Optician articles from September 2003

Optician archives from September 2003

Phlyctenulosis.(a discussion of the disease)
September 5, 2003... Description Phlyctenulosis is a conjunctival and corneal inflammatory disease that predominantly affects children. Similarly to marginal keratitis the aetiology is thought to be a hypersensitivity reaction to bacterial antigens. The two...

Contact lens fitting after PRK and Lasik.(surgery)
September 5, 2003... Catherine Porter and Dr Clare O'Donnell examine the issues raised when fitting contact lenses for patients who have undergone laser refractive surgery (CET Module C4680b) More and more patients are viewing refractive surgery as an...

Clinical evaluation of the Frequency 55 Aspheric monthly disposable CL.(a comparative study on the performance of an aspheric lens)
September 5, 2003... Dr Trusit Dave describes a comparative study of the performance an aspheric lens and shows how such an in-practice trial might be designed Spherical aberration is an off-axis monochromatic aberration. Figure 1 demonstrates the effect of...

The ACLM Contact Lens Year Book.(book review)(Book Review)
September 5, 2003... Andrew Gasson reviews the latest annual reference guide from the Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers This year The Contact Lens Year Book celebrates its 14th anniversary and is now regarded as the definitive reference guide for both...

Teenage opportunities.(teenagers represent an opportunity in the contact lens market, Bausch & Lomb reports)
September 5, 2003... Teenagers represent a significant business opportunity in the contact lens market according to market research conducted by Bausch & Lomb.1 The research looked specifically at teenagers and revealed that the teenage contact lens market is...

nemowrites.(a discussion of the ophthalmic optical profession)(Column)
September 5, 2003... Price of progress To what extent does the recent feature 'Rise of the machines' (optician, August 22), the latest in the chequered history of auto-refractors, provide an insight into the future of the ophthalmic optical profession? Suffice...

Missing doctor: police appeal to profession.(Royal Manchester Children's Hospital hematologist missing)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2003... Greater Manchester Police has appealed to the profession in the hope that a distinctive spectacle prescription may help in the nationwide search for a doctor who disappeared suddenly this summer. Dr Richard Stevens, a 54-year-old consultant...

Champions of sports vision tour the UK.(Sport Vision Services Ltd.)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2003... Sports Vision Services, the commercial promotion group for sports-related visual research, is to hold a series of national one-day seminar/workshops in November and December. The 10 events are being run in conjunction with Sight Care...

Anyone for Australia in the spring?(11th International Contact Lens Congress )(Brief Article)
September 5, 2003... Making plans in your professional diary? For those readers who want to sample the good life - and find out some more about contact lenses - how about attending the next international event devoted to the sector taking place 'down under'. ...

BCLA honours Aussie research specialists.(British Contact Lens Association )
September 5, 2003... A special 'Australia Day' conference is to be held in London later this month to acknowledge the contribution of Australian researchers to contact lens practice. Organised by the British Contact Lens Association the one-day CET course,...

Stepper UKturns on the style with 2004 collection.(trends in eyewear)
September 5, 2003... u The latest products from Stepper UK for 2004 follow trends of sports, shallow, rimless and plastic. The company, which mainly produces product for the early presbyope onwards, reports that styles for the over-40s are now more adventurous...

Research award aids Belfast diabetic study.(Queen's University department of ophthalmology )
September 5, 2003... A research grant of over [pounds sterling]350,000 has been awarded to Belfast's Queen's University department of ophthalmology to help improve knowledge on the causes of diabetic eye disease. Dr Tim Curtis, lecturer at the department, has...

Luxottica target hit by Sars virus.(OPSM Industries Ltd. profits dip)
September 5, 2003... The giant global takeover deal between Luxottica and 607-store Australian retail group OPSM was in the balance this week. It has been reported that the Italian firm, which has bid A$550m ([pounds sterling]225m) for the Australasian...

College orders suspension and reprimand.(UK College of Optometrists)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2003... The College of Optometrists has suspended one of its members and, in a separate case, handed another optometrist a written reprimand. Leicester-based optometrist Narendrakumar Lalbhai Tailor has been suspended from membership of the...

