Optician articles from October 2005

Optician archives from October 2005

Dispensing opticians core subject 3; Refractive management.
October 7, 2005... As we continue to look at one aspect of the core competencies for dispensing opticians, it is worth remembering that a good deal of the subject areas are outside what many dispensing opticians might expect falls within their remit. This is a...

Proactive partners.
October 7, 2005... Reading-based contact lens practice Eyesite has pioneered an innovative approach to marketing its wide range of lenses. Alison Ewbank reports on the Contact Lens Practice of the Year Think of a way of promoting contact lenses, and Eyesite...

Clinical evaluation of a biocompatible daily disposable contact lens.
October 7, 2005... Clear 1-day combines the advantages of a biocompatible material with the convenience and clinical benefits of single-use lenses. Allan Kruse and Tom Lofstrom look at how this lens compares with other leading daily disposable brands ...

Contact lens material properties.
October 7, 2005... Part 1 - Wettability In the first of a three-part series concerning lens materials, Dr Karen French looks at a property with a significant influence over lens performance and which should be considered when selecting and assessing contact...

Visit Mido in May with Ted Baker window display.
October 7, 2005... Ted Baker has launched a window competition for independent practices incorporating a striking new window display based on the point-of-sale theme of the Ishihara Test. The competition will take place in November and is open to all Mondottica...

Styleyes practice takes sports coaches under its wing.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Eight of the UK's top sports coaches recently put their vision to the test at a Dollond and Aitchison practice in Hampstead. In a partnership with UK Sport, coaches Jon Amos, Tim Foster, Mike McFarlane, Graeme Randall, Paul Ratcliffe, Kevin...

A new silicone hydrogel lens; Part 2 - Subjective clinical performance.
October 7, 2005... In the second of two articles (Part 1 appeared on June 3) on the new Acuvue Oasys with Hydraclear Plus lens from Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, David Ruston and John Meyler describe the background behind the development of the lens, its...

Pachymetry - Part 2; Possibility of correcting tonometry measures for corneal thickness.
October 7, 2005... 1 The correct answer is C. Since the upper limit for the 95 per cent CI has been estimated to be 0.611mm. The central corneal thickness (CCT) values of 0.545mm or 0.555mm are those close to the population mean values and reported in one of the...

Enhancing performance.
October 7, 2005... When Bausch & Lomb invited an optician journalist for an afternoon's golf Rob Moss found he was the least unqualified person in the office to attend Other than a few trips to the municipal pitch-and-putt as a teenager, my golfing ability...

Global Orthokeratology Symposium 2005.
October 7, 2005... Basil Bloom reports from Chicago on a conference dedicated to one of the growing areas in the contact lens arena The third Global Orthokeratology Symposium was held in Chicago in the summer at the Palmer House Hilton, and I am pleased to...

Fingers on the buttons.(lens)
October 7, 2005... Bill Harvey attends a recent Silicone Hydrogel Experience roadshow and is impressed by the use of remote control technology As practitioners are ever-more bombarded by CET from all angles, CIBA Vision has to be congratulated for its support...

Music to the ears of practitioners.(Teflon EasyCare )(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... The iPod sales promotion in conjunction with Teflon EasyCare coated lenses has been extended for another month. Until the end of October, practitioners will still be able to collect the tokens received with orders of Teflon EasyCare MAR-coated...

Win a camera worth [pounds sterling]500.
October 7, 2005... optician presents an opportunity for readers to show off their photographic and slit-lamp skills and the chance to win a [pounds sterling]500 digital camera and other top prizes As judges deliberate over the entries to our retinal...

Next stop California.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Siltint has just carried out an unusual job for a patient in California, following a request from the Yeovil branch of South West-based chain Robert Frith Optometrists. Siltint's colour lab technician Rob Hall was asked to repeat a job from...

Changes in the law.
October 21, 2005... Lost in a maze of registering for websites and counting points? optician begins a short series answering frequently asked questions on different aspects of CET. This week we look at what statutory CET is and how it is being enforced What...

Clearlab's Clear 1-day flies in to Silmo.(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... Clearlab International is featuring its range of biocompatible lenses with comfort-enhancing ClearGMA in daily disposable and frequent replacement forms at Silmo. The company said that the Clear 1-day biocompatible daily disposable and the...

