GlobalCONTACT 1502

ISSN:1386 0194

2

2015 (70)

Report • 42nd EFCLIN Congress & Exhibition • Contact Lenses in forensics

Interview • EFCLIN President Armin Duddek

A TRUSTED PARTNER

Fitting Background • Speed Date: CL-SAG meets OC-SAG

Technology • Manufacturers’ Forum

We are trusted as an innovator and partner with our customers’ long term interests at heart. Our holistic approach and support structures ensure that our customers can turn intention into action. We are more than just a material supplier.

PUBLISHING GROUP RATINGEN MediaWelt Services 74 Papiermuehlenweg Verlag für Optometrie 40882 Ratingen Ophthalmo Verlag Germany China FOCUS Publishers Beijing - Hong Kong - Xi'An

More about Contamac at www.contamac.com

KernVerlag

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22.06.15 22:41

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LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

How to reboot a bad day in ten minutes or less When your day seems like it’s imploding, here are four ways

PERFORM A POSITIVE ACT

to hit the reset button to clear your mind.

It might not seem like the most logical thing when you’re buried

We’ve all been there. Your boss schedules an emergency meeting

under work, but taking the time to do something nice for

on top of an already jam-packed day. A client calls with a

someone else can really shift your mindset, says Caroline Adams

last-minute project. And your new mattress delivery has been

Miller, a Maryland-based author and psychologist specializing

rescheduled for a week from Thursday (again).

in Applied Positive Psychology (the science of happiness). If

Instead of letting a crummy call or series of unfortunate events

you haven’t properly thanked a colleague for their help on a

set the tone for the rest of your day, try one of these tips to help

project, for example, go down the hall and thank them.

you step away from the stress and move on.

“Altruistic behavior gives you the ‘helper’s high’ and there are

GET UP AND MOVE

many ways to do something generous or kind in a few short minutes,” Miller says.

Removing yourself from the situation, even for ten minutes,

Another way to quickly rebound is to put a pen between your

is helpful. You can take his Fitbit Force and hit the stairs in

teeth and nod your head as you think of returning to a place

your building. Climbing ten flights allows you to clear your

of calm and resilience. Why does this help? The pen forces you

head while getting in some exercise, some say.

to smile, and nodding has the same impact on the body as a

After a stressful event before continuing with your day change

smile, says Miller.

your state. For example, go outside and carefully observe something in the environment, such as the color of a flower

WRITE IT DOWN

petal. “If you are thinking about the specifics of the flower, it’s

If all else fails and your mind keeps returning to stressful

harder to continue to hold the stressful event in your mind.”

thoughts, write them down. Provide a brief synopsis of what’s

INDULGE IN A SOOTHING TREAT

stressing you out, why, and how you plan to follow up when you have more time – be it a conversation with your boss or a

Whether it’s a piece of really exquisite chocolate or a cup of

call to an angry customer, for example.

chamomile tea, treat yourself to a little luxury. Lisa Reinhardt

Then make yourself a promise: “Now that I have developed an

incorporates meditation principles into the workday. “We

action plan, I am making a conscious choice to set aside this

instruct people to unplug for two minutes while letting the

stress and focus on my other projects.” 

chocolate melt in their mouth without chewing it,” Reinhardt explains. “Enjoy it, revel in it, totally abandon yourself in the deliciousness of the present moment, and when the last of the chocolate melts away, your breathing is deeper, your mood is transformed, and you’ve got that gentle smile on your face.”

JÖRG SPANGEMACHER CEO and Publisher joergspa@global-cl.com

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

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13.03.15 15:27

CONTENT

ISSN:1386 0194

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER 3

2

How to reboot a bad day in ten minutes or less

Jörg Spangemacher

REPORT 8

2015 (70)

Report • 42nd EFCLIN Congress & Exhibition • Contact Lenses in forensics

Interview • EFCLIN President Armin Duddek

EFCLIN - Great success

Silke Sage

32 On the go – Contact lens market in China Jörg Spangemacher

36 Contact lenses in forensics

A TRUSTED PARTNER

Hans-Walter Roth

Fitting Background • Speed Date: CL-SAG meets OC-SAG

Technology

TECHNOLOGY

• Manufacturers’ Forum

12 EFCLIN – Manufacturers’ Forum 2015 Ken Payne

We are trusted as an innovator and partner with our customers’ long term interests at heart. Our holistic approach and support structures ensure that our customers can turn intention into action. We are more than just a material supplier.

PUBLISHING GROUP RATINGEN MediaWelt Services 74 Papiermuehlenweg Verlag für Optometrie 40882 Ratingen Ophthalmo Verlag Germany China FOCUS Publishers Beijing - Hong Kong - Xi'An

20 Air cooling and wax diameter strength Erik Larsen

More about Contamac at www.contamac.com

KernVerlag

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26 New soft multifocal contact lens for presbyopia Tom Baugh

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

Title : Contamac, www.contamac.com Inside front cover: Bausch + Lomb Inc., www.bausch.com Page 4: Paragon Vision Sciences, www.paragonvision.com Page 11: TRIOPTICS GmbH, www.trioptics.com Page 15 : Larsen Equipment Design Inc., www.larsenequipment.com Page 17: Optimec Ltd., www.optimec.com Page 21: Rotlex, www.rotlex.com Page 25: Benz R&D, www.benzrd.com Page 27: Optocraft, www.optocraft.com Page 31: EFCLIN, www.efclin.com Page 39: K & Y Diamond Ltd., www.kydiamond.ca Page 41: LAMBDA-X S.A., www.lambda-x.com Page 43: Contour Fine Tooling, www.contour-diamonds.com and Technodiamant, www.technodiamant.com Page 45: DAC International, Inc., www.dac-intl.com Page 47: Sterling Ultra Precision, www.sterlingint.com Inside back cover: FOCUS CN, www.focus-cn.com.cn Outside back cover: Benz R&D, www.benzrd.com

INTERVIEW 16 Unexpected – Interview with EFCLIN President Armin Duddek Silke Sage

18 Handover: Interview with Tanja Malkus and Marcel Kopito Silke Sage

FITTING BACKGROUND 22 Speed Date – CL-SAG meets OC-SAG Eef van der Worp and Joost Hulscher

34 On a higher level

Eef van der Worp, Lee Hall, Patrick Caroline

28 Fit lenses to patients, not patients to lenses Martin Conway

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 6 Spotlights 7

Letter to the editor

43 BCLA - Global contact lens community 'Comes Together' 44 Column: Nepal Wim Aalbers

46 IACLE – Lifetime achievement award Alison Ewbank

48 Industry News 48 Yellow Pages 50 Closing Words – Ken Payne 50 Masthead

NAMES TO NOTE

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

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Aalbers, Wim 44 Baugh, Tom 26 Caroline, Patrick 34 Ewbank, Alison 46 Hall, Lee 34 Hulscher, Joost 22 Larsen, Erik 20 Payne, Ken 12 Roth, Hans-Walter 36 van der Worp, Eef 22, 34 5

23.06.15 17:59

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Spotlights

IACLE REACHES RECORD NUMBERS OF EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS Membership of the International Association of Contact Lens

2014 also saw major innovation with the introduction of the

Educators (IACLE) grew by 11% last year and its activities

first IACLE Contact Lens Educators of the Year Awards, to

reached more students than ever before.

recognize achievements in contact lens teaching.

IACLE’s annual activity summary for 2014 is available online

This year there will be further exciting developments with the

at www.iacle.org and reveals that the association now has 958

Third IACLE World Congress on Contact Lens Education

members in 75 countries worldwide. Half of IACLE’s total

taking place from 24th to 28th May.

membership is in its seven global priority countries: China,

November will mark the 10 th administration of the IACLE

India, Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Brazil and Russia. The largest

fellowship exam. So far, 397 members have achieved FIACLE

growth last year was in the Asia Pacific region.

status with 343 currently active compared to 285 in 2013.

IACLE programs reached a record number of 23,030 students

And the IACLE contact lens course, an essential resource for high

in 658 institutions around the world in 2014.

quality contact lens teaching, is undergoing a complete update and

A total of 17 web lectures were broadcast live online to students

will be re-launched during 2015.

and educators at priority institutes in India, China and Latin

President Dr. Shehzad Naroo

American countries. The format was also extended to include

welcomed recent major

a live discussion forum among educators.

achievements for IACLE and

The annual report also shows:

commented: "In 2014 we were able

• 68% of members are educators at recognised teaching institutions,

to exceed our goals for the year. We

22% work in industry and 10% are associate members

• 1,386 students in seven countries and 36 institutes completed the IACLE student trial exam in 2014

• IACLE has 169 resource centres in 46 countries worldwide.

reached more students and educators than ever before. Our membership levels increased and our message seems to be more far reaching." n

Dr. Shehzad Naroo

CONTAMAC LTD ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF CHAIRMAN AND MANAGING DIRECTOR Contamac Ltd announced the appointment of John McGregor

role of Managing Director. For the past decade, Rob has led

to Chairman and Robert McGregor to be his successor as

the Sales, Marketing, R&D and Business Development

Managing Director.

activities of the company. Over the past three years there has

John McGregor founded the company in 1987 and has led it

been a steady restructuring of the company in readiness for

through the development of many ground breaking products,

this change in leadership. The move to a larger purpose built

facility expansions and winning awards, including the Queens

facility provides an exceptional platform for the next stage

Award for Enterprise; International Trade in 2012. Whilst

of Contamac’s expansion and importantly, its research strategy.

continuing to play an active role in the company, he will

Rob McGregor said “It is a real privilege and honor to take over

dedicate more time to his neglected leisure activities and the

the role of Managing Director from my father; he has been an

Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers.

outstanding mentor who leads with the right ethics and business

Robert McGregor joined the company in 1994 and has either

philosophies. I am committed to ensuring that Contamac retains

worked in or been responsible for every department within

its position as a world leader. Our research capability will continue

the company, this hands on knowledge underpins his new

to be at the forefront of the company, whilst continually improving the world leading service our customers deserve, it is equally important to me to ensure that the culture, care and business ethics remain at the heart of this wonderful company.”

John McGregor said “If a company is to stay at the forefront of its industry it must have dynamic leadership and a culture that readily accepts new concepts. Such a company demands a capable leader supported by an experienced but young team, developing and capitalising upon emerging technologies. There

John McGregor and Robert McGregor

6

06_Spots.indd 6

is no one better able to fulfil this role and I wish Rob and his team every good fortune”. n

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 16:53

Spotlights INTERNATIONAL NEWS

MAGGIE WALSH PROMOTED TO DIRECTOR OF CONSULTATION

SUBSPECIALTY EXHIBITION OF ESCRS IN BARCELONA Exhibition takes place 3-5 September and offers: 7. International

Alden Optical announced that it has promoted Maggie Walsh

Conference on Ocular infections and 6th EuCornea Congress

to Director of Consultation. In this new role Maggie will

as well as 3. World Congress of Paediatric Ophthalmology and

direct the growing consultation team to ensure they are

Strabismus. n

supporting the company’s customer with the best possible fitting guidance, training and technical expertise. Maggie brings almost 40 years of specialty lens fitting and consultation

ABB OPTICALGROUP DISTRIBUTES ZENLENS

experience to this new position.

ABB Optical Group can now support all Alden manufactured

Alden Optical was established in 1969 by Charles "Pat"

product. Practitioners have the choice to work directly with

Creighton, OD. The company has enjoyed a long reputation

Alden Optical on Zenlens fits, or through ABB Optical

for manufacturing premium specialty and custom made-to-order

Group. n

soft and gas permeable contact lenses. n

HELMER SCHWEIZER CHAIR OF EUROMCONTACT Euromcontact Annual General Assembly (AGM) held in

Euromcontact Annual General

Brussels on 4th June 2014 re-elected Helmer Schweizer, from

Assembly also re-elected Simon

Alcon, as Chair of Euromcontact, for another two year period.

Rodwell, Secretary General of the

This meeting gave an opportunity to all the members to

UK Association of Contact Lens

review 2014 achievements and major activities performed

Manufacturers in his function of

during the year as well as during the first 6 months of 2015,

Secretary of the organization, for

and identify the key focus for the year(s) to come.

two more years. n

Helmer Schweizer

EYE DIAGNOSTICS INNOVATOR I-OPTICS CLOSES FINANCING ROUND i-Optics, a pioneer in the development of eye diagnostic

fits-all” procedure, to a personalized treatment where the

solutions, announced that it has closed a new financing round,

optimal intraocular lens and surgical procedure is selected

securing € 13.7 million equity from existing and new investors.

for each individual patient.”

