Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. (JJVCI), has announced the launch of  1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE® Brand Contact Lenses with LACREON® Technology, a new category of eye enhancement contact lenses that accentuate natural beauty while helping to support a healthy eye. The innovative brand, already the number-one beauty contact lens in Asia, is now widely available to Eye Care Professionals’ practices in Canada and the U.S.

1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE® addresses a significant unmet need for natural-looking eye enhancement: the 2013 Gallup Study of the U.S. Consumer Contact Lens Market showed that one in three vision corrected teens/adults (32%) express a strong interest in purchasing a contact lens that enhances the natural beauty of their eyes.[1] 1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE® Brand has sophisticated iris-inspired designs that combine an outer darker limbal ring – to give eyes greater definition by creating contrast between the iris and sclera – and an inner translucent light-effects pattern – to add depth and definition without changing the eye’s natural color. Independent research shows that people are more attracted to women and men with pronounced limbal rings, as limbal rings are associated with a healthy and youthful appearance.[2] Interviews with over 40,000 women informed the design of the lens.

1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE® Brand will be available in plano and vision correction ranges from +1.00 to -9.00 with a base curve of 8.5 and diameter 14.2mm and is being introduced in five styles to complement all eye colors:

• 1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE^® Brand Contact Lenses NATURAL SPARKLE™
• 1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE^® Brand Contact Lenses NATURAL SHIMMER™
• 1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE^® Brand Contact Lenses NATURAL SHINE™
• 1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE^® Brand Contact Lenses VIVID STYLE
• 1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE^® Brand Contact Lenses ACCENT STYLE

“1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE® provides personalized eye enhancement that uniquely interacts with each iris pattern,” explains Millicent Knight, OD, Head of Professional Affairs, JJVCI, U.S. “It is not a coloured contact lens,” she adds. “Coloured contact lenses usually have opaque and pixelated, patterns that mask the natural beauty of the eye.                 1-DAY ACUVUE DEFINE® offers subtle, natural-looking enhancement that allows the beauty of the eye to shine through.” 1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE® Brand also uses proprietary BEAUTY WRAPPED IN COMFORT® Technology that fully encloses the pattern within the ultrathin lens material of 1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST Brand Contact Lenses, ensuring that the design pigments are not in contact with the surface of the eye or the eyelid.

The performance of 1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE® is similar to the 1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST Brand, the #1 selling         daily disposable lens in the world, on comfort, health and vision parameters.** “1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST has a proven reputation for delivering long-lasting comfort, vision, and other great benefits of a daily disposable lens, and it blocks approximately 81 percent of UV-A radiation and 97 percent of UV-B radiation^+*,” says Dr. Knight. “1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE® combines the trusted performance of 1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST with a natural-looking beauty benefit that will appeal to a broad base of patients for everyday wear.”

JJVCI INTRODUCES A NEW INNOVATION IN BEAUTY/2

ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses are indicated for vision correction. As with any contact lens, eye problems, including corneal ulcers, can develop. Some wearers may experience mild irritation, itching or discomfort. Lenses should not be prescribed if patients have any eye infection, or experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, redness or other eye problems. Consult the package insert for complete information. Complete information is also available from Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Division of Johnson & Johnson, Inc., by calling 1-800-267-5098 or by visiting www.acuvueprofessional.ca.

† Helps protect against transmission of harmful UV radiation to the cornea and into the eye.

* WARNING: UV-absorbing contact lenses are NOT substitutes for protective UV-absorbing eyewear such as UV-absorbing goggles or sunglasses because they do not completely cover the eye and surrounding area. You should continue to use UV-absorbing eyewear as directed. NOTE: Long term exposure to UV radiation is one of the risk factors associated with cataracts. Exposure is based on a number of factors such as environmental conditions (altitude, geography, cloud cover) and personal factors (extent and nature of outdoor activities). UV-Blocking contact lenses help provide protection against harmful UV radiation. However, clinical studies have not been done to demonstrate that wearing UV-Blocking contact lenses reduces the risk of developing cataracts or other eye disorders. Consult your eye care practitioner for more information.

**Some patients may notice a small difference in subjective vision performance, particularly in low-lighting conditions.

1-DAY ACUVUE® DEFINE®, NATURAL SPARKLE™, NATURAL SHIMMER™, NATURAL SHINE™, 1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST, LACREON®, and BEAUTY WRAPPED IN COMFORT® are trademarks of Johnson & Johnson, Inc.

[1] The 2013 Gallup Study of the U.S. Consumer Contact Lens Market. Q12a: How interested would you be in purchasing a contact lens that enhances the natural beauty of your eyes? Adults responding “extremely” or “very.”

