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Birmingham Optical renews Nidek deal
Birmingham Optical has announced signing a multi-year distribution and partnership contract with instrument firm Nidek. The length of the contract was not disclosed but it was described as being for a 'considerable' amount of time. Nidek president and CEO Motoki Ozawa visited Optrafair in Birmingham for the first time last month, to strike the deal with Christopher Tyler, CEO of Birmingham Optical. Tyler, who has now worked with the Japanese firm for 25 years, said: 'We are very proud to continue our relationship with Nidek, and with a new premium brand matching the premium product, we are looking forward to what the future has in store.' Birmingham Optical also celebrated its 20th anniversary at Optrafair and said the show was 'a great success'. 'Combined with the new contract being signed, the future is looking very promising,' a company statement added. 17 May 2013

Drug therapy extended
Eye drug Lucentis has been accepted by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) as a treatment option for people with visual impairment due to macular oedema as a result of branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). The condition affects 2,400 people each year in Scotland, according to a statement by manufacturer Novartis. Dr Peter Cackett, consultant ophthalmologist at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion, Edinburgh, said: 'Retinal vein occlusion can have a significant impact on a person's quality of life and independence as it affects the ability to carry out some of the everyday tasks which many of us take for granted. 'In Scotland we have been able to treat people with central retinal vein occlusion for some time with ranibizumab, but until now those with BRVO were still unable to access this important treatment, which can lead to rapid and significant gains in vision.' It meant Lucentis was available on NHS Scotland for each condition it is licensed fo17 May 2013

Optegra and University of Manchester to share knowledge
A new partnership with the University of Manchester would benefit patients, said eye care provider Optegra. The new Knowledge Transfer Partnership would focus on a range of ophthalmic research projects to develop new approaches for evaluating visual performance. It also aims to increase engagement with patients by providing up-to-date information on new treatments and technologies from the results of the research activities. Dr Hema Radhakrishnan from the university's faculty of life sciences will work with Optegra's group of specialist eye hospitals on the project. 'This partnership provides a unique opportunity to translate our research into clinical practice and to improve our knowledge and understanding of the very latest ophthalmologic treatments,' she said. The project would also aim to help develop frameworks for running large-scale ophthalmological studies and clinical trials. 17 May 2013

Variable focus eyewear seen as beneficial
A majority of US optical professionals were found to be familiar with variable focus eyewear in a study commissioned by supplier Adlens. The Oxford-based company ran a study that found 13 per cent of the practitioners dispensed variable focus eyewear, with 11 per cent of respondents Adlens stockists. The study, conducted by Jobson Optical Research, quizzed 292 respondents. It found that 83 per cent of those questioned recognised variable focus eyewear was 'beneficial or very beneficial' for their patients, while 74 per cent of them said it benefited their practice. Christine Fraser, Adlens director of customer success, said: 'We are delighted to see these results. It shows that we are on the right path, not only to increase customer satisfaction through engagement and enhancing the customer experience, bringing more traffic to the practice, but also growing the businesses and profits of our customers.' 17 May 2013

AOP forms American alliance
A new strategic alliance focusing on issues impacting optometric practice has been formed by the Association of Optometrists and American not-for-profit company VSP, which specialises in independent practice growth. 'The AOP is working closely with VSP to ensure VSP develops its business with full awareness of the issues affecting profitability and the delivery of patient care in the UK,' said an AOP spokesperson. As part of the agreement, the organisations will form an advisory council which will include two UK-based and two US-based independent optometrists. The council will manage and respond to a user group of participating practices, which will share ideas with the VSP Neighbourhood Network. It will also advise the VSP board and put direct communications between optometrists at the centre of the UK programme. 17 May 2013

Designers put Project Glass in the frame
As Google's Project Glass augmented reality eyewear continues its software development phase, eyewear designers around the world have offered their interpretations of what the technology could look like in their eyewear. One of the companies invited to submit designs by Bloomberg Business Week was British eyewear brand Cutler and Gross. Its design director Marie Wilkinson updated its 0734 ophthalmic frame and spoke exclusively to Optician about the design. 'The 0734 is an iconic Cutler and Gross style that has been made in many forms since the company was first established in 1969, and it seemed right to look back when we look forward,' said Wilkinson. The new design features a larger temple shape from the company's archives to accommodate the device's camera and battery pack while still providing balance on the patient's face. Wilkinson revealed that the company did not wor17 May 2013

FMO cracks down on credit control
An advice package has been released by the FMO for optical trade members called Best Practice for Credit Control. A working group was set up to produce the document, while an established FMO Bad Payer List was also being updated. 'We put a strong emphasis on listing the payment terms and ensuring that sales staff are familiar with the company's credit policy. It is important to carry out credit checks with each new customer and to set appropriate credit limits. Terms and conditions should be issued when orders are placed, along with advice on interest that may be charged on overdue accounts,' said Andrew Actman. He is pictured with fellow FMO working group members Stuart Burn (centre) and David Baker (right). 17 May 2013

Retinoblastoma Awareness Week brings new protocols
Children's cancer charity Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) has called on UK opticians to adopt a new protocol to prevent delays in eye cancer diagnosis. Babies and young children face serious delays in receiving life-saving treatment because their symptoms are being missed by frontline health professionals, new figures released by CHECT to coincide with World Retinoblastoma Awareness Week (May 12-18) have shown. Research on children diagnosed with retinoblastoma in the UK in 2012 found 72 per cent of GPs did not make an urgent referral, as recommended in the NICE guidelines. The research showed that 100 per cent of opticians who examined children who had retinoblastoma prior to diagnosis made the appropriate referral. However, CHECT chief executive Joy Felgate said some practices that chose not to examine babies and young children had sent parents away with misleading or no information at all about 17 May 2013

Nitrous oxide key to low IOP
A new ocular anti-hypertensive agent has been shown to be more effective at lowering average diurnal intraocular pressure than the established prostaglandin analogue drug latanoprost, in a phase 2b study. In results released at this year's ARVO conference, the nitric-oxide donating prostaglandin F2-analogue drug latanoprostene bunod also showed more successful responders among the sample trialled. Response success was defined as achieving 18mmHg or less IOP. Intervention in nitrous oxide levels appears to show great potential as a mechanism for influencing IOP in glaucoma treatment. 17 May 2013

UV radiation threat ignored all day long
Younger generations need to be educated about the importance of protecting their eyes from UV radiation, new research has shown. A latest study by the Vision Council in the US found UV radiation was often recognised as the culprit for sunburns and skin cancer but most people did not realise its damaging impact on the eye. It said this left many vulnerable to short-term and long-term health problems such as photokeratitis, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration and cancer of the eye and surrounding skin. The Council's newly released 2013 study found that 40 per cent of US adults still did not wear sunglasses while outside. The study found 28.5 per cent did not wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun, a figure that rose to 32.9 per cent for men but was lower among women. It said: 'Sadly, these unsafe habits are being passed on to younger generations. Over half of parents do not utilise sunglasses to protect their children's eyes from U17 May 2013

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