the UK could have the worst child vision surveillance in the developed world. With less than...

Dr Fox to outline Tory plans at FODO dinner.(Brief Article)
June 13, 2003... Dr Liam Fox, shadow health secretary, will tell a gathering of optical representatives the Conservatives' vision of the health service later this year. Optical employers body FODO will host the opposition's outspoken MP at its annual...

Home care under review.(Brief Article)
June 13, 2003... One of optics' professional bodies intends to argue for the expansion of domiciliary eye care provision. Employers' body FODO has formed a new committee to look after the interests of domiciliary eye care providers, chaired by managing...

Software fund invests in Relcon's potential.
June 13, 2003... Relcon Software, the practice management system provider to the likes of Black & Lizars and Conlons Opticians, has been acquired by software investment fund Continuum Systems. Continuum, which has bought 'a significant stake' in Relcon,...

Scottish parties agree free tests for all target.(Optometry Scotland)
June 13, 2003... The new group representing Scotland's optical practitioners has called for a meeting with the Scottish Executive after it prioritised the introduction of free eye examinations for all by 2007. The pledge emerged after last month's elections...

Rodenstock buoyed by Permira.(Brief Article)
June 13, 2003... TEXT: Rodenstock's expansion plans and its intention to float on the German stock exchange have received a boost after it agreed to sell a substantial minority stake to private equity group Permira. Formerly the venture capital arm of...

Buckley is new BCLApresident.(British Contact Lens Association)(Brief Article)
June 13, 2003... Ophthalmologist Roger Buckley is the new president of the British Contact Lens Association. He received his chain of office from outgoing president Graeme Young at the Association's Clinical Conference and Exhibition in Brighton last weekend....

CooperVision grows by 27%.(Brief Article)
June 13, 2003... Announcing its second quarter results the Cooper Companies reported that CooperVision's worldwide contact lens business had grown by 27 per cent. Chief executive A Thomas Bender attributed the performance to a robust worldwide market,...

Winn on fast track to Hull.(Brief Article)
June 13, 2003... Professor Barry Winn, who has been instrumental in establishing Bradford University's new fast-track' optometry course, is to leave the department to join Hull University. He will join Hull in a pro-vice-chancellor position from September...

Mooren's ulcer.
June 20, 2003... Description Mooren's ulcer is a very rare form of peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK) thought to occur from a limbal vasculitis and possible autoimmune reaction directed against corneal collagen. Histopathological examination of the...

Carry on as a Doctor.
June 20, 2003... Drs Russell Watkins and David Elliott describe the benefits of becoming a Doctor of Philosophy and look at what a PhD in optometry might entail In UK optometry departments, most, if not all lecturers carry the title 'Doctor'. This is...

The wavefront priority.
June 20, 2003... The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) conference took place in San Francisco from April 12-16 amid fears regarding travel safety and concerns over the demand for refractive surgery in the US. Despite these...

Optical aberrations and the eye - Part 2.
June 20, 2003... In the second part of our series, Neil Charman discusses the mathematical models used to analyse wavefront aberrations and points to specific optometric applications In the first part of this series,1 the concept of wavefront aberration...

Colour added to titanium range.
June 20, 2003... The titanium collection 'form TEC 3000', introduced by OWP design last autumn, now contains three new models. There are now 27 shape and colour versions in the rimless titanium line. The advantage for the practitioner is that the...

Nemowrites.
June 20, 2003... Within bounds? If the AOP's director of communications, David Craig, (optician, May 30) would care to re-read my comments on the AOP's new Sight Test Resource Pack (optician, May 16) with a little more care, he would discover to what my...

Brimming ; with confidence.
June 20, 2003... The 10th Anniversary conference of the British Society for Refractive Surgery, held at the Royal College of Physicians in London last month, was the largest to date with 180 delegates. Approximately two-thirds were ophthalmologists with the...

Majority in favour of annual Optrafair.
June 20, 2003... An opinion poll of more than 1,000 Optrafair visitors will help change future shows, writes David Challinor Significant changes to the next Optrafair could emerge from a review of the success of this year's show. Dominic Fleming, show...

