Optician articles from October 2004

Optician archives from October 2004

RGP lenses.(Rigid Gas-Permeable)
October 1, 2004... Part 1 - Materials, manufacturing and design In the first of a three-part CET series on rigid gas-permeable contact lenses, Judith Morris looks at RGP lens materials' physical properties, their manufacture and the main categories of lens...

Family values.(Vision Clinic wins Contact Lens Practice of the Year Award)
October 1, 2004... The Vision Clinic, winner of this year's Contact Lens Practice of the Year Award, is a family practice in all senses of the word, as Alison Ewbank discovered At first glance, a suburban practice seeing a high proportion of children and...

lumenwrites.(GlassesDirect)
October 1, 2004... Online entrepreneurs So a further slice of the World Wide Web is taken up by yet another online entrepreneur. GlassesDirect is just the latest company to have managed to be given coverage during the slow news summer 'silly season'. The...

By the book.(laws, rules and regulations of employment)
October 1, 2004... The latest round of employment law legislation comes into force today (October 1). Employers need to be up to speed to avoid an increased penalty if a case goes to industrial tribunal. Gareth Edwards and Clive Day explain Depending on...

Actman can help brighten your desk.(Andrew Actman)
October 1, 2004... u To coincide with the release of the new Actman and Mico Eyewear catalogue, Andrew Actman has introduced a special promotion designed to brighten any reception area or dispensing desk. Co-ordinating stainless steel desk accessories are...

Nickel.(use of nickel alloys in spectacle frames)
October 1, 2004... Nickel frames are available Nickel is seldom, if ever, used in its pure form in spectacle frames except as a plating. Any manufacturer who does use it and advertises the fact should probably be locked up as a dangerous lunatic since...

Lotus puts practitioners in fast lane.(Lotus Eyewear collection design)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... u Around 20 practitioners attended the relaunch of Lotus Eyewear last week at the car company's Hethel headquarters near Norwich. Following a tour of the factory where it manufactures the Elise and Exige sports cars, Lotus then gave the...

DO fined for testing optometrist's sight.(dispensing optician David Semmens)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... A 'pillar of the community' could face disciplinary proceedings by the GOC after he was convicted in a magistrates court last month. Dispensing optician David Semmens admitted testing the sight of a patient, reportedly an optometrist, when...

What's your beef?(Federation of Manufacturing Opticians)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Show organisers for next year's Optrafair have called on the profession to tell them about the 'headaches' of running an optical practice. In an open effort to make the NEC more relevant to the practitioners who visit it, organising body...

Optometrist cleared by disciplinary panel.
October 1, 2004... An optometrist was cleared this week of allegations that he failed to carry out an adequate eye examination on a toddler. George Allan Hale carried out the examination at Specsavers Opticians in Cambridge in August 2001 and asked the boy's...

Want to be on telly?(BBC and Channel Four hunts for opticians to work in television programs)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The BBC and Channel Four are both currently on the look out for volunteers for different TV programmes. The makers of Channel 4's BAFTA award-winning series Faking It are looking for an optician to take part in a new run of the popular...

DO contacts100 schools after children's eye care warning.(surveys)
October 1, 2004... Following an article warning about children's eye health in an issue of optician a Bath-based independent has promoted the availability of free eye care for under 16s to over 100 schools. Last month optician reported that a new survey had...

Raiders steal Police display.(cases of theft)(thieves loots Police sunglasses)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Thieves have got away with [pounds sterling]5,000 worth of designer sunglasses from a Glasgow practice. The raid took place at McElvanney's Opticians in the city's west end last month. The Glasgow Evening Times (September 24) reported...

Specialist unit to brief OOs.(Yorkshire Eye Hospital)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Yorkshire Eye Hospital is inviting optometrists to its latest regional symposium which will take place a week on Tuesday. The October 12 afternoon event will cover topics such as patient choice, laser eye surgery and new oculoplastics...

