Optician articles from October 2002

Optician archives from October 2002

Giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC); (Contact lens-induced papillary conjunctivitis).(Brief Article)
October 4, 2002... Description Giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC) affects the upper tarsal conjunctiva and is usually seen with soft contact lens use, although it is also less commonly seen with rigid lenses. GPC has also been reported following cataract...

Contact lenses by the bundle.(Ciba Vision Corp. to market specialist eye-wear lenses and solutions)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2002... u Ciba Vision has restructured its marketing team with the formation of a new 'bundling' unit headed by Olivia Brown. The aim is to bring together Ciba's specialist lenses which require daily cleaning and the solutions needed to clean them....

How to cover the legal aspects of CL practice.
October 4, 2002... Continuing our series aimed at practitioners who currently fit few or no contact lenses, Keith Edwards examines the legal considerations involved in setting up a contact lens practice The essential place to start when considering the legal...

Give drop-outs another chance.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2002... Jane Veys and Anna Sulley highlight the opportunity to return lapsed wearers to contact lenses and provide a practical guide to re-fitting them successfully The term 'drop-out ' is used all too often in the contact lens field to describe...

RGP refresher - Part 3; Fitting bifocal and multifocal rigid gas-permeable contact lenses.
October 4, 2002... In the final part of our three-part RGP refresher CET series, Cheryl Donnelly and Keith Edwards discuss the fitting procedures for presbyopic contact lens patients (CET Module C4205c) Correcting the presbyope with contact lenses is still...

Advanced orthokeratology Part 3: Aftercare and problem solving.
October 4, 2002... Dr Trusit Dave concludes our three-part CET series on advanced orthokeratology with a look at aftercare and problem solving (Module C4204c) This article concentrates on the various components of the follow-up examination and management of...

ABDO may act after reports of shock 'fall' in DOs'salaries.(Association of British Dispensing Opticians)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 2002... A new snapshot of salaries in Britain has found dispensing opticians are earning less than they were 10 years ago. In a widely reported survey, dispensing opticians were said to have suffered the biggest fall in average earnings in research...

Supply changes hold back D&A's progress.(Dollond & Aitchison)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2002... Dollond & Aitchison's profits fell due to tough trading conditions in the UK's retail optical market and a shake-up to its lens supply in the year to June 30. In the first six months of 2002, D&A's operating profitability fell more than...

It's official - specs appeal is no match for contact lenses.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2002... New research has found that young people who swap their spectacles for contact lenses increase their 'pulling power' by 400 per cent. The research, carried out by Warwick University's Department of Psychology and funded by Novartis, the...

Health Clinic in crisis as director is sacked.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2002... Speculation over the sale of all or parts of the Health Clinic business began in earnest last week after the laser vision correction to chiropody business sacked its former financial director. Industry speculation as to which company might...

nemowrites.(column on politicising health and education)(Column)
October 4, 2002... Beyond belief Among the various domestic problems which have plagued this country during the post-war years, the consequences of politicising health and education must surely rate a very high priority. Barely a week goes by without hearing...

Eyewear gains street cred; Almost six out 10 adults in Britain wear prescription spectacles regularly, and there are a growing number of younger Britons who associate spectacles with attractiveness. ; The good news for the profession emerged from research.
October 4, 2002... issued at the end of last week's National Eye Week by the Eyecare Trust which was featured in national newspapers. One of the world's largest research groups, Taylor Nelson Sofres, carried out the research earlier this year. Around 50...

Conflicting research.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2002... As Elvis Costello's hit goes 'Accidents will happen' but some accidents take more investigation than others. Take for instance the virtually simultaneous release of the latest research on attitudes to eyewear and vision correction published...

Show of loyalty for Laura Ashley.(Laura Ashley eye-wear division marketing plans)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2002... u Updated display material for the autumn/winter collection from Laura Ashley Eyewear is now available. Norville will provide an attractive wooden stand, which can display up to six pieces, to members of its Laura Ashley Loyal Partners...

Lib Dems seek wider eye care provision.
October 4, 2002... The Lib Dems have called for an enhanced role for optometrists, better promotion of regular eye tests and improved provision of low-vision aids in the high street. At its conference at the end of September, the party enlarged its policy on...

ACLM offers practices free business model.(Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2002... Today (October 4) sees the launch of the Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers' updated Optical Practice Business Model, a CD-Rom designed to demonstrate the financial benefits of prescribing contact lenses. Two video presentations...