Revised FOI publication scheme expected soon.(Freedom of Information)
September 5, 2003... A re-written Freedom of Information publication scheme tailored specifically for the profession is expected to be approved this week. The scheme, submitted to the Information Commission and agreed by the AOP, ABDO and FODO, will replace the...

Rod Stewart and Twiggy in the frame.(Spectacle Wearer of the Year 2003 nominations)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2003... The Spectacle Wearer of the Year 2003 will be unveiled on Monday (September 8) at a venue in London's Mayfair. Nominations include singers Annie Lennox and Rod Stewart. Among other nominees for the male and female awards are Sir Michael...

Pingueculum.(a discussion of pingueculum, a degeneration of the exposed interpalpebral conjunctiva of the eye)
September 12, 2003... DESCRIPTION Pingueculum is a degeneration of the exposed interpalpebral conjunctiva. It is associated with chronic ultraviolet exposure and chronic irritation from wind and dust. The pathogenesis of pingueculum is a degeneration of the...

Lighting the sports arena.(several techniques and practices are discussed for lighting sporting events)
September 12, 2003... In the first of a series looking at the visual implications of sport, Dr Alan Smith looks into the techniques and practice of lighting the sporting arena for both indoor and outdoor sports. Further articles will look at ocular hazards and...

Part of the process.(Essilor director of manufacturing Chris Ball says that high value lenses and coatings are the future)
September 12, 2003... High value lenses and coatings are the future says Chris Ball (left), director of manufacturing at Essilor. Chris Bennett finds out how capital investment in production is translating to increasingly powerful products in the market CR39...

Eyecare 3000: compulsory changes.(a discussion of UK training requirements for optometrists)
September 12, 2003... u Following the recent GOC ruling on compulsory re-training and the administration tender awarded to ACT Consultants, all registered optometrists in the UK will require at least 10 CET credits per year to retain GOC registration. Pending this...

Dispensing for binocular vision anomalies.(a discussion of helping patients with binocular vision problems)
September 12, 2003... As well as making sure the patient is pleased with the look of their spectacles, one of the main aims of the dispensing optician is to provide the best possible binocular vision. Paul McCarthy discusses the challenges facing the DO when dealing...

Inspecs buys into US optical retail market.(Inspecs acquires 20 outlets from the failed U.S. firm Vista Optical)
September 12, 2003... Frame supplier Inspecs has purchased 20 outlets in the failed US group Vista Optical and renamed them 'Specs in the City'. The 300-practice chain closed its stores earlier this year after a bankruptcy filing and Inspecs took on 20 outlets...

John's a winner.(optician Stephen John wins Rupp + Hubrach's 2003 prize)
September 12, 2003... u Dispensing optician Stephen John, who practises in Worcester, recently received his first prize winner's notification for Rupp + Hubrach's 2003 prize draw. Michael Kerling, head of R+H's export sales team presented John, in accordance...

Mobile clinic plans attacked by consultants.(Oxford Eye Hospital ophthalmologists attack government plans to introduce private mobile clinics)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... Ophthalmologists at Oxford Eye Hospital last week attacked Government plans to introduce private mobile clinics, saying they would have a 'catastrophic effect' on their services. The Government claims that such clinics may drastically...

Oakley tops chart for clarity.(a ranking of the quality of sunglasses)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... Some sunglasses claiming to be 'non-prescription' are anything but, according to a report published this month in aviation magazine Private Pilot. Some of the eyewear tested included residual errors of 0.25DS or more and horizontal...

Retailer sees profit in eye tests.(Optical Revolution has begun offering eye tests)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... Optical Revolution, which opened its first store in Colchester two years ago and a second store in Norwich earlier this year, has abandoned its 'dispensing-only' stance and is now offering eye tests. Chairman Michael Kraftman, former deputy...

Aussie group accepts offer from Luxottica.(OPSM is now a subsidiary of Luxottica)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... Australasian optical chain OPSM is now a subsidiary of Luxottica, after the Italian eyewear giant's cash offer was accepted by shareholders. The deal was closed on September 2, with Luxottica South Pacific holding 82.57 per cent of the...

moneowrites.(the General Optical Council is often out of touch with what an optometrist deals with in the real world)(Column)
September 12, 2003... Out of touch Unlike some people I was quite pleased to receive my General Optical Council guidelines document and questionnaire. It reassured me that the money I pay to the GOC each year is being used effectively to keep the GOC members...

