Blog

March 28, 2018April 24, 2018

Treating Microbial Keratitis with Germicidal Contact Lenses

Microbial keratitis is an infection of the cornea that can result serious consequences, including increasing the opacity of the cornea, and eventually blindness. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research found that this infection could be treated using germicidal contact lenses.

Early symptoms of microbial keratitis include the eye turning red and watery, and blurred vision. Microbial keratitis caused by acanthomoeba is particularly difficult to treat because acanthomoeba is resistant to available drugs.

“Acanthamoeba are essentially everywhere. And contact lenses that are not completely clean are an excellent breeding ground for these parasites. The amoebae literally eat into the cornea,” explains Dr. Joachim Storsberg, scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP.

The researchers manufactured plasma-activated silicone hydrogel contact lenses, which they say have a gentle germicidal effect, able to oxidize and destroy the membranes of the amoebas.

“Plasma is known as a germicide. It has already been successfully used for several years in the treatment of skin diseases. So it made sense to develop contact lenses with germicidal properties and see whether they attack the amoebae and prevent them from multiplying,” says Storsberg. Successful tests of the contact lenses were carried out using donor corneas that were infected by a solution of acanthomoeba.

The group’s goal is to begin clinical trials in the summer of 2018.

March 27, 2018May 20, 2026

Designed with Passion

Silhouette is once again teaming up with a successful fashion label: the “Perret Schaad for Silhouette” Special Edition presents the iconic Silhouette Titan Minimal Art in a new light. This style is based around the interplay of colours, materials and shapes and looks like a full-rim model but offers the TMA’s traditional wearing comfort. Choose from four powerful rim and colour combinations: copper with orange-blue, brass with mint, dark red with grey and gold with caramel.

Distributed by: canadianoptical.com

March 27, 2018April 24, 2018

Barberini Eyewear to Fund Foundation for Dry Eye Research

An agreement signed between Barberini Eyewear and Fondazione Banca degli Occhi del Veneto Onlus to support a study that the Foundation will conduct on the use of optical glass ophthalmic lenses with selective action against Infrared Radiation, verifying their protective effectiveness in patients affected by dry eyes. “Dry eye is a diffuse condition, which may be present alone or associated with other favourable ocular and systemic conditions. This agreement aims to evaluate the effect of the use of optical glass ophthalmic lenses, normal or graduated, by patients with moderate dry eyes”, says the Medical Director of Fondazione Banca degli Occhi del Veneto Onlus, Dr. Diego Ponzin. This is the aim of the agreement that will see Barberini participate in and fund the research laboratories of the Foundation.

Founded 30 years ago as a reference centre for corneal transplants in the Veneto region and now also in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, The Banca degli Occhi Foundation is the first Eye Bank in Europe for the number of selected and distributed tissues and the first born in Italy.

The product being analysed in this particular context is “Platinum GlassTM”. This glass offers maximum protection from UV rays, protecting up to 400 nm (UV400); however, the most interesting aspect, which the study will try to test, is the effectiveness of protection from Infrared Rays (radiation that tends to warm the eye and its contour) which aims to prevent the premature aging of tissues.

Click HERE for the full press release.

March 23, 2018May 20, 2026

Etnia Barcelona’s “Anartistic” Take

The Pavia styles from Etnia Barcelona has natural acetate frames with rounded profiles and new colour and texture arrangements. Geometric and hexagonal profiles are light and slightly angled, clearly influenced by the 1970s. Each frame expresses a different attitude, a different way of seeing and understanding the world. Because sight is a personal, unique and non-transferrable experience.

Distributed by: www.etniabarcelona.com

March 23, 2018April 24, 2018

Safilo Celebrates 140 Years of Eyewear Manufacturing Tradition

Safilo Group celebrates 140 years of eyewear manufacturing tradition which dates back to the foundation of its very first Italian manufacturing site dedicated to eyewear.

It was in 1878 that a manufacturing site was first opened to produce lenses and frames in Calalzo di Cadore, in the Venetian Alps. The Safilo name dates back to 1934, when Guglielmo Tabacchi bought this first Italian production site and founded a new eyewear company, making it the oldest player in the Italian eyewear industry.

Celebrating 140 years of eyewear tradition reflects the corporate objective of preserving and enhancing Safilo’s traditional savoir-faire while emphasizing ties with the region where this same tradition was born. It also means acknowledging the incredible range of craft skills preserved by the artisans working with passion and dedication behind every single pair of glasses. These skills will only survive if they live in each generation; they provide a link to the company’s roots and are part of Safilo’s shared heritage which is now projected into the future thanks to Safilo’s Eyewear Product School, a three-year apprenticeship program – launched in 2014 – offering on the job training that will secure the further sustainability of this unique mastering of Italian manufacturing traditions.

The same purpose is perpetuated by Galleria Safilo, the virtual museum exclusively dedicated to eyewear history which highlights the role of Safilo Group as the historical industry leader and founder of the Italian eyewear manufacturing tradition. Safilo also owns one of the world’s most important private collections dedicated to eyewear.

Click HERE to read the full press release.