Optician articles from May 2003

Optician archives from May 2003

Marginal keratitis; (Staphylococcal hypersensitivity).(describes disease, discusses symptoms, signs, treatment)
May 2, 2003... Description This is a common peripheral corneal condition thought to occur as an inflammatory reaction to staphylococcal antigens. It is commonly associated with both staphylococcal blepharitis and facial rosacea. It most commonly affects...

Management of the dry eye in contact lens practice.
May 2, 2003... Jim Farrell continues our CET series on the management of dry eye in a contact lens practice by discussing the treatments available to the practitioner (CET code C4477b) A successful cure for the group of diseases categorised under the...

The Brighton symposia.
May 2, 2003... The British Contact Lens Association's 27th Clinical Conference and Exhibition will be held at the Hilton Metropole Hotel, Brighton from June 6 to 8 and will feature new products, services and ideas for contact lens practitioners Following...

Best of Birmingham.
May 2, 2003... Visitors to Optrafair 2003 were able to view a wide range of high-tech instruments, as well as see the vast array of frames and styles on show Despite the glitzy image of the frame makers, there was no doubt that the real pull for many at...

The recruitment challenge.(recruitment market in retail optics has changed)
May 2, 2003... Last month's Optrafair reflected the much changed recruitment market in retail optics. The eyebrow-raising salaries young optometrists commanded in the late 1990s have gone as employers try to improve working conditions and be more flexible ...

DO cleared at hearing.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... A dispensing optician, accused of serious professional misconduct for being 'rude and aggressive' to a patient, has been found not guilty. Nottingham-based Donald Wood faced two allegations, one that he was rude and aggressive to a...

Laser surgeon pays [pounds sterling]23,000 to patient.(who claimed she suffered from double vision after surgery)
May 2, 2003... One of Britain's best known laser eye surgeons, Emanuel Rosen, has paid out over pound sterling23,000 to a patient who claimed she suffered from double vision after surgery at his clinic. Catherine Brown, who lives in Stockport, received...

Parasite invades this weekend.
May 2, 2003... u Following the success of its launch at Silmo last October, French brand Parasite Eyewear will be presenting new models at Mido. Its appearance this weekend is to launch the second phase of its roll-out, the international market. ...

Fielmann sees improvement.(optical retailer improved sales by 10% in the first quarter of 2003)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Despite uncertain economic conditions giant European optical retailer Fielmann has improved sales by 10 per cent in the first quarter of 2003. The German company announced that it had increased its unit sales of spectacles to 1.37 million...

Luxottica sales hit by climate of uncertainty.(reports drop of 20% in its consolidated net sales for the first quarter of 2003)
May 2, 2003... Italian eyewear group Luxottica has reported a drop of 20 per cent in its consolidated net sales for the first quarter of 2003. Its chairman, Leonardo Del Vecchio, one of Europe's richest 50 people according to last weekend's Sunday Times'...

B&L reports global boost.(contact lenses and cataract surgery products contributed to 8% growth in world-wide sales for the first quarter of 2003 for Bausch & Lomb)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Contact lenses and cataract surgery products contributed to an 8 per cent growth in world-wide sales for the first quarter of 2003 for eye care company Bausch & Lomb. The growth, compared to last year's figures, saw sales rise to $448m...

Moulsdale snaps up Maxivision business.(Optical Express acquires Maxivision)
May 2, 2003... Britain's largest provider of laser refractive surgery has been created through the purchase of the Maxivision business by Optical Express it was claimed this week. In his latest acquisitive move Optical Express chairman and chief...

Laser links.
May 2, 2003... No one can be in any doubt that the ophthalmic practice business and the refractive surgery business are inextricably linked after the move by Optical Express this week (see news pages). Efficiently transferring optical practice patients...

AOP issues guide to supplementary fees.
May 2, 2003... The AOP has stepped up its efforts to encourage practitioners to implement a system of charging supplementary fees for 'additional procedures' during the sight test. A 'Sight Test Resource Pack' has been published by the Association,...

Luxottica eyes Aussie giant.(places bid on OPSM Group)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Italian eyewear group Luxottica has launched a bid for Australia's largest optical retailer, the OPSM Group. The bid, which the OPSM board has recommended to its shareholders, is for A$550m (E309m), and will secure for the optical fashion...

Concern over vitamin pills.(eye supplements )(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Mass consumption of eye supplements may not be good for the nation's health, Professor Alan Bird of the Institute of Ophthalmology at Moorfields Eye Hospital warned on Radio Four this week. As part of the half-hour Food Programme, dedicated...