Multiple's conference ready to PACa punch.(Professional Advancement Committee)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Sunday's 10th annual Specsavers Professional Advancement Committee (PAC) conference seems certain to be the most impressive yet. The day-long event at the Birmingham's ICC venue already boasts the most extensive programme to date and last...

Early election could scupper CET reforms.(General Optical Council)
October 1, 2004... April 1 next year is the probable starting time for the GOC's raft of legislative changes - unless Prime Minister Tony Blair calls a snap General Election. This new agreed date for the wide ranging set of rules to be in operation -...

Browning sets new course for Allders.(Allders Opticians)(Rodenstock UK)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Former Specasavers Opticians retail development manager Nick Browning has been appointed to the board of Allders Opticians as general manager, and managing director designate. Browning worked for 10 years with the French parent group of...

Hughes: 'We feel misused'.(Bob Hughes)(General Optical Council)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The continuing delay to the long-discussed package of legislative changes brought by the GOC has left senior figures in the profession fuming. The Section 60 Order, now likely to go ahead next April rather than at the end of the year, will...

D&A boosts sales but barely breaks even.(Dollond and Aitchison Group Ltd.-profits and sales )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Dollond & Aitchison's aggressive marketing campaign over the past year has seen it increase its market share at the expense of profits. This the conclusion drawn from parent company De Rigo's results for the first six months of 2004. D&A's...

Enlightened in Lille.
October 8, 2004... Delegates at this year's Essilor University & College Symposium enjoyed the additional treat of linking up with the company's ninth European Forum in Lille, France. Chris Bennett reports Essilor's ninth European forum, entitled 'Viewing...

Great outdoors.(Maui Jim Inc., )
October 8, 2004... Things are moving apace at Maui Jim UK with sporting tie-ups, new product innovations and the offer of a prescription service via its $5.5m lab in the US. optician finds out more Competitors at the recent Festival of British Eventing at...

Safilo unveils Bike and Rasta ranges for Dior.
October 8, 2004... u Safilo has launched two new ranges into the Dior collection - Dior Bike and Dior Rasta. The two ranges each comprise one wraparound sunglass, one goggle and one helmet. Bike sunglass models 1 and 4 have polycarbonate lenses and...

moneowrites.
October 8, 2004... Changing times It was with little surprise that I read about the boycott of the new cataract referral project in Croydon (optician, News, September 24). For some time now I have been increasingly aware of this new system that is about to...

The Diploma in Orthoptics - Part 9.
October 8, 2004... Professor Bruce Evans concludes our series by describing case studies he submitted as part of his Certificate B examination The previous articles in this series explained the rationale behind the College of Optometrists' newly revised...

As you like it.(Association of British Dispensing Opticians)
October 8, 2004... Sue Southgate reports from Stratford-upon-Avon on the ABDOconference and argues that its breadth and excellent attendance underlines the importance of well-supported CET for the profession ABDO has developed a winning formula for the...

Nitrate, cellulose.
October 8, 2004... Cellulose nitrate is highly flammable Yes, but it is possible to add fire retardants to it. There are few, if any, reports of injury from burning cellulose nitrate spectacle frames. Cellulose nitrate has not been used for about 40...

VAO ladies run Flora Challenge.(Vision Aid Overseas)
October 8, 2004... u A team of 16 participated in the Flora Light Ladies' Challenge in London last month to help raise money for charity Vision Aid Overseas. The team was comprised of women who work for VAO and included practitioners Mary Golding and Sheila...

DOstruck off for lying.(dispensing optician)
October 8, 2004... A dispensing optician has been struck off after pretending he had qualified as an optometrist. Harin Bhupatrai Chohan was offered a job as an optometrist at Ronald Brown Opticians on the basis of his deception. It was only when the College...

GOS changes are 'final straw'.
October 8, 2004... Dispensers' body ABDO is seeking an urgent meeting with health minister Rosie Winterton after what it sees as the latest snub by government to the profession. Its latest ire follows previous correspondence with health secretary John Reid...

