Optician articles from May 2002

Optician archives from May 2002

nemowrites.(eyewear industry)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... Down to earth Over the years the Great and the Good have maintained that, contrary to the recognition accorded by the Opticians Act, corporate practice in general, and the multiple variety in particular, have no part to play in the...

The Metropole menu.(British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference)
May 3, 2002... The British Contact Lens Association's annual Clinical Conference provides a meeting point for the contact lens professions and industry. This year's event, at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, will include new features to attract delegates...

How to set up your contact lens strategy.
May 3, 2002... Martin Russ sets the scene for a new series of articles, aimed at encouraging practitioners who currently fit few or no contact lenses to develop their business, by outlining factors to consider when setting up a successful contact lens...

Trends in UKcontact lens prescribing 2002.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 3, 2002... Dr Philip Morgan and Professor Nathan Efron present the results of the seventh annual Eurolens Research survey into UK contact lens prescribing trends The seventh annual survey into UK contact lens prescribing was conducted between January...

Practice is forced to destroy copied patient newsletter.(opticians)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... A practice which copied the design and text of a patient newsletter produced by a consultancy has been forced to destroy all its copies following the threat of legal action. It has also paid an undisclosed sum to compensate the copyright...

Optica admits defeat.(Cologne optical trade show)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... Organisers have ended the Cologne optical trade show Optica after almost 20 years. Intentions to stage a new optical show in the city have been announced, but apart from voicing the idea, nothing has been decided as yet. Confirmation...

Norville collars Snoopy to put children in the frame.(opticians marketing)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... u Snoopy, that cuddly creation of cartoonist Charles Schultz, has been roped in for a summer promotion of children's eyewear, by UK distributor Norville. Until the end of May, Norville is sending out one free piece of Snoopy eyewear with...

Viva International signs licensing deal with Gant AB to launch eyewear range.(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... Viva International Group has announced a licensing agreement with the men's sportswear brand, Gant AB, to launch the new Gant Eyewear collection. The company states that the collection will reflect the essence of the brand, with styles...

Winner takes all in Germany.(OptiMunich conference)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... Organisers of OptiMunich were quick to exploit the announcement of the end of Optica, the rival German optical event staged in Cologne (see page 6). The end of Optica means that next year - an Optrafair year - there will be one less European...

Accountants to decide future of AE Walsby.(opticians)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... Interested parties attending today's meeting over the financial situation of Merseyside opticians AE Walsby will probably hear that the company is to be placed into liquidation. Liverpool-based accountant Parkin S Booth & Co and...

College seeks advice on future strategy.(College of Optometrists)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... Working successfully with other optical bodies is key to the future strategy of the College of Optometrists, its new president said. Frank Munro was speaking after last month's agm, at which a team of management consultants appointed in...

Fair competition.(optical trade shows)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... It is ironic that in the week the biggest European optical trade show, Mido, opens its doors, the final curtain is brought down on another established European show, Optica. Optica has struggled in recent years to fulfil its role as a major...

D&A overtakes Boots in Top 100 retailers list.(Dollond and Aitchison)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 3, 2002... Three of the big four optical chains have charted in this year's Top 100 retailers, published last week by Retail Week. Specsavers Opticians are highest placed, maintaining their position as 65th biggest high street force with [pound]362m...

UK is target market, says Fielmann boss.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 3, 2002... German optical giant Fielmann has stated again it is aiming to enter the British high street. optician has previously reported that the optical retailer is planning a way into the UK profession, (News, July 27 2001). But in the past no...

AOPcriticises statement on [pounds sterling]21m thought to be 'at risk'.(opticians)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 3, 2002... The Department of Health has announced headline figures related to optical patient and contractor fraud - however, the latter figure has been criticised by the AOP as not useful. In announcing a 25 per cent drop in dental patient fraud,...

Giant Dutch store opens.(Specsavers Opticians)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... Specsavers Opticians has opened a flagship outlet in Holland and expects up to 10,000 consumers to visit this year. The company says its expected visitor numbers will make the practice the highest volume optical practice in the Netherlands...