400 optoms with prescriber status needed.(Brief Article)
June 20, 2003... A comprehensive review of the NHS's General Ophthalmic Services is one of the recommendations being discussed by the DoH's Eyecare Services Steering Group. It has also reported that once optometrists gain independent prescriber status, the...

Remember your first Ray-Ban?
June 20, 2003... To mark the launch of Ray-Ban Junior, Luxottica has shot a campaign in Saint Tropez by Milan photographer Lorenzo Scaccini. He has worked on campaigns from Pampers to Sony PlayStation and inspires his models to work in freedom, thus...

Think tank calls on OFT to probe optical pricing.(Social Market Foundation)(United Kingdom Office of Fair Trading)
June 20, 2003... An influential think tank has rounded on the profession's dealings and called for a probe into 'any perverse incentives' for opticians to artificially inflate the price of spectacles. The Social Market Foundation (SMF) has asked for the...

LOC sets up cataract direct referral scheme.(Brent and Harrow local optometric committee)(United Kingdom)
June 20, 2003... A local optometric committee has started to establish a comprehensive direct referral cataract scheme this week. Brent & Harrow LOC has established the process by which patients with significant cataracts will be referred directly to the...

Peer review.(Social Market Foundation's Health Commission)(Brief Article)
June 20, 2003... It's come to something when a think tank looking into the Government's NHS prescriptions policy has 'not been able to get to the bottom of the peculiarities of the spectacles market'. There is no such confusion over the other categories of...

GOC aims to tighten rules on CL aftercare.(contact lens)(United Kingom General Optical Council)
June 20, 2003... New regulations attempting to safeguard the contact lens wearer while alerting the profession to a potential legal 'man-trap' were proposed at a GOC Council meeting yesterday (June 19). The Council has been reviewing the direct supply...

Boots offers practices franchising contracts.(Boots Opticians)
June 20, 2003... Boots Opticians is to establish 12 franchises in England, optician has been told. The 12, all current free-standing stores, are nationally spread and staff at the practices were informed this week that they had the first opportunity to be...

Hearing is postponed due to family matters.(Elliott Bloom failed to appear at his General Optical Council disciplinary hearing)(Brief Article)
June 20, 2003... Bournemouth optometrist Elliott Bloom failed to appear at his General Optical Council disciplinary hearing this week due to family commitments in Israel. The hearing has been postponed until September 3. Charged with serious...

GOS minister departsin shake-up at DoH.(General Ophthalmic Services)(United Kingdom Department of Health)(Brief Article)
June 20, 2003... The Department of Health emerged this week with a new secretary of state after Alan Milburn's shock resignation - but no announcement as to the new minister responsible for General Ophthalmic Services. David Lammy, who met representatives...

Laser referral fees outlawed.(united kingdom's General Optical Council)(Brief Article)
June 20, 2003... Yesterday's full Council meeting of the GOC also debated an updated statement on laser refractive surgery. The statement emphasises that no payments are to be allowed by refractive clinics for the referral of patients from optical...

Driving debate.(Brief Article)
June 20, 2003... Evidence for a link between poor vision in motorists and road accidents was discussed at this week's All Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment meeting at the House of Commons. MPs and peers heard Simon Keightley,...

Naevus - eyelid; (Pigment spot, mole, melanocytic naevi).
June 27, 2003... DESCRIPTION A naevus (mole) is an extremely common benign neoplasm. Naevi are composed of clusters of melanocytes that, although normally present at that site, have developed anomalous migration and development. If they are located deeper...

Visual recognition: Optic disc analysis in glaucoma.
June 27, 2003... All optometrists spend a significant part of their working hours analysing the appearance of the optic disc. Clinical audit has indicated that inter-optometrist skill in this area varies significantly. Andrew Morgan analyses a selection of...

Positive moves in May.(sales for dispensing opticians)(Industry Overview)
June 27, 2003... While private eye examinations fell by 9 per cent on April's figures, dispensing, average sales per eye test and turnover proved positive May's results showed increases for all types of dispensing, new contact lens fits, solutions sales,...

