The BCLA’s biggest ever exhibition in Birmingham last month introduced a range of new products and innovations. Emma White went to investigate
Exhibitors at this year’s 36th BCLA at Birmingham’s Hilton Metropole hotel went to great efforts to both entertain and inform visitors at a host of impressive stands and evening events. Platinum sponsor Johnson & Johnson Vision Care installed a miniature racing car at its stand to promote the latest addition to its Acuvue family, and invited Olympic athlete Roger Black as guest speaker at its Friday night event.
Meanwhile platinum sponsor Bausch & Lomb entertained visitors with the ‘keepy-uppy’ stunts of two teenage footballers to promote its Nike MaxSight lens for sport. Smaller companies launched a selection of new contact lenses and solutions with samples for visitors to take away, while practice management system providers explained the latest and best ways to run, promote and organise a practice.
Platinum sponsors
CIBA Vision, another platinum sponsor, attracted plenty of attention on its stand for the launch of FreshLook One-Day colour contact lenses with Focus Dailies technology. CIBA said the lenses combine natural looking colour with the comfort, safety and convenience of a daily disposable. Available in Pure Hazel, Blue, Green and Grey, the lenses come in a 13.8mm diameter. Sold in packs of 10, they will be available from -0.50D to -6.00D in 0.25D steps and also plano. Coinciding with the launch is an integrated national marketing campaign to find the ‘Face of FreshLook One-Day’ for 2007.
CIBA claimed that clinical trials show Focus Dailies with AquaComfort is a superior lens to 1-Day Acuvue Moist. ‘Focus Dailies with AquaComfort lenses are made of nelficon A with added PVA, not found in other lenses,’ said the company.
Also in the pipeline is the O2Optix Toric silicone hydrogel, allowing ‘five times greater oxygen transmissibility than traditional hydrogel lenses resulting in whiter, healthier eyes’.
CooperVision said its new Biofinity contact lens is a ‘breakthrough’ in silicone hydrogel technology combining aquaform material technology with an advanced lens design. The patented Aquaform contains a silicone monomer to enable oxygen to be transmitted more efficiently, it claimed, and hydrophilic and silicone components that work together to maintain water throughout the lens. The premium daily wear monthly lens can also be worn on an overnight basis under the guidance of the patient’s eye care practitioner. 
‘It’s About Time’ was the theme at the Johnson & Johnson Vision Care stand which showcased the recently launched Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism and previewed the 1-Day Acuvue for Astigmatism, due for release later this year. The miniature racing car simulator challenged visitors to complete a race track circuit in 60 seconds - the time the company said it takes for the lenses to stabilise in the eye. Olympic athlete Black was guest speaker at the company’s evening event to mark its sponsorship of the forthcoming Olympic Games with entertainment from guest band, The Counterfeit Beatles.
Bausch & Lomb previewed its ‘breakthrough’ PureVision Multi-focal lens, due for release at the beginning of July. The company said the lens combines the visual performance of Soflens Multi-Focal with the fitting, health and comfort characteristics of PureVision. Delegates were also invited to a ‘learn and lunch’ session at the BCLA for the introduction of Nike MaxSight, where professional services and clinical affairs manager Cheryl Donnelly presented an interactive session entitled ‘See sport better’.
The Nike MaxSight lens is designed to enhance clarity and contour recognition for sharper contrast, filter out more than 90 per cent of harmful blue light as well as 95 per cent of UVA and UVB. Two teenage boys in football kit entertained the crowd with some skilful football balancing tricks to demonstrate the link to sport.
Smaller contact lens companies
Clearlab has reported that its first attendance at the show resulted in its 125th UK account, three months after launching the ‘Clear’ range of lenses. Visitors were told about the company’s Clear 1-day lens made with proprietary biocompatible ClearGMA material to retain moisture for longer. Also available was the frequent replacement Clearall-day brand contact lens. And soon to come is the Clear 1-day toric lens.
Independent contact lens manufacturer UltraVision CLPL last month received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise - Innovation for its SAM and UltraWave technologies. The company said the lenses offer wavefront vision benefits of refractive surgery without the risk of going under the knife. The company launched KeraSoft 2 contact lenses for keratoconus patients, which it said provides them with an enhanced alternative to rigid gas-permeable lenses while enjoying the benefits of soft lenses including longer wearing times.
Also launched was the monthly/two weekly disposable aspheric toric contact lens UltraWave T for ‘clearer vision in all light conditions, better visual comfort for VDU users, plus a preferred option for early presbyopes’.
Targeting the teenage market was Menicon with its Z Junior Pack for the under-16s. The company said the pack was designed to help facilitate the first experience in contact lenses and ensure a smooth start with the Z-material. The 6-in-1 pack comprises one or two pairs of Z material lenses, one MeniCare Plus solution (250ml) plus lens case; one pocket-size 50ml MeniCare Plus solution; one box of Menicon Progent and vial; one educational contact lens book and one mirror especially made for mobile phones to check the lenses are on the eyes.
Daysoft (formerly Provis) chairman Ron Hamilton reported that Daysoft-uv 58 per cent had been very successful since its September 2005 launch. The daily disposable maker launched a website earlier in the year that aggressively undercut Asda and Tesco on price while providing financial support for independent opticians (Optician, April 20). ‘The real initiative has shifted from product to the process of distribution and that is where the future challenge lies,’ he said. ‘Our approach at Daysoft is to grow the market by making lenses available while offering convenient and affordable pricing.’