Children's vision care study needs your help.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Following the launch of a 'charter for families of children with a visual impairment' the profession is being asked for further help in research work being carried out by an Oxford university. The release of the document this week at the...

Meesmann's dystrophy; (Juvenile hereditary epithelial dystrophy).
May 9, 2003... Description Meesmann's dystrophy is easily the rarest of the three epithelial dystrophies, the other two being epithelial basement membrane dystrophy and Reis-B?ckler dystrophy. This autosomal dominant dystrophy was first described...

Managing cataracts in the optometric practice.
May 9, 2003... David Thomson discusses the management of cataracts in the practice (CET Module C4587a) Approximately 5 per cent of the population in the 55-64 age group have cataracts causing a reduction in visual acuity to 6/9 or worse. This figure...

Hospital management of cataract.
May 9, 2003... Anita Reynolds, Michael Gallacher, Cecilia Fennerty and Martin Leyland discuss the management of cataracts in hospital. David Allen provides a surgical video on the DOCET CD-Rom (CET Module C4587b) According to the World Health...

B&L joins Rugby Super League.(Bausch & Lomb)
May 9, 2003... Bausch & Lomb has confirmed its sponsorship of the Rugby Super League for summer 2003. The new initiative includes branded hoardings which read: 'Rugby shaped lenses for rugby shaped eyes' and will be televised at 10 matches from now until...

optician brings you special CET editions.
May 9, 2003... This week optician publishes the first of two special CET editions developed in partnership with DOCET and NetLectures. Both issues (May 9 and 16) contain three CET articles offering the opportunity for readers to obtain a total of 12 CET...

Finance firm predicts laser boom on credit.(Nova Retail Finance is involved in the laser eye surgery finance provision sector)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... A major UK credit services group has forecast it expects patients to pledge between [pounds sterling]8m-[pounds sterling]10m for laser eye surgery in the next 12 months. Nova Retail Finance, a division of Hitachi Credit (UK), which...

Patients give brands vote of confidence.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... A massive survey of consumer confidence in product and service brands has found that Specsavers Opticians, Boots Opticians and Dollond & Aitchison are Britain's most trusted retail optical names. The poll was the third annual Reader's...

moneowrites.(An optometrist discusses the profession)(Column)
May 9, 2003... Cause and effect I have attended two meetings recently that have caused me to re-consider how we as a profession, and myself as an individual optometrist, deal with the situations that were under discussion. The latest meeting yesterday...

Luxottica 'a sensible fit' with OPSM.(OPSM Group)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Further details and comment have emerged of the latest global deal in optics. As reported in last week's optician Luxottica has announced a takeover bid for giant Australian and Far East optical retailer OPSM Group, a deal which has the...

Colleges try to clarify OOs' paediatric role.
May 9, 2003... The Children's Eye Health Working Party (CEHWP) has issued a statement aiming to clarify the role of the optometrist in diagnosing and managing paediatric optical and ocular conditions. Some 11 months after the group's original statement,...

10-point bill of 'rights' for children.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... A 10-point series of 'rights' of families and parents who have visually impaired children was published last week. The list emerged at a meeting of Oxford Brookes University's Families and Childhood Visual Impairment Research Study, which...

CET for all.(Brief Article)(Column)
May 9, 2003... Ever since optician introduced the idea of journal-based CET we have always striven to provide the most relevant and up-to-date continuing education and training for our readers. Over the years this hasn't just meant optician using the best...

FMO ponders taking Optrafair to London.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The decision on whether or not Optrafair should become an annual event with exhibitions in Birmingham and London in alternate years was expected to be made at a meeting yesterday. Insiders say that despite being from the NEC, organiser...

OEL rescues practitioners left in the lurch.(Optometric Educators)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Following the BCLA's decision to cancel its courses for 2003, CET provider Optometric Educators (OEL) has stepped in to offer a programme of multi-level contact lens courses. The first will take place on June 18 in Leeds, replacing the...

ABDO names top speakers for September.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Details of speakers attending ABDO's 'pick and mix' sessions at the Association's National CET Weekend in September have been released. The event, which will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manchester, will run from September...

Cataract plan lays foundation.(U.K. Health Minister Alan Milburn singles out cataract services at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Improved cataract services at an NHS Trust have been used by Health Minister Alan Milburn to back efforts to push through plans for 'foundation hospitals'. In an announcement timed to coincide with a House of Commons vote, Brighton and...