With this new injection of capital, i-Optics will accelerate

In addition, this investment allows the company to further

the successful commercialization of Cassini, a diagnostic

support the rapid international market adoption of the EasyScan

platform used in refractive-cataract surgery procedures.

eye diagnosis solution through its global partnership with Japanese

Jeroen Cammeraat, CEO of i-Optics comments “What makes

multinational Hoya. It has become the number one selling retinal

Cassini unique is its unrivaled accuracy, allowing cataract

imaging product in the German market, claims i-Optics, where

surgeons to improve spectacle free surgical outcomes….

it was introduced jointly with Hoya as a first market launch in

Cassini’s ability to determine the true axis and magnitude

2014. EasyScan is now expanding into new territory including;

of astigmatism changes cataract surgery from a “one-size-

US, France, Italy, UK and China. n

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

I attended the Manufacturers’ Forum at the EFCLIN meeting

those in attendance. To maximize attendance and encourage

in Venice. The excellent and relevant topics that were being

active participation in the future, perhaps scheduling the

presented by the members of the panel was the first thought that

'Manufacturers’ Forum' on the last day of the meeting is a good

came to mind. How fortunate for the manufacturers in the room

consideration. n

who had the opportunity to actively participate since we learn so much from each other. In this case, a 'Manufacturers’ Forum' is an integral part of the program and should not be missed by GlobalCONTACT 2-15

06_Spots.indd 7

Janice Adams, Valley Contax, inc.

7

23.06.15 16:53

REPORT EFCLIN

Great success!

42nd EFCLIN Congress & Exhibition is the record breaker From 7 to 9 May the key players in the contact lens industry met for the 42nd time. The event took place just a stone’s throw away from the picturesque old heart of Venice. Was it the setting, the perfect organization or its increasing importance that made this year's EFCLIN Congress & Exhibition the most successful meeting ever? It was certainly marked by many changes and new beginnings.

By Silke Sage

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GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 16:54

EFCLIN REPORT

Lefteris Karageorgiadis talks David Bland

Together in one room: creativity and knowledge

On the evening of the gala dinner, everyone cheered as CEO

The fair’s motto "In the footsteps of Marco Polo" was aptly

Steve Wheeler announced the number of visitors: With more

chosen. Not only was it a new and expanded experience but it

than 320 participants from 32 countries, EFCLIN had even

was also fundamentally about change – inspiring for participants,

surpassed the outstanding result of Berlin last year, thus further

speakers and visitors alike.

confirming its importance to the contact lens industry.

23 exhibitors presented their products at the exhibition and

EXPERT PANEL

talked to GlobalCONTACT about their many and fruitful

The Manufacturers' Forum was held for the third consecutive

contacts to customers. Besides the manufacturers of contact

year: a panel where experts from different sectors of industry

lenses and IOL materials, three equipment manufacturers

answered questions from the audience. Chaired by Ken Payne

exhibited their heavy machinery. In addition, it was possible

(Dac Intl.), the experts Patrick Murphy (B+L), Eyal Harral

to try out lens inspection and measuring instruments for

(Rotlex), Alexis Larcher (ODC), Erik Larsen (Larsen Equipment),

oneself as well as devices for measuring HH geometry. The

Paul McLean (Sterling /Ametek) and Gareth Browne (Contamac)

demand for exhibition space was so great this year that three

shared their views with the audience on their respective fields

exhibitors even had to be turned away by the organizers before

and gave practical advice. This year it was held as the first event

the fair started.

at 12 o’clock, even before the exhibition opened. Nonetheless,

Jan Svochak

Ken Payne and Andy Chryssolor GlobalCONTACT 2-15

08_EFCLIN.indd 9

David Bland

Marcel Kopito

Janine Bugno, Philipp Polonyi and a "Stranger"

Chris Stroshine

Eef van der Worp 9

23.06.15 16:54

REPORT EFCLIN

Team Contamac: f.l. Carlos Mayoral, Gareth Browne and Michele Cornely

Wim Aalbers

IOL-Session

Renato Lifreddo

Sponsor's dinner: Marcel Kopito (middle)

it was well attended, despite the fact that many participants

MORE THAN JUST A CONGRESS & EXHIBITION

only arrived during the course of the Thursday. Certainly many

But the EFCLIN meetings also have something else to offer:

people in the audience had questions they were dying to ask,

in hardly any other industry is there such a friendly atmosphere.

but it is quite different asking a question on a one-to-one basis

It seems that besides one’s own economic success, people are

than in front of a large audience. The organizers had anticipated

genuinely interested in the development of the field as a whole.

this trying to find out in advance what concerned the Labs most

Together they try to do everything they can to strengthen and

and where questions needed answering. This successful approach

expand the market share of contact lenses, particularly in the

will be adopted again at the next Manufacturers' Forum in 2016.

area of customized contact lenses and RGPs for vision correction.

As one walked round the exhibition, one could often see

LECTURE PROGRAM

10

08_EFCLIN.indd 10

competitors engrossed in conversation with each other or even

During a total of nine hours of lectures on Friday and Saturday,

sharing a joke on a rival’s stand.

divided up under the two main headings of Contact Lenses and

In this spirit, the competing manufacturers for contact lens

IOLs, participants were able to find out from the speakers about

materials and CL designs B+L (Boston, USA), Contamac

the latest research results, measurement procedures and

(Saffron Walden, UK) and Paragon Vision Sciences (Mesa,

innovations in contact lens fitting.

USA) again organized a splendid dinner together to which

The Forum featured important contributions by Eef van der Worp,

all exhibitors, visitors and guests were invited. The response

Helmer Schweizer, Randy Kojima and Bo Laurenborg to mention

was great and several times extra places had to be added.

just a few names to illustrate the high-quality line-up of the speakers.

The dinner was held in the Villa Marcello (pun intended)

As expected this part of the lecture program was well attended

Giustinian.

from start to finish. However delegates from the IOL side of the

The traditional highlight of the whole event is the Congress

industry were not disappointed either. They turned up in large

Dinner on the Saturday night. 180 guests took their places in

numbers to hear a bespoke program of lectures headed by Prof.

the Laguna Palace Hotel where, after a delicious meal, they

Gerd Auffarth and Prof. James Wolffsohn; so much that the

were informed about everything new to do with EFCLIN. This

organizers had to go looking for more chairs, such was the demand

is also the occasion when the Board Members are usually

from delegates wishing to attend this part of the program!

presented and introduced for the first time.

O

I

•

•

•

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 16:55

!AZ.ind Tri_Anz

EFCLIN REPORT

CHANGES

Association and a Board Member of the Dutch Contact Lens

This year the EFCLIN Congress & Exhibition was also marked

Congress (NCC).

by farewells and new beginnings. EFCLIN President Marcel

The new EFCLIN President, Armin Duddek, was delighted

Kopito no longer stood for re-election and also retired from his

that he and the Board were able to recognize the achievements

work on the Board. For almost 30 years he has been one of the

of Ivan Perel of Soflex Lenses, Israel, who was presented with

key players in the industry, responsible at B+L for the Custom

the EFCLIN Award for his longstanding service to the contact

Lab Channel Boston. He worked from his office in Germany

lens industry.

and was responsible for EMEA + India. On the evening of the

Steve Wheeler also took the audience by surprise in announcing

gala dinner his work was given special recognition with the

that he, too, would no longer be available as Chief Executive

presentation of the EFCLIN Laureate Award. This award, the

as from 2016. In this function he has been responsible for the

highest honor bestowed by EFCLIN, is reserved for those who

EFCLIN Congress & Exhibition since 2010, organizing the

have made an outstanding and lasting contribution to the

events in Barcelona (Spain) in 2011, in Budapest (Hungary) in

organization. In fact it has only been presented twice before

2012, in Vilamoura (Portugal) in 2013, in Berlin (Germany) in

which shows the high esteem in which Marcel Kopito is held

2014 and of course this year’s event in Venice (Italy) in 2015.

by the profession. Visibly touched, Marcel Kopito said goodbye

His work has always been highly professional and, together

to his work at B + L and also to EFCLIN. The audience responded

with the Board, he has led the Congress to ever greater success.

with a standing ovation and thunderous applause.

But he also commented, that “a certain Dutch guy told me it is

His successor at B+L is Tanja Malkus who was recently

a lot of work – he was right!”

appointed as Business Development Manager (EMEA +

His successor as Chief Executive will be Mrs. Marion Beeler

India) for the Custom Lab Channel at B+L – see her interview

who will take over at the beginning of 2016. She comes from

with GlobalCONTACT on page 18. She was also elected to

the Ottlens company which in turn belongs to Prolens AG,

the EFCLIN Board by the participants. Armin Duddek

co-owned by Armin Duddek.

(Prolens) was elected as his successor as EFCLIN President

The 43rd EFCLIN Congress & Exhibition will be held in

by the Board – more on this in the GlobalCONTACT interview

Valencia, Spain, from 28 to 30 April 2016. Further details

on page 16.

will be posted on the GlobalCONTACT website and in the

Another Board member, Raffa Martinez, also announced that

“Congress” section of the EFCLIN website over the coming

he was stepping down, surprised everyone with his unexpected

weeks and months. n

resignation. This vacancy will be filled by Peter Vermeulen, CEO of the independent Dutch contact lens manufacturer Procornea who is also Chairman of the Dutch Contact Lens

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11.02.15 16:55 12:35 23.06.15 05.02.15 16:25

TECHNOLOGY Manufacturing

EFCLIN - Manufacturers' Forum 2015 EFCLIN hosts another Manufacturers' Forum and turns it into an opportunity for Contact Lens and Intra-Ocular Lens manufacturers What a great way to kick-off a record breaking EFCLIN congress. Over 320 participants from more than 32 different countries attended this year’s event, held in Venice, Italy. The excitement is building year-on-year for the Manufacturers' Forum as it now becomes a much anticipated session, growing in demand and is fast becoming a ‘key’ feature of the annual congress.

By Ken Payne.

12

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It was my honour to take up the reins, for a second year, as

Of course, it’s not a natural process to be willing to share the

facilitator of this session of the Manufacturers' Forum. However,

hard-earned knowledge you have with others, some of whom

I could not do that without the industry experience and

may even be competitors. But one of the biggest pleasures for

capabilities of the six professional panellists invited to take

me about the EFCLIN Congress in particular, is its ability to

part. It may interest you to know that the collective experience

create an environment in which we all, suppliers and

this year’s panel (myself included) had to offer, totalled more

manufacturers alike, can ‘openly’ discuss the challenges and

than 160 years! Imagine what the collective experience was

goals to achieving better lenses to the patient. After all, are

within the auditorium!

they not our ultimate judge?

Maybe you feel you already know all ‘the tricks of the trade’,

But don’t just listen to me, I want to share with you, the

but if that knowledge bank doesn’t entice you to enquire more

views of my fellow panellists, in the hope that it will

about what you could learn from this valuable event, then I’m

encourage you to consider your participation in the Forums

not sure what will.

yet to follow.

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 16:56

Manufacturing TECHNOLOGY

PAT MURPHY – BAUSCH & LOMB

room (in a beautiful city) at the same time. No physical and

I am a mechanical engineer with 20 years of experience. Prior

no geographical boundaries. I believe that it would be fair

to joining Bausch & Lomb Boston custom lab chanel business

to say that most of the knowledge in the world, in this field,

in 2011, I have worked as a technical trainer, design engineer

is being held in that room.

in the mining and petrochemical industry, as a process engineer

Using the forum can be a very enjoyable and educational

in the automotive industry and then with Bausch & Lomb as a

experience if approached with the right attitude, behaviour and

mechanical project engineer involved in high speed automation

knowledge. We all should gain new ideas, perspectives and

design, installation, validation and optimization.

knowledge. In my opinion, in our small unique industry, sharing

Having spent many years in high volume manufacturing in

the knowledge, ideas, tweaks and tricks, is a great opportunity.

medical device and automotive industry I have seen first-hand,

Sometimes we may found ourselves entering the competition

the power of process excellence. Most custom lens

zone, so what? Competition makes us better.

manufacturers in today’s market all use the same equipment and generally similar techniques. What is needed is an

ALEXIS LARCHER – ODC MEDICAL LTD

approach to fully utilize equipment and people to deliver

I am a mechanical engineer with 13 years of experience in the

quality products on budget, on time and in a continuous

IOL production field. Prior to building our own company with

repeatable and reliable fashion. This is where the EFCLIN

my partner (ODC Medical Ltd) in 2007, I have worked as a

Manufacturers' Forum can help.

technical manager in charge of process improvement, design

The Manufacturers' Forum at EFCLIN is a fantastic platform

of lenses and R&D department for famous IOL’s manufacturing

that allows all industry partners to come together to understand

labs in France.

and discuss topics and processing best practices that normally

I spent most of the last 7 years helping labs all over the world

some may not be exposed to. The EFCLIN Manufacturers'

to increase their production capacity without any compromise.

