Review of Optometry articles from March 2001

Review of Optometry archives from March 2001

Allergan.
March 15, 2001... Allergan has filed a lawsuit against Pharmacia. Allergan says it had learned Pharmacia planned to file a patent infringement lawsuit over Allergan's investigational glaucoma drug, Lumigan. Pharmacia says it has no knowledge of the chemical...

SECO International.
March 15, 2001... SECO International has launched a continuing education Web site. Taking a page from its own playbook, SECO plans to springboard the type of courses found at its conference and put them on the site. The Internet CE includes clinical slides and...

VSP.
March 15, 2001... You read about VSP introducing "preferred member" contact lens pricing in Connecticut (News Review, January 2001). Now VSP is introducing a program in Nevada that will also offer "preferred pricing," i.e., prices comparable to mail order,...

B&L Drops Out Of Antitrust Suit.
March 15, 2001... But the AOA and J&J continue preparing for next week's trial date. The antitrust lawsuit against the AOA, three contact lens manufacturers and individual optometrists is scheduled for trial this month, but with fewer defendants. B&L...

Ocular Sciences Inc. Takes Weblens.net to Court.
March 15, 2001... Ocular Sciences Inc., the soft lens manufacturer whose brands include Edge III and Hydron, claims that an Internet-based contact lens retailer has tampered with its product packages, and has asked a federal court to stop the retailer from...

'Love Handles'--A Risk Factor for Cataract?(Brief Article)
March 15, 2001... Change that "spare tire" and you might avoid cataract. That's what Harvard researchers concluded in a prospective follow-up analysis of 17,000 male physicians in the Physicians' Health Study. They found that overweight subjects had a 20% higher...

Many Diabetics Not Getting Dilated Exams.(Statistical Data Included)
March 15, 2001... More than one-third of diabetics do not get annual dilated eye exams, a study published in the March 2001 issue of Ophthalmology has found. Researchers from the Department of Preventative Medicine at the University Medical Center at Stony...

Luxottica to Acquire Sunglass Hut, ECPA.
March 15, 2001... Luxottica Group has signed agreements to commence two major acquisitions: that of sunwear retailer Sunglass Hut International; the second to acquire all outstanding shares of First American Health Concepts, which operates Eye Care Plan of...

Medicare Q&A: HCFA Puts a Plug in Occlusion Code.
March 15, 2001... Q Are there any changes to the way I bill for punctal occlusion in my dry eye patients? A Previously, when you billed for permanent punctal occlusion, you would bill both the CPT code (68761) and a separate material code (A4263) for the...

Optometry's High-wire Act.
March 15, 2001... Balance. The high-wire act needs it. So does optometry. The profession must find a leveling force as it moves toward treatment privileges, i.e., lasers, and away from its roots, i.e., refraction. Between these two dynamics, the profession...

Our Famous Last Words.
March 15, 2001... You know that feeling just after you say, 'These glasses will last you forever'? Ever heard that phrase "famous last words"? For example, Custer and his men are surrounded at Little Big Horn and, just before the massacre, Custer says, "OK,...

The Case For Comanagement.(opthalmology)
March 15, 2001... The concept is under close scrutiny. Our organizations must stand up for it. When I was a kid growing up in New York City, I. Aza Rosenstein, M.D., was our family's general practitioner. Not exactly Marcus Welby, M.D., I remember him best...

LETTERS & E-MAIL.
March 15, 2001... IOL or LASIK? Patient's Choice Editor: The case in Glaucoma Grand Rounds, December 2000 ("Therapy Changes due to LASIK") involves a 62-year-old white female with a history of chronic, open-angle glaucoma/ocular hypertension who was...

Interview Do's And Don'ts.
March 15, 2001... Play it safe in a job interview. Here's how. You've advertised an open position in your practice. And now, if you're lucky, you have a respectable number of quality leads. The hard part is over, right? Not exactly. Deciding whom to...

Walk a Mile In Their Shoes.(treating patients properly in Optometry)
March 15, 2001... Your practice style might look good to you--but how does it look to your patients? We rarely get the opportunity to compare our own practice styles to those of other doctors, so we tend to assume we're doing it right. After all, if we...

Speed Up Your Internet Hookup.
March 15, 2001... Is your Internet hookup slower than molasses? Here's how you can speed things up. If you're still connecting to the Internet via modem, you're missing out. The days of the 56k modem are numbered. To really appreciate the 'Net, check out...