GOCverdict on the web.(disciplinary hearing of Carol Le Bosquet )(Brief Article)
October 4, 2002... The much-delayed GOC disciplinary hearing of Carol Le Bosquet was held this week in central London. The Beckenham-based practitioner last year attempted to prevent the case going ahead because of an alleged breach of 'natural justice' and...

Marcolin reaps profit from designers' flair.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 4, 2002... Italian eyewear business Marcolin - which markets Dolce & Gabbana Eyewear and other optical brands - reported turnover up 7.7 per cent for the first half of 2002, at E89.6m. The company said that results were helped by sales increases in...

Warning over EC bid to lower boundaries.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2002... The General Optical Council joined other UK health bodies this week to warn that patient safety will be compromised if a EC directive aimed at freeing movement of health professionals goes ahead. Rosie Varley, chairman of the GOC, along...

Glaucoma - acute angle closure; (Acute pupil-block glaucoma).(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... Description Acute angle closure glaucoma is a usually dramatic, rapid onset glaucoma leading to a very high intraocular pressure (IOP); it presents a marked threat to vision. The mechanism of angle closure is usually blockage of aqueous...

Optical Revolution remains on course.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... Dispensing-only retailer Optical Revolution, founded by the former deputy chairman of electrical retailer Tempo, plans to open a second site in the new year. Last year Michael Kraftman opened a store in Colchester to 'test the market' and...

Safilo steps out in fashion on the Champs Elysees.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... u Just weeks before the opening of this year's Silmo exhibition in Paris, Italian firm Safilo has opened a new fashion showroom on the Champs Elysees to display its eyewear collections. The facility integrates the Safilo France sales...

Paediatric optometry; Part 8: Low vision assessment and management.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... Dr Robert Harper continues our paediatric optometry series by looking at the assessment and management of low vision in children (CET Module C5025h) There are estimated to be some 1.4 million children (aged 14 years and under) with...

My mentor and me.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... David Thomas (Contact Lenses) is the largest independent gas-permeable contact lens manufacturer in the UK. It was founded in Thornton Heath, London in 1972, and moved to Northampton four years later. The firm has a team of 36 working in one of...

Going wild at Expo West.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... optician flew out last month to Las Vegas to gauge the mood of the US optical industry exactly one year on from the September 11 terrorist attacks. David Challinor toured the stands of Vision Expo West to view the latest international frame...

Hoya unveils a colourful new line in a rimless design.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... u Hoya Lens UK has introduced a colourful new rimless design concept - Airlist (plastic) and Airlist2 (titanium) frames. The company says that Airlist and Airlist2 not only combine a rich variety of colours, but are also durable,...

Optometry in a time of change.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... After party conference lobbying on the sight test, and confirmation of a Government-led 'eye examination summit' later this month, last week's National Optometric Conference was more timely than ever, as David Challinor and Samantha Dalton...

Doing more for more!(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... Optometrists are obliged by their NHS contracts to detect signs of injury, abnormality or disease and perform tests 'where necessary', but how far does that responsibility extend when the GOS fee remains at its present level, asks Vivian Bush...

LOC launches plan to boost low vision care.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... An LOC has claimed this week that hospital queues for low vision services will be cut dramatically for patients in its area following a new initiative. JELOC (the Joint Essex Local Optical Committee) is about to launch its new Low Vision...

It's civil war.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... Will anyone take a sword to the Gordian knot of ophthalmic services funding? The meeting to be hosted by the Department of Health among optical bodies later this month certainly holds out the best hope. The flawed business model of low...

VAT spat ends amicably.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... FODO has ended its pursuit of costs from the AOP and ABDO regarding last year's VAT tribunal. The three optical bodies have put aside their previous differences regarding the financial fallout of the five-day tribunal and found an...

DoH to host summit as eye test debate rages.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... The Department of Health is to host what one source called an 'optical summit meeting' later this month. Professional bodies and groups associated with the profession are invited to attend and it is expected that all matters related to...

OO's disciplinary case verdict delayed again.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... An optometrist who attempted to set a precedent by having her disciplinary case dropped because of an alleged breach of natural justice will not receive a verdict for another month. The GOC disciplinary committee met for two days in London...

AMD plan: not nice news for campaigners.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2002... The long-running saga as to whether the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) will allow a therapy for treating 'wet' AMD on the NHS is to take another turn on October 14. Sources have told optician that the Nice will issue a...

Gonococcal keratoconjunctivitis.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... Description Gonococcal conjunctivitis is an acute bilaterally sight-threatening disease caused by infection with the Gram-negative diplococcus Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the same organism that causes gonorrhoeal urethritis. Gonococcal...

