M2L inc. recently launched the first optical-eyewear magazine for Canadian consumers.

 

Distributed in optometrists’ and dispensing opticians’ offices throughout Canada, Tmag will be published twice a year (spring-summer issue and fall-winter issue) and will present seasonal trends. The first issue (spring-summer 2014) has just been delivered.

 

Tmag has pictures of frames, of course, but it also offers eye health advice and provides product information and tips to help consumers pick the right pair of glasses. Being the only magazine designed with consumers in mind, Tmag would fittingly be displayed in waiting rooms. Tmag is also a good starting point for consumers who want to become better informed about value-added products.

 

Each office received three copies of the first issue at no charge, and additional copies are available upon request at publication@M2L.ca or 1.888.990.4422, ext. 237.

 

 

A study has found cases where injections of cosmetic dermal fillers in the face resulted in vision loss.

 

The article published online on March 6, 2014, in JAMA Ophthalmology reported three cases of patients who developed central retinal artery occlusion shortly after having received this type of injection.

 

A man in his thirties noticed field vision loss the day after getting an injection of hyaluronic acid. A woman in her early sixties presented with severe vision loss the same day she had an injection of autologous fat into the forehead. Finally, a woman in her forties suffered total vision loss in her right eye after receiving an injection of bovine collagen and polymethacrylate microspheres into the forehead.

 

The researchers explain that when a high-pressure injection is made in this area of the face, the injected substance can hit the external carotid vessels with such force that it flows backward into the internal carotid and into the eye.

 

“The risk is very, very low, but the risk is not zero,” said the lead author. “I just worry that often risks are minimized, and when something bad happens, it catches everybody by surprise.” She hopes that patients will receive information about the risk, so they can make an informed decision.

Source:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/821639_print

http://archopht.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1838342

 

 

Brien Holden Vision Institute is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The Institute’s leaders therefore took the opportunity to reflect on their past accomplishments and lift the veil on their future initiatives.

 

Established in 1973 under the name of Optometric Vision Research Foundation, Brien Holden Vision Institute contributed to some of the most important breakthroughs in the optical industry in the last few decades. At the same time, the Institute generated $30 billion in revenues for the industry, according to its leaders.

 

The most significant advances are the development of the first soft toric lenses in the 1970s and the silicone hydrogel lens invention in the 1980s.

 

But the story doesn’t end there, according to the company’s CEO, professor Brien Holden. “We will continue to progress our work towards the optimal correction of vision, and the early detection and diagnosis of eye disease and general health conditions affecting the eye, through advanced, innovative and affordable product development,” he said at a recent business meeting in China.

 

Upcoming developments include a retinal imaging camera, a cost-effective solution to help in the early, automatic diagnosis of blinding eye disease, and a device called NODe. This device will assess neurological function and dysfunction by assessing and measuring eye movements.

Source:

http://www.brienholdenvision.org/media-centre/latest-news/923-50-years-in-optometry-40-years-of-innovation-professor-brien-holden-reflects.html

 

The acquisition of Transitions Optical by Essilor has now been finalized. The transaction, announced in Capsule DotClip on August 9, went through all the approval steps. Since acquiring 51% of the shares of PPG, Essilor has become the sole owner of Transitions Optical. The transaction is valued at $1.73 billion.

 

Various changes in Transitions’s senior management have been announced.  Rick Elias, Senior vice-president Optical and Specialty Materials and Chief Executive Officer, is retiring. Dave Cole, after working for 24 years at Transitions, is going back to PPG as vice-president of the Packaging Coatings Unit. Paddy McDermott is now the new president of Transitions. Finally, Bertrand Roy, senior vice-president of Strategic Partnerships at Essilor, will lead the Transitions Optical Business Unit for the Essilor group. All these changes are becoming effective today, April 1, 2014.

UK researchers have developed a method of administering drugs such as Avastin or Lucentis with eye drops.

 

The research, conducted at University College of London on animal models, shows that it is possible to create formulations of tiny nanoparticles loaded with the AMD drug Avastin and deliver significant concentrations to the back of the eye.

 

“Injecting drugs into the eye is uncomfortable, and patients hate it. They often have to go to the hospital to receive the injections every month for two years,” says researcher Francesca Cordeiro. “It is impossible to exaggerate the relief patients would feel at not having to experience injections into their eyes.”

 

Transporting drugs like Avastin or Lucentis into the back of the eye using eye drops was thought to be nearly impossible, due to the size of the molecules, which do not cross the eye’s anatomical barriers.

 

“All the components we used are safe and well-established in the field, meaning we could potentially move quite quickly to get the technology into trials in patients – but the timescales are dependent on funding.”

Source:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smll.201303433/abstract;jsessionid=4A3153380F2AC9284357F7E41F2E4EEC.f01t02?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+disrupted+Saturday%2C+15+March+from+10%3A00-12%3A00+GMT+%2806%3A00-08%3A00+EDT%29+for+essential+maintenance

 

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140306093806.htm