Your favourite author.(optometry, career)
October 8, 2004... This year's award for the best CET article, sponsored by D&A, was presented to Professor David Thomson. optician explains why and gives an overview of the career of one of optometry's better known academics As ever, the selection of just...

Specsavers duped by 'ironman' technician.(Ironman Triathlon)(Brief Article)
October 8, 2004... A Specsavers employee pretended to take part in the world Ironman Triathlon events and garnered sponsorship to travel to Hawaii and Austria at the company's expense. The 'Walter Mitty life' of David Deans, a lab technician in Aberdeen and...

New cataract scheme wins LOCsupport.(Croydon LOC)(Merton, Sutton & Wandsworth local optometric committee)(Brief Article)
October 8, 2004... The Merton, Sutton & Wandsworth local optometric committee has announced support of the new cataract direct referral scheme in South West London. The scheme is being boycotted by the Croydon LOC, which says the existing Croydon Fast Track...

Standing ovation for Inspecs.(Inspecs Ltd.)(Brief Article)
October 8, 2004... Inspecs beat off competition from some of the biggest names in UK retailing on Monday when its Caterpillar eyewear stand won the top prize at the British P-O-P Awards in London. Having already won the Fashion & Accessories category at the...

Second OO cleared over child's squint.(General Optical Council)(Ophthalmic Optician)
October 8, 2004... In the space of five days, GOC disciplinary committees cleared two optometrists of serious professional misconduct regarding eye examinations carried out on the same child. Cambridge-based optometrist Dr Graham Macalister followed the case...

Optometrist's appeal goes to High Court.(Brief Article)
October 8, 2004... Nicole Threlfall, the optometrist found guilty of serious professional misconduct by a GOC disciplinary committee in May, is to appeal against the decision in the High Court today (October 8). Her appeal, which is to take place in London,...

OEL merges with Replay Learning.(Optometric Educators)(Replay Learning)(Brief Article)
October 8, 2004... Two of the best known education groups in the profession have merged with the aim of offering a broader range of CET and other services. The deal, between Optometric Educators (OEL) and Replay Learning, means OEL's offices will be...

B&L files suit in defence of toric CL patent.(Bausch & Lomb Inc.)(Contact Lenses)(Brief Article)
October 8, 2004... Bausch & Lomb has filed a lawsuit in the US against Ocular Sciences for infringement of the patent for its toric contact lenses to correct astigmatism. The company claims Ocular Sciences' Biomedics toric soft contact lens infringes its US...

Child myopia study awarded [pounds sterling]26k grant.(Brief Article)
October 8, 2004... The Human Myopia Research Centre at Aston University has been awarded a grant of [pounds sterling]26,500 by the Central LOC Fund to study the epidemiology of refractive error in British children. The study will include a special analysis of...

You scratch my back.(contact lenses, sales promotion)(Brief Article)
October 8, 2004... Johnson & Johnson Vision Care is working with Dollond & Aitchison on the multiple's first ever scratch card promotion. Contact lenses patients could win a holiday anywhere in the world, as well as many other prizes, in a promotion aimed at...

Ciba Vision UK recalls three branded solutions.(Brief Article)
October 8, 2004... Ciba Vision UKhas sent out letters to its customers recalling three of its solutions in a labelling mix-up. Managing director Howard Barnes wrote to users at the end of last month to recall Solo-care Plus All-in-One solution, Focus Plus and...

Provis makes 100 list.(Brief Article)
October 22, 2004... A contact lens manufacturer has been named as one of the fastest-growing companies in the UK. Disposable lens maker Provis was ranked number 10 in The Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track 100, and was the highest placed of the four Scottish...