Core subject 4; Optical appliances.
October 21, 2005... The core subject for both dispensing opticians and optometrists is the same. However, as may be seen by the categories below, there is a different emphasis for each of the professions. Dispensing Opticians The ability to dispense an...

Eye Index gives new life to rimless.(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... Lens cracking and stress marks, common with some rimless assembly systems, could be a thing of the past with new bonded glazing technology from specialist company Eye Index. Described by the St Ives, Cambridgeshire lab as the most simple and...

Eye essentials 5; Classification and localisation of visual field defects.
October 21, 2005... In the last of our features based on the Eye Essential textbooks, Dr Robert Cubbidge describes the visual pathway and its relationship with the visual field. CET module C2354 The dimension of the blind spot is approximately 7.5[degrees]...

Fan scores with Specsavers' ball.
October 21, 2005... An eight-year-old football fan was the lucky winner of a football donated by Specsavers and signed by Liverpool Football Club's first team and the players from A C Milan. Adam Ashurst (pictured with Guide Dogs volunteer Dorothy Rimmer) won the...

Harrogate OO raises [pounds sterling]1.3k for Fight for Sight.(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... A Harrogate optometrist raised [pounds sterling]1,300 for charity Fight for Sight by taking part in the Great North Run last month. Andrew Elder Smith, 46, owner of AJ Elder Smith in Harrogate, said that his finish time was four minutes over...

Production manager reaches 40 as...(Batemans Laboratories )(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... John Boxall (pictured), a production manager at Batemans Laboratories in Godalming, was recently congratulated by Nicholas Bateman for 40 loyal years with the company. Boxall joined the company in 1965 when he began his working life as an...

Safety specs are energy efficient.
October 21, 2005... Bacou-Dalloz's new Pulsafe XC safety prescription spectacles were recently trialled by Centrica Energy, the arm of Centrica plc that supplies gas for its British Gas customers. 'We have some staff who request replacement spectacles more...

Silhouette adds colour to Translucent Evolution line.(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... Silhouette Eyewear has introduced six new models - two women's, three men's and one unisex - to the Translucent Evolution collection. Each of the models comes in six colours, creating a total range of 36 new options, featuring classic design,...

The peripheral retina ; What the optometrist does not look for.
October 21, 2005... In the first in a series of case studies looking at the use of the Optomap scanning laser ophthalmoscope in optometric practice, Kevin Lewis describes a recent experience If I had to give only one piece of advice to a young inexperienced...

Yorkshire Optical Society tees off.(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... The Yorkshire Optical Society hosted an annual golf day at the 27-hole champion course Moor Allerton in Leeds last month. Awards went to Peter Hunter for the highest Stapleford score and Craig Henry of Continental Eyewear for the highest...

Change of Focus.
October 21, 2005... I would like to respond and clarify certain claims made in the article 'Clinical evaluation of a biocompatible daily disposable contact lens' that appeared in your October 7 issue that we believe could mislead your readers. The Focus Dailies...

Back to basics.(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... It should come as a surprise to no-one that the public at large is ignorant of some basic optical facts. News this week (see page 8) that presbyopia is hampering the lives of thousands of people across Europe should act as a warning to the...

Chloramphenicol for the treatment of acute bacterial conjunctivitis.
October 28, 2005... Michael E Johnson describes the actions of this common antibacterial agent and the implications for eye care practitioners of the new legislative changes. CET Module C2284 Earlier this year the legal classification of chloramphenicol 0.5...

Computer error.
October 28, 2005... An IT supplement would not be complete without an argument as to why computers may not be completely necessary. Stephen Grimley of Grimley & Glynn Opticians in Derbyshire argues that perhaps we can do without them I am not against...

Essilor posts positive third-quarter financial figures.
October 28, 2005... Essilor has reported sales for the third quarter up 11.4 per cent, with 3.5 per cent from acquisitions and 1.6 per cent from a positive currency effect. The company said that the strong performance lifted growth for the first nine months of the...

Guidance for the time-pressed OO.
October 28, 2005... I refer to Bill Harvey's review of our book Practical Ophthalmology: A survival guide for doctors and optometrists (optician, May 27, 2005). Book reviews are by their very nature subjective opinions and not subject to peer review prior to...