Date set for European exams.(European Diploma)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... The executive committee of the European Council of Optometry and Optics (ECOO) met last weekend in Berlin and decided a date for the first written paper of the European Diploma. The date has now been confirmed as October 5. The...

Value of CL market grows by over 8%.(contact lenses)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 3, 2002... Industry figures show that the value of the UK contact lens market grew by more than 8 per cent last year. The latest statistics compiled by the Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers indicate that almost 269 million contact lenses were...

'Landmark' Welsh scheme launched.(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... Those in favour of extending NHS eye test eligibility will be watching carefully the progress of the new free 'eye health examination scheme' in Wales. Welsh Assembly health minister Jane Hutt called its launch this week a 'landmark day'...

Practitioners respond to vCJD risks survey.(variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... More than one in five practising optometrists have replied to a City University survey of current practices to minimise the risk of vCJD transmission during contact lens fitting and other procedures. The survey, sent to all practising...

Grant awarded for gene study.(Fight for Sight)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... Fight for Sight has made a PhD studentship grant to fund research to pinpoint the genes responsible for eye diseases which can lead to blindness. Following last year's findings at the Human Genome Project, the grant will study the factors...

Ectopia lentis; (Subluxed lens, dislocated lens, zonular dehiscence).(eye disorders)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2002... Description The term ectopia lentis refers to displacement of the crystalline lens from its normal position. If it is totally displaced from the pupil, this is referred to as dislocation. If it is still partially within the pupillary...

Ectropion.(condition where eyelid rests away from eye)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2002... Description Ectropion refers to eversion of the eyelid whereby it rests away from the eye. This almost exclusively affects the lower eyelid and may affect only a part of the eyelid (eg medial ectropion) or the whole length of the lid. The...

moneowrites.(cost of eye care)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2002... Beating the Budget With the benefit of hindsight I can now say that I was clearly wrong about my assertion that the Chancellor would alter VAT in his Budget. However, at least I was right about lots of money coming the way of the NHS. A...

Effective power and change in vertex distance.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2002... In the second of six articles addressing dispensing issues in everyday practice, Trevor White discusses when a change in vertex distance produces the need to compensate lens power If a patient is refracted with the trial lenses or refractor...

Some like them hot.(Chanel eyeglasses)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2002... Marilyn Monroe wore nothing in bed but Chanel No 5. It now seems some women are feeling naked without Chanel sunglasses. optician finds out more from Luxottica's Alan Niblo Consumers have been known to put down advance bookings on luxury...

Paediatric optometry; Part 3 - Assessment of visual acuity in infancy and early childhood.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2002... Dr Kathryn Saunders examines the ways in which visual acuity can be assessed in infancy and early childhood and the advantages and disadvantages of different techniques in optometric practice. She also presents the age-related acuity norms...

A little learning at the AGM.(optometrists' general meeting)
May 10, 2002... optician reports on the recent day of CET organised by the College of Optometrists to run alongside its annual general meeting The decision to run a day of CET concurrent with the College of Optometrists' annual general meeting again...

Charges debate tours UK.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2002... The AOP is to take its idea of how the profession can charge for 'discrete' procedures in addition to the eye examination on the road. 'Beyond the sight test' will take place in 10 venues around Britain next month, and will launch the...

Sisley unveils its 'mood of contrasts'.(eyewear collection)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2002... u The fashion house Sisley has launched a new eyewear collection aimed at the younger wearer. The collection features smaller eye styles in a range of metal and acetate models that concentrate on style. There are 12 models in the line...

GOC expels 380 practitioners.(Opticians Register )(Brief Article)
May 10, 2002... Over 200 optometrists were erased from the Opticians Register last month, mainly due to failure to pay retention fees, the GOC has told optician. In all 223 optometrists and 157 dispensing opticians were erased, together with 10 corporate...

Sunglass body offers guide to winning sales.(European Sunglass Association)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2002... A 100-page training guide aimed at giving practitioners confidence to take advantage of the lucrative sunglasses market was launched last week. The Training Guide 2002 from the European Sunglass Association (ESA) is designed to give...

Aston offers 'unique' course on low vision.
May 10, 2002... A two-day seminar on low vision next autumn promises attendees a 'unique briefcase' of low vision kit which will help practitioners take advantage of the burgeoning service area. The course is scheduled to take place at Aston University...