Poor record-keeping leads to OO's erasure.(optometrist Elliott David Bloom is disciplined for serious professional misconduct)
September 12, 2003... A Bournemouth optometrist whose record-keeping sometimes consisted of squiggles and asterisks was struck off last week by a GOC disciplinary panel after being found guilty of serious professional misconduct. Elliott David Bloom, who failed...

New Bullring breeds confidence at Clulow.(the Optika Clulow group opens a sunglass outlet at the new Selfridges store in Birmingham)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... The Optika Clulow group opened a sunglass outlet at the new space-age Selfridges store at Birmingham's redeveloped Bullring last week. The outlet in the much publicised store is David Clulow's biggest sunglass venture to date, with 1,400...

Private buyers close to deal for VE parent.(Vision Express' owner, GrandVision, will likely go into private ownership)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... With no counter-bids offered by last Friday's deadline GrandVision, the French owner of multiple retailer Vision Express, looks set to go into private ownership. The offer, for e491m ([pounds sterling]342m) is backed by GrandVision's...

FODO issues advice on drivers.(optometrists can flag a patient's bad vision to the GP confidentially)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... Optometrists who discover their patient has such bad vision that it is unsafe for them to drive can flag up the problem to the patient's GP in a confidential letter. This is one of the points in new advice that FODO has issued to members...

95% want driving test to include eye exam.(according to new research)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... Nearly 95 per cent of people feel that an eye examination should be part of the driving test, according to research carried out by What Car? and Dollond & Aitchison. The statistic is presented alongside the motoring magazine's annual...

CLPL buys Ultravision.(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... Cambridge-based contact lens manufacturer CLPL has acquired fellow lens manufacturer Ultravision International, making it one of the largest independent suppliers of contact lenses in Europe. CLPL - Contact Lens Precision Laboratories - was...

Anti-fraud visits cause concern.
September 12, 2003... If you think your practice is being targeted too often for post-payment verification visits, FODO would like to hear from you. The employers' optical body is aware that some members are concerned that the frequency appears to exceed that...

Posterior capsular opacification (PCO); (Capsular fibrosis, Elschnig pearls).
September 19, 2003... Description Posterior capsular opacification (PCO) refers to fibrosis and opacification of the posterior capsule of the crystalline lens following cataract extraction. This occurs due to the posterior migration and proliferation of...

Preventing falls in the elderly; Ophthalmic interventions and recommendations.
September 19, 2003... John Buckley and David Elliott outline why visual impairment is a key risk factor in falls and give advice on how optometrists can minimise that risk With advancing age, the incidence of fall-related hospital admissions increases...

Epidemiology of eye diseasein the older population.
September 19, 2003... Nita Odedra provides a review of the literature on the management of eye disease in the elderly and concludes that epidemiological data can help with planning methods of intervention Epidemiology can be defined as the study of distribution...

Together in titanium.
September 19, 2003... As Stepper increases its investment in titanium eyewear it announces the distribution of a new Danish line from product designer Jacob Jensen There is a new name in the titanium frame fraternity in the UK, thanks to Stepper UK's decision...

nemowrites.(Column)
September 19, 2003... Please, missa Regretfully, I commence my column this week by disagreeing with my colleague Omen's distinct lack of enthusiasm for the General Optical Council's recently circulated draft Code of Conduct (optician, August 29). Any exercise...

Narramore joins the 10-year club.(Alan Narramore has clocked 10 years with Optique Opticians)(Brief Article)
September 19, 2003... u Dispensing optician Alan Narramore (right) has clocked up 10 years with Optique Opticians in Southampton. Managing partner Roy Hampson presented Narramore with a cut glass decanter and he now gets an extra week's paid holiday every year....

New metal.(eyewear)
September 19, 2003... Modern technology is enabling eyewear suppliers to design frames that are lighter, slighter and more robust. optician reviews some of the latest metal ophthalmic frames available for men and women Metal can provide a variety of properties...