KEY POINTS.(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... Our sample of independent practices demonstrates a wide range of fees, with the highest average increase seen. The range of fees is [pounds sterling]18.50 to [pounds sterling]35 compared to [pounds sterling]16 to [pounds sterling]34 in...

Let battle commence.(AOP National Optometric Conference )
October 28, 2005... This year's AOP National Optometric Conference attracted the highest number of delegates to date, with more than 180 people making the trip to York. Emma White reports on the move against changes to the GOS The key focus of the event on...

Making a mark in the community.
October 28, 2005... Optometrist Peter Bainbridge has been managing optical practices for almost all his 25-year career in optics and currently owns a group of six practices in Birmingham employing around 30 staff. Only one of the group was a start-up practice, the...

New frame name with Karen-Jane.(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... A new frame distribution company promises to offer quality eyewear at competitive prices supported by excellent customer care. Karen-Jane Polley, who is 'well known to many independent practices and groups', has launched the company with 15...

Obituary --; Andrew Lynch.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
October 28, 2005... Andrew Lynch, an optometrist from Hampshire, has died following a short illness. He was 56. His daughter, Sally Glendinning, writes: 'He was an excellent optician, passionate about his profession and was well-known, particularly for his...

People skills; Part 1 - Patient care.
October 28, 2005... Anthony Collinge begins a new series on dealing with patients and making sure they come back to your practice again This is the first of five articles on how to communicate more effectively with patients, recognise their differing...

Practice re-engineering; New possibilities of harnessing ; a web-based PM system.
October 28, 2005... Professor Nizar K Hirji describes how the power of the internet can be harnessed to offer optical businesses more efficient and more cost-effective practice and patient management systems Initial considerations for practice re-engineering...

Running a successful; optical practice.
October 28, 2005... Part 10 - Operating as a business within the NHS In the final part of our series on practice management, Richard Peck examines some of the current and future developments affecting NHS optical practice Regardless of the nature of your...

Upward trend for Munich trade fair.
October 28, 2005... Over 900 companies and 600 direct exhibitors from 46 countries will be present at the next Opti Munich, Inernational Optics and Eyewear exhibition from January 13-15 at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre. The last event in January 2005 attracted...

L'Amy wins the licence for Chloe brand eyewear.
October 28, 2005... Chloe International has signed an international contract with the L'Amy Group to produce and distribute frames and sunglasses under the Chloe brand name. President of Chloe International SA Ralph Toledano said that the agreement guaranteed the...

What's in IT for me?
October 28, 2005... How much would you consider spending on a patient management system and which features are of most interest to you? A recently commissioned Optisoft survey sought to answer these and many more questions. Everyone wants a good deal but when...

Paper-free and easy.
October 28, 2005... If your reception desk is buckling under the weight of records and documents, it might be time to switch to some paper-free thinking. Emma White speaks to Paul Jewitt, partner at the small group Classic Eyes, about increased efficiency, sales...

US company buys VE software supplier.
October 28, 2005... RangeGate Mobile Solutions, the company that provides Vision Express with its warehouse management software at its national distribution centre, has been acquired by the Wisconsin-based RedPrairie Corporation. Founded in 1998, RangeGate's...

See20/20 is new name for MetSpex.
October 28, 2005... Optical software company eXMet has relaunched its MetSpex II product under the new name of See20/20. The switch came about after the West Midlands company identified the need to communicate to potential customers more distinctively. Commenting...

Kavanagh takes operations post.
October 28, 2005... Ocuco has appointed Shirley Kavanagh (above) as operations administration manager, overseeing the company's software roll-outs to optical practices and chains in the UK. She will be available to help clients from their initial order through to...

Aston opts for Optix.(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... Aston University's optometry department has chosen to install Optix software in its optometry department's clinic. Alicia Thompson, clinic manager at Aston who led the software review process, said they had found Optix to be a very...

Older systems feel the strain.(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... Practices that bought software packages before the emergence of Microsoft Windows XP are increasingly under pressure to upgrade hardware and software just to keep pace with technology. That is the opinion of David Longley, general manager at...

Optisoft overhauls dispensing module.
October 28, 2005... Optisoft launches a new version of its practice management software next month that will include some major enhancements to existing modules plus additional support for new technology. The new version will be free to existing users. The company...