The Bigger, The Better.(Eschenbach 1559 stand magnifier)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
March 15, 2001... Eschenbach has expanded its line of illuminated stand magnifiers. The new 1559 magnifier offers 3x (12D) magnification using a lens that's 80mm in diameter--33% larger than the company's other 12D illuminated stand magnifiers. The 1559...

Incremental Upgrades Continue.(RLISYS Practice Solutions' RLISYS 4.0 practice management software)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
March 15, 2001... RLISYS Practice Solutions has unveiled a major upgrade in its practice management software, RLISYS 4.0. RLISYS moved its customers to a Windows product in two phases. The company says it wanted to make the upgrades as incremental as...

This New Package Is Complete.(Brief Article)
March 15, 2001... Allergan has received approval from the FDA to label its Complete multi-purpose solution as a no-rub regimen. This comes on the heels of Allergan unveiling the redesigned packaging for the Complete multipurpose system. The company hopes...

New on the 'Net: Topcon Gets an Updated Look.(Brief Article)
March 15, 2001... Topcon America Corporation has revamped its Web site (www.topcon.com). The company says its new site offers a more high-tech look and feel, many new features and greater ease of use. Additions to the site include what Topcon calls a...

CK's Spring Signature.(Calvin Klein eyewear collection)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2001... Spring has neatly sprung, and with it comes a new Calvin Klein eyewear collection. The newest CK line includes signature eyewear available in masks and unisex aviators (styles 168S and 169S). Available colors include gold with deep amber...

Light and Sporty.(Maui Jim Titanium Sport are Polarized sunglasses)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2001... Maui Jim Titanium Sport are Polarized sunglasses that weigh 7 grams and feature the company's PolarizedPlus technology. Titanium Sport sunglasses are available in three styles featuring rimless, titanium alloy frames. There are no temple...

Durable Style.(Costa Del Mar's MP2 polarized sunglasses)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2001... You might think "durable style" is an oxymoron, but not according to Costa Del Mar. The company says its new MP2 polarized sunglasses promise just that. The MP2 is a unisex design that features wide temples and a spring hinge. Available...

Watches.(Seiko Optical Products of America's promotion for lenses)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2001... Seiko Optical Products of America launched a promotional campaign for its new 1.67 Proceed progressive addition lens. The 'Proceed in Time" program earns you points when you dispense the lenses. Through April 30, you can redeem the points for...

Hush Puppies' Newest Litter.(Kenmark Optical/Lancer International's Hush Puppies line of ophthalmic eyewear)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2001... Kenmark Optical/Lancer International has added four new unisex styles to its Hush Puppies line of ophthalmic eyewear. Ranging from traditional to trendy, each style features European double-action spring hinges and snap-in silicone nose pads....

Profiles in Design.(EyeDesigns' Profiles furniture series)
March 15, 2001... EyeDesigns has unveiled its Profiles furniture series, a custom-designed dispensing environment. Profiles furniture and displays have modern features and European styling. All displays feature the Versa merchandising system, modular base units...

Sleek Security.(Fashion Optical Displays' On Guard locking frame display)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2001... Fashion Optical Displays' new On Guard locking frame display offers security for sunwear and specialty eyewear. This locking display offers European styling with a 10-frame capacity. It is made of stainless steel components, and its motion lock...

Not Your Typical Doc in a Box.
March 15, 2001... These practices make design statements about themselves by looking outward The chains can't touch this. It doesn't always rain in the Pacific Northwest. But, if you have an optometric office there, you'll want to stay away from the blues...

RAISING THE BAR FOR Keratoconus Management.
March 15, 2001... Dear Colleague: We at Specialty UltraVision are pleased to present the proceedings of a roundtable discussion on Epicon, a new contact lens for the management of keratoconus made from a breakthrough polymer called carbosilfocon. Four...

EPICON: A Revolutionary Contact Lens for Keratoconus.
March 15, 2001... Four of optometry's leading contact lens practitioners discuss how Epicon's innovative lens design and breakthrough material can benefit your most challenging patients. Specialty UltraVision hosted a panel discussion at the recent American...

Itch to Niche.
March 15, 2001... How to pick a specialty to profit and prosper. Resting on the laurels of general practice is all well and good, but there is a certain cachet about people knowing you as a specialist in a particular field. Most doctors understand the need...

