The first year of the Stabilization of Myopia by Accelerated Reshaping Technique (SMART) Study has produced some encouraging results in a recent announcement.  According to Dr. Robert L. Davis, co principal investigator of the SMART trial,  “The net effect of this contact lens fitting philosophy is to change the cornea shape for the sole purpose of reducing the amount of myopia as measured by change in refraction” .  “The results of the SMART Study so far are very exciting,” said Dr. Davis. “The outcomes of this study may revolutionize how we manage young nearsighted patients from this point forward”.

The SMART Trial involves 300 patients between the ages of 8 and 14.  The goal of the study is to see if having patients where overnight orthokeratology or corneal molding lenses will stop or slow the progression of nearsightedness.  The SMART Trial is the largest of its kind.  Other studies have also shown that preventing nearsightedness with ortho-K contact lenses is possible, such the CANDY Study.  A study from Ohio State Unversity suggested that wearing Ortho-K lenses overnight actually prevented the eye from becoming longer.  The SMART Trial has just completed the first year of the five year study.  We will continue to keep an eye on this potientially ground breaking study.

A patient stopped by the office today to show me her new eyelashes.  I must say they were quite impressive, and more importantly ….. she loves them.  Before we started her on Latisse™ four months ago her eyelashes were short, thin and intermittent.  Well, no longer they now look great.  She had to cut back on the Latisse™ from every night to 3 or 4 nights a week, because they were too long!

Is it too early to think about what we need to do to get our kids ready for school?  One of the most important “school supplies” is your child’s annual eye exam.    Over 80% of what a child learns is through their eyes, therefore it is important for our kids to see their very best.

Kids often don’t complain when they don’t see well and we can not rely on them to tell us when their vision is blurry.  Blurry vision rarely happens quickly, it happens slowly over time and children and adults alike don’t realize what they have lost because it happens so slowly.  On the Total Eye Care website we have more information on the components of a complete eye exam, school screenings and more information on children and vision.  So carve out some time this busy summer and enhance your child’s learning with an eye exam.

FDA Taking Steps to Improve Contact Lens Safety

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking steps to improve contact lens safety by reminding consumers of the importance of following proper cleaning and storing procedures. Consumers who do not follow instructions for contact lens care and use increase their risk of serious eye infections that can lead to blindness.

To support proper cleaning and storage, the FDA has developed a new video on contact lens safety.  The video stresses the importance of emptying the solution out of the contact lens case after each use and using the rub-and-rinse method for added effectiveness.

Other important lens care tips include:

• Do not top off or reuse lens cleaning solution;
• Use a contact lens solution to clean, rinse, and then air dry contact lens cases after each use;
• Do not expose contact lenses or lens storage cases to any type of water or other non-sterile solutions.
• Replace your contact lens case at least every three (3) months

In early 2009, the FDA convened a workshop called “Microbiological Testing of Contact Lens Care Products,” in collaboration with several eye care professional groups, to develop consensus on test methods for evaluating contact lens solutions. Based on discussions from this workshop and from a 2008 meeting of the agency’s advisory panel for ophthalmic devices, the FDA is developing manufacturer guidance on potential labeling improvements for these products.

In its June 2008 meeting, the advisory panel for ophthalmic devices made specific recommendations for contact lens product labeling and directions for use, including adding a discard date on their products, in addition to the usual expiration date. The discard date is the date the solution should be thrown out after opening.

On May 19, 2009, the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health issued a letter to manufacturers of contact lens multipurpose solution products that include an option for cleaning without a step for rubbing the lenses. This letter informed these manufacturers of the panel’s conclusion that there is improvement in lens care when using a rub-and-rinse regimen as compared to a rinse-alone regimen, which omits the rubbing step. The direction to rub and rinse lenses, based on the advice of an eye care professional, has always been part of the labeling for multipurpose contact lens care products. More information on contact lens safety is available in a PDF.

This is a good video where Martha Stewart discusses common topics in eye care including lazy eye, bifocal contact lenses, importance of eye exams for adults and for learning in children.

I came across this video from the American Optometric Association about the importance of yearly eye exams.  We also filmed our own video about the importance of yearly eye exams at the new Colleyville office .  With back to school eye exams being an important part summer it is important for us to safeguard our children’s vision.

This is great stuff.  A contact lens was applied to a patient’s eye to treat a corneal problem, reducing the patient’s blindness.  Contact lenses will soon be used to administer allergy and glaucoma medications.  Our state legislature, here in Texas, last month approved eye doctors to fit the medication delivery contact lenses.  Optometrists and ophthalmologists will be able to begin fitting them when the FDA gives the new drug delivery contact lenses their final approval.  Check out the stem cell video below.   A medical school in Australia is pioneering this important technology.

Why do I need bifocals is a very common question.  As a child we have a tremendous capacity to focus at near and as we get older our ability to focus at near slowly decreases to the point where around 40 years of age we begin to notice that it takes a significant effort to read.  We need more light than we used to.  The print quality has to be good.  We can’t read as well in the afternoon.  Sometimes we can read at near, but when we look up the distance is blurry.  These are all signs of presbyopia.  From the age of 40 to approximately the mid 60’s we notice the decline of our near vision.  This is called presbyopia (prez-bē-ˈō-pē-ə).

The good news is we have better options available than ever before.  Bifocal contact lenses really do work.  Read more…

Study from Ohio State University Confirms Prior Studies   Myopia Slowed With Contacts

In February, here in The Eye Doc Blog, we reported that The CANDY Study showed that OrthoKeratology contact lenses markedly slowed the progression of nearsightedness in children.  The results of The CANDY study have now been confirmed in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, the new study, Corneal Reshaping and Myopia Progression, showed that children wearing corneal reshaping lenses, also known as ortho-K or orthokeratology lenses significantly reduced the rate of change of the length of the children’s eyes.  The study participants wore the lenses for two years and ranged in refractive error from -0.75 to -4.00.  The study concluded that previous reports of slowed eye growth following corneal refractive therapy were confirmed.

Read more about Orthokeratology and Corneal Refractive Therapy at Total Eye Care.  Also view a video from ABC News about Ortho-K.

The archive summary of the study is available here.

American Eye-Q^® Study Shows UV Protection
Secondary to Cost and Style

The American Optometric Association’s 2008 American Eye-Q^® Survey, evaluated Americans thoughts regarding eyecare related issues and found that only 49% of Americans said UV protection was the most important factor when purchasing sunglasses. Price and style superseded UV protection in selecting sunglasses.

Most of our UV exposure occurs during childhood.  Excessive UV exposure has been known to cause cataracts, and macular degeneration.  Dry eye syndrome can also be complicated by UV exposure.  Read more about preventing sun exposure and 5 important facts to consider when picking out sunglasses.