Forum will help equip lab owners, managers and technicians

Quality should be the same or even better and the yields must

with the tools necessary to help refine their process. This

be much higher by using 100% controlled process. Every year

results in better quality and more output. In today’s business

each EFCLIN congress brings new products but also new

environment having the best equipment and people is not

equipment on the market. Being aware of all the equipment

enough. Having the best processes and as a result of that

suppliers have develop is the key to develop and upgrade obsolete

excellent quality products. This is what will help sustain and

processes to again help customers to fight on the market with

grow our industry.

new products with higher quality and keep control on their

A quote from Toyota:

production.

“We get brilliant results from average people operating and

T he Ma nufacturers’ For um at EFCLI N could solve

improving brilliant processes. Our competitors get mediocre

manufacturers’ issues with some solutions they were thinking

results from brilliant people working around broken processes

to develop internally but which in fact could be already

When they get into trouble, they hire even more brilliant people.

available. A large range of topics could be discussed and each

We are going to win.”

participant could bring a stone to the wall of performance we are trying to build together.

EYAL HAREL – ROTLEX 5 years as a process engineer in the semiconductor field and

ERIK LARSEN – LARSEN EQUIPMENT

19 years of optical metrology at Rotlex gave me the opportunity

I entered the optical machinery industry in 1973 as a draftsman

to participate in many various metrology projects as a member

in a company that made optical fabrication machinery. I worked

and project manager, developing and implementing various

my way through the company and concurrently earned my

technologies currently around the globe. Metrology, as the key

mechanical engineering degree from the University of

tool to achieve a good process along with statistical analysis,

Washington (Seattle). The company was also involved in IOL

is not enough without some creativity and knowledge.

manufacturing which gave me positions in engineering and

I believe that a good product starts from people who ask

management of that sector. I founded Larsen Equipment Design

questions, seek for knowledge and are self-critical and not

in 1981. We design and manufacture machinery and tooling

necessarily from the best equipment. Not once, I witnessed

for the CL, IOL and precision optics industry.

smaller companies yielding better quality than larger companies.

The Manufacturers' Forum panel was comprised of experts

I see the EFCLIN Manufacturers' Forum as an exceptional

from the lens material, machinery and metrology sectors with

opportunity for CL/IOL manufacturers. Just think of a

a wealth of knowledge, including a specialist in IOL's.

situation where around 100 professional manufacturers,

The forum went well. In addition to the panel members

accompanied by their equipment suppliers (material, lathe,

comments, there were comments from the audience. I thought

blocking devices and metrology) sitting together in the same

Paul Heskett (No. 7) made a good point about the need for a

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

12_ManuForum.indd 13

13

23.06.15 16:56

TECHNOLOGY Manufacturing

have been working at Contamac as the technical and quality control manager. I work very closely with our customers helpi ng t hem i mprove ex ist i ng a nd i nst a l l i ng new manufacturing processes.

The Manufacturers’ Forum at EFCLIN gives laboratories the perfect opportunity to discuss processing issues they may have experienced which impacts on their lens quality and daily output. During the meeting many aspects of lens production can be discussed openly with the members of the forum and with the audience. This year once again provoked many Great Expertise: Patrick Murphy (B+L), Eyal Harel (Rotlex), Alexis Larcher (ODC),

discussions covering key production areas that all lab managers

Erik Larsen (Larsen Equipment), Ken Payne (DAC Intl.), Paul McLean (Ametek/

and technicians relate to and provided opportunity to share

Sterling) and Gareth Browne (Contamac)

their own experiences. The forum isn’t just there to discuss laboratories manufacturing difficulties, it also gives us all an

high level of training and engagement in the lab, regardless

opportunity to discuss new manufacturing technologies and

of the type of equipment in use. Martijn Van Der Linden's

share ideas. I personally feel that the Manufacturers’ Forum

(NKL) concerns about processing the various lens materials

could offer so much more to our members.

generated thoughtful responses from the panel. Olga

I believe that we should start the dialogue now to start

Tomashevskaya (Boston Foundation) inquired about a new

preparing the topics for next year’s forum in Valencia. I was

application for instrumentation. And, I'd like to thank Lefteris

a lab technician for many years and never had the opportunity

Karageorgiadis (Eyeart) for his general comments. While we

to attend an exhibition that provided such a source of

would like to have more audience participation, we understand

information and help that the Manufacturers’ Forum provides.

the resistance to speaking up due to cultural and business

I would personally like to see more laboratories sending

concerns. So, we are looking for ideas to make the next

their lab technicians to the show so that they could participate

Manufacturers’ Forum even better.

with the discussions providing them opportunity to ask questions, gain a greater knowledge and improve their

PAUL MCLEAN – AMETEK/STERLING

manufacturing processes.

My first memories of the industry begin in the early 1970s, where, as a young boy, I watched my father design and build

KEN PAYNE - DAC INTERNATIONAL

the machines that would become City Crown. I joined in 1980,

The real sentiments here are the things we can do together!

first as a production engineer while attending college, later as

There’s a great deal more we can share. This forum is for you,

an R&D engineer. My move to the US came in 1986 as head

the lens manufacturer! Your participation in the event is what

of the US service department, installing new equipment and

will bring the best out in us all. It’s your opportunity to ask

assisting customers with lens manufacturing process. Sterling

the questions… It’s your opportunity to hear what can work

Ultra Precision was formed in 1990 by four former City Crown

for you… The Manufacturers’ Forum – An opportunity not

colleagues, including myself taking the engineering lead. Shortly

to be missed! n

thereafter, the ptoform would come to revolutionize soft contact lens no polish process, and continue to grow rapidly in the IOL and GP industry.

With all the diverse experience and talent we surround ourselves with, the EFCLIN congress, particularly the Manufacturers' Forum, imparts a unique opportunity, one that allows us to

Ken Payne, Mechanical and Production Engineer is currently working as Managing Director at DAC

pull together, as a team, and discuss the problems, needs and

International (Europe). He has a combined 30 years’

wants, to further us all, with the prospect of producing a better

experience in the contact and intra- ocular lens

quality lens, faster and more cost effectively, than has been accomplished before us.

industries. Over 12 years of which, he has been representing DAC in Sales and Support of their lens manufacturing equipment throughout Europe and the Middle East. Ten years as Contamac's Group Manager

GARETH BROWNE – CONTAMAC LTD

Director of Contamac's Dutch machine tool operation at Cuijk, near Nijmegen,

28 years. I have worked for two UK based contact lens

building and supplying new CNC machine tools for direct machining of

and GP prescription lenses. For the past fourteen years I

12_ManuForum.indd 14

material manufacturing processes. Also included five years as Managing

I have now been involved in the contact lens industry for manufacturers specializing in manufacturing both hydrophilic

14

of Engineering, helping to develop the CL and IOL

speciality lenses and lens mould inserts. He worked eight years in key roles of Engineering and Process Development for Soft and GP lens manufacturing processes at Allergan-Hydron in the UK.

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 16:56

Larsen PR-ADVERTISEMENT

Lab chooses Larsen Equipment support Voices from Opto Centar This management team was facing the decision of how to change their Contact Lens manufacturing process to take advantage of their modern CNC lathe. A complete changeover to modern blocking, tooling, and polishing processes was required. They also wanted to develop a close working relationship with their machinery supplier.

MARIN RADMAN, PRODUCTION MANAGER

have already produced in only one year, it was in fact a very

“I first met Erik Larsen several years ago. At every EFCLIN

clever move. I would recommend LED to anyone. I would

we looked at his equipment. At that time we were not really

like to take this opportunity of thanking Erik and his team

interested in having it. It was more that we just wanted to

for making such good equipment. I hope LED has plans for

see what was out there. After a couple of years we came to

further innovations and improvements in the future (we

the point where improvements in our production were

have got a little spoiled!) and that their progress will not

necessary. We were using a different process at the time

stop here!”

and we thought we seriously needed to change it. We spoke to friends in other labs and they had only good things to

DOMINIK AHMETOVIC, HEAD LAB TECHNICIAN

say about LED equipment. Somehow I was still somewhat

“I work with LED equipment every day. Being able to polish

unsure, but we decided to go for it anyway, whatever the

all back surfaces with just two Bladder Rubbers (one for

consequences. So we ordered a Bladder Polisher and a

conical lenses, the other for flatter ones) makes production

four-spindle edge polisher. We connected the Bladder Polisher

more efficient and our job much easier. Needless to say,

to the compressed-air and electricity supplies and tried it

the quality is far better too. In the past I had to re-cut many

out. We were immediately amazed at the results. With just

polishing pads every day. Having to make pads for a complete

an easy setup, we got it polishing complete base curves from

range of base curves was time consuming and the quality

center to the edge on all our symmetric and non-symmetric

was not very good. But now it is excellent! Polishing edges

base curves. On the first day we made more lenses than ever

on four lenses instead of one-at-the-time has also proved

before and could immediately see the instant improvement

a big time-saving. The Dual Dispenser Blocker improved

in quality.

not only the accuracy of our products but also made it

Using the edger we could edge four lenses at the same time.

possible to block lenses of large diameter too. With the

After that, we had complete confidence in LED and we know

Dual Blocker we can now block soft and RGP lenses with

we had not made a mistake in getting the equipment. A few

different waxes on the same blocker. I am still amazed how

months later, we ordered our second Bladder Polisher.

precise it is and how the number of rejects has fallen,

Sometime later, we started thinking what was the next thing

especially with the soft.

in our production line that we could and should improve.

The online (Skype), telephone and email support was excellent

We found that our weakest link was the blocking. So we

during the whole installation stage and continues to be so today.

decided to get a blocker too. We ordered the dual one which

Thank you LED!” n

is so easy to operate and very accurate. We work every day with the blocker without needing to recalibrate it. It has now been in operation for the past eight months and runs excellently. Thus our weakest link has now become our strongest one. You could really not ask for more!

We cannot imagine our production now without the LED equipment. We can scarcely think back to our old way of blocking and polishing the lenses. It all seems such a long time ago! In the end it was not such a major investment: Look ing at the cost of the equipment and number of extra lenses we GlobalCONTACT 2-15

15_PRLarsen.indd 15

Marin Radman and Dominik Ahmetovic 15

23.06.15 14:31

INTERVIEW EFCLIN

Unexpected Interview with EFCLIN President Armin Duddek Quite unexpected: the new EFCLIN President Armin Duddek arrived at Venice as a Board Member and returned to Zurich as the President. We spoke to him, just after taking up his appointment.

By Silke Sage GlobalCONTAC T: When you

GlobalCONTACT: You were appointed to the Board two years

arrived at the congress

ago in Vilamoura, Portugal. Over the past three years, visitor

yesterday, you did not yet

numbers have been increasing-possibly thanks in part to

know that you would go

your efforts. How has such a positive trend been achieved?

home as the President.

Duddek: I think exhibitors have come to realize how

What did you think

important the exhibition is. They refreshed their existing

when you heard the

business contacts and gained new contacts and customers

news?

for the first time. We have been able to build on that. The

Duddek: I received an

technical lectures and the whole schedule have also become

e-mail from an EFCLIN

much more professional. This was ref lected by the

Board Member saying

professional organization through the MCI together with

that he had to be away on

Steve Wheeler. And we can build on that too. I was also

business more often than he

very pleased that we have set up a working group for the

had anticipated and he had thus

IOL-program. We now have 11 out of 45 companies that

taken the decision to resign from the Board.

produce IOL lenses. That is a very good start.

Had this not been the case, he would have become the next EFCLIN President. At the next Board meeting we discussed

GlobalCONTACT: How can EFCLIN continue to increase its

who could fill this position for the next three years. For me,

number of members? Before your predecessor Marcel

the decision to accept was not difficult because Marion Beeler

Kopito took office, he and the Board were thinking about

is going to be our next Executive Director. As I know her

extending its sphere of influence even beyond Europe. Is

well and we have already worked together as a team in

this still the case?