Push me pull you.(opticians decide how to promote products)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2002... Practitioners could soon find themselves under a lot more pressure from companies looking to get optical products to their chosen markets. While professional advice has always been seen as the key to customer decision-making, it appears that...

Inspecs claims no loss from deal with Asda.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2002... Inspecs has rejected claims that some independent practitioners have cut their ties with the company following its move to supply supermarket chain Asda with its French Connection and fcuk-branded frames. The company announced last month...

MPs to debate eye examination.
May 10, 2002... The eye examination will be discussed next month by the AllParty Parliamentary Group on Eye Health. The group, which has over 40 MPs and peers as members, was launched at the start of the year (News, January 25) and aims to advance the...

Show's success reflects industry's revival.(Mido)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 10, 2002... Milan trade fair Mido proved last week that the international optical exhibition sector is showing signs of recovery after the events of September 11. The total number of exhibitors rose 3 per cent to 1,302 and the number of foreign...

CL course aims to challenge attitudes.(contact lens)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2002... A series of four training workshops next month will show practice owners and managers how to raise the profile of contact lenses within an outlet. Hosted by the ACLM, the workshops, billed as for being for 'frontline practice staff',...

Sola launches Teflon coating at Mido event.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2002... Sola and DuPont used Italian optical trade fair Mido for the official launch of their collaborative venture for a new lens coating using the Teflon name. The Teflon Easycare coating has been developed by Sola in association with DuPont...

Chat in style with Carrera.(combined mobile telephone headset and sunglasses)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2002... One of the more quirky innovations at Mido was to be found on the Safilo stand. Through its Carrera brand Safilo is introducing a combined sunglasses and mobile telephone headset. 'Chat' uses a Carrera frame to house a plug-in ear piece...

One Vision: Public gains awareness of eye health.(The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association promote eye health)(Statistical Data Included)
May 17, 2002... Robin Hutchinson discusses The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association's aim to raise the profile of eye health and make it the health issue of the next decade Any profession will always find issues of disagreement and alternative opinion,...

On target.(optometry students)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... Henry Burek suggests a simple DIY solution for pre-reg students wanting to practise their skills with confrontation/perimetry targets We are rapidly approaching that time of year when a metamorphosis takes place. I am not talking of...

Ciba Vision brings out Aquify drops.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... u Ciba Vision has introduced a comfort eye drop called Focus Aquify which it claims, mimics the action of natural tears to provide long lasting contact lens comfort. The substance at the centre of the claim is sodium hyaluronic which is...

Premium opportunity.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... Practitioners who continue to ignore the sunglass market do so at their peril, if projected figures for future market value are anywhere close to reality. According to the just-published report Sunglasses by Mintel, the UK market for...

Repeat viewing.
May 17, 2002... Visitors to this year's Mido show could be forgiven for being put off not just by the amount of rain Milan experienced over the weekend, but also by an overwhelming sense of d?j?-vu. Samantha Dalton and Chris Bennett report Mido, which...

Lenstec becomes active after dark.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... u Lenstec held a 'b'active after dark' evening event at the Quality Hotel, Cardiff to heighten practitioner awareness of the AO b'Active progressive lens. The evening, was co-hosted by American Optical and included a presentation by company...

Former VE boss to head US company.(Reade Fahs)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... Former managing director of Vision Express Reade Fahs has joined the board of US group National Vision, American optical journal Vision Monday has reported. He will become president and chief operating officer. Mr Fahs, who joined Vision...

The Liverpool line-up.(College of Optometrists' scientific conference)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... Victoria Ellen previews the College of Optometrists' scientific conference at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Liverpool in November The College of Optometrists will be holding its biennial scientific conference on Sunday 17th and Monday 18th...

nemowrites.(removing opticians from the Opticians Register)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... Workers all Disclosure of the General Optical Council's removal of the names of 380 practitioners from the Opticians Register is both a startling and a welcome development. It is startling that supposed professionals were indifferent to...

Major fairs set hectic schedule.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... Exhibitors wishing to attend both Optrafair and Milan's Mido next April will face a hectic month. At the end of the Italian show last week it was announced that the event would move from May to April next year, lose a day and run from...

