Oakley has officially launched its True Digital Edge^TM wrap lenses for higher prescriptions.

 

Canadian eyecare professionals who took part in the RX sessions that Oakley held in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia in the spring of 2013 have already had a preview of the technology on which the OTD Edge lenses are based.

 

Oakley’s patented procedure consists in first recalculating the prescription using the Oakley True Digital (OTD) technology. This helps optimize clarity and visual precision from the centre of the lens to the edges, even for high-wrap lenses. The Thin Zone technology is then applied, reducing the thickness of the lenses to 40%. The final step is the application of a glazed coating to block any bothersome visual stimuli or distortions.

 

The lenses will be available in a greater range of powers, from +4.00 to -6.00 dioptres, with a binocular visual field of at least 120 degrees.

 

“Eyecare professionals must sometimes announce to their clients who are impressed by Oakley frames that their prescription does not fit the model they want,” says Oakley CEO Colin Baden. “The new lenses will go a long way toward addressing this issue.”

Source:

www.oakley.com

Ahmos Henry is the new president of Hoya Vision Care Canada.

 

With a B.Sc. from Cairo University, in Egypt, and an MBA from Saint Mary’s University, in Canada, Ahmos Henry previously worked nine years at Essilor Canada as vice-president for the Atlantic region.

 

“I am excited to start a new challenge with Hoya Vision Care Canada,” he commented in a press release. “I look forward to working with the team to take the success of Hoya in many parts of Canada to new horizons. I am delighted to join a well-respected company that prides itself in some of the most innovative products that every eyecare professional knows and appreciates.”

 

For his part, the president of Hoya Vision Care Company (Global), Gerry Bottero, said he is honoured that Ahmos Henry has chosen Hoya. “Ahmos is uniquely qualified to drive innovation in our service platform and product portfolio.”

 

Until recently, Hoya Vision Care Canada was headed by David Pietrobon, whose departure was announced in September of 2013.

Source: Hoya Canada

 

Canadian researchers may have found a treatment for aniridia, a group of congenital malformations that includes the partial or total absence of the iris.

 

The researchers found that Ataluren, taken in the form of eye drops, restored the vision of mice with this malformation. The anomaly is caused by a genetic mutation that interrupts with the production of a protein essential to eye development. Ataluren seems to short-circuit this mutation, thus restarting the production of the protein.

                                                                                         

At first, the researchers believed that Ataluren would work only during pregnancy in order to prevent the disease from showing up in the fetus. However, they came to see that the drug, administered to two-week-old babies as eye drops, reversed the damage caused by the disease.

                      

“We were amazed to see how malleable the eye is after birth,” said Cheryl Gregory-Evans, associate professor of ophthalmology. “This holds promise for treating other eye conditions caused by nonsense mutations, including some types of macular degeneration. And if it reverses damage in the eye, it raises the possibility of a cure for other congenital disorders.”

 

Source:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131220143230.htm

 

                                                                                                      

 

Researchers believe they have identified a potential therapy for meibomian gland dysfunction.

 

“We discovered that azithromycin, an antibiotic, can directly stimulate the function of human meibomian gland epithelial cells,” said researcher Yang Liu, first author of the paper published in JAMA Ophthalmology.

 

This antibiotic is already the most commonly prescribed treatment for meibomian gland dysfunction in the United States. However, its effectiveness had not yet been scientifically demonstrated, and its use for this purpose is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Doctors have presumed that this antibiotic would be effective, due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial actions, which may suppress posterior blepharitis and curb the growth of eyelid bacteria.

 

“We hypothesized that azithromycin could act directly on human meibomian gland epithelial cells to stimulate their differentiation, enhance the quality and quantity of their lipid production, and promote their holocrine secretion. Our results support this hypothesis,” said Dr. David Sullivan.

Source:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131223181151.htm

 

Essilor Canada Ltd and Riverside Opticalab Ltd recently announced a new partnership.

 

Essilor confirmed that it has acquired a certain stake in Riverside Opticalab, but does not wish to release the exact amount. “We do not think of it as an acquisition, but as a partnership. Riverside will continue to operate as an independent, stand-alone entity. The agreement with Essilor will simply give them access to a wider range of products, which will add to their own products, such as the Persona line,” says Sylvie Pelletier, Essilor Canada’s vice-president of finance.

 

Founded in 1976 and based in Ottawa, Riverside Opticalab manufactures and sells optical solutions. In a press release, Essilor described the partnership as an “important step” in the development of products and services that benefit Canada’s optical industry.

Source:

http://www.essilor.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/Press/Annonce%20du%20partenariat%20Essilor-Riverside.pdf