Switzerland, I gladly accepted this position.

Duddek: We are definitely still focused on increasing the membership. And existing members are helping us in this by

GlobalCONTACT: So you accepted the decision because Marion

approaching their colleagues and partners in the industry and

Beeler will be Executive Director? Did you know about that

talking about the advantages of being a member of EFCLIN.

beforehand? Was it a "package" so to speak?

I think in future we will have the chance of getting into the

Duddek: During the Board meeting we interviewed two

American market and maybe into Eastern Europe and address

candidates for the position of Executive Director and naturally

the labs there. We have seen many of our colleagues from the

Marion was my favorite, but at the end of the day the decision

USA here in Venice. They speak very positively about our

is made by the Board. But it did make it easier for me to say

professionalism. I do not mean to suggest that European labs

'yes' to the presidency for the next three years.

produce more individually than those in America but, from what I have heard from machine manufacturers, the production

GlobalCONTACT: You already hold another presidency. Can

process seems to be much more technical here in Europe.

the two jobs be reconciled with each other?

Contact lens fitters, optometrists and opticians here have quite

Duddek: Yes, they can. I am President of the Swiss Society

a different approach to individual contact lenses.

of Optometry and Optics (SBAO) in Switzerland. We have

16

16_InteDuddek.indd 16

a very good Board – and Marion is the Secretary General.

GlobalCONTACT: What are your own goals for the future now?

She studied Management of Professional Association and

Have you even had any time to think about them?

works very effectively and very precisely. I know that she

Duddek: Not really. I think we will continue to become more

can be relied on. I also liked the Board very much. With

professional, so that our members like coming to the EFCLIN

the two new Board members we really have a very good

congress. We will think about how we can make the congress

team and we should be able to do a lot for EFCLIN and

even more interesting, not only for management but also for

the congress.

the technical staff in companies! We have thought about GlobalCONTACT 2-15

22.06.15 23:28

!AZ.ind

EFCLIN  INTERVIEW

offering workshops in which various blockers, waxes and

customers, so that they understand what the optometrist and the

measuring instruments for the contact lens production can be

contact lens fitter need in order to satisfy the customers. These

tried out and tested.

are the immediate challenges of the industry in the near future.

THE INDUSTRY HAS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE OPTOMETRIST AND THE CONTACT LENS FITTER NEED IN ORDER TO BEST SATISFY THEIR CUSTOMERS

GlobalCONTACT: A nice point to conclude with an outlook for the future. What is your prognosis for the industry for the next ten years?

Duddek: It will be important for our industry and our members to further advance acceptance of individual lenses, to come up with innovative ideas and new materials, to reduce production costs, make production processes more efficient and to increase the readiness for delivery, so that it takes less time to deliver the lenses once they have been ordered. These are the key challenges

GlobalCONTACT: This would surely be good in combination

for the years ahead I believe. The 'major players' will continue

with the Manufacturers’ Forum. We have seen that there

to be successful and get bigger and bigger. In my opinion for the

definitely is a demand here. Attendance at the Forum was

end consumer this is another sector. However, it is our job to

good but generally participants were reluctant to ask

produce customized lenses and get the message across to the

questions. Who likes to admit that one has problems?

practitioner that individual lenses are the perfect solution.

Duddek: Exactly. A smaller forum where technical staff could talk things over with each other would be a much better idea.

GlobalCONTACT: Thank you very much! n

It is important that they can learn something of practical use and take this knowledge back home with them. Thus they can benefit even more from the weekend.

GlobalCONTACT: What do you think are the most urgent issues for members right now? Are there any particular trends?

Duddek: At the congress here in Venice we heard about new geometries, especially multifocal geometries. The demographic trend shows that there will be more and more people with presbyopia and more people will need to be provided with multifocal lenses. This strategy needs to be clearly understood by the industry: they have to provide better training for their

EFCLIN BOARD from left: Peter Vermeulen, Procornea (NL), Tanja Malkus, B+L (D), Martijn van der Linden, NKL (NL), Michele Cornely, Contamac (UK), President Armin Duddek, Prolens (CH), Mireille Nauwelaert, Fabrilens (B).

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16_InteDuddek.indd 17 !AZ.indd 5

22.06.15 04.02.15 23:28 16:37

INTERVIEW Tanja Malkus + Marcel Kopito

Handover Interview with Tanja Malkus and Marcel Kopito In July 2014, one of the most admired people in the contact lens industry announced his retirement: Marcel Kopito. He not only stepped down from his position as President of EFCLIN in Venice this spring but also handed over his duties to his successor Tanja Malkus. GlobalCONTACT took the opportunity of talking to both about the future and a little bit about the past.

By Silke Sage GlobalCONTACT: Tanja and Marcel, what were the major

months people kept saying to her things like: 'Mr. Kopito

challenges for you both during the handover?

has got such big shoes, how are you ever going to manage

Tanja Malkus: The biggest challenge for me is to try and

to fill them?'

assimilate the profound knowledge that Marcel has acquired

Of course I like hearing that but my shoes only became so large

over the past 28 years. I started at the end of June 2014 and

from walking in them for so long. For me it was a challenge to

Marcel has always supported me. At first we visited many

pass on the knowledge and expertise I had acquired to Tanja.

customers together and later I travelled on my own. But I

Through our joint customer visits she had the opportunity to

did the lion's share of the visits together with Marcel. That

get to know the management personally and experience at first

was the right thing to do because of the language barrier

hand the long-standing relationships which connect these

and the writing. Certain visits I couldn’t have managed on

companies to Bausch + Lomb. She managed to acquire the

my own without him. He was always supremely confident

detailed technical knowledge very quickly with admirable

and his knowledge and experience made everything a lot

enthusiasm and great skill.

easier. I am glad to be able to work with somebody like

18

18_InteKopito.indd 18

him. I am also grateful that he has so much time for me

GlobalCONTACT: Marcel, when did you make the decision to

and that he can teach me so much. I am proud of him and

stop working in the industry?

everything he has done and achieved.

Marcel Kopito: It took me more than three years to make that

Marcel Kopito: The biggest challenge for me has been to

decision. I had planned to quit before, but it would have been

let go! Luckily, I have had plenty of time for this – from June

too bitter for both sides. The decision was finally made on 30

2014 until now. For Tanja it was perhaps more of a challenge,

December 2013. It was extremely difficult to find someone like

but she coped with the situation brilliantly. In the first two

Tanja with just the right qualities which this job requires: GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 18:02

Tanja Malkus + Marcel Kopito INTERVIEW

pleasure in taking responsibility for one’s own decisions, showing initiative and open-mindedness and being interested in other cultures and their different mentalities, in order to be able to communicate successfully in the multilingual Europe, Middle East, India and Africa region..

GlobalCONTACT: Marcel has already said why he finds you the ideal successor. Tanja, what have you done for a living up to now?

Tanja Malkus: For over 20 years I worked in a company that among other things makes vascular implants, building up a market for them in the Benelux countries. That was very challenging as I had little support but it proved successful. I was able to take decisions on my own and

Tanja Malkus, Susanne Krostitz and Marcel Kopito

develop my own strategies which was a lot of fun. When my first child was born, I returned to their head office in

the chance to reinvent myself over the last few months. I am

Berlin and worked in Product Management. However, having

certainly going to spend more time with my family and my

built up a Europe business, a conventional office job was

five grandchildren, but many other things interest me too.

not as attractive as it had been before. Following a period

Sports, politics and social activities are interests which I have

of self-employment, I went to work for the IOL business at

neglected over the past years. Now I have time to restructure

Zeiss. This was my first professional contact with the optical

the free-time that I have been denied for so long.

industry, although I’ve had personal contact with ophthalmic optics since starting school. As a child I was shortsighted

GlobalCONTACT: How do you expect the contact lens industry

and from an early age started wearing contact lenses – first

will change over the next ten years? And what role will Bausch

soft ones and later RGPs.

& Lomb Boston play in it?

Marcel Kopito: I think there will be consolidation here

GlobalCONTACT: Have you settled in well at your new position?

in Europe of the independent manufacturers supplied by

What do you like most about your job?

Bausch & Lomb. The development will proceed fastest in

Tanja Malkus: I like this industry very much! It is a niche

Asia but there are very few manufacturers. We will have

market and people do not pick on each other. Of course we

to wait and see which companies are prepared to continue

also have competitors but the atmosphere is different from

developing contact lenses. At least in Asia it will depend

what I was used to in other industries and large corporations.

on whether independent manufacturers continue to be as

I have the feeling that we are all in it together instead of

successful in further developing contact lenses as in the

fighting against each other and that there still is enough room

past 25 year. Recent innovations in digital technology seem

to develop something new.

to suggest that applications combining contact lenses with micro-chips have the potential of gaining in importance

GlobalCONTACT: Tanja, what is your typical day like?

in the coming years.

Tanja Malkus: No one day is like another. There are days at

Tanja Malkus: The development in orthokeratology is very

trade fairs, days in the home office and days when I visit

important for us. We certainly intend soon to introduce a

customers. Administration and strategic development is done

new strategy for this development. In addition, myopia

in the home office. There is plenty of communication and a

progression is another major business segment where a lot

lot of telephone conferences with American colleagues, my

can still be done. It is certainly one of the segments where

colleague in Weinheim and with our customers. That is all

you don’t necessarily need to gain market share from others,

part of my job. But the direct contacts and relationships that

as there is still enough potential for growth. There are

Marcel has built up over the years is what really makes a

different developments in various markets, for example there

difference. You have to actually ‘go on site’ and visit the

is a trend for scleral lenses in the USA at the moment; even

customers.

for normal eyes. Here in Europe, this trend has not yet taken off. There are a lot of relevant processes going on in this

GlobalCONTACT: Marcel, what is a typical day like for you now?

global business and we can learn from each other as well as

Marcel Kopito: I don’t really know yet. I will continue to be

from other countries.

a contact person for the industry and I will maintain the friendships I have established. Apart from that, I have had GlobalCONTACT 2-15

18_InteKopito.indd 19

GlobalCONTACT: Thank you very much for the interview! n 19

23.06.15 18:02

TECHNOLOGY Manufacturing

Air cooling and wax diameter strength Recently we received questions about the blocking wax cooling cycle and wax strength relative to the blocking diameter. These are related subjects, so I discuss them in this article.

By Erik Larsen We had an early auto-blocker in for upgrades and refurbishment

Here are some rough numbers:

(a great idea) and noticed that the air cooling valve was

To cool something 20 degrees F (11 C) that is 140 F (60 C),

disabled. I talked to the user and he said that the air cooling

it takes an air flow of only a few miles per hour to cool the

was too noisy. It turns out that machine was set up with full

part. For wax a temperature after contact of 130 F (54 C)

shop air pressure for cooling. A side problem with this is

degrees; wind speed of 10 mph (15 km/h) gives a cooling

that if the supply hose is small or restricted, the operating

effect of about 5 F (2.7 C). With a doubling in speed we can

pressure drops during cooling with a risk of the collets not

expect a cooling effect of about 10 F (5.4 C).

staying closed.

When the air cooling is loud, it is at a very high speed. In fact

We installed a flow control on the cooling valve so that they

100 psi (7 bar) flowing through a restricted orifice approaches

could adjust the cooling air flow.

Mach 1. That is really noisy.

So, how much air flow do you need to cool the blocking wax

So just a little air flow can accelerate the cooling and shorten

quickly? I looked up wind chill factors. The W/C chart starts

the blocking cycle time. A side benefit is that the cooling air

at a maximum of 40 F (4.4 C). So with blocking wax at 150 F

is directed through the collets to clean them every cycle.

(66 C), that didn't apply. The main point is that the temperature

We have had questions about wax strength on hollow blocking

of the wax is much higher that the ambient (room) temperature.

arbors for lens blank blocking. How does the strength compare

This is analogous to your skin temperature relative to 40 F (4.4

to solid blocking arbors, and what about blocking scleral lens

C) on windy day.

blanks? I borrowed the formula for stress since it is analogous

20

20_LarsenAirCooling.indd 20

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 14:34

!AZ.ind

Manufacturing  TECHNOLOGY

to the wax/arbor model. In bending and torsional stress, one of

What if you are running these lenses on an autoloader

the variables is related to the cross section for the part. This

equipped lathe? The vacuum gripper needs a complete seal

corresponds to the wax contact area. In a 1/2" (12.7 mm) diameter

at the wax to ensure proper gripping. The loader will stop

blocking tool, the stress is proportional to what is called the

if it cannot pick up the blocked lens blank due to an

Second Moment of Inertia or "I" value. Assuming the wax strength

incomplete wax bond. So you need to ensure that the wax

is constant, the I value is the diameter to the fourth power.

bond is secure, whether it is done manually or on an

(Different constants apply for bending

automatic bla n k Here is a comparison of the I values of various arbor styles:

and torsion.) For

blocker.