Can an In-Office Lab Turn Around A Practice?
March 15, 2001... Maybe that's a stretch, but it certainly gave these three docs an edge. In-house lens finishing equipment can be a heavy investment for some practices. But is it worth it? Here are the stories of three very different O.D.s who say that for...

No Rubbing, No Enzyming, No Doctor? No Way!
March 15, 2001... Today's care systems are simpler than ever, but we still have a lot to teach patients when it comes to caring for their lenses. We've seen significant advances in contact lens care over the past year: new solutions that can kill bugs even...

Which is Better 1? or 2?
March 15, 2001... Technicians performing automation-assisted refractions. WALTER D. WEST Subjective refraction assisted by automated technology is not the same as autorefraction. This newest technology is driven by patients' subjective responses. The...

Are Surgeons Turning Their Backs to You?
March 15, 2001... What has happened since AAO and ASCRS put forth their comanagement paper? It has been a year since the American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery issued a joint position on "Ophthalmic...

Lose the Cat...and other pearls allergists suggest for the Season of the Itch, 2001.
March 15, 2001... If it's spring and you're in a temperate zone, you can bet that Ms. Finster and her big hair are going to be in your chair real soon. She'll be complaining about the incessant itching, burning and tearing she gets in her eyes, and how it...

How to do YAG Laser Procedures.
March 15, 2001... Here's what you should know about pre-op evaluations, surgical techniques and post-op care. For now Oklahoma is the only state in which the scope of practice laws allow optometrists to do laser procedures, and whether additional states...

Pointers for POAG Care.
March 15, 2001... California's new glaucoma TPA prompts a primer in comanaging POAG. Q Now that California has implemented its glaucoma TPA, what do California O.D.s need to know about comanaging glaucoma? A To some extent, the new law dictates the...

Very High IOPs In Routine Exam.
March 15, 2001... Surprised by his disease, this young man creates a management challenge. A 41-year-old white aysmpromatic male presented for refractive consultation. His personal and family medical and ocular histories were unremarkable. He was taking no...

RPE Disruption In 7-Year-Old.
March 15, 2001... Does fundus appearance explain this child's loss of visual acuity? A 7-year-old white female was referred with a history of reduced acuity in her right eye. Acuity in that eye was 20/50 during a school vision screening some three months...

When to Use Plugs for Drugs.(putting a medicinal eyedrop into the eye)
March 15, 2001... Punctal occlusion can increase the effectiveness of topical medications. What happens when you put a medicinal eyedrop into the normal or inflamed eye? The average drop size is about 40 microliters--far in excess of the 10 microliters of...

The Battle for Your Clicks.
March 15, 2001... If 2000 was The Come One, Come All Dot-Com Party for eyecare e-commerce, then 2001 is shaping up as the Year of Clicking Dangerously. Last year about this time, optical's dot-com party was in full swing. Condensing the fragmented optical...

At veatch instruments, they get the net.
March 15, 2001... Brick-and-mortar companies who expand onto the Net may have an advantage over the pure-play dot-coms trying to build a business from scratch. When he set out to equip his new private practice, Thomas M. Gibbons, O.D., had never heard of...

www.fashionoptical.com.(Brief Article)
March 15, 2001... Offering You Fast, Convenient Online Ordering Fashion Optical Displays is proud to announce the launch of its alt-new Web site. Highlights include: * The Design Center. Find out about our full range of design options including free...

www.topcon.com.
March 15, 2001... Topcon America Launches New, Redesigned Web Site Topcon America Corporation's revamped Web site offers customers a more high-tech took and feel, many new features and greater ease of use. Additions to the site include: * A...

www.veatchinstruments.com.
March 15, 2001... A Company With an Eye for Good Service Veatch Ophthalmic Instruments has been a Leading supplier of capital equipment, supplies and service since 1988. As a full-line, factory-authorized distributor for all of the major manufacturers, we...

www.visionsite.com.
March 15, 2001... Our Vision Is Your Success www.visionsite.com features the most comprehensive, searchable online directory of optometrists in the world. If you're an optometrist, chances are good that potential patients can find your practice information...

www.sightstreet.com.
March 15, 2001... The Online Resource for the Ophthalmic Community Sightstreet.com prides itself on being the online resource that unites the ophthalmic industry through a neutral Web community. Focusing on the areas of education, information and commerce,...