Carroll calls on optics to see bigger picture.(Brian Carroll on optometry services)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... Supermarkets and multiples are set to capture an even greater share of the optical market, according to ex-Boots Opticians' director of finance, Brian Carroll. The outgoing FODO chairman told the Federation's agm that he expected further...

Action Man offers extra comfort.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... u A new range of Action Man frames has sparked interest prior to reaching practices, according to Brulimar. The collection, follows in the footsteps of the established Action Man range and features the new 2002 Action Man logo on the...

Tesco's supplier takes FODO treasurer post.(Alan Tinger)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... In an indication of how the supermarkets are becoming more involved in mainstream optometry, the managing director of Tesco's optical supplier has become FODO treasurer. Alan Tinger, managing director of Galaxy Optical Services, the...

Pride and prejudice.(FODO)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... Any independent practitioner hearing FODO chairman Brian Carroll's outgoing speech (see the full transcript next week) may feel that they are living on borrowed time, or perhaps that FODO has outgrown its footwear. Not only does the...

Profession must grasp new NHS opportunity.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... Optics has between six and 12 months to take advantage of the drive for change within the NHS. During that time the profession must work together to extend its members' roles and career development. This is the view of Dr Steve Taylor, who...

Smaller practices must upgrade, say suppliers.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... UK independents must show suppliers more commitment if they are to stand a chance of competing with the multiples. This was the message from exhibitors at the Milan Mido show earlier this month. Suppliers told optician that independent...

DOCET seeks new chairman.(College of Optometrists' Directorate for Continuing Education and Training)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... DOCET, the College of Optometrists' Directorate for Continuing Education and Training, is looking for a new chairman. The vacancy has been created by the retirement of current chairman Richard Llewellyn at the end of his term of office. ...

Asda reduces price of sight test to ?5.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... Supermarket Asda has cut the price of its eye examination to ?5 from this week at its 39 vision centres around Britain. The company, owned by US giant Wal-Mart, announced that it hopes its move to lower the price from ?15 to ?5 will 'make a...

Oakley and Nike settle lawsuits.(over sunglass patents, U.S.)(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... Oakley and Nike have resolved their longstanding legal wrangling regarding sunglass patents, after nearly five years of claims and counterclaims between the two US companies. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, but Oakley...

Optrafair asks for CETpoints.(Brief Article)
May 17, 2002... Organisers of next April's Optrafair exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham have applied for continuing education points to be awarded to those attending the event. Members of the Ophthalmic Exhibitors arm of the Federation of Manufacturing...

Endothelial opacities - classification.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... Description Opacities on the endothelial surface of the cornea can occur in a number of pathological and non-pathological conditions. Trauma: Both surgical and nonsurgical trauma can affect the endothelium. The most common surgical...

Using the GDx Access.
May 24, 2002... Optometrist Les Clarke offers his experience of using the GDx Access scanning laser polarimeter on patients in his practice A fter being impressed by associate professor Joseph Sowka's presentation of the GDx at the Optometry 2001...

The view from a GP's surgery.
May 24, 2002... As part of our occasional series looking at allied professionals and their interaction with eye care practitioners, Bill Harvey talks to Dr Ferhat Khwaja, a London-based general practitioner Bill Harvey: To begin, could you tell us a little...

Ocular Sciences appoints strategist.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... u Ocular Sciences has appointed Diethart Reichardt to the new position of president Ocular Sciences Europe. He will have direct responsibility for sales and subsidiary business units in Europe, including direct operations in the UK. ...

The Keeler Pulsair EasyEye tonometer.
May 24, 2002... Graham Holland reviews the Pulsair EasyEye, the latest generation tonometer from Keeler Primary open-angle glaucoma is one of the most common abnormal conditions encountered in optometric practice. It affects between 0.5 and 2 per cent of...

Stars come out at Ciba Vision.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... u Some of the most famous names in film and music turned up for a day's work at Ciba Vision's headquarters in Southampton this week - all in the name of charity. Staff at Ciba Vision staged a mass look-alike competition as part of an annual...