The of air cooling

hollow arbors, you

1. 0.500" (12.7 mm) solid arbor:

0.0625

and wax strength are

subtract the I value

2. 0.500" (12.7 mm) with a 0.25" (6.35 mm) hole: 0.0625-0.004=

0.0585

integral parts of the

of the inner diameter

3. 3/4" (19 mm) scleral arbor with 1/2 (12.7 mm) hole: 0.316-0.0625=

0.2545

manufacturing

from the I value of the outer diameter.

process. Having an Units are in inches to the fourth power.

In examples 1 and 2,

understanding of how t he cooling

you see a 0.004 (6%) difference in the I value from the solid and

works and what arbor design to employ, gives you that much more

hollow arbor. So, this is not a process concern for hollow blocking

of a handle on these processes. n

arbors.

In example 3, the I value is more than four times that of the 0.500" (12.7 mm) arbor. This is exactly what is needed to support the large diameter lens blanks for BC turning. I have

Erik Larsen graduated from the University of Washington with a Mechanical Engineering degree in 1981 and started Larsen Equipment Design later

seen people mounting the large diameter lens blanks on the

that year. Erik Larsen has industry awards from

0.500" (12.7 mm) diameter. They say they need to be careful

CLMA and EFCLIN.

to make sure that the lens blanks don't fly off during turning.

Using the 3/4" (19 mm) scleral hollow blocking arbor, the strength is over four times that of the 0.500" (12.7 mm) blocking arbor.

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23.06.15 25.02.15 14:34 22:15

FITTING BACKGROUND Geometry

Speed Date – CL-SAG meets OC-SAG Observations and findings from the Groenhof-Study. Part I/2 This article reports on a clinical study analyzing soft lens fits in a large contact lens practice in the Netherlands. Previous publications in this journal and elsewhere have questioned the method currently utilized to fit soft lenses. As a general understatement, central keratometry values appear to be not very efficacious for predicting the way soft lenses behave on-eye. The article ‘Myth or Fact’ in GlobalCONTACT 3_2013 covered these limitations in detail.

By Eef van der Worp, Joost Hulscher Furthermore, the effect that soft lenses may have on the ocular

the nasal portion of the anterior ocular surface does not

surface has been noted, based on observations in a large contact

necessarily follow that profile (here, typically, a flatter scleral

lens practice in the Netherlands (Backstage articles 1/2014 and

portion is noted as compared to the corneal portion).

2/2014) and on reports in the literature regarding the problems

What about soft lenses? Do they also respect and follow the

that may arise with laser refractive surgery if the corneal surface

shape of the ocular surface? The largest worldwide contact lens

has not returned to baseline after soft lens wear prior to the

manufacturers of commercially available frequent replacement

procedure. The magnitude of topographical changes beneath

silicone hydrogel lenses (2wk or 4wk replacement) apparently

soft lenses is presented in table 1.

believe that different designs will result in the best-desired outcome, as some lenses are monocurves, some are bi-curves

THE EYE MODEL

and others have aspheric designs.

Soft contact lenses typically cover a surface area of 15mm on the ocular surface, given that most commercial soft lenses

OC-SAG - THE SAGITTAL HEIGHT OF THE OCULAR SURFACE

are in the 14.0-14.2mm diameter range and typically move

So what do we know about the sagittal height of the ocular surface

on average approximately 0.2mm to 0.3mm (and not 1.0mm

(OC-SAG) over the given 15mm diameter (chord)? Optical

as has commonly been suggested). If the current eye model

coherence tomography (OCT) has been available for some time,

is considered – taking the most recent findings into account

but most OCT instrument manufacturers are focusing on resolution

– the basic eye model consists of a near-spherical central

(image quality) at the expense of the diameter that can be imaged.

zone that flattens toward the periphery at a given rate (the

The Visante OCT (Zeiss) has been shown to cover a larger surface

eccentricity), followed by a tangential transition into the

area, with a more-than-reliable resolution for the purpose of

limbal area and into the anterior sclera. Many of the newest

measuring overall OC-SAG. One of the first studies to look into

mini-scleral and full-scleral lens designs follow this principle,

this evaluated 55 healthy subjects at Pacific University (OR, USA).

as they have to respect the shape of the anterior ocular surface

The horizontal OC-SAG over 15mm was found to be 3735 SD

precisely to not cause any excessive mechanical pressure on

± 186, with a range of 3290 to 4170 microns from ‘flattest’ to

the cornea, sclera or (especially) the limbus. Furthermore,

‘steepest’ eye. Independently, researchers at the University of

22

22_EefSpeeddate_Part1.indd 22

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 00:04

Geometry FITTING BACKGROUND

Ring

0-3mm

3-5mm

5-7mm

7-9mm

Change

0.66

0.62

1.16

1.83

SD

0.45

0.37

0.86

0.93

Change

0.65

0.65

1.06

1.76

SD

0.34

0.34

0.59

0.69

Change

0.57

0.60

0.91

1.76

SD

0.21

0.22

0.37

0.69

Change

0.48

0.55

0.84

1.83

SD

0.13

0.16

0.26

0.51

Change

0.48

0.55

1.02

1.95

SD

0.18

0.17

0.77

0.89

1st visit (=101)

2 visit (=76) nd

3rd visit (=34)

4 visit (=12) th

5th visit (=10)

WE CAN ASSUME THAT THE OC-SAG OVER THE HORIZONTAL 15MM CHORD IS IN THE RANGE OF 3750 MICRONS, FROM A CLINICAL PERSPECTIVE. We wanted to compare these ‘gold standard’ results to those from a relatively new instrument, the Eye Surface Profiler (ESP, Eaglet Eye). In a large contact lens practice, Groenhof, in Amstelveen (The Netherlands), 78 eyes of 41 subjects were examined. All subjects were successful contact lens wearers with a spherical correction between -0.75D and -6.00D, minimal

Table 1: Maximum tangential dioptric difference induced by soft

corneal astigmatism (up to 0.75D max), and any eyes with

lens wear within each region, with one standard deviation.

pathology or anomalies were excluded from the study. All subjects wore silicone hydrogel 2wk/4wk replacement lenses

Waterloo (CA) looked at 40 normal eyes and found the OC-SAG

for a minimum of three months: either Johnson & Johnson’s

over 15mm to be 3740 SD ± 200 (range 3140 – 4040 microns).

Acuvue Oasys (8.4mm and 8.8mm, 14.0mm), B+L’s Purevision

And at Visioncare Research in the UK, 50 healthy subjects were

I (8.3mm and 8.6mm, 14.0mm), Coopervision’s Biofinity (8.6mm,

found to have an OC-SAG (15mm) of 3740 SD ± 160 (range 3290

14.0mm) or Alcon’s Air Optix (8.6mm, 14.2mm).

to 4100 microns).

The horizontal 15mm OC-SAG values of the 78 eyes in the

What is surprising is that these numbers are very much in line

Groenhof study measured with the ESP instrument were

with each other – as in almost identical. The range of OC-SAGs

3755 SD ± 207, with a range of 3290 to 4280 microns (a difference

of eyes based on these studies (our ‘workbench’) can be concluded

of 990 microns). This is very much in line with the previously

to be in the 900-micron range.

mentioned OCT studies on OC-SAG.

Fig. 1: Overview of the lowest (left) to highest CL-SAG of all lenses (spherical and toric) in the minus group (microns). Courtesy Contact Lens & Anterior Eye - Febr 2015: Van der Worp, Mertz. Sagittal height differences of frequent replacement silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

22_EefSpeeddate_Part1.indd 23

23

23.06.15 00:04

FITTING BACKGROUND Geometry

Air Optix 8.6/14.2 Air Optix 8.6 14.2

Biofinity 8.6/14.0 -45

Biofinity 8.6

45

Biofinity 8.6

-51

Oasys 8.4/14.0

Oasys 8.8/14.0

Purevision 8.3/14.0

Purevision 8.6/14.0

Air Optix Ast 8.7/14.5

Biofinity Toric 8.7/14.5

Oasys Ast 8.6/14.5

Purevision Toric 8.7/14.0

51

-225

87

-170

155

187

275

-184

96

-180

132

-125

200

232

320

-139

-276

36

-221

104

136

224

-235

55

380

411

499

41

-256

69

100

188

-270

325

356

444

-14

32

120

-339

88

-370

-96

Oasys 8.8

225

180

276

Purevision 8.3

-87

-132

-36

-311

311

Purevision 8.6

170

125

221

-55

256

Air Optix Ast 8.7 14.5

-155

-200

-104

-380

-69

-325

Biofinity Toric 8.7

-187

-232

-136

-411

-100

-356

-32

Oasys Ast 8.6

-275

-320

-224

-499

-188

-444

-120

-88

Purevision Toric 8.7

184

139

235

-41

270

14

339

370

-458 458

Table 2: Overview of the absolute differences in CL-SAG between individual lenses (spherical and toric) in the minus group (in microns). Courtesy Contact Lens & Anterior Eye - Febr 2015: Van der Worp, Mertz. Sagittal height differences of frequent replacement silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

So for now, we can assume that the OC-SAG over the horizontal

(n=79 eyes) using the ESP. Interestingly, the difference in sagittal

15mm chord is in this range or roughly 3750 microns based on

height between the two in this clinical setting was very much in

OCT and ESP measurements, from a clinical perspective. Vertical

line with the theoretical calculation: the CL-SAG (3532) on average

OC-SAG may be different from horizontal OC-SAG, as corneal

was 131 microns greater than the OC-SAG (3663) – both calculated

diameter and other parameters can be quite different, but this is a

based on their nominal diameter (the diameter of habitual lens on

subject of further investigation and beyond the scope of this article.

the eye). There was a large variation, though: some lenses demonstrated a very large difference between the two; the CL-SAG

CL-SAG – THE SAGITTAL HEIGHT OF THE CONTACT LENS

was more than 500 microns higher in some cases, but sometimes

So now that we have information about the OC-SAG, what do

the CL-SAG was actually smaller than the OC-SAG. This would

we know about the contact lens SAG (CL-SAG) of the lenses

imply a very flat lens fit. Bear in mind that all lens wearers in the

we ‘fit’ on a daily basis in our practice? Not much, to be honest.

study were current, successful lens wearers. Overall, in 78% of

We recently published a study in Contact Lens & Anterior Eye

combinations, the result was ‘plus’ (the CL-SAG being higher than

looking at commercially available silicone hydrogel 2wk and

the OC-SAG), while the reverse was found in 22% of cases.

4wk replacement lenses. See figure 1 and table 2 for the results.

End Part 1. In part two the clinical outcome and consequences

The CL-SAG of these lenses varied from a minimum of 3454

are further discussed. n

microns to a maximum of 3765 microns (for spherical minus lenses) for their respective diameters. And based on these baseline

Eef van der Worp, BOptom, PhD, FAAO, FIACLE,

numbers, one could conclude that for a given average ocular

FBCLA, FSLS is an educator and researcher. He

surface, the OC-SAG is 3740 microns, and the CL-SAG of a

received his optometry degree from the Hogeschool van Utrecht in the Netherlands (NL) and has served

range of SH 2wk/4wk lenses is 3837 microns (recalculated to a

as a head of the contact lens department at the

15mm diameter from the original contact lens diameter). In other

school for over eight years. He received his PhD

words: on average, the lens has a sagittal height that is 132 microns

from the University of Maastricht (NL) in 2008.