The Dynamic Pascal Contour Tonometer.
October 22, 2004... A new concept in tonometry is bringing increased accuracy to the measurement of IOP. Michelle Hanratty takes a close look at the Dynamic Pascal Contour Tonometer, available from Carleton Optical Tonometry is one of the key investigations...

Safilo set to sparkle with Diamonds at Christmas.
October 22, 2004... u Safilo has launched a frame collection to celebrate Christmas. Creative director Enzo Sopracolle designed the Safilo Diamonds range of jewelled frames with 'refined workmanship and exquisite attention to detail to create veritable cult...

Platinum group metals.
October 22, 2004... Dr Glyn Walsh takes a look at platinum group metals which include iridium, palladium (see last week), platinum and rhodium There are four platinum group metals which have been reported as belonging to this group. Although they are usually...

We have the technology.
October 22, 2004... Optical practices can tend to conform to type. You might expect the optician Technology Practice of the Year to be all beech flooring, metal furniture and recessed lighting, but you'd be wrong The Lacey Practice nestles in a genteel area of...

Trial frames for children.
October 22, 2004... Bill Harvey discovers an innovative new design of trial frames aimed at the younger end of the market Most practitioners will be all too aware of the challenges in handling refractions with the younger patient. The need for accuracy is...

NOC-on effects.(National Optometric Conference)
October 22, 2004... Paul Condon reports from the AOP's National Optometric Conference, which focused on the legislative changes affecting the practice of optometry Most of the 140 delegates attending this year's event managed to make the start of the 2004...

Optical Express buys Boots' laser business.
October 22, 2004... Optical Express will inherit over 10,000 laser eye correction patients in its deal with Boots. The transfer of the business, which will officially begin on Monday (October 25), comes ahead of a further expansion of OE's laser interests in...

Our new columnist, Yafoo, is hassled by patients young and old and still hasn't got into the swing of early Saturday morning appointments.
October 22, 2004... Trouble in store I think this job will put me off having kids. The other day a mum came in for her routine appointment. She had just finished the school run and was accompanied not only by her own little darlings but by those of her...

A contact tonometer without anaesthetic - the Tiolat iCare.
October 22, 2004... Bill Harvey overcomes his initial scepticism regarding a new hand-held tonometer which is increasingly being used in domiciliary settings I have to confess that when I first heard about a contact tonometer that could be used without the...

Pachymetry in the palm of your hand; the Heidelberg IOPac.(intraocular pressure)
October 22, 2004... Bill Harvey tries out a new hand-held pachymeter which uses palmtop technology An interpretation of tonometry readings has to take into account central corneal thickness. A thicker cornea will offer greater resistance to the applanating...

OO cleared by disciplinary committee.(Ophthalmic Optician )(Brief Article)
October 22, 2004... Optometrist Wendy Ann Dick was cleared of serious professional misconduct at a GOC disciplinary committee meeting last week. Although the committee found the allegations proved that she had failed to treat and refer a child to a medical...

The HRTII Confocal Cornea Module.(Heidelberg Retina Tomograph)
October 22, 2004... Bill Harvey tries out the latest modification to the HRTII which allows a retinal tomograph to be adapted for corneal analysis The Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRTII) has been increasingly used in the monitoring of diseases of the optic...

Essilor rolls out bespoke lens.(Brief Article)
October 22, 2004... Essilor is beginning to roll out its new Varilux Ipseo technology to its Gold Varilux Specialist opticians. The announcement was made last week at a reception at the Tate Modern art gallery in London where Varilux is currently sponsoring an...

Golfers raise guide dog money.
October 22, 2004... u The team at Signet Armorlite and Kodak Lenses have raised [pounds sterling]2,500 for the Guide Dogs for the Blind by playing golf. More than 150 staff members and customers took part in two golf days at the Celtic Manor resort in Wales...

Specsavers admits error over child's 'lazy eye' prescription.(Brief Article)
October 22, 2004... The parents of a five-year-old who was given an incorrect lens by Specsavers Opticians to correct her 'lazy eye' condition have criticised the multiple through the local press. The child had to wear an eye patch on her right eye for four...