Melanoma - conjunctival (malignant melanoma).
May 16, 2003... Description Malignant melanoma of the conjunctiva mainly affects the elderly. It arises most commonly in a pre-existing naevus or in an area of primary acquired melanosis and least commonly arises de novo as a primary lesion. It is a...

The practice approach to learning disability.
May 16, 2003... Ann Duignan and Gordon Ilett discuss adaptations to normal practice and routines required when examining patients with learning disabilities (CET Module C4588a) Before embarking on a description of adaptations to normal practice and...

Communicating with professionals involved with caring for people with learning disabilities.
May 16, 2003... Lidia Trojanowska, Margaret Woodhouse, Ffion John and Ruth Stewart discuss issues on communicating with other professionals involved with learning disability as well as interaction with the patients themselves (CET Module C4588c) When...

Communicating with patients with learning difficulties.
May 16, 2003... Ffion John and Lidia Trojanowska offer advice to practitioners when examining people with learning difficulties and describe the use of Makaton signing, a simple and effective way to improve communication with the patient. An accompanying CET...

optician preferred by three quarters.
May 16, 2003... optician is the preferred journal for optometrists and dispensing opticians, and if allowed to take one journal 75 per cent of professionals would subscribe to optician rather than receive its free rivals. This is one of the results of a...

Ciba helps Aboriginal visual aid programme.(Ciba Vision)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Ciba Vision is to help improve Aboriginal eye care in New South Wales. Aboriginal people suffer 10 times the rate of blindness from preventable eye disease than non-Aboriginals but are examined by eye care practitioners in far lower...

GOC expels hundreds of practitioners.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Over 200 optometrists were erased from the Opticians Register last month, due to failure to pay retention fees, the GOC has announced. In all, 231 optometrists, 230 dispensing opticians and 25 bodies corporate were erased on April 28...

Clinic meets care standard.(Advance VisionCare has been registered with the National Care Standards Commission)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Advance VisionCare, the independent laser refractive surgery provider, has been registered by the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC). The move occurred following a recommendation by the Consumers' Association in which it said that...

Ciba recalls batch of Focus Dailies Torics.(Ciba Vision UK)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Ciba Vision UK has issued a voluntary product recall from practices for one of its new daily wear contact lens brands. In its letter which has been sent to relevant practitioners, the Southampton-based company explained the reason for the...

OO is suspended over claim for dead patient.(Optometrist Harvey Maurice Levy is found guilty)
May 16, 2003... An optometrist who claimed an NHS fee for testing the vision of a deceased patient was suspended from the Opticians Register for 12 months last week. Harvey Maurice Levy was found guilty of serious professional misconduct after a three-day...

Tabacchi calls for end to counterfeit frames.(National Optical Goods Manufacturers' Association president Vittorio Tabacchi)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Italy's optical manufacturing trade association has called for the end of 'non-CE compliant frames, knock-offs and counterfeits', after 2002 figures showed the industry in a slump. New statistics show that sunglass sales to its leading...

Major change at ABDO rests with members.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... This Sunday (May 18) dispensing opticians will decide on whether to give the go-ahead to proposed changes to their national association. ABDO will host an extraordinary general meeting at its London headquarters where members will vote on...

University OO wins first Van Colle award.(University of Cardiff research optometrist Ruth Stewart wins the Giles Van Colle Memorial Award)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... A research optometrist at the University of Cardiff has won the first Giles Van Colle Memorial Award. Ruth Stewart, who has worked in the Down's Syndrome Study Team at the university's Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences impressed...

'Sigh of relief' for Mido bosses.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Attendance figures from Mido, the Milan optical fair which ran for four days earlier this month, reveal there was a 33.2 per cent drop in visitor numbers. Despite a total of 25,500 visitors compared to 38,159 in 2002 (which was a fall of...

Fast-track optometry course wins approval.(General Optical Council will approve the University of Bradford's degree)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... The General Optical Council has confirmed it is to approve the University of Bradford's 'fast-track' optometry degree. Following a full Council meeting in March, GOC register Peter Coe told optician that it had given the innovative course...

B&L upgrades FreshVision offer with home delivery.(Bausch & Lomb)
May 16, 2003... Bausch & Lomb has further enhanced its frequent replacement FreshVision programme with the introduction of a home delivery service and new sell-in and sell-out materials. The FreshVision three- or six-month supply allows professionals to...

Generation game.(Differences between newly qualified optometrists and older counterparts are discussed)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Is a 'them and us' attitude emerging between newly qualified, lower-paid optometrists and their well-heeled managers and supervisors? A recent web chatroom (Monoptica) raised the question of how many newly qualified optometrists have...

