NEWS MAYO JULIO J&J ING

News

de

J A N U A R Y- M A R C H 2 0 1 1 E D I T I O N

Presentation

New Materials

that reduce contact lens care

Growing Stars natural leaders, or professionals

New Materials,

new Challenges

From Trinidad and Tobago with doctor Niall Farnon

Benefits

In Box

Dr. Nelson Merchán Professional Issues Manager Johnson & Johnson Vision Care South America

Blogs

www.tvcibogota.com

The great amount of information created daily from the theme updating on materials, products, protocols, tendencies and health solutions has generated an abundant flow of reading on the Internet and other forms of virtual media; thus, today’s saying is: “If it is not on Internet, it does not exist.”

In the current health systems, global virtual communication has become a successful booster because it is the media everyone has access to. In this edition of the News of The Vision Care Institute™ First Class, I want to invite you to collaborate in the on going building of a knowledge community of professionals engaged in disposable soft contact safe fitting lenses by attending the forums and blogs about this topic, available on www.tvcibogota.com.

Keeping this communication media open and updated is the responsibility of all contact lens fitters of the Latin American region who have access to it. We should share our experiences, both successful and unsuccessful, in such a way that we can build an academic dialogue in order to have ongoing and permanent improvements, benchmarking and prevention of adverse events, in case they exist.

Thank you for welcoming us to your home. Once again we present you with a new “News,” with the common sections of information, reflection and opinion. I hope you will share with us your comments, critiques on health processes practiced in your area, or any other constructive contribution to our website. You can email us at: tvcibog@its.jnj.com.

Remember we all belong to The Vision Care Institute™ First Class team.

Editorial

New Materials

that reduce contact lens care Permanent innovation and research of materials and processes of contact lens manufacture often surprises the contact lens fitter, demanding them to have better knowledge and reminding them that the polymer chemistry and the refraction rates have a great impact in their structure. In the same way, the physical and mathematical logic of the geometry relationships associated to the anatomical-physiology of the cornea and the anterior segment can hold the successful clues to achieving a safe fitting, which results in a happy user.

Research on the design of the edge of a lens to give a more comfortable fit in relation to the tissues, the inclusion of silicone as an efficient element to allow the flow of oxygen to the cornea, and the surface and matrix treatments of the current lenses are factors that make the contact lens a high tech medical device, which is biocompatible and very safe for the user. For these reasons, the contact lens fitter should take advantage of them not only to achieve a better professional performance, but also, to achieve a higher degree of scientific knowledge.

Dr. Nelson Merchán Professional Issues Manager Johnson & Johnson Vision Care South America

In the Latin American region these material updates and safe products are very welcome. We must always think of the benefit and safety of our product to the final consumer. We must leave aside the goal of profit, because both international laws and protocols in health quality safety require the professional to look for the best correction lens for his patient.

Thanks to this new contact lens fitting model, the classic concepts of a unique, homogeneous and formal fitting have been re-evaluated, opening this practice to new analysis and more familiar dialogues with the user. That tendency generates a better relationship between the professional, the user and the work teams, establishing a change in what we used to call “change rejection”, although we should say “change opening”, through quality acceptance and satisfaction of the user who adapts to his new life style with contact lenses.

We finally understand the basic notions of social health marketing, which is profitable in a medium and long term, and become immediate suppliers of practical, integral, very healthy and professional visual solutions.

We still have to reflect about how much openness we have toward these new technologies and to what extent we are allowing our users in need of comfort, vision and safety to receive from us these important health and life style options.

We invite you to deepen our profession’s knowledge and exchange information about this topic in our blog “ new materials that reduce contact lens care” on www.tvcibogota.com.

Best regards, Nelson L. Merchán

Growing Stars Natural leaders, or professionals conscious of their excellence, or both?

As the days pass, the evolution of the disposable soft contact lens fitting and the openness to their fitting in many local markets, as a safe option to provide comfort and vision has generated new tendencies in the marketing and ways in which professionals oversee the visual health future of their patients.

Therefore, we have been observing pleasantly the significant participation of our many contact lens fitters in Latin America, even internationally, who, in scientific events, seminars, forums and blogs and many other activities, are sharing their knowledge, opinions, information, experiences and suggestions for their colleagues to hear and adopt, thus changing and improving our positions toward a more professional practice in order to benefit the user’s vision, health and comfort.

These are only some of the examples of the new stars that are in Latin America.

