Aug 2023

If you have an interest in prescribing contact lenses – or you’re considering dabbling in them – this is your issue.

Associate Professor Andrew Chang AM is a vitreoretinal surgeon and ophthalmologist. He is the Medical Director of Sydney Retina. He holds the academic appointment of Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Sydney and is the Head of Ophthalmology at the Sydney Eye Hospital.

With Australia facing an economic hit of AU$4.3 billion by 2025, due to the impact of glaucoma, Glaucoma Australia is urging eye care professionals to do as much as possible to identify suspects early and support patients long term.

Clinical-stage ophthalmology biotechnology company EyeBio has announced first dosing of participants with an investigational treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic macular oedema (DMO).

Oral administration of a commercially available probiotic has been found to improve dry eye disease in an animal model.

New technology has been launched in Australia to help optometrists treat the growing number of people experiencing dry eye.

Macular Disease Foundation Australia (MDFA) has awarded more than AU$700,000 in research funding to six promising projects that are building the knowledge bank of understanding in macular disease.

Visitors to the Glaucoma Australia website can now access a wide range of accessibility and language support tools to customise their digital experience through Recite Me assistive technology.

“Overwhelmed and incredibly humbled” by being awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours, Dr Sandra Staffieri AO hopes the honour will provide a “massive megaphone, a soapbox to promote children’s eye health”.

Vision Eye Institute (VEI), Australia’s largest private ophthalmology provider and operator of 11 day surgeries through Vision Hospital Group (VHG), has welcomed a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The Australian College of Optometry (ACO) has announced the appointment of Tim Fricke as the new Director of Research and Education.

Annual prizes have been established with two universities to honour former Optical Distributors and Manufacturers Association (ODMA) Board Chair and Director, the late Richard Grills AM.

Vision Australia is now stocking the Eone Bradley Watch – asleek, award-winning wristwatch that combines classic design with practical, modern technology to enable people with all levels of vision to tell the time easily.

Award-winning cataract and glaucoma ophthalmologist, Dr Andrew Tatham, has visited Australia from Scotland, to discuss his experience with the Hydrus microstent – aminimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) device for adult patients with open angle glaucoma.

Australians over the age of 50 are under-educated about the benefits and options associated with cataract surgery, a new survey has found.

Vision Australia has designed a ‘Life Ready Program’ to encourage and support the development and education of children and young people who are blind or have low vision.

They’re a marine delicacy loved across Asia, but the sea cucumber is also proving to be a key ingredient in preventing diabetes, according to new Australian research.

A neuromorphic invention, thousands of times thinner than a human hair, has been developed to ‘see’ and create memories.

Elios Vision Inc. has completed enrolment for its pivotal trial of more than 300 patients with mild to moderate glaucoma treated with the Elios procedure in combination with cataract surgery.

There are promising signs that an industryfirst initiative, bringing together patient support bodies from across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, will result in strategies that improve patient outcomes.

Fashion designer Nicolas Fafiotte has taken on the prestigious role of President of the Silmo d’Or awards.

Eyecare Plus said its new campaign promoting ‘locals caring for locals’ is proving promising, with an additional 1,000 appointments booked since it has aired.

New research has estimated the lifetime cost of inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) at AU$5.2m per person – or $781m to $1.56b per year nationally.

There’s no question that working in eye care is mentally and emotionally stressful. After all, you’re working with eyes – and we all know the critical difference good vision makes to your patients’ quality of life.

Whether it’s the fear of the unknown or simply the Australian culture that likes to let things roll, contact lenses have not taken off. Despite the abundant evidence to support the safety and comfort of modern contact lens technology, and the myriad consumer surveys that tell us contact lenses can improve quality of life, just 14% of the eligible population actually wears them. It’s a weak statistic when compared against Europe, which has a 40% penetration.

A campaign titled, “It’s good to talk”, run by the global telecommunications company BT in the 90s, demonstrated the power of focussing on communication. These four carefully chosen words led to impressive incremental sales of more than AU$8 billion over five years. They also helped transform the company’s brand perception.1

Ocular trauma can result in blindness if not identified early and treated appropriately. Penetrating and blunt ocular injuries produce different pathology in the posterior segment. Dr Lawrence Kwok and Associate Professor Andrew Chang write that understanding early and late clinical features of ocular injury can assist in saving vision.

