Blog

July 1, 2021May 19, 2026

Giving Sight in Manila, Philippines

Donations to Optometry Giving Sight helped fund Canadian Vision Care’s support for eye care in Manila, Philippines. Their partnership with the SPECS Eye Train Clinic provides eye care out of two creatively converted railway cars.

CooperVision Specialty EyeCare Announces Uniform Markings Across Blanchard Onefit Family of Scleral Lenses

CooperVision Specialty EyeCare announced that lens markings are now uniform across the entire Blanchard Onefit™ family of scleral lenses, including Onefit™ MED and Onefit™ MED+. The uniform markings for front torics and toric haptics across the Onefit™ family aid in distinguishing whether quadrant specific landing zones and/or limbal zones have been indicated, thereby streamlining the fitting process for eye care professionals (ECPs). If quadrant specific landing zones have been indicated, the values for all four quadrants will be etched into each lens.

“We are committed to producing the highest-quality scleral lenses for the benefit of both the patient and the eye care professional,” said Marie-Christine Blanchard, Global Lead, Scleral and Irregular Cornea category for CooperVision Specialty EyeCare, Americas. “With the innovative lens design features of our Onefit™ MED and Onefit™ MED+, we are making ECPs’ lives easier. This is one of several ways we are strengthening clinical relationships and enhancing our support for the specialty eye care community.”

Further simplifying the fitting process with Onefit™ MED and Onefit™ MED+ lenses, CooperVision Specialty EyeCare has also expanded the Quadrant Specific fitting tool within its online custom tools to provide a visual depiction of the lens markings that will be seen on the final lens.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Scott Harris’s Spring Collection is All About Colour

This women’s acetate style is a study in contrast. A play on framing artwork, using laminated acetate creates a strong outline around soft, colourful tortoise colourways. The featured model SH-736 is shown in colours Ice Pink and Tokyo.

Distributed by Europa: www.europaeyewear.ca

June 30, 2021June 2, 2021

HIV and Diabetes Drugs May Lower the Risk of Developing AMD

Two research groups have used data from American health insurance claims to see if individuals on specific drugs have a lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

In the first study, researchers studied claims from over 600,000 individuals, half of whom had a diagnosis of AMD. The study published in JAMA Ophthalmology found that individuals who had previously taken metformin, used as a treatment for type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome, had a reduced chance of developing AMD. Interestingly, the effect was dose-dependent, and individuals on lower doses of metformin had the greatest benefit.

In the second study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers found that build-up of a certain type of DNA (called Alu DNA) could kill retinal pigment epithelial cells in the retina, potentially contributing to macular
degeneration. Based on this finding, they searched through claims from millions of patients to see if any drugs that block Alu DNA build up were associated with reduced vision loss. Indeed, they found that individuals who had taken a type of HIV drug known as nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) had less risk of developing dry AMD.

This data on its own isn’t enough to suggest that doctors should start prescribing these drugs, but they do provide interesting evidence that these drugs, or in the case of NRTIs, safer alternatives, could be considered for testing in new clinical trials to see if they help prevent AMD.

June 30, 2021June 30, 2021

A Pandemic of Increased Near-Vision Use for Canadian Children – CooperVision Survey

While the horizon of a return to normal seems less distant, a new survey by CooperVision Canada and Maru/Blue suggests that the pandemic may have generated near-vision habits, which according to experts could have an impact on the eye health of Canadian children, including myopia.

According to the survey, 59% of Canadian parents reported their children under 14 were spending more time doing activities that require their near vision compared to before the pandemic. Among them, 27% even indicated this extra time exceeded 5 hours a day, while nearly half (47%) said their children would spend an extra 3 to 4 hours a day on nearsighted activities. While near vision has been associated with higher incidences of developing myopia, the changes in lifestyle and screen consumption resulting from the pandemic could pose long-term concerns for Canadian children’s eye health.

“Since the pandemic, children have been spending more time inside relying on their near vision more and more for everyday activities, including online learning, connecting with friends and family and entertainment. As the pandemic and this dependency on online activities persists, we are finding that these activities may be contributing to eye strain and possibly resulting in myopia. What we should make sure of, is that these new near-vision habits do not become the new norm,” said Dr. Debbie Jones, Clinical Professor of Optometry at the University of Waterloo and Clinical Scientist at the Centre for Ocular Research & Education.

Eye care professionals recommend monitoring eye health in children at regular intervals, starting as young as six months old, before they start school and annually. However, the survey revealed that a little over half (55%) of Canadian parents get their children’s vision checked at least once a year. An additional 20% reported having their children’s eyes monitored every 2 or more years, and 24% have never had their child’s vision checked.

Not surprisingly, 42% of Canadian parents surveyed by Maru/Blue for CooperVision also agreed their children are spending less time outside compared to prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a contributing concern for their eye health, according to experts, who point to the lack of outdoor time due to quarantine as another environmental factor leading to myopia.

“The human body was not designed for us to only use our vision inside,” added Jones. “Spending time outside is encouraged as it has been shown to have a preventative effect and can delay the onset of myopia, this should be easier now that the summer is here! Engaging children in outdoor activities that do not involve using their near vision, making sure they keep a reasonable distance from their books, tablets or TVs, and ensuring they take regular breaks are good first steps to help prevent early symptoms.”

Click HERE for the full press release.