Venezuelan Optometrists in charge of the seminars of the academic agenda in the First National Simposium Of Contactology. Venezuela 2010.

It gives one great pride to see that the vast majority of professionals are generating acknowledgement to belonging to our First Class community. In addition, they have had the courage, internal strength and, especially, the willingness to raise their hand, talk, share and transmit their passion for the safe fitting of contact lenses.

Thank you. Everyone, for your commitment and professional consciousness; we support you and look forward to you to continue growing and for your voice to continue to spread and be heard in every corner of the region. You are an example for us all.

Doctor Yohana Collante, doctor Gian Franco Luongo and doctor Myriam T. Mayorga permanent bloggers on the website www.tvcibogota.com

Doctor Niall Farnon (Trinidad and Tobago) and doctor Edgar DĂĄvila (Puerto Rico), speakers of new technologies in disposable soft contact lenses in the Worldwide Congress of Optometrists, Puerto Rico, April 2011.

Training team of toric soft contact lenses fitting in Argentina, 2010.

¿Is the recently launched lens better than the previous lens designs?

I feel that each new contact lens design is better than the previous lens designs. Years ago, contact lens fitters were very limited in what lenses they could fit. Today, we even have silicone hydrogel daily disposables whose comfort is amazing when you compare them to lenses even 3yrs old. I feel advances in technology are vastly improving the lens designs. ¿What is the contact lens industry doing with materials to achieve a contact lens that requires less demanding care and maintenance?

The contact lens manufacturers have given us more lenses and hence more options for us to use with the patients. We have daily disposables, which are the optimum lens design to minimize cleaning and maintenance. We also have modern lenses with a lens coating to cut down on protein build-up on the lenses. Also, with modern materials with better oxygen transmissibility, we have lenses that actually decrease limbal and bulbar hyperaemia. ¿Is the role of the contact lens fitter to inform his possible users of the benefits of the industry’s innovations?

Definitely true. The patients may not be aware of the improvements in contact lens technology. How many astigmats are out there who still think that they cannot wear contact lenses because they were told 10 years ago that they were not suitable? Sometimes we can have a new patient to the office that has been wearing contact lenses for years but then you find that they are still wearing hydrogel lenses!!

You ask them have they ever tried a different type of lens and most of them will say no. The previous fitter never asked or did not ask adequately enough about the patient’s satisfaction with the lenses and so just refitted them again with the same “old” lenses. I love these situations as it gives you an opportunity to make a big impression on the patient. You can show that you are willing to take the time to talk about new lenses whilst the previous fitter never did.

The opinions expressed in articles reflect solely the views of their authors.

And not necessarily the stance and policie The Vision Care InstituteTM.

¿Is the user´s psychology important when we talk to them about added values or is it simply enough for them to desire something that lets them see well to make a decision?

While one of the main expectations of a patient wearing contact lenses is to see well, the patients also have other needs. They would like a comfortable lens, which lets them wear the lenses for their desired wearing schedule. They want a lens that will not have any adverse effects on the eyes. With today’s modern lenses, this could give the fitter an opportunity to upgrade the patient to a better lens, which could match the patient desires and expectations. ¿Which is the right modality of soft contact lens, which minimizes the current conditions of maintenance and cleaning?

The ideal lens to minimize maintenance and cleaning would be one that is thrown away after wearing once and the patient starts off with new fresh lenses for the next time. The optimum lens modality for this is daily disposable lenses. For patients for whom this modality is not suitable, then the ideal lens is one that is disposed frequently and cuts down on protein build up on the lens. ¿Is price the decision factor when a patient chooses the ideal lens?

If the patient is not given any extra information about the differences between the various lenses, then yes, the patient would make his decision simply based on price.

However, it is the fitter’s duty to inform the patient why one lens is more suitable for them than another, to explain the added benefits and hence the difference in prices. ¿Are Hi-tech innovations, research and industrialization of the disposable soft contact lenses an enemy or ally of the fitter?

I would say 100% ally of the contact lens fitter. Were it not for research and hence improvements in technology we would still be fitting spherical hydrogel lenses with low Dk/t values! We would not be able to give patients who have astigmatism, patients who want part-time wear or patients with presbyopia the best lenses possible.

From Trinidad and Tobago with doctor Niall Farnon

¿Is a patient with contact lenses aware of the adverse events that they could suffer for not taking good care of their lenses?

