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In the News
In the News VisionAmerica Inc. has entered into an agreement to sell its ophthalmic buying group, Primary Eyecare Network (PEN) of San Ramon, Calif., to HMI Buying Group,
based in Vicksburg, Miss. The PEN and HMI combination now forms the largest purchasing enterprise for eye-care professionals. The new company will have more than $90 million in annual sales, HMI says. Update your little black
book: TLC The Laser Center Inc., whose U.S. headquarters are in Bethesda, Md., has changed its name to TLC Laser Eye Centers. Photodynamic Therapy Moves Closer to FDA Approval The FDA could decide in February 2000 to approve the drug Visudyne (verteporfin) for such use, co-developers CIBA Vision Ophthalmics and QLT
PhotoTherapeutics Inc. say. The agency confirms that the Ophthalmic Drugs Subcommittee of the FDA's Dermatological and Ophthalmic Drugs Advisory Committee "looked favorably" on the drug in terms of its risks and benefits, and has
recommended the FDA "seriously consider approval," the FDA press office says. Visudyne is an injectible drug that's excited in the eye with a low-level, non-thermal laser light. The procedure can be performed in a doctor's
office. The drug accumulates in the affected choroidal vessels and, once activated, results in halting abnormal vessel growth. Fluorescein angiography shows that Visudyne does not affect the surrounding retinal vessels, even after
repeated treatments, the companies say. Two studies in Archives of Ophthalmology report that Visudyne treatment temporarily halted fluorescein leakage from CNV in two different populations. The first study involved 128
patients who had one treatment. Although fluorescein leakage in at least a portion of the CNV reappeared 4-12 weeks post-treatment in almost all cases, leakage had been reduced in almost half of all subjects. Eyes in which the area
of any CNV leakage at three months was below baseline had better visual acuity (+0.8 line) than eyes in which CNV leakage progressed (-0.8 line).1 The second study involved a group that had repeated treatments. Again, in this
group fluorescein showed CNV leakage reappearing 1-3 months after retreatment in almost all cases. However, the researchers report that leakage activity appeared to be reduced compared with baseline after multiple PDT courses.
This group was subject to one of two treatment methods vs. the five for the single-treatment group. The group who had a more intense laser pulse applied (100 J/cm2) at 20 minutes after Visudyne administration had an average visual
acuity change of +0.2 lines 4-5 months after treatment. The group who had a lesser pulse applied (50-100 J/Cm2) 15 minutes after administration had an average loss of 1.0 line of vision. Also, patients with the former retreatment
regimen had a lesser incidence of CNV progression than those in the latter group: 48 percent of eyes vs. 90 percent.2 More information on Visudyne is available at 1. Miller JW, Schmidt-Erfurth U, Sickenberg M,
Pournaras CJ, et al. Photodynamic therapy with Verteporfin for choroidal neovascularization caused by age-related macular degeneration: results of a single treatment in a Phase 1 and 2 study. Arch Ophthalmol. 1999;117:1161-1173 Online Trading Community Prohibits Contact Lens Sales eBay, the personal online trading community, has addressed this problem by forbidding the auction of contact lenses online. Since it was founded in 1995, eBay has prohibited online trading of any items that require a
prescription from a licensed practitioner, company spokesman Kevin Pursglove says. However, the company noticed that some customers still listed eyeglasses and contact lenses. Meanwhile, contact lens manufacturer Wesley Jessen
learned that its FreshLook ColorBlends lenses were listed for auction on eBay. The company's legal counsel requested that eBay discontinue contact lens auctions, says Dwight Akerman, O.D., WJ's director of professional services.
During the summer, eBay clarified its prohibition against the sale of prescription items, and now lists contact lenses and prescription eyewear as prohibited items, Mr. Pursglove says. The company's web site denotes
optometrists as licensed practitioners. Whenever eBay discovers that prohibited items are up for auction, it removes them from the site and informs the seller of the violation. WJ too receives reports—about 20-30 each year—of
lenses being sold at unauthorized locations such as hair salons, nail parlors and even flea markets. The company threatens legal action when necessary. WJ also limits the number of free trial lenses it provides to accounts. Dr.
Akerman says this is not a major problem. Still, he says, "We take it very seriously because we want to prevent serious eye problems occurring since people purchase these unauthorized and receive no professional supervision."
Review of Optometry Moves to New Offices Also, all our phone numbers have changed. Our new main telephone number
is 610-492-1073, and our new fax is 610-492-1049. You may e-mail us at our new e-mail address, |
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