Freedom Act raises concern.(Freedom of Information Act)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Optics' professional bodies plan to meet soon to discuss the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act and its implications for practitioners contracted to the NHS. The Act, passed in 2000, is designed to make it easier for the...

Moorfields tests effectiveness of public health campaigns.(Moorefields Eye Hospital)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... A unique effort to discover how effective an eye health awareness promotion is will take place in the Isle of Wight later this year. Moorfields Eye Hospital is running the programme, which will highlight information on glaucoma to the...

The man who invented the ophthalmoscope.
May 23, 2003... Steve Ainsworth looks back to events leading up to the invention of the ophthalmoscope by Herman Helmholtz Almost exactly 300 years ago, it was discovered that the luminosity of a cat's eyes could be observed with greater ease if the cat...

Public knows more about fashion eyewear than practices, says Kirk.(Jason Kirk)
May 23, 2003... u Optical practitioners must sell spectacles and sunglasses as fashion items as well as vision correction aids to ensure the long-term success of their businesses. That was the message from Jason Kirk, managing director and designer at...

Selling a lifestyle.
May 23, 2003... This year's Mido Exhibition presented visitors with an overwhelming 200,000-strong display of frames. Samantha Dalton reports from Milan on the show highlights Mido is known as the fashion Mecca for the industry, and as usual, eyewear took...

Ireland plans Optrafair-style exhibition and conference.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Ireland's contact lens association hopes to team up with the country's suppliers group to present an Optrafair-style show and conference. The event, provisionally planned for September 26 2004 at Dublin's City West venue, will take place...

Ophthalmic technology - where is it taking us?
May 23, 2003... In the first of two articles, Dr Jennifer Craig describes two of the latest developments in ophthalmic imaging in recent years The intention in these articles is to describe a small sample of significant developments in the area of...

nemowrites.(briefs)(Column)
May 23, 2003... Hazy perceptions It was inevitable that the recent picture of an improved manpower situation (optician, News Analysis, May 2) would remind us of the many sterile discussions of yesteryear on the sensitive issue of recruitment to the...

Pre-reg website is a hit with students.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... A website devoted to pre-reg students has received thousands of 'hits' per month. www.pre-reg.info was established in March this year to act as a debating forum for pre-reg students, and has gathered over 100 registered members. ...

Students prepare to enter the fast-track.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... The 24 students taking part in Bradford University's fast-track optometry course complete their preparation period today. This week's two-day preparation period aims to ease students' early work for the course, which gained GOC approval...

ABDO must rethink strategy for change.(Association of British Dispensing Opticians)
May 23, 2003... The proposed changes to ABDO's constitution were rejected by its members because the majority 'yes' vote fell short of the required 75 per cent last Sunday. The Association's rules stipulate that a three-quarters majority must be reached,...

Ultralase cuts jobs as patient demand falls.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Ultralase has announced the current downturn in demand for laser eye surgery has forced it to axe nearly 30 members of staff. The news comes just months after the self-regulating Eye Laser Association was set up and the well-publicised...

That's democracy.(Association of British Dispensing Opticians' failed efforts to change constitution)
May 23, 2003... It is hard not to feel some sympathy for those people running the Association of British Dispensing Opticians in the wake of their failed attempts to change its control structures. The vote in favour of making the changes (see News) won a...

Optics feels the pinch in Germany.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Germany's deteriorating economic situation and its effect on the optical market is reflected in the latest figures from professional body Zentralverband der Augenoptiker (ZVA). ZVA represents over 90 per cent of the independent...

Marketing drive helps D&A bounce back.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Multiple retailer Dollond & Aitchison has had an impressive start to the year after a high-profile marketing campaign, according to the latest figures from parent company Italian frame firm De Rigo. Following 'disappointing' 2002 results,...

Essilor plans acquisitions.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Xavier Fontanet, chairman of Essilor International, has announced that the company is setting aside E120m ([pounds sterling]86m) per year for acquisitions. Speaking at the lens manufacturer's AGM in Paris last weekend, he said he expected...

Optomap aids diabetes team.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Researchers at the University of Birmingham have used the Optomap retinal examination while developing software for use in detection of diabetes-related eye problems. The team from the school of computer science used the Optomap system,...

Milburn finds [pounds sterling]52m to cut cataract wait.
May 23, 2003... Health secretary Alan Milburn has announced a new drive to reduce cataract operation waiting times, allocating [pounds sterling]52m to an initiative that should see increasing optometric involvement. By December 2004, no patient should be...