I think when the patient first gets lenses, he is aware of the risks, however, the longer a patient continues to wear contact lenses the more complacent the patient can become. Especially with today’s contact lenses, where the comfort is better than ever before, patients can have a tendency to over wear the lenses. And so, even with modern lenses, it is important for the contact lens fitter to check the patient’s compliance and inform him about the importance of good compliance, be it, proper disposability/proper solution use/proper wearing schedules etc.

New Materials, New Challenges

Face to Face

Our International Visitors

Benefits for Members de

at The Vision Care InstituteTM in Latin America 1 Course

The Vision Care InstituteTM First Class member will attend a course to experience the facilities at The Vision Care InstituteTM in BogotĂĄ and Puerto Rico. The studiylan is a perfect balance between continuous knowledge in contact lenses and company abilities topics.

Group Venezuela, march 22 and 23.

2 National and Local Meetings The Vision Care InstituteTM First Class member has the opportunity to go again to the local Meetings at The Vision Care InstituteTM . The answer to new contacts and businesses among members are these local meetings at The Vision Care InstituteTM First Class in each country, at no cost, as well as the rest of the activities of this program.

Group MĂŠxico, march 24 and 25.

3 Three- Monthly News

The Vision Care InstituteTM First Class member will receive an exclusive News Bulletin with all the most important events and news about Contact Lenses and short and interesting comments about the latest news in the field. There will also appear Interviews with the most experienced visual health professionals on important topics.

4 Exclusive Educational Materials

Group Venezuela, march 30, 31 and april 1.

The Vision Care Institute First Class member will periodically receive the most relevant printed material for his or her practice. Scales useful for diagnostic and treatment, new tools, useful advice, anamnesis special forms, patient orientation, trading tools and more.

TM

Revista Panamericana 5 Magazine de Lentes de Contacto The Vision Care InstituteTM First Class member will receive periodically the Magazine Revista Panamericana de Lentes de Contacto, which contains important scientific advances, exclusive information on the visual health union and specialized articles on a great variety of topics related to Contact Lenses.

6 Web/Blogs Community The Vision Care InstituteTM First Class members will have exclusive access to our webpage www.tvcibogota.com, where they will find diverse tools to complement their professional development such as a forum, blogs, news, galleries, professional profiles and online videos.

Group Argentina, april 4, 5 and 6.

Revista Panamericana

de Lentes de Contacto

The last edition of the Revista Panamericana de Lentes de Contacto has been published. We present some advances offered by the principal articles below.

Variables and interaction lenses- eye in the adaptation of silicone hydrogel toric soft contact lenses The article presents an interaction of the parameters established by the toric soft contact lenses laboratories and their relation with the anterior ocular segment.

About refraction and visual acuity in soft toric contact lens users Comparative study in visual acuity in users of soft toric contact lenses and glasses has confirmed that 85% of the patients who used soft toric contact lenses reported a better visual acuity compared to correction with glasses.

Comparative study in visual field: from glasses to contact lenses The differences in visual field for patients wearing glasses were compared to the alternative of wearing contact lenses. They found that contact lenses proved to give a better improvement in visual acuity quality and quantity, as well as an improvement in visual acuity because it provides more than 80% of the visual field and in some cases 100%.

Go to: www.rpalc.com, participate, and receive updates in new technologies and take advantage of the possibility of discussing actual cases.

Send your comments or articles to the editorial board of the Revista Panamericana de Lentes de Contacto submision@rpalc.com.

In Box Héctor Hugo Páez Villa Optometrist Medellín, Colombia

Azucena Sánchez G. Optometrist Barranquilla, Colombia

Johnson & Johnson is more and more committed with the quality and improvement of your beloved profession. I loved the exchange of knowledge with such excelent colleagues.

We have the challenge to continue being First Class with each patient, with each successful fitting, with our daily life.

I want to thank all the professors and the staff at The Vision Care InstituteTM for their excellent hospitality…They always make us feel at home.

The Vision Care InstituteTM Bogotá family. Thanks for the opportunity given to strengthen our skills in contact lenses.

I liked the approach toward young people, how to establish and get a good rapport with them. We should reach that market niche of young people.

I send you “abracaribe” (hugs, love and kisses).

OpticaMIGO’S, C.A. Venezuela We congratulate and thank The Vision Care InstituteTM de Johnson & Johnson, Colombia, S.A., for the excellent training given in Bogotá, Colombia.

These kind actions reaffirm the professional commitment we daily assume with our patients.