SDS secures deal with US retail chain.
October 28, 2005... Specialist Data Solutions has announced the installation of its SDS practice management system in all 134 locations of US optical retailer ShopKo. Located in mid-sized US cities in 15 states, ShopKo stores are department stores with an emphasis...

Timebox helps Ugandan poor.
October 28, 2005... Timebox Solutions is helping an optical practice in Uganda by waiving its usual licence fee for its OpticBox software. OpticBox has been made available to Med-Optics Opticians in Kambala in return for them offering sight care to 62 orphans in...

Relcon buys DRS.
October 28, 2005... DRS computing, the company that provides Labman software to many optical laboratories in the UK, has been bought by Relcon Software for an undisclosed sum. Relcon, which makes the Focus practice management system, said the deal brings together...

Boots improves and expands CET events.
October 28, 2005... Boots Opticians has continued to improve its performance in the run-up to its own dedicated CET events next month. The company, which held an inaugural CET day last November, has decided to expand the programme this year with two days one in...

College attracts pioneer to speak at Bristol conference.
October 28, 2005... The speakers for next year's College of Optometrists conference have been announced, and the keynote address has attracted a pioneer of laser treatment for ophthalmic diseases. Dr Peter Hamilton, who worked for Moorfields Eye Hospital for over...

Dispensing student takes Varilux award.
October 28, 2005... Yvonne O'Dowd was the recipient of this year's international Varilux University essay competition announced at Silmo Paris last week by Professor Mo Jalie from the University of Ulster and Varilux University. Originally from Ireland, O'Dowd...

England expects.(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... The arrival of a favourable new NHS optometry contract for practitioners in Scotland (page 5) must have come as bittersweet news to those south of the Tweed. On the eve of the tour aimed at galvanising support against DoH plans to place cash...

Scotland celebrates new deal.
October 28, 2005... Leaders of the profession in Scotland have acclaimed the new NHS optometry contract, which was revealed in the Scottish Parliament this week. Significant fee increases have been achieved for practitioners north of the border (see panel below),...

five go up mount kilimanjaro.
October 28, 2005... Fancy a challenge? Five optometrists did and are pictured standing atop Africa's highest peak. The five scaled Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro which, at 5,895m is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world in a seven-day, self-funded trip...

Brits hail strong Silmo.
October 28, 2005... British companies enjoyed success in Silmo this year, further cementing the case for exhibiting at and visiting the Paris show. Provis chairman Ron Hamilton said the journey from Scotland was well worthwhile after it achieved its biggest...

Global show continues growth.
October 28, 2005... Approaching 43,500 people flocked to last weekend's Silmo, as approaching 1,000 exhibitors battled for business at the Porte de Versailles, Paris. International brands were prevalent, and one of the show's highlights was the De Rigo launch of...

GOS campaign gets the response it wants.
October 28, 2005... The efforts to garner support from MPs to fight the proposed change to GOS in England gathered pace with campaigners delighted over the Government's latest response. This week one MP raised the controversial matter of the reorganisation of GOS...

Global show continues growth.(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... Approaching 43,500 people flocked to last weekend's Silmo, as approaching 1,000 exhibitors battled for business at the Porte de Versailles, Paris. International brands were prevalent, and one of the show's highlights was the De Rigo launch of...

MP calls lack of consultation 'ludicrous'.(legislator Richard Bacon on consulting opticians regarding GOS budget)(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... An MP has supported optics' fight against the proposed changes to GOS by writing to health secretary Patricia Hewitt. Richard Bacon, who represents South Norfolk, has become involved after being contacted by an optometrist in his constituency...

Limit lowered for supervisors.
October 28, 2005... There are greater opportunities to become a pre-reg supervisor after the College of Optometrist lowered the qualification threshold for those interested this week. The move follows requests from College members, and the successful outcome of a...

Goose pimpled for charity.
October 28, 2005... What would you do for a favoured charity? Hardy Specsavers Opticians staff braced themselves for a plunge in the North Sea to raise money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. The 17-strong team from the Redcar branch took the plunge wearing just...

DoH responds over issue of CET funding.
October 28, 2005... Following last week's article on frequently asked CET-related questions, optician has received numerous queries on whether optometrists in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can apply for the [pounds sterling]270 payment. A spokeswoman for...