Why we see what we do an empirical theory of vision.
June 27, 2003... Beau Lotto and Dale Purves discuss the mechanisms by which we see what we do, and explain that we tend to see what a visual scene has typically signified in the past, rather than what it actually is in the present For centuries, people...

Material benefits for AO.(American Optical)
June 27, 2003... u American Optical's AO b'Active progressive lens is now available in the option of Transitions Brown. AO describes Transitions Brown as one of the most advanced lens materials currently available, stating that with the AO b'Active, it is...

Greenberg boasts beefy range.(Stewart Greenberg Opticians)
June 27, 2003... u South Wales practice Stewart Greenberg Opticians had a surprise visit from members of the world-famous Chippendales as they arrived in Wales to perform their dance act. The practice has recently expanded the range of designer sunglasses...

Laser debate goes ahead despite legal challenge.
June 27, 2003... Last week the GOC discussed refractive surgery in the face of an attempt to prevent a new policy statement being aired The GOC adopted a policy statement on refractive surgery last week - including a clause warding off professionals from...

omenwrites.
June 27, 2003... Fashion for franchising At last Boots Opticians has revealed its plans for the future. Whether the decisions to reduce the number of laboratories and to move into franchising practices should be interpreted as a failure of past policies or...

Counter fraud service claims major success.
June 27, 2003... The prosecution rate for NHS fraudsters is one in 10, with just 160 of the 1,453 NHS practitioners investigated punished since the establishment of the counter fraud service, according to the body's own statistics. Although the fraud...

Yorkshire MP takes the helm at ministry.(Rosie Winterton, General Ophthalmic Services)(Brief Article)
June 27, 2003... Rosie Winterton is the new health minister responsible for optical services. Ms Winterton, 44, is Labour MP for Doncaster Central, and has been given the role after the government reshuffle saw John Reid replace Alan Milburn as health...

Profession responds to think tank's 'errors'.(Industry Overview)
June 27, 2003... Optics has hit back at last week's report from the Social Market Foundation which questioned optical pricing in the high street. The SMF report, (News, June 20), called for an Office of Fair Trading investigation as to whether there were...

Careers boss to lead reform of the College.(Bryony Pawinska, College of Optometrists)
June 27, 2003... The head of the 'most powerful organisation' representing career guidance in the UK has been chosen to become the College of Optometrists new chief executive. Bryony Pawinska, who has a background of working with professional...

Lecture series builds rapport.(dry eye syndromes top be discussed)(Brief Article)
June 27, 2003... The next lecture in a co-operative series for optometrists between Ealing, Hammersmith and Houslow LOC and colleagues at a local eye department takes place on June 30. The topic is 'Dry eyes', and it is expected that consultant...

AOP opposed to free eye tests in Scotland.(Association of Optometrists )
June 27, 2003... The Association of Optometrists has criticised the Scottish Executive's proposal to introduce universal free eye examinations, arguing that test fees are 'unrealistic' and must be addressed. However, a spokesman said its opposition would...

Risk from airbags is minimal, says study.(Helsinki University Eye Hospital research)(Brief Article)
June 27, 2003... A new study shows airbags do not cause as many eye injuries as previously thought. Researchers from the Helsinki University Eye Hospital studied more than 100 eye injury cases that occurred as a result of airbag deployment, reports medical...

Prime site for Black & Lizars.(Brief Article)
June 27, 2003... Scottish regional group Black & Lizars is to build its biggest optical practice after securing a prime retail site on Glasgow's south side. The acquisition brings the total number of practices in Scotland to 20. The company also has a...

Advisers look to the future.(Eyecare Services Steering Group )(Brief Article)
June 27, 2003... The Eyecare Services Steering Group and the future regulatory needs of the profession were among the topics discussed at last month's Optometric Advisers' Group meeting. GOS head Derek Busby gave an update on developments at the Eyecare...

Aston sets a date to dilate.(Aston University course on optometric developments)(Brief Article)
June 27, 2003... OEL is holding a general refresher course at Aston University on July 30 with updates on optometric developments. A review of paediatric optometry will be provided by Dr Frank Eperjesi, covering examination techniques, binocular vision...