CET onslaught.
May 23, 2003... optician attended the Optometry 03 conference running alongside this year's Optrafair and was impressed by both the scale and the variety of what was on offer for practitioners As a showcase for UK optometry and an opportunity to hear from...

Melanoma and naevus of the iris.
May 30, 2003... Description Iris naevi and melanomas are both largely benign conditions with neoplastic transformation of a naevus being extremely rare and iris melanoma, in stark contrast to conjunctival, cilary body or choroidal melanoma, also being a...

The community franchise.(Specsavers' franchise receives Investors in People (IIP) award)
May 30, 2003... The small West Yorkshire town of Guiseley near Leeds is home to a booming, award-winning Specsavers franchise, reports Samantha Dalton A Specsavers' franchise has received the Investors in People (IIP) award after less than 18 months in...

At both ends of the laser.
May 30, 2003... Before studying medicine and becoming an ophthalmologist, David Gartry trained as an optometrist. Now one of the UK's foremost refractive surgeons, he talks to Alison Ewbank about his experience of laser refractive surgery, as a surgeon and as...

Optometric co-management of Lasik: Part 2 - Postoperative assessment.
May 30, 2003... Michelle Hanratty describes a postoperative strategy for optometrists working with refractive surgery patients The first article of this series concentrated on the role and responsibilities of an optometrist in performing pre-operative...

Essilor Airwear lenses enjoy benefits of new slippery coat.(Brief Article)
May 30, 2003... Essilor's Crizal Alize hard anti-reflective coating is now available on its Airwear lenses. This latest coating from Essilor retains all of the benefits of the current Crizal coating but has the additional benefit of being very easy to...

Making waves on the front.(Bausch & Lomb's Symposium on Vision Correction)(Brief Article)
May 30, 2003... In the first of two reports from Bausch & Lomb's Symposium on Vision Correction, held in Monaco last month, Alison Ewbank looks at the format of this new meeting and reports on the sessions relating to wavefront-guided refractive surgery ...

Ciba adds colour tint to DuraSoft 3.(Brief Article)
May 30, 2003... u Ciba Vision has merged its ColorBlends range of cosmetic contact lens tints with its annual replacement DuraSoft 3 toric contact lens. The move is designed to make coloured contact lenses available to practices and patients who prefer a...

Dunelm shows price flexibility.(Brief Article)
May 30, 2003... u Dunelm has released eight of its most popular frame shapes in a Euroflex design and reduced the price. The company has also launched new models in its Carlo Bianchi range. Ladies' frame CB1031 (pictured)features bubbled gold on the sides...

Review body rejects OMPs' test fee claim.
May 30, 2003... The Government's independent medical pay review body has rejected calls to establish a separate sight test fee for ophthalmic medical practitioners. As discussions between the profession and the Department of Health on a new GOS sight test...

Contact lens research shows growth sectors.(Brief Article)
May 30, 2003... More than eight out of 10 optometrists are personally involved with fitting contact lenses, compared with half of dispensing opticians. This means OOs account for three out of four contact lens practitioners. These are among the findings of...

Oakley settles sunglass suit.(Brief Article)
May 30, 2003... Luxottica has reached an agreement with California-based Oakley after two lawsuits were brought by Oakley for infringement of a patent for the production of sunglass lenses. As part of the agreement, the preliminary injunction that Oakley...

omenwrites.(customer relations and practice guidelines)
May 30, 2003... Consumer rights With more and more time now spent dealing with problems caused by UK and EU legislation on consumer rights I was not surprised to read of the difficulties encountered by David Levy (Letters May 9) and Don Wood (Letters May...

Change is vital to role of AOPsays president.(Association of Optometrists)(Brief Article)
May 30, 2003... More work is needed from within the Association of Optometrists and its membership to ensure the views of the wider profession are accurately reflected. This was the message of AOP President Don Grocott at its annual general meeting in...

Seiko widens field of view.(Synergy progressives )(Brief Article)
May 30, 2003... u Seiko Synergy lenses are claimed to reduce distortions caused by front-surface progressives by up to 40 per cent thanks to their rear surface design. The patented rear-surface technology comes in 1.6, 1.67 and 1.74 options, bringing the...

Adapting to change.(the face of optometry associations)(Brief Article)
May 30, 2003... Change has become the norm is so many walks of life. Accepting and adapting to change has become crucial for any profession or organisation. As optician staff move around the country speaking to practitioners, employers and the...