Frame designer helps raise [pounds sterling]1m.(Jeff Banks, for British Heart Foundation)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 18, 2002... u Fashion designer and television personality Jeff Banks, creator of the Jeff Banks London and News Eyewear collections, has completed a major cycle ride through Europe in aid of the British Heart Foundation. Mr Banks (pictured) cycled over...

Successor to Optica show boasts sell-out.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... Opti Munich, which has taken over from Cologne's Optica as top German optical show, has already sold out for its January 10-12 event. Organisers state that the 2003 show will be the first time all the German and international market leaders...

Accessorise to maximise.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... Optical accessories have never really achieved their potential, but there are big opportunities out there for practices willing to indulge in a little add-on retailing, as optician discovers Getting practitioners interested in cases,...

Valentino offers golden winter.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... u New from Valentino is a limited edition luxury sunglass for the winter season. The golden sunglass in 2,000 numbered pieces and studded with 150 Swarovski crystals is part of Valentino's pret-a-porter collection and will be available this...

Unusual tests - Part 4:The Cortical Vision Test.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... In his penultimate unconventional test, Dr Frank Eperjesi describes the Cortical Vision Screening Test which can be used to detect and locate lesions that may be causing problems that are not readily identified using conventional visual acuity...

Scottish chain wraps up Health Clinic deal.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... Following its purchase by Optical Express, the Health Clinic will retain its name, but its complementary therapies services are 'under review'. Health Clinic completed its meteoric rise and fall last Friday (October 11) when the...

Low vision care study paints bleak picture.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... Adults in the UK with vision problems feel isolated and say they have lost their independence because too little help comes too late. This is the conclusion of a new report by eye care charity the RNIB, which claimed that it had produced...

nemowrites.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... First things first Interest in the possibility of ophthalmic opticians charging patients for services regarded as over and above those included in the NHS test has inevitably led to questions concerning the continuing relevance of the GOS....

Sale of the century.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... Has David Mousdale's Optical Express just achieved the bargain of the century with its purchase of the Health Clinic or is it buying a pig in a poke? The fall in fortunes of the Health Clinic could not have been more dramatic. At flotation...

FODO gives Scottish members new voice.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... Optical employer's body FODO has formed a new group which, it claims, will give its Scottish members a distinctive voice in devolved government. Glasgow-based 'FODO Scotland' takes over all responsibility from the London-based optical...

Scottish voucher claims up 5%.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... Spectacle vouchers claimed by Scottish patients rose by 5 per cent in the year to March 31 2002, latest GOS figures show. However, claims for supplementary tints fell 13.8 per cent, although there was a marginal increase in sight tests paid...

Optometrist to face disciplinary hearing.(John Roy George Carrington)(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... A Northamptonshire optometrist will face a GOC disciplinary committee next week charged with serious professional misconduct. John Roy George Carrington, who practises at Towcester's John Carrington Ophthalmic Opticians, will appear before...

Early detection vital says glaucoma study.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... Newly released findings from a glaucoma study indicate that early detection - made during some eye examinations - is vital in delaying the progression of the disease. The details of the work, published in this month's Archives of...

Scotland steps up war on fraud in the NHS.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... A new warning to practitioners on optical fraud has been made by the Scottish Executive's deputy health minister. Frank McAveety told practitioners that Scotland's Fraud Investigation Unit (FIU) would step up its efforts to cut fraud in the...

Specialists to open eye unit.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2002... A [pound]2m hospital, claimed to be the first specialist eye hospital in the country to be funded, developed and run by eye specialists, will open at the end of the year. The Yorkshire Eye Hospital, situated between Bradford and Leeds at...

Granular dystrophy; (Groenouw I dystrophy).(symptoms, treatment options)
October 25, 2002... Description The corneal dystrophies are a group of progressive, usually bilateral, inherited (although non-congenital) corneal disorders with a typical age of onset. The stromal dystrophies result in characteristic stromal opacities. There...

Profession prepares for summit with DoH.(Department of Health)
October 25, 2002... Conflicting points of view on the GOS contract and NHS eye examination are likely to come to the surface at next week's Department of Health 'summit meeting' with the profession. By coincidence, the Department has scheduled the London...

Beware the politician.(Department of Health to convene optometry summit)(Brief Article)
October 25, 2002... Those who do the bidding of optometrists and dispensing opticians need to be on their best political behaviour at the summit convened by the Department of Health early next week. Whether the lobbying efforts of the College of Optometrists...

Visual performance of the human eye.(conference honors Professor Neil Charman)
October 25, 2002... Last month UMIST held a two-day conference to pay tribute to the career of Professor Neil Charman, and celebrate his retirement. Dr Chris Dickinson reports Since arriving at UMIST in 1970, Professor Neil Charman's research has encompassed...