Pathways to be discussed in the Lords.(eye care pathways)(House of Lords)(Brief Article)
October 22, 2004... A discussion group will meet at the House of Lords next week to debate the NHS national eye care pathways launched earlier this year. The pathways - in glaucoma, cataract, AMD and low vision services - aim to involve optometrists in...

Former optom calls off bid for reinstatement.(Ashim Parti case)(Brief Article)
October 22, 2004... A former optometrist, struck off the register in 2000, withdrew his third bid to be reinstated hours before a disciplinary hearing was due to take place by a GOC committee. Ashim Parti had unsuccessfully applied to be restored to the...

Nova HQ to close with David Thomas merger.(Nova Contact Lenses' head quarters)(David Thomas Contact Lenses)
October 22, 2004... Nova Contact Lenses is to close its Hemel Hempstead facility when it 'merges' with David Thomas Contact Lenses. The deal will see Nova's business incorporated into David Thomas Contact Lenses after the closure of the Nova headquarters on...

Prague lives up to promise for delegates.(Brief Article)
October 22, 2004... A total of 50 delegates travelled to Prague earlier this month for the Northern Ireland Optometric Society annual conference. The four-day event, which took in many of the city's attractions, included an education programme delivered by...

Eyecare 3000 expands.(Brief Article)
October 22, 2004... Eyecare 3000, the Scottish conference, is to expand again with an education and exhibition event in Cardiff in the New Year - and it has announced it will provide CET for multiple Optical Express. Earlier this year it was revealed that the...

Web-based practice.(Brief Article)
October 22, 2004... 'Ground breaking' software that will allow practitioners to offer their core services via the internet has won [pounds sterling]100,000 backing. IT professional Andy Chance-Hill has developed the program Metspex II. Practices using the...

DoH considers extra powers to fight fraud.(Department of Health)(Brief Article)
October 22, 2004... NHS counter-fraud specialists could be given new powers including access to optical clinical records, and even the right to view information by unannounced visits. The possible new legislation is now out for consultation in a Department of...

Polyamides (nylons/nylon copolymers/copolyamides).(eyeglass frames)
October 29, 2004... Dr Glyn Walsh continues his series on commonly held beliefs about frame materials Nylon-type materials are often marked This often tells little of the frame material beyond what our immediate supplier wants us to know, as the names...

Security in practice.
October 29, 2004... Practice security should be a priority for all owners. A refit can be the ideal time to review how adequate your protection is, from something as simple as improving the locks to installing anti-ram posts. Samantha Dalton reports Product...

West Side stores.(optical industry, New York )
October 29, 2004... Stephen Karbaron visits New York and finds eyeglass boutiques springing up like Starbucks It seemed that wherever I went on my first visit to the Big Apple in four years, from SoHo to the Upper West Side, from Hell's Kitchen to Fifth...

Thoroughly modern.(interior design)
October 29, 2004... Minimalism may be waning in popularity for home interiors but sleek lines, neutral colours and natural finishes are still the most prominent trends in optical practice design Turn on the television any night of the week and you're...

A tax on the family.
October 29, 2004... Accountant Mary Fraser highlights a recent tax case which could spell trouble for independent practitioners who employ a spouse Britain's 200,000 small family-owned companies could be facing tax bills of anything up to [pounds sterling]1bn...

Ocular therapeutics - Part 10; Basic and ocular pharmacology.
October 29, 2004... Professor John Lawrenson outlines general pharmacological principles and specifically describes the factors involved in the absorption, distribution and metabolism of ophthalmic drugs (C4823j) The science of pharmacology is concerned with...

How to finance the refit.
October 29, 2004... Refitting the practice is without doubt potentially one of the most expensive outlays you can incur. Simon Wardle suggests some potential ways of financing it Experience shows that there is no doubt that a well planned and attractive fit,...