Multiple gains.(Federation of Ophtalmic and Dispensing Opticians)(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... FODO Chairman Brian Carroll shares his vision of the future of optics As FODO chairman for the last three years, one particular statistic that has remained with me from the last Mintel report is that multiples and supermarkets enjoyed...

The development of a new set of near vision charts.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... Richard Harsant discusses the Harsant LVA near vision assessment charts and near vision contrast assessment charts The LVA charts are the result of some frustration with the chart that is probably most familiar with LVA practitioners in the...

Specsavers offers lens safety check.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... Specsavers Opticians claims to have introduced new technology to its practices that can identify spectacle tints which are safe for driving. Last year, stories broke in the press highlighting the dangers posed by driving in certain tinted...

Scanning laser polarimetry.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... Bill Harvey outlines the principles of scanning laser polarimetry as used by the GDx Access and discusses how it differs from the Heidelberg Retinal Tomograph's scanning laser tomography The use of scanning laser techniques in optometry has...

nemowrites.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... Counterproductive? According to Goethe, ideas are like chessmen moved forwards: they may be beaten but may start a winning game. Whether the AOP's idea of charging extra, for tests over and above what it believes the GOS pays for, is...

Birmingham and the merits of promotion.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... As the British Contact Lens Association's Clinical Conference opens today in Birmingham, incoming president Graeme Young reflects on the current status of contact lenses in the UK and the role played by the BCLA The contact lens community...

Myopic eye is shaped by early use of vision.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 24, 2002... Parents have been told to consider the use of bifocal lenses in children with known accommodative lag to prevent retinal blur. This is one of the conclusions of a new paper on myopia in the British Medical Journal (May 18) which confirmed...

Weco looks to future under new ownership.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... The purchase of Weco Optical Machines has secured the future of one of the world's leading edging equipment manufacturers, Weco's sole UK agent Pro Laser UK has claimed. Belgian group Buchmann Optical Holding (BOH) completed the purchase...

Hays' minimum charge 'holding us to ransom'.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 24, 2002... Some practitioners will incur substantial cost rises for vital deliveries after being asked to pay a monthly minimum charge for their Hays DX courier services. One optometrist who contacted optician said that the price hike represented a...

Inspecs: 'The grey market message is being received'.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... Inspecs says it is beginning to get the message across to its independent customers that its reasons for supplying fcuk and French Connection branded frames direct to Asda (News April 26)were to stem the flow of products from the grey market....

Holden to present new research.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... Ciba Vision is to adopt a series of 'high impact' promotional ideas to promote the use of silicone hydrogel lenses among potential wearers who work in cities. The firm has also drafted in one of the biggest names in contact lens research...

On with the show.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... there are still more than nine months to go before the next Optrafair, but activity currently taking place behind closed doors is reaching fever pitch. optician has never been in so many conversations with so many people from so many different...

Milburn launches 'NHS Bank'.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... An effort by government to offer grants and loans to NHS groups for innovative service delivery has been formally launched by health secretary Alan Milburn. Nicknamed the 'NHS Bank' it is planned that it will be at arm's length from the...

Optrafair aims to hold London show in 2004.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... Plans for Optrafair to become an annual event with exhibitions running at Birmingham and in London on alternate years, have been announced. Dedicated exhibition venues are currently being sought for Optrafair London with Wembley, Earl's...

CooperVision streamlines its customer service contact.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... CooperVision, the company that bought Biocompatibles eye care business for ?68m in January, has streamlined its customer service to its stockists. From Monday (May 27) all calls from stockists and distributors of CooperVision, Proclear and...

Don't lose your full test fee, says FODO.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... Some health authorities have been telling practitioners that they cannot claim the full sight test fee if their charge to private patients is lower. However, they are wrong, an optical body told the profession this week, and practitioners...

The future of Dublin's BSc course is assured.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2002... The future of Ireland's sole optometry course has been secured after the profession's representative board in Eire lifted a ban on a Dublin college taking first-year students. Doubts about the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) course...

The making of a modern practice.(Brief Article)
May 31, 2002... In the second part of our series following the modernisation of one of Cambridge's oldest practices, proprietor Andrea Gould talks to Rob Moss about the patient base Two years ago, when optometrist Andrea Gould decided to go it alone and...