Accommodative spasm:a synopsis.(symptoms, causes, and optometric manmagement of eye accomodative spasms, ways optometrists can identify and treat this condition)
October 25, 2002... Professor Bernard Gilmartin gives a synopsis of the clinical features and the optometric management of accommodative spasm All optometric practitioners recognise that a prerequisite for effective refractive correction in the pre-presbyopic...

Developments in the management of AMD.(age-related macular degeneration)
October 25, 2002... Jonathan Gibson describes the latest developments in the management of age-related macular degeneration including photodynamic therapy, radiotherapy and surgery It is customary to use the term 'age-related maculopathy' (ARM) for the...

College backs drive to refit CL drop-outs.
October 25, 2002... Next month's College of Optometrists' conference will host an additional workshop on 'refitting the lasped contact lens wearer'. The workshop will take place on the first day of the two-day Liverpool conference, and will be presented by...

Testing on the rise.(eye examinations and optical dispensing)
October 25, 2002... September proved to be one of the best months this year for eye examinations although the dispensing trend is still negative One benefit of the Index being reported within weeks of actual business results is that month by month it is...

ABDO issues warning on unqualified DOs.(Association of British Dispensing Opticians and dispensing opticians)(Brief Article)
October 25, 2002... Members of the profession who know of unqualified or unregistered staff carrying out the work of dispensing opticians should report them to the GOC as they are breaking the law. This was the message from Association of British Dispensing...

United in Newcastle.(Association of Optometrists' conference for hospital optometrists)
October 25, 2002... Helen Kirk reports from Newcastle on the Association of Optometrists' 28th annual conference for hospital optometrists Once again the Hospital Optometrists' Annual Conference was deemed a great success. This year the conference was held in...

GOS at the crossroads.(Simon Browning's opinion of the future of optometry in the UK)
October 25, 2002... With the debate over the future mode of delivery for eye care services soon to come under the government spotlight, Simon Browning argues that the GOS contract and the Opticians Act are stifling the development, if not of the survival, of...

omenwrites.(Royal National Institute for the Blind, discusses standards and training of opticians)
October 25, 2002... Institute Blind responding to Mr Bush's view. Careful reading of both shows that in reality they are both saying the same thing, namely that optometrists have a huge opportunity to make better use of their skills for the benefit of patients...

Progress on NVQs for assistants.(National Vocational Qualifications being funded by Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, program for optical assistants)(Brief Article)
October 25, 2002... National Vocational Qualifications for optical assistants are a step closer following the granting of funding from the Qualifications & Curriculum Authority. Funding for the National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (NVQ/SVQ) has...

Receptionist cleared of NHS fraud charges.(Margaret Prendergast of Specsavers Opticians, cleared of UK National Health Service false accounting charges)(Brief Article)
October 25, 2002... An elderly former Specsavers Opticians receptionist accused of forging patients' signatures in claims for NHS cash walked free from a Crown Court earlier this month. Margaret Prendergast, 66, who worked for Burgess Hill Specsavers in West...

Conference to debate driving and low vision.(low vision services implementation conference)(Brief Article)
October 25, 2002... Driving and low vision will be one of the issues discussed at the second national low vision services implementation conference on Monday (October 28). Other topics for debate at the central London event will be neurological vision loss...

D&A in loyalty deal with Tesco.(Dollond and Aitchison to join Clubcard scheme)(Brief Article)
October 25, 2002... Dollond & Aitchison has signed a deal to join in Tesco's Clubcard scheme. The high street optical group has joined Allders to award their consumers 'points' in the same way as Tesco rewards its shoppers. The agreement will mean the...

GOCrejects appeal for restoration.(appeal from optometrist, Ashim Parti)
October 25, 2002... An optometrist's attempt to be restored to the Opticians Register ended in failure on Tuesday (October 22). Ashim Parti, who was formerly registered in London, was struck off in November 2000 after failing to carry out adequate eye...

Bausch & Lomb up 11% in third quarter.(Brief Article)
October 25, 2002... Bausch & Lomb achieved worldwide sales of $466.7m (pound sterling301m) - an increase of 11 per cent - in the third quarter of 2002. In a period in which the American healthcare giant announced a transfer of Purevision extended wear contact...

Silmo forecasts boost in attendance figures.(International Optics and Eyewear Exhibition in Paris)(Brief Article)
October 25, 2002... Organisers of the Silmo show, which is being held this weekend in Paris, expect attendance figures to bounce back to their 2000 level. The International Optics and Eyewear Exhibition at the Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles has attracted 974...