Cantor & Nissel launched the Nissel Silicone Hydrogel - ‘the first lathe cut silicone hydrogel lens’. Representative Steve Lennox said that although the lenses are comparatively expensive compared to moulding they can be tailored to whatever power, diameter or curve that the patient needs. ‘We largely target hospitals, but also those people who fall outside the bulk of prescriptions,’ he said. Hydrogel Vision Corporation expanded its Extreme H20 soft contact lens line with a 14.2 diameter option in Extreme H20 54 per cent. Made with third-generation GMA hydrogel copolymer hioxifcon D, the company said the lens provides advanced water retention and durability for patients seeking superior all-day comfort in a two-week to one-month disposable lens.
Practice management systems
Optimed director of professional services Dr Trusit Dave said that the new i-Vue system was an ideal way to develop the waiting area and practice area of a practice. The digital multimedia system provides 3D animation to enable practitioners to educate patients about eye diseases as well as promote services in the practice. Dave said the easy-to-use system enables professionals to log online to create slides and playlists from anywhere in the world.
Ocuco launched a new version of its flagship Acuitas practice software that it said streamlines contact lens and spectacle dispensing and improves financial control.
There was a special offer package at the show which included EPoS, paperless clinical records and full data centralisation at head office, available from £5,000 per store. ‘Our paperless patient journey provided through Acuitas will be enhanced over the next six months with seamless lab ordering and tracking with CC Systems Labs,’ said Ocuco chief executive Leo Mac Canna. ‘Ordering and transcription errors will be dramatically reduced and the order is traceable from start to finish. We will also be providing our dispensing users with an online lens catalogue.’
See 20/20 from Exmet is the ‘first ever’ web-based ophthalmic practice management system designed for both single and multi-site operations. A spokesman said that the main advantage of the system is that maintenance and support are managed centrally so you never have to worry about software updates or server downtime.
‘If you are running a small practice there is no need for software to be installed, while for bigger chains, all information is held in one single place and can be reached from anywhere in the world,’ he said.
Drops and solutions
Savant Distribution introduced Clarymist, a liposomal eye spray that addresses excessive tear evaporation, resulting from instability of the lipid layer. The company said that Clarymist introduces natural lipids to the tear film and re-establishes its lipid layer delivered via a manual pump spray to the eye, avoiding contact contamination. The spray is safe for use with contact lenses and lasts for three years due to the preservative phenoxyethanol, the company added.
Sauflon’s new Synergi preservative-free multipurpose solution contains triple action Oxipol for its ‘advanced cleaning, disinfecting and wetting properties’ and has been specifically formulated for silicone hydrogel lenses, said the company.
Avizor Cleaning Drops and Moisture Drops are the latest addition to the Spanish company’s range of contact lens and care products.
Avizor said its lubricating Moisture Drops combine hyaluronic acid with a minimum concentration of preservative for excellent lubrication and hydration, making them ‘the ideal solution for users with irritations, eye-redness and dryness, while reducing the sensation of wearing lenses’. Cleaning Drops are specifically recommended for users with deposit problems or for those who wear contact lenses for long periods of time.
Special agent poloxamer is designed to increase the comfort of silicone hydrogel lenses by eliminating lipid and mucin deposits while keeping them hydrated and lubricated during the day.
Kestrel Ophthalmics, exclusive distributor for Oasis dry eye products and Intacs for keratoconus, launched sodium hyaluronate dry eye drop Oxyal. The lubricating ophthalmic solution with Protector is designed to prolong the wetting action on the corneal epithelium and reduce the evaporation of the tear film. Sales and marketing director Maria Ponsford said: ‘Oxyal is for the long-lasting lubrication and tear substitute treatment of all forms of dry eye. A preservative dissipates on contact with the tear film, turning into salt and oxygen so it lasts a good month without the implications of using a preservative solution.’
Equipment
Topcon presented a variety of equipment at the BCLA, including a digital video camera for a slit lamp, corneal topographer system for live fluorescein fitting and a lightweight hand-held pachymeter. Also presented was a discreet computerised phoropter, specular microscope, lens analyser with green beam technology as well as a new version of the Thomson test chart with integrated PC and single cable.
Birmingham Optical Group said the new Nidek RT5100 Auto Phoropter Head has a smart, ergonomic design and wide visual field. Features include: R/L independent PD adjustment for improved precision, smooth quiet lens selection for faster examination, built-in clear and safe illumination as well as an operator assist function, forehead position detector and reversible large colour LCD touch panel. The Oculus Keratograph Topographer features a real built-in keratometer and optional built-in pupillometer and works ‘equally well for refractive surgery or contact lens fitting’. It also features an infrared pupillometer for pupil measurement in a dark environment without glare.
The company said the CSO digital slit lamp combines high quality optics with high resolution digital camera and complete sophisticated software package. And the ARK-530A Autorefractor ‘improves measurement capability even with dense cataract and IOL implanted eyes’ and provides: fully automated alignment and focusing; pupil zone imaging method; superior luminescent diode and virtual vision comparison.
Our final report on the BCLA conference will appear on July 7