He is a fellow of the AAO, IACLE, BCLA and the

more than that of the ocular surface. These are different databases

SLS. He is currently affiliated with the University

though; ideally, one would match a series of lenses – worn

of Maastricht as an associate researcher, a visiting

comfortably – with the given OC-SAG of those eyes.

scientist at Manchester University (Manchester UK) and adjunct Professor at the University of Montreal University College of Optometry (CA) and adjunct assistant Professor at Pacific University College of

WHAT WE DID IN THE GROENHOF STUDY In the Groenhof study we did exactly that: the lenses in moderate

Optometry (Oregon, USA). He is lecturing extensively worldwide and is a guest lecturer at a number of Universities in the US and Europe.

myopes (mean -2.71D of ametropia, range -0.75D to -6.50D) that

Joost Hulscher finished his Bachelor of Science

were worn successfully at Groenhof’s contact lens practice were

degree in optometry in 2009 at the Hogeschool

analyzed. Success was defined as ‘current lens wearers coming for

van Utrecht in the Netherlands (NL). In his work

regular checkups,’ and subjects with ocular problems or comfort

h e co m b in e s clini c a l o p to m e t r y at th e Amstelland hospital in Amstelveen (NL) with

issues were excluded. The average ‘comfort of wear’ score was 7.7

his work in an extensive contact lens practice

on a scale of 10, with a mean lens wearing time of 14 hours per day.

at Gro enhof O ptiek /O ptometrie also in

The known CL-SAG of the lenses worn and the measured OC-SAG

Amstelveen where he participates in clinical contact lens related studies.

of t he eyes wea r i ng t hese lenses were compa re d 24

22_EefSpeeddate_Part1.indd 24

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 00:04

The Future of Hydrophilic IOL Manufacturing Efficient, Precise & Productive

For samples of this new product contact Lorrie Pomroy at lpomroy@benzrd.com Benz Quality. Benz Innovation. benzrd.com

!AZ.indd 11

25.02.15 15:59

TECHNOLOGY Launch

New soft multifocal contact lens for presbyopia The New “NaturalVue Multifocal 1Day” by Visioneering Technologies Incorporated (VTI) debuts from HQ in Alpharetta, Georgia, USA A new soft multifocal contact lens emerged first week of March 2015 at Atlanta's SECO convention.

The SECO event is the annual meeting of the Southeastern Congress of Optometry, the largest yearly convention of optometrists in the world and is unmatched. A limited roll out of the “NaturalVue Multifocal 1 Day” to a select group of eye doctors was begun at Morton's Steak House during an evening dinner served in downtown Atlanta. Over the proceeding months optical practices over the southern United States will gain experience with these lenses. Fitting of the lenses is specific and unique with higher performance results promised.

By Tom Baugh This daily disposable contact lens uses one universal add for an 89% fit success rate with adds effective from +0.75 to +3.00 D. The multifocal uses an extended depth of focus provided by patented Neurofocus Optics (TM) technology.

The add is called “center distance” with a center base curve that measures 8.3mm, in a 14.5mm diameter one size.

Obviously, this is where the patented “magic” of the universal add occurs.

Initial lenses will only be in minus distance spheres from -0.25 to -6.25. The lens inventor, Dr. Richard Griffin, Optometrist, was introduced along with his history as an Aerospace and Dr. Chris Wroten, optometrist and attendee, Mark Tyson, VTI Vice President Manufacturing, Dr. Richard Griffin, Inventor,VTI Founder, Optometrist, Dr. Sally Dillehay, Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Head of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, Dr. Tom Baugh, GlobalCONTACT Magazine, Optometrist (left to right, Photo credit: George Baugh)

26

26_TomBaugh.indd 26

Aerodynamics Design Engineer. Dr. Richard Griffin describes the lens as “the smart multifocal contact lens you fit like a sphere.”

According to the manufacturer, “unlike some multifocal contact lenses, this new, breakthrough, quick-fit design features just one universal add power for maximum fit efficiency.” In clinical GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 18:04

!AZ.ind

Launch TECHNOLOGY

trials, patients fit with the new contact lans achieved lens average

member of the faculty of The Ohio State University she has an

vision within two letters of best corrected spectacle acuity. As

additional MS degree in Physiological Optics and an EdD in

these claims are met, a major performance improvement for

Organizational Leadership and Higher Education from Nova

presbyopes will result from this lens. To be properly fitted in the

Southeastern University. Certainly, she has proven skills to take

Natural Vue 1Day, it is said to be very important to achieve clear

VTI forward with this and future lenses.

distance vision first for the best results. Advices on all multifocals

The Executive Director of Sales at VTI is Steve Wyman, bringing

vary with almost every lens made. With the proper selection of

more than thirty years of experience in ophthalmic sales and an

the cornea, power and right patient fit, this lens has a future.

extensive relationship history with the contact lens community.

The future of this lens at VTI will depend on the people involved

Most recently with Alcon/Novartis/Ciba Vision, Steve has built

in the process of building the firm. At Visioneering Technologies

a great network of practitioners and administrators that understand

an excellent and experienced staff has been assembled. Three

his grasp of this relationship based business. He and his growing

distinguished top company leaders join their growing staff.

crew will be the primary people linking VTI and your contact

At the top is the CEO Dr. Stephen Snowdy. A man of multiple

lens professionals. Future growth aims toward myopia reduction

talents, Dr. Snowdy has earned a simultaneous PhD in

lenses, astigmatism designs, and increased multifocal lens ranges

Neurobiology and an MBA from the University of North

in minus and plus.

Carolina. His Venture Capitalist role has him serving upon

Contact VTI at www.vtivision.com or 1-844-884-5367 for

several boards of companies and universities. He serves also

more details. n

as a faculty member at Coulter College, in a translational and entrepreneurial program. Dr. Snowdy's academic training followed his service in the United States Navy Special Forces.

The Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Sally Dillehay, Vice President,

D r. To m B a u g h (D e n i s o n , Te x a s) i s a n optometrist, contact lens inventor and writer for GlobalCONTAC T. Your comments are welcome at tkbaugh@hotmail.com

Clinical and Regulatory Affairs is the true director that has brought VTI into reality. An Optometrist, Dr. Dillehay has extensive experience with Ciba Vision (Novartis) as Director of Medical Marketing and Clinical Claims Research. A former

Advertisement

26_TomBaugh.indd 27 !AZ.indd 8

23.06.15 11.02.15 18:04 13:07

FITTING BACKGROUND Custom Lenses

Fit lenses to patients, not patients to lenses!

Size Matters With the recent spate of acquisitions, the larger players in the global soft contact lens market have become fewer and the choice of products offered by them will, no doubt, become streamlined as duplications and overlaps are removed from portfolios.

By Martin Conway

28

28_Contamac.indd 28

For the practitioner, it may well feel that the choices of lens

confined to the “specialist” fittings for Keratoconus, high

suppliers available to him are becoming too limited.

astigmatism, etc.

T hat concer n clea rly offers an oppor tunity for the

The moulders are very good at what they do and for a lathe-cut

independent laboratories to improve their share of the

manufacturer to compete with them in their arena, would

mainstream soft contact lens Rx business, rather than being

be folly.

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 17:03

Custom Lenses FITTING BACKGROUND

4000 3900 3800 3700 3600 3500 3400 3300

fini

4.5 Oas

ys A

ty T oric

st 8

8.7

.6 1

14.5

4.5 ix A Opt

Bio

Air

Pur

Air

evis

Oas

ion

st 8

I 8.3

.4 1 ys 8

ix 8 Opt

.7 1

14.0

4.0

4.2 .6 1

4.0 .6 1 ty 8 fini

I 8.6 ion evis Pur

ric 8 I To ion Pur evis

Bio

4.0 .7 1

4.0 .8 1 ys 8 Oas

14.0

3200

Fig. 1: Lowest to highest sag across all lenses (toric and spherical) in the group

HVID Distribution (300 Consecutive Eyes)

BUT WHAT PRECISELY IS THEIR ARENA? Eef van de Worp, Cristian Mertz and colleagues, sought to establish the difference in sag heights across the range of frequent replacement silicone hydrogel lenses offered by the

67

Number of Eyes

In a recent study published in Contact Lens and Anterior Eye1,

42

major manufacturers. They found that the sag differences between the major brands was just 311 microns for spherical minus lenses and 264 microns for plus. For toric lenses the

6

10.9

range was slightly larger at 458 and 487 microns respectively.

closer to 900 microns across a range of corneae. Clearly, and understandably, the major players target the peak of the bellcurve to maximise their ability to fit most eyes with the least

11 11.1

20

19 11.3

11.5

11.7

11.9

12.1

12.3

7

7

12.5

12.7

Horizontal Visible Iris Diameter

If we then look at previous studies conducted at the Universities of Waterloo2 and Pacific3 we see they both arrived at figures

23%

65 56

Fig. 2: Pat Caroline and colleagues at Pacific University have been measuring the corneal diameters of new students for a number of years, and the results have been consistent. We can see that although the bulk of the eyes could be fitted with the 14.0 - 14.5 mm lenses offered by the moulders, 23.3% would be better served by a smaller or larger diameter product.

parameters.

Opportunities for the lathe cut manufacturers lie outside of the bell-curve, in those extreme sags not covered by the moulding

manufacturers. The manufacturers were given topography

companies. If we also look at the diameters offered within this

data, Rx and HVID for three groups of students. The groups

group, we can see that they operate in a narrow band of between

were selected by HVID to fit into three categories, Large,

14.0 and 14.5 mm.

Median and Small HVID. The moulded lenses were supplied to all, followed by the custom designed lenses by the three

COMFORT STUDY

labs fitted according to their recommended criteria.

Intrigued by these results, a pilot study was commissioned at

Unsurprisingly, in the median group the moulded lens

Pacific University, under the control of Pat Caroline, to evaluate

out-performed the others, with one of the customised lenses

the comfort levels between a market-leading moulded product

scoring less than half the comfort score of the moulded

a nd custom ised lens products f rom t h ree different

product.

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

28_Contamac.indd 29

29

23.06.15 17:03

FITTING BACKGROUND Custom Lenses

THE LESSONS WE CAN DRAW FROM THIS ARE TWOFOLD.

Medium Group

Firstly, a lathe-cut lens can compete with a moulded lens on comfort when fitted to a smaller or larger cornea than standard.

81 66

72

These corneae account for over 20% of all eyes.

Secondly, not all lathe cut lenses are the same. In this study, the older lens (Design 1) clearly underperformed against the two other.

Successful speciality labs continue to evolve and

39

grow, and, just like their larger competitors, continually upgrade their product in line with improvements in lathing technology and topographical data.

Moulded Lens

Design 1

Design 2

Design 3

What is currently happening, is that the practitioner is fitting the patient with his customary moulded

Fig. 3: As soon as the lenses were fitted to the larger and smaller corneae, the

lens. If the stability or comfort is less than

results changed significantly.

acceptable, he reaches for his second favourite and then perhaps his third. He is unwittingly not really changing much between fits and may occasionally stumble across a fit that is marginally

Small Group

acceptable. Most times this does not occur and 78 69

the patient either gives up or is told that they have 74

dry eyes.

The use of HVID assessment in initial lens selection will enable practitioners to filter out those patients

57

who will be better served by a custom lens than a moulded lens of inappropriate diameter.

By insisting upon HVID as a selection criteria in their fitting guides and furnishing their customers with the means to accurately assess this crucial measurement, manufacturers can subtly alter thinking so that practitioners Moulded Lens

Design 1

Design 2

Design 3

will begin to custom fit lenses to patients and not shoehorn all eyes into standardised lenses. n

Fig. 4: With the biggest difference in performance being demonstrated in the group

REFERENCES

with the larger HVID’s.

Large Group

82

80

1 van der Worp E, Mertz C. Sagittal height differences of frequent replacement silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Contact Lens Anterior Eye (2015).

2 Sorbara L, Maram J, Fonn D, Woods C, Simpson T. Metrics of the normal cornea: anterior segment imaging with the Visante OCT. Clin Exp Optom 2010;93:150-6.

3 Andre M, Davis J, Caroline P. A new approach to fitting soft contact lenses. Eyewitness 2001;2:1-4.

64 54

Martin Conway, FBDO, has over 27 years’ experience in the eye care industry. In his own optician practices he represented Revlon, Sauflon Pharmaceuticals and Ciba Vision. He joined the Contamac Professional Services team in 2011.

Moulded Lens

Design 1

Design 2

Design 3

Fig. 5: In this group, even the design which performed at half the comfort level for the median group outperformed the moulded lens.