Sight Care Group buys optical accessory firm.(Optical California)(Brief Article)
September 19, 2003... Sight Care Group, the independents' membership company, has bought optical accessory business Optical California. The purchase underscores Sight Care's ambitions to expand into the frames and accessories market. London-based Optical...

L'Amy Eyewear decamps to France.
September 19, 2003... u L'Amy Eyewear's customer services department, based in Feltham, Middlesex, for the past 15 years, is moving to Paris this month. The L'Amy Group stated that the aim of the move was to improve its service and commitment to customers in...

Advisers meet to discuss eye care concerns.(Brief Article)
September 19, 2003... Lack of funding and coordination among interested bodies along with the absence of anyone in Government with responsibility for vision health were just some of the challenges facing the successful communication of eye health messages. ...

Loss of media clarity.
September 19, 2003... Recent reports have highlighted the potential for some drugs to prevent common eye diseases in the elderly. Bill Harvey reflects on the problem of presenting this information to patients objectively Bus pass, pension and prescription drugs;...

Domiciliary care provider lured south.(Vision Call expands into United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
September 19, 2003... Scottish domiciliary provider Vision Call (UK) has expanded its optical service into other parts of the UK. In Scotland Visioncall is the largest provider of home optometry services and has high street practices and a glazing facility. ...

Baker takes charge at the Boots Group.(Richard Baker )(Brief Article)
September 19, 2003... Ex-Asda chief operating officer Richard Baker formally takes over as Boots Group chief executive this week. The 41-year-old joins the pharmacy to opticians business as a report in the Financial Times (September 12) claims the group is...

Practices urged to join direct referral scheme.
September 19, 2003... Organisers of Brent and Harrow LOC's fast-track cataract project hope to expand its coverage to between 30 and 50 practices following a successful 'pre-pilot' scheme. In June optician reported that the LOC had started the process by which...

Cautionary tale.(refractive surgery business)(Brief Article)
September 19, 2003... Optometrists have long been cautious of the refractive surgery business. In the past, contention has surrounded the types of procedure being performed, the procedure's track record or the ethics of payments made to optical practices for...

Visually impaired win better access to care.
September 19, 2003... High street optometrists will be one of the gateways in a project to improve access to social services support for people with visual impairment, the Department of Health has announced. It has been claimed that patients can wait as long as...

Professional bodies at odds over negligence insurance.
September 19, 2003... FODO has claimed a new AOP/ABDO letter to practitioners regarding their insurance cover is misleading and may encourage optometrists and DOs to buy unnecessary policies. In the letter sent earlier this month, and signed by the AOP's head...

GrandVision deal founders.(Brief Article)
September 19, 2003... The e491m bid for GrandVision, the French owner of Vision Express, has failed, the company confirmed this week. The takeover by Paris-based private equity group PAI foundered after Hal Holding, the Dutch company which initially held 5 per...

Laser clinic bought out by its principal surgeon.(Harley Street refractive clinic Advance VisionCare )(Brief Article)
September 19, 2003... Harley Street refractive clinic Advance VisionCare has been acquired by its principal eye surgeon after a 'dramatic decline' in the market. The original company, which was launched in January and made its debut at Optrafair, went into...

Posterior polymorphous dystrophy.
September 26, 2003... Description Posterior polymorphous dystrophy (PPD) is one of three endothelial dystrophies, the others being congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy (CHED) and Fuch's endothelial dystrophy. It is frequently an incidental finding during...

Caring for Zambia.
September 26, 2003... Optometrist Sally Nethercott describes how she and her three colleagues coped with testing conditions on a recent Vision Aid Overseas trip to Zambia Some of the conditions we had to work in during our trip to Zambia were very difficult....

Are you covered?
September 26, 2003... In the second article looking at insurance issues, Lesley Owen and Martin Bell examine medical malpractice policies A lay person reading optician could get the impression that GOC disciplinary charges of serious professional misconduct are...

Kata fishes for compliments with latest collection.
September 26, 2003... u Kata Eyewear is launching its autumn 2003 collection that incorporates the 'Ying and Yang' of fashion - textural elements with sleek, minimal designs. A three-dimensional fish is sculpted onto the temple of two new styles in the Gaia...