[2] Peshek, Semmaknejad, Hoffman and Foley. “Preliminary Evidence that the LimbalRing Influences Facial Attractiveness.” Evolutionary Psychology. www.epjournal.net. 2011. 9(2): 137-146.

Optimizing Optometry’s Role  in Ontario outlines the delicate state of eye health and vision care in the province:

From urgent care and disease management, to the impact on vulnerable populations such as children and seniors, there are gaps that can be filled by improved access to optometrists. This will require some help from government. OHIP funding approaches to eye care need to be modernized to ensure a stronger foundation of primary eye care by optometrists.

“When patients wake up with a toothache, they know to go to the dentist. But when they wake up with red eye, they’re not sure who to see,” says Dr. Jeff Goodhew, President, OAO.“Optometrists have the training and scope to diagnose and treat most eye conditions – and we’re easily accessible to Ontarians. In short, we’re best positioned to be the first source for all eye care needs.”

Without increased collaboration between optometrists, government, other health care providers and health organizations, the current problems will only grow. Optometrists have at least seven years of university education, are part of the fabric of nearly all Ontario communities and have the knowledge, the specialized equipment and the expertise to be part of the solution.

“Ontarians’ eye care needs aren’t being adequately met by the current approach,” says Beth Witney, CEO, OAO. “An aging population means that patient needs are becoming more complex. We need to make the most of our existing eye care resources, including optometrists so that patients have access to the best, most efficient care.”

On top of providing a current landscape of eye health and vision care in Ontario, the report brings forward suggestions on how to improve access to optometry’s eye care services:

Implementing the report’s recommendations would reduce the overall cost of eye health and vision care in the province and lead to better value for Ontarians and a greatly improved patient experience.

About the Ontario Association of Optometrists

The Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO) is the leading professional organization, representing nearly 1,600 Doctors of Optometry in Ontario for over 100 years. We are dedicated to helping our members provide the highest standard of eye health and vision care for Ontarians while driving the profession of optometry forward. OAO’s members are highly-trained regulated health professionals providing primary eye health and vision care to Ontarians.

To download a copy of Optimizing Optometry’s Role in Ontario, please visit www.ontariooptometry.ca

[1] Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Cost of Vision Loss, February 2015.

For the third consecutive year, CooperVision is proud to offer the CooperVision Science and Technology (S&T) Awards Program. The goal of this awards program is to bring recipients and CooperVision scientists together to explore new areas of technology advancement in contact lens applications and enable the translation of concepts into real world solutions. The focus on this year’s program is two-fold: 1) approaches to improve contact lens discomfort, including intervention and management strategies, and 2) technologies to enhance the functionality of contact lenses beyond conventional vision correction.

“The CooperVision Science and Technology awards continue to bear fruit,” said Arthur Back, Chief Technology Officer for CooperVision. “We have converted two of our seedling awardees from 2013-2014 into multi-year translational research awards. We encourage scientists and engineers from all fields to apply their competencies to our S&T needs as we have found that many applicants have embarked on collaborations with CooperVision scientists outside of the awards program. That is an unseen opportunity for applicants to understand; that your ideas and talents might be supported by CooperVision through alternate funding mechanisms outside of the awards program as well.”

The CooperVision S&T Awards Program is comprised of two awards: The CooperVision Seedling Award and the CooperVision Translational Research Award. Research proposals should demonstrate significant potential for research discoveries and technological advancements that CooperVision can rapidly commercialize to improve the performance, enhance the functionality, and/or broaden the use of contact lenses.

The CooperVision Seedling Award is intended to incentivize collaborations with CooperVision in a new research area for a one-year period. The award enables investigators to generate preliminary data that could be used toward a future CooperVision Translational Research Award. The maximum total cash amount for a CooperVision seedling is $100,000, including indirect costs.

A CooperVision Translational Research Award is a multi-year award for a substantive translational research project. Research under this award is milestone-driven in order to remain focused on a well-defined goal. A CooperVision Translational Research Award provides funding for up to two years, totaling up to $400,000, including indirect costs. A maximum of $250,000 can be requested for any one year. A CooperVision Translational Research Award may be considered for renewal at the end of the initial research period.

For information of the application process and materials, please visit http://coopervision.com/our-company/science-and-technology-awards

Essilor International reported an overall 25.4% sales gains to €1,659 million for Quarter 1, or 12.8% excluding the favourable currency effect. Lenses and Optical instruments matched the overall growth rate, posting a 25.3% increase versus last year.

North America, Essilor’s largest market, posted strong gains, up 39.2% or 21.3% without the effect of currency.

In comments to analysts, Essilor CEO Hubert Sagnières, indicated a significant increase in consumer media spending in Quarter 2 and increased new product launch activity, including EyeZen, a lens for relaxing the eyes when viewing digital devices that Essilor will release first in France.