30

28_Contamac.indd 30

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 17:03

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20.06.12 17:56

REPORT A different world

On the go The contact lens market in China is growing More than two thirds of all optical products sold in Europe and the USA come from China. This also applies to contact lenses. Up to now, mainly standard products have been available on the market in various qualities. The Chinese domestic market is also becoming more and more interesting due to the increasing purchasing power of the approx. 1.3 billion Chinese. The market for customized contact lenses is of particular interest. But anyone who wants to break into this market will have to do so in the Chinese language. ContactlensWORLD, a new business magazine from the Chinese subsidiary of the Ratingen Publishers Group in Xi’An, is aimed at the domestic market in China, designed to help bridge the information gap between manufacturers and fitters.

By Jörg Spangemacher

I first went to the trade fair in Shanghai, China, more than ten

There followed a very interesting and intense discussion during

years ago out of sheer curiosity. It was a loud and boisterous event

which we exchanged our ideas. Eventually she asked if I could

in the damp month of February. On the ground floor it was so cold

imagine publishing a Chinese-language business magazine for

you needed warm clothing while on the third floor even swimming

the optical industry and opticians as no such magazines currently

trunks or a bikini would have been too much, such was the tropical

existed there providing the necessary further education. I have

heat. However, for the past few years the SIOF has been held at

never been afraid of adventures, but here I felt decidedly out

the site of the World Fair and is similar to any other international

of my depth.

trade fair and has continued to gain in importance.

It takes considerable time and several trips to the land of the rising sun and quite some time for a European to begin to understand the industry there and to build up contacts with the Chinese. It is hard to overcome the language barrier because

FOCUS CHINA WAS LAUNCHED AT THE 2010 TRADE FAIR IN SHANGHAI

only few Chinese speak English, let alone German. But gradually I have got to know more people and gained a deeper insight.

Nonetheless the adventure was tempting and so I began to

Word spread quickly that a curious ‘long nose’ (European) was

consider all the options and started the planning process. Despite

coming around on a regular basis who was worth talking to.

all the support of the standardization authority publishing a

And then in 2008 something happened for which I was entirely

business magazine in China is not without difficulties – not to

unprepared. Some acquaintances provided me with an

say well-nigh impossible. Europeans can have little or no

introduction to the Director of the Chinese National

understanding of the reality of dictatorial and omnipotent

Standardization Authority. Professor Liru Wang was responsible

control. However, finally the major obstacles were somehow

for the standardization and quality management of all optical

overcome and the pilot issue of FOCUS China was presented

products that were either produced in China or imported to

at the SIOF 2010 in Shanghai.

China. She was responsible for representing China's interests

China was and still is the largest manufacturer of spectacle

at all negotiations about standardization worldwide.

lenses. More than 1,000 companies cast standard single-vision

32

32_ContactLensWorld.indd 32

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 15:49

A different world REPORT

lenses with a refractive index n= 1.49 or 1.56. At that time there were virtually no prescription labs. The major machine manufacturers for surface machining such as Schneider, Satisloh and Coburn or MEI did not yet have any subsidiaries in China.

This is long since changed and they now have sales and service branches in Shanghai or Hong Kong. The casters continue to

THE LANGUAGE BARRIER IMPEDES THE TRANSFER OF KNOW-HOW FROM EUROPE TO CHINA

invest and increasingly produce lenses of higher refractive

What proves really expensive is the lack of expertise. And

index as well as investing in the production of prescription

unfortunately this is very often the case. It is also not easy to

lenses and also FreeForm progressive lenses.

acquire, since the language is an enormous barrier to the transfer

FOCUS China is now well established in the optical industry in

of knowledge.

Europe and in China. The editorial team provides the local

Supplying people with poor eyesight in China with spectacles

engineers and physicists as well as the highly educated optometrists

and contact lenses is performed in two ways: Through the

in the major retail businesses and eye hospitals with knowledge

conventional retail trade and through eye clinics. Eye clinics can

and information to European standards. Initially, the articles

provide all-round care. That is to say they have the better-trained

were translated from publications of the German parent publishing

optometrists who are able to carry out refraction and fit the

house but, in the meantime, more and more excellent professional

contact lenses. The specialist shops on the ground floor sell the

articles are being written by specialist Chinese authors.

corrective glasses, producing them on-site in their own workshops and handing them out to the customers. It is nothing out of the

TRANSLATING THE TECHNICAL TERMS WAS THE FIRST MAJOR CHALLENGE FOR THE EDITORIAL TEAM IN XI‘AN

ordinary when a shop sells over 100 pairs of spectacles a day.

The optometrists and ophthalmologists in the clinics need to

The biggest challenges at the beginning were the translations.

be informed about the latest developments in the field of contact

The syntax of European languages is hard to align with that of

lenses and their fitting. Here one must keep in mind that even

Chinese. For three years the editors in Xi’An have been supported

professors at teaching hospitals often speak and understand

by professors of German and English, backed up by engineers

only very limited English or another European language.

and physicists from the industry, to ensure that all the technical

This means that further training and understanding the concepts

terms are translated correctly.

of modern contact lens materials, contact lens fitting, production

Each issue of FOCUS China includes at least one article about

and distribution have to be communicated in Chinese.

contact lenses, mostly discussions on accommodation and

Advertisements, too, have to be in Chinese, otherwise nobody

technology. This is another unique feature of this magazine in

would understand them.

China. Thus it was only a question of time before the publisher

This is where ContactlensWORLD comes in – the Chinese

in China, Jian Wang, was asked to publish a specialist magazine

sister-publication of the international contact lens magazine

for contact lenses in China.

GlobalCONTACT. The experienced editorial team, with their

At the present time this sector is undergoing fundamental

close connections to the eye clinics and optometrists who work

change. Up to now contact lenses with standard values were

there, ensures that contact lens fitters are continually kept up-

imported. Hydron from DanYang is well known for such lenses

to-date. Furthermore, this results in a demand for new products

in China and their products are distributed in Europe under

that cannot easily be imported from Europe or the USA. The

various brand names.

aspiring local labs in China also require training in order to find

Ortho-K is one of the most discussed topics among ophthalmologists

out what is needed and how these demands can be met. n

and optometrists in China because one hopes to be able to slow the increased rate of myopia among children in this way. The increasing prosperity of the population along the broad coastal belt has also led to higher demands for vision-correction options,

CONTACT

including contact lenses. Therefore, the first labs for individually

Beijing FOCUS Optical Culture Communication LTD.

produced lenses are currently being set up.

c/o Mrs. Jian Wang

The trend is similar to that of spectacle lenses. First the demand

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GlobalCONTACT 2-15

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jenny 916085356

33

23.06.15 15:49

FITTING BACKGROUND Position Paper

On a higher level A position paper on terminology regarding anterior ocular surface topography Although corneal topography has been around for a number of years, it remains a mystery in many ways to many eye care practitioners and even to educators and researchers in the field – including ourselves.

By Eef van der Worp, Lee Hall, Patrick Caroline

In contact lens practice, we are primarily interested in the shape

to ‘sagittal height’ if that is used, rather than ‘sagittal depth.’

of the anterior ocular surface. To achieve an understanding of

Some prefer ‘sagittal height’ to describe ocular surface shape

that shape, based on colored maps that represent curvature, is

and ‘sagittal depth’ to describe the sagitta of a contact lens. This

not an easy task. Consider the analogy of using a hiking map

consensus paper suggests to use the term ‘sagittal height’ for

while following tracks in the mountains – let’s say mount Hood

both the ocular surface and a contact lens.

in Oregon (USA); with a height map, all we know is that when

For the ocular surface, it’s the height from the base chord over

we see ‘red,’ the area ahead of us is going to be steep, and we’ll

a given diameter (the length of the chord) to the top of the curve

most likely get tired. But we have no clue as to whether 1) we

(the cornea in ocular surface shape). For contact lens sagittal

are at sea level at the point where we start our ascent, or at 1,000

height, it describes the height from a base curve (the diameter

meters or the equivalent height in feet; and 2) how much elevation

of the lens typically) to the inside of the lens (the back surface),

difference we have to deal with before we get to the top.

ideally in microns (and not in millimeters, as is sometimes used). Anterior lens optics may differ based on lens design (e.g.,

MICRONS OF HEIGHT IS THE NEW MILLIMETERS OF RADIUS ‘To achieve an understanding of ocular surface shape, height

toric, multifocal, power, etc.), which influences the sagittal height and is not directly relevant for aligning the ocular surface shape with the contact lens shape.

is most probably the best metric’. A height map solves some of these problems. It tells us exactly at what level we start, and

LOOKING AT SPECIFIC AREAS OF ELEVATION

how much elevation difference there is to get to the top. The

This seems pretty straightforward, and it is in most respects. It

standard metric used internationally on hiking maps is meters.

becomes a tad more complicated when looking at specific areas

The eye topography equivalent is millimeters, but to address

of elevation on the ocular surface. From studies at Pacific University,

subtle differences, it’s probably better to use microns. This

it has become clear, for example, that the nasal portion of the

would also distinguish ‘millimeters of radius’ directly from

anterior sclera just beyond the corneal borders is more elevated

‘microns of height’ (rather than millimeters of height). Hence,

than the temporal side (and other quadrants as well, for that matter)

our proposal is to use microns to describe ocular surface shape

– seen from a baseline chord. In contact lens terms, it is often said

and ocular surface differences.

that ‘the nasal scleral portion is flatter’ than the rest. But to remain consistent with the elevation terminology used and proposed here,

HOW TO USE THE TERM SAGITTAL HEIGHT

34

34_EefColumn.indd 34

it may be best to refrain from using ‘flat’ or ‘steep’ terminology

The next question is, when talking about ocular surface differences

altogether – and to relate to ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ areas instead.

in elevation, should this be approached from a baseline chord to

In our terminology, the nasal side of the anterior sclera is therefore

the top of the curvature (i.e., height), or the opposite (from the

‘more elevated’ – again, if seen from a reference base chord. So

top of the curve to a baseline chord). We propose the first to be

far so good: but the confusing part to some extent may be that

consistent: to use height as the dominant terminology to describe

the sagittal height on the nasal side is actually lower than the

the elevation of a given curve. This also applies in our opinion

sagittal height on the temporal side, to use that example again.

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 15:51

Position Paper FITTING BACKGROUND

Generally, in terms of elevation maps, the differences in height

The beauty of it all is that we have instruments available today

can be best displayed as absolute height differences (e.g., the

to measure corneal elevation (most Placido disc systems should

nasal side is 100 microns higher than the temporal side), from a

have the option to generate ‘elevation maps’), and increasingly

horizontal base plane. Even small differences in height (between

newer instruments can measure overall height data on the ocular

two opposite meridians, as in corneal astigmatism, for instance)

surface over a chord of 15mm (or larger, for scleral lens use).

can be thus displayed. Differences in height on the ocular surface

Optical coherence tomography and different profilometry

can also serve as identifiers to determine whether to fit a spherical

instruments that were recently introduced can do so, as well

RGP lens versus a back-toric RGP lens, or a scleral lens instead

as an upgraded Scheimpflug system can now image scleral

of a RGP option – and then whether to fit a toric scleral lens

shape beyond the corneal borders.

versus a spherical scleral lens.

The future for (specialty) lens fitting may be on an entirely different level. A higher level, potentially. n

RELATIVE DIFFERENCES IN HEIGHT REPRESENT WHAT AN EYE CARE PRACTITIONER SEES However, to illustrate differences in the ocular surface, an absolute map doesn’t give enough details. An absolute height map simply shows that the central portion (the top of the cornea) is higher than the periphery - something that is quite obvious from

Eef van der Worp, BOptom, PhD, FAAO, FIACLE,

observations with the naked eye or slit lamp. Therefore, a best-

FBCLA, FSLS is an educator and researcher. He

fit-sphere or best-fit-ellipse (or best-fit-sagitta) can be applied to

received his optometry degree from the Hogeschool van Utrecht in the Netherlands (NL) and has served

the ocular surface. Relative differences in height can be presented

as a head of the contact lens department at the

as positive (higher than the reference shape, typically represented

school for over eight years. He received his PhD

by brighter, warmer colors) or negative (typically represented by

from the University of Maastricht (NL) in 2008.

He is a fellow of the AAO, IACLE, BCLA and the

darker, cooler colors). This way, elevations and depressions are

SLS. He is currently affiliated with the University

obvious immediately for the observer. These relative differences

of Maastricht as an associate researcher, a visiting

in height represent very well what we see as eye care practitioners

scientist at Manchester University (Manchester UK) and adjunct Professor at the University of Montreal University College of

when viewing, for instance, the fluorescein pattern behind a rigid

Optometry (CA) and adjunct assistant Professor at Pacific University College of

gas permeable lens.