B&L wins victory for PureVision in Europe.(Bausch & Lomb )(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Bausch & Lomb has won the latest round in its worldwide legal battle with Ciba Vision's parent company Novartis for the right to sell silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Last week the European Patent Office (EPO)revoked the exclusive...

Asthmatics at risk of cataract.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Asthmatics using steroid-based inhalers are at greater risk of developing cataracts, according to a study by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The research looked at more than 15,000 cataract patients and a similar number...

Kids' vision screening plans provoke outrage.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... The organisers of National Eye Week, which ends this weekend (28 Sept), have condemned as 'appalling' new government proposals to check children's eyesight just once during their school career. 'The situation is already bad, but the...

Understanding VAT.
September 26, 2003... Attributing VAT to the supply of spectacles is a complex process usually left to your accountant. Jagdish Patel explains two methods of calculating the correct figure in simple terms A good proportion of any optician's income is derived...

Harvest time for optics.
September 26, 2003... August's results have improved on those for July and for 2002 and none more so than new contact lens fits An average-length month with 25 trading days, August showed all-round positive improvement from last month and from last August. New...

Direct referrals for cataract surgery.
September 26, 2003... Roger Wong, Simon Horgan, Sarah Gammon and Gill Haig-Brown investigate the possibilities of recruiting optometrists for direct booking for cataract extraction Cataract is a politically sensitive and popular topic throughout the world and...

Wise to the web.
September 26, 2003... Barraclough & Stiles Opticians, winner of optician's Website of the Year Award, sponsored by Rodenstock, shows that a traditional optical practice can profit from the latest technology Barraclough & Stiles was established 45 years ago and...

Prevention, partnership; and public awareness.
September 26, 2003... Do you dream of a professional world where everyone is working together for a common goal? Have you ever thought if only the different professionals could communicate more effectively with each other and with other key players in the sector,...

The competitive edge.(sports vision)
September 26, 2003... In the second of our occasional series looking at aspects of vision care relating to sport, Debbie Burns gives an overview of the wide range of appliances available to the sporting world Sports vision appliances are more widespread and...

Ethnic media embrace eye test action day.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... The vulnerability of Asians to diabetic retinopathy meant ethnic television and radio channels were among the most enthusiastic in covering the RNIB's eye test action day last week (Sept 17). The institute chose to highlight the condition...

NICE approves use of photodynamic therapy.(National Institute for Clinical Excellence)
September 26, 2003... Nearly 18,000 people lost their sight waiting more than two years for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to issue guidance on a sight-saving treatment, according to the RNIB. NICE finally ruled this week that photodynamic...

Buckley calls on BCLA to widen clinical remit.(British Contact Lens Association, Ophthalmologist Professor Roger Buckley)(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... The British Contact Lens Association is to survey its members on a possible widening of its remit to include the management of anterior eye disease and therapeutics. Ophthalmologist Professor Roger Buckley announced the move during his...

CL fitting takes off.(contact lenses)(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... August proved a bumper month for contact lens fits with the number of new wearers leaping by a third over July and a quarter on August last year. This month's optician Index shows that the number of new contact lens fits was the highest...

Accusations fly in row over insurance cover.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... The spat between the profession's optical bodies over personal negligence insurance continued this week, with FODO labelling the AOP/ ABDO's stance as 'scaremongering'. The dispute started earlier this month, after the AOP and ABDO wrote...

Boots launches franchised sites.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Boots Opticians is to launch the first nine of its franchised shops early in October. The chain originally hoped to turn a dozen of its free-standing stores into franchised operations (News, June 20) but it failed to find suitable...

omenwrites.
September 26, 2003... co-operation between all the optometric bodies and the General Optical Council. In the expectation of an early decision to allow suitably qualified optometrists to treat some anterior segment disease a plan for training and regulation is...

De Rigo set to bounce back.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Italian eyewear manufacturer De Rigo, famous for making Police sunglasses, saw its turnover fall fractionally in the first six months of 2003. It fell 0.3 per cent to E273.4m compared to turnover of E274.1m for the same period last year, a...