Making of a modern practice.
October 29, 2004... In 2002, optician tracked the progress of optometrist Andrea Clamp as she revamped her newly acquired Cambridge practice. Now, 18 months after she officially re-opened, she talks again to Rob Moss All those who followed our 'Making of a...

London to host Vision 2005.
October 29, 2004... Next spring, around 2,500 people from all over the world will arrive in London for Vision 2005, the world's premier event on low vision and sight loss. What's more there will be CET points on offer The Royal National Institute of the Blind...

September slide.(industry sales and revenue)
October 29, 2004... Figures fail to buck the negative trend although total turnover is still holding up, along with new contact lens fits This year results have tended to lag last year's figures and this month is no exception. It is only new contact lens fits...

Dr Fowler is presented with the Wiseman Medal.(meshed brief)(Norville Autoflow)(Eye Index)
October 29, 2004... u Dr Colin Fowler has been presented with the Wiseman Medal in recognition of his contributions to research and education in ophthalmic optics. Presented at a recent day ceremony of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers by Frank...

GOC: 'All's well that ends well' inadequate.(General Optical Council)
October 29, 2004... The GOC fired back in the Nicole Threlfall High Court appeal last week. The optometrist appealed against being found guilty of serious professional misconduct by a GOC disciplinary committee following her 2002 appointment with a...

Corporates urged to check their status.(trade policy)(Brief Article)
October 29, 2004... Urgent advice has been given to English corporate contractors of GOS by the professional bodies ahead of 2005's changes. Upcoming changes to the ophthalmic list regulations by the Department of Health have made it 'absolutely vital' the 572...

Oakley to combat fall.(Oakley Inc.)
October 29, 2004... A wet summer in Europe was blamed for Oakley's sluggish third-quarter sales. However, with American troops based in Iraq, as one of two approved sellers to the United States army, the US optical business expects to generate 'substantial...

New lens will 'crack the code' says Ciba in Paris.
October 29, 2004... The launch of the daily wear silicone hydrogel lens, O2Optix, will help 'crack the code' to the contact lens market, professionals heard last week in Paris. Speaking at the European launch of the daily wear silicone hydrogel lens, Ciba...

US debates kids' eye care in election run-in.
October 29, 2004... US ophthalmology and an optometry-backed group have clashed on the best way forward for children's eye care in America in the run-up to Tuesday's presidential election. A total of 260 candidates for congress - 155 democrats, 93 republicans...

RNIB research finds 'worrying complacency'.(Royal National Institute for the Blind)(Brief Article)
October 29, 2004... More details have emerged of the RNIB's research on driver's vision, which formed the theme of this week's Eye Test Action Day. Two weeks ago (News, October 15) optician reported that the event would highlight the finding that a third of...

Make brands more visible, urges Mintel.(reports Mintel International Group Ltd.)
October 29, 2004... Optician businesses are forecast to face 'intensely competitive trading conditions', and many should review their strategies to build market share and margins. This is the conclusion of a new in-depth report from Mintel, Optical Goods and...

Silmo claims success with rise in visitors.(optics exhibition )
October 29, 2004... Paris's Silmo was deemed a success this week after the four-day international eyewear and optics exhibition attracted 42,759 visitors, an increase of 5.7 per cent on last year. Nearly half of the visitors, 20,395 of them, came from outside...

Pathway results will be known next spring.(health policy)
October 29, 2004... The first results of the much-heralded eye care pathways will be known in six months' time. This was one of the discussion topics of Tuesday's All Party Parliamentary group meeting at a House of Lords conference room. The meeting,...

Hughes to focus on OOs' skills and pay.(ophthalmic Optician )(Brief Article)
October 29, 2004... The AOP's chief executive designate will concentrate on optometrists' pay for increased use of their skills. Bob Hughes, FODO's executive director, who will succeed Ian Hunter next year, told optician that he viewed his appointment as an...