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Ocular astigmatism is a refractive condition that occurs due to unequal curvatures of the cornea and the crystalline lens, decentration and/or tilting of the lens, unequal refractive indices across the crystalline lens, and in some cases, altered geometry of the posterior pole. 1 In the modern world, with advancing technology and digitalisation, a patient’s aim is not just clearer vision with correction, but a more focussed vision with little or no correction. Astigmatism, even as low as 0.5D, can cause fuzzy vision that can impact uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) outcomes. Astigmatism may be corrected postoperatively with the use of glasses and/or contact lenses. However, most patients undergoing cataract surgery aim for good uncorrected vision, at the least for distance, if not all distances.

Myopia is associated with socio-economic consequences, visual impairment, and secondary diseases in adulthood. Therefore, and because of its increasing prevalence worldwide, a strategy is needed to minimise the impact of myopia. On this basis, for several years the optical and ophthalmic industry has been putting a lot of effort into providing tools to control and manage myopia progression during its different stages: onset, progression, and stabilisation. Myopia control management represents a paradigm shift in treatment for myopia, from correcting a refractive error to managing its various stages with a well-defined focus and strategy.

In the eighth in a series of articles summarising the key findings of the BCLA CLEAR publication, a major review of the published evidence relating to all aspects of contact lens practice, Drs Karen G. Carrasquillo and Kellen Riccobono offer an overview of the section relating to the medical uses of contact lenses.

To prepare for the integration of artificial intelligence into everyday life, we need to consider how we can take advantage of the changes it will deliver without allowing it to get out of control, writes Alan Saks.

Scleral lenses have become increasingly popular in recent years as a means of correcting vision and managing various eye conditions. However, like other forms of contact lens wear, scleral lens use comes with its own set of potential complications, including lipid keratopathy (LK).

Alcon’s water surface technology contact lenses feature a novel permanent two-phase material – a silicone hydrogel (SiHy) material at the core and a hydrogel water layer at the surface. Dr Jessica Mathew looks at how this compares with traditional soft contact lenses.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides non-invasive, high-resolution, cross-sectional visualisation of anterior and posterior structures. While this unique capability has made it an integral component of eye examinations for common clinical presentations, such as glaucoma or macular disease, the technology also offers other advantages in less conventional applications. In this article, Henrietta Wang discusses three practical but ‘unconventional’ OCT applications and provides real-life scenarios where unconventional use of OCT can help guide optometric management of patients.

When Dr Kristin Larson first heard about syntonics – a form of light therapy – she was intrigued enough to start investigating further.

Challenged to reflect on areas in which we can improve, Optometry Victoria South Australia (OV/SA) Chief Executive Officer Ilsa Hampton has launched a project to reduce workplace injuries.

Optometrists were urged to “do something” about progressing myopia – in children and also in adults – at the second annual Myopia Progression in Children (MPIC) conference in Sydney.

Optometry Virtually Connected 2023, presented by Optometry Australia, was an exploration into the evolving landscape of our profession and the world in which we practise. Presented online, this was a fitting setting in which to explore the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and how changing climate and lifestyles are affecting our eyes and behaviour.

Deciding between buying or leasing your practice premises is a significant decision that requires careful consideration. Both options come with their own set of benefits and considerations, and understanding these factors is crucial for making an informed choice.

It’s the largest clinical conference and trade fair for optometry and the ophthalmic community in the Southern Hemisphere, so if you’re looking for the latest in lenses and eyewear, look no further than O=MEGA 23/World Congress of Optometry (WCO4).

When the Marquis Emilio Pucci di Barsento founded the company that bears his name in the 1950s, he quickly became famous as the “Prince of Prints”. His bold, radical approach to fashion design made an immediate impact on those seeking luxury, elegance, and an expression of femininity. Today, Pucci sun and optical frames continue to celebrate creativity, boasting glamorous, bold colours to appeal to a new audience.

Safilo and American lifestyle brand Kate Spade New York have announced the early renewal of their global eyewear licensing agreement for the exclusive design, manufacture, and distribution of Kate Spade New York branded optical frames, readers and sunglasses for women as well as optical frames for girls. Safilo Group has held the licence since 2000.

Hoya Vision Care has launched the Miyosmart sun range. The photochromic spectacle lenses, Miyosmart Chameleon; and polarised spectacle lenses, Miyosmart Sunbird, were developed to slow down myopia progression in children using D.I.M.S. Technology, while providing protection from intense sunlight. These two new products, along with the Miyosmart clear spectacle lenses which launched in 2018, give children the freedom to comfortably take part in the activities they enjoy indoors and outdoors without compromising their eyesight.

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