Optometry (Oregon, USA). He is lecturing extensively worldwide and is a guest

SCLERAL LENS FITTING HAS TAUGHT US TO THINK IN HEIGHT

lecturer at a number of Universities in the US and Europe.

Prof. Patrick J. Caroline, Clinical Consultant in

From respecting the ocular surface shape to the best of our

the areas of Contact Lens Research and New

ability to assessment and modification of the clearance of vault

Product Development for Contamac.

behind the lens, almost everything about scleral lenses is in

He serves as an Associate Professor at Pacific University College of Optometry and Assistant

height, usually measured in microns. But also, orthokeratology

Professor of Ophthalmology at the Oregon

in many ways is ‘fitting height.’ After aligning the peripheral

Health & Sciences University in Portland, Oregon.

curves of the lens with the peripheral cornea, it is the intermediate

He team teaches the contact lens curriculum.

He is a Fellow member and Diplomat of the

zone that dictates the clearance and/or pressure on the corneal

Cornea and Contac t Lens Sec tion of the

epithelium – in microns. In fact, the orthokeratology effect

American Academy of Optometry. He is a Council member of the International

itself on the corneal epithelium is an exact change in microns

Society for Contact Lens Research as well as a member of the International Association of Contact Lens Educators and the American Association of

on the surface. As said, fluorescein assessment in rigid gas

Optometric Educators. For the past fifteen years Prof. Caroline has served

permeable lens fitting is almost literally thinking in height:

as a contributing editor for the Contact Lens Spectrum and is on the editorial

roughly 20 microns of clearance can be seen behind the lens

board for Contact Lens and Anterior Eye Journal. He is an internationally recognized lecturer and researcher on contact lenses.

in terms of fluorescein (if there is no fluorescein visible, it should be less than that). And more recently, we’ve even begun to explore ways of using height in soft lens fitting. Absolute sagittal height values of a variety of silicone hydrogel frequent

Dr. Lee Hall works for an independent research organization to the eyecare industries. He is also a Visiting Research Fellow at Aston University,

replacement soft lenses have been evaluated recently (Van der

Birmingham, in the United Kingdom. He has received

Worp & Mertz). Marked differences among lenses were found,

research funding from Johnson & Johnson, Alcon,

even when the labeled base curves on the lenses were the same.

and Cooper Vision.

This, in conjunction with the known ocular sagittal height, could be a useful method to explore to redefine the way we are fitting soft lenses today.

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

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REPORT CSI

Contact lenses in forensics Forensic clues as part of an autopsy The question whether contact lenses could provide relevant evidence about an unexplained fatality remained unanswered for quite some time. However, it has now become an important issue in forensic science. In the meantime, investigating authorities, too, have come to realize that the examination of a contact lens may help to answer forensic questions – with an experienced contact lens specialist assessing stained or damaged lenses, particularly after a crime or unexplained fatality.

Dr. Hans-Walter Roth (Ulm) discusses some key cases from the wealth of forensic experience of the Institute for Scientific Contact Optics in Ulm.

By Dr. Hans-Walter Roth

36

36_CLforensics.indd 36

Few other medical aids are so closely linked to the life and

will enable a DNA analysis. For this reason contact lenses now

destiny of a human being as their contact lenses. An ametrope

have a special place in forensics. In the meantime, investigating

wears them almost all the time. In case of an accident, assault

authorities, too, have come to realize how valuable the

or other offenses, the lenses are literally on site. The plastic

examination of a contact lens can be in helping to answer

lens material retains environmental factors to which the

forensic questions.

individual was exposed at the time of death. After eyelid

Increasingly, investigating authorities are approaching contact

movement and lachrymation have stopped, dust, pollen and

lens institutes while gathering evidence, in order to gain

other particles from the victim's surroundings remain fixed to

additional information about the victim where he or she was

the surface of the lens. Under favorable conditions cell detritus

wearing contact lenses. Particularly after crimes or unexplained GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 15:52

CSI REPORT

fatalities, experienced contact lens specialists are being asked

IDENTITY OF THE VICTIM

to make an assessment of stained or damaged lenses. In case

Some contact lenses are marked at the sides by the manufacturer.

of accidents or crimes, especially those with a fatal outcome,

For example, every lens of the IMKU series is marked with an

the forensic contact lens specialist is primarily concerned

individual and production number that can immediately identify

with the question whether the contact lenses of the victim can

the manufacturer, fitter as well as the patient. Assuming that

reveal anything about the cause, time, place and process of

the engraving is a unique manufacturer’s number, especially

death. Cases from the wealth of forensic experience of the

with customized lenses, this sequence of digits - as in dentistry

Institute for Scientific Contact Optics in Ulm prove that this

over the tooth status – can be used to identify a lens wearer.

is indeed possible.

Even where the tissue is badly damaged, e.g. after a fire, explosion or plane crash, the number can still be used because contact

FORENSIC QUESTIONS

lenses are little affected by fire, provided the victim’s eyes were

The questions posed by the coroner's office or investigating

closed. By contrast, with disposable lenses, the manufacturers’

authority are usually aimed in one direction. Table 1 shows the

codes are of little use for identification purposes because only

most commonly asked questions. First of all, it is most important

the lens type and manufacturer can be determined in the

to establish whether the eyes of the victim were open or closed.

laboratory, which is of little use for identification. Here, at best,

If the eyes were closed, environmental particles from the time

the lens can serve as an exclusion criterion: An important

of death remain fixed to the surface of the lens and are preserved

finding is that only people with poor eyesight wear corrective

for a long time after death. If the eyes were open, postmortem

lenses, normal sighted people do not. Determining the refraction

evidence may be superimposed on premortal evidence and lead

of the lens can indicate the amount of ametropia which in turn

to false conclusions.

may help with the identification.

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

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REPORT CSI

CASE 1: PLANE CRASH More than 280 people were killed in a plane crash in Malaysia. The identification of the corpses proved difficult, but one victim wore soft contact lenses with -9.50 D and could thus be identified. Relatives had informed the authorities about this particularity.

CASE 2: UNIDENTIFIED HANG GLIDER A 21-year-old man crashed while hang-gliding in Tyrol.

He died on his way to hospital and had no ID-card with him. The accompanying emergency doctor noticed that he was wearing RGPs. After the lenses had been removed, the engraved number was passed on to the local optician, Fig. 1: Soft contact lenses of a corpse found in water.The growth of algae helped to

and who within a matter of minutes was able to establish

narrow down the time of the offense more precisely. The species of algae helped

the manufacturer of the lens who in turn was able to

pinpoint the area where the crime had happened.

supply the name of the casualty. This was later matched to the ID-card found at the place where the hang glider had taken off.

CASE 3: SEARCHING FOR OFFENDERS A girl is badly hurt in a fight between adolescents. The aggressors were able to run off before the police arrived.

However one of them had lost his contact lens during the fight, which was discovered by forensics during the search of the crime scene. The local ophthalmologist was able to identify the owner of the lens because it was a customized lens for a keratoconus.

Fig. 2: Candida species growing on a soft hydrophilic lens. The corpse was found in

VISUAL ACUITY AT THE TIME OF AN ACCIDENT, FITNESS TO DRIVE

the forest. Simulated growth in the laboratory showed a growing time of about 15

After an accident, the question often arises whether the

days for this kind of growth.

person wearing contact lenses could see adequately at the time of the accident. Thus it is important to check at the autopsy whether the lenses are still in place, have fallen out because of the accident or were not worn in the first place. This can be relevant for insurance purposes, especially after an accident involving severe injuries or fatalities. If someone who is supposed to drive with a vison correction aid is not wearing it, the person is considered unfit to drive and he is not covered by his insurance. The fitness to drive can also be impaired if the lenses have been worn for too long a time. This results in a cornea edema and reduced sensitivity to contrast and glare, which are common causes of accidents at night-time. After a fatality, however, no relevant statement can be made since especially post-mortem increased pachymetric values do not indicate how long the lenses were worn.

Fig. 3: White cotton remnants on the front surface of a contact lens originating from the T-shirt of the offender.

38

36_CLforensics.indd 38

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23.06.15 15:53

!AZ.ind

CSI REPORT

CASE 4: UNSUITABLE CONTACT LENSES After a night time car crash following a visit to a disco, an ophthalmologist was consulted to see if he could throw light on how the accident happened. The emergency doctor noticed that the driver's iris had an unusual structure. The reason soon became apparent: at the time of the accident the dead driver had been wearing crazy lenses. Examination in the contact lens in the laboratory revealed that the tinted lenses had no refractive power. However, according to his ophthalmologist, the driver had an ametropia of -1.50 D and was certainly not fit to drive without his vison correction aid. The determined blood alcohol level of 3.1 thus became Fig. 4: Massive amount of dust on a soft contact lens following a gas explosion

only of peripheral importance.

in a closed building. The eyes were open during the explosion. Consequently, the victim must have already been unconscious before the explosion occurred.

TIME OF DEATH It is often difficult for investigators to determine the exact time

are fixed on the lens surface just like a picture. Certain pollen

of death. While general signs of decay may be of help here,

on the lens surface, for example, can narrow down the time of

sometimes investigation of the surface of the contact lens may

death by establishing the blooming period of the plants nearby.

also provide additional information. If the dead person’s eyes

If the pollen detected is not from the immediate surroundings

are open, fungi or algae may have developed on the contact

where the body was found but from somewhere further away,

lenses, allowing an estimation of the possible time of death. If

then this will support the evidence that the place of discovery

the eyes are closed, the last premortal environmental conditions

and the scene of the crime are not the same location.

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REPORT CSI

CASE 5: BULLET WOUND A dead man was found lying on a carpet with a bullet wound to his temple. Both eyes were wide open. The examination of the residual gunpowder revealed that the gun must have been directly touching the man’s temple when the fatal shot was fired. Traces of gunpowder were found on the half-closed eye lids, on the conjunctiva not covered by the lenses as well as on the front faces of the lenses. This substantiated the evidence that somebody else must have been involved because in case of suicide with a gun, the victim's eyes would have been closed.

CASE 6: TIME OF DEATH A 23-year-old woman who had been missing for some time was found dead in a forest in midsummer. The eyes of the Fig. 5: Gunpowder residue and soot particles on a hard contact lens from a

corpse were closed with the soft lenses still in the eye. On

handgun. The traces of gunpowder were only found around the palpebral fissure,

the surface of the lenses hazelnut pollen were found which

so the victim could not have had his eyes completely closed when the shot was

bloom in this area at the middle of March. The date of

fired, making suicide fairly unlikely.

death was thus deemed to have been around this time. The date of death can also be estimated if algae or fungi start growing on the outer side of lenses still in the eye.

Depending on the moisture and temperature of the surroundings, it takes about twelve days in summer for the lenses to be covered with a single-layer of algae. Fungi that grow on soft contact lenses after the movement of the eyelids has stopped can also indicate the time of death. In case of doubt their growth rate can be simulated in the laboratory using germs taken from the surface of the lens.

CASE 7: DETERMINING THE TIME OF THE OFFENSE In a remote forest area a female corpse was found. The person had been missing for several days. The police found a soft contact lens close to the body that might have fallen out of the left eye at the time of the crime. The right contact lens was still in place. Both lenses were covered with Fig. 6: Reddish sand and dust particles from a tennis court made it possible to

candida species. Laboratory tests showed that the fungi

identify the scene of the crime.

must have grown for ten days to spread to this size. As a result, the time of the offense could be specified more accurately. Hard contact lenses tend to get lost in water in Identity of the victim

most cases if the eyes are open. Hydrophilic lenses are

Visual acuity at the time of an accident, fitness to drive

due to osmotic effects, especially in salt water. If the eyes

Time of death

if the corpse floats in the water for weeks, soft lenses will

more likely to get stuck to the conjunctiva or the cornea are closed, it is almost impossible to lose the lenses. Even remain on the eye.

Scene of the crime, place of discovery Circumstances of a crime or accident

SCENE OF THE CRIME, PLACE OF DISCOVERY If the eyes are closed, it is possible to gain evidence about the

Table 1: Forensic questions if contact lenses are worn 40

36_CLforensics.indd 40

last whereabouts of a victim at the time of death by examining GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 15:53

!AZ.ind

CSI REPORT

the front surface of the contact lens. Pollen from plants or algae that do not grow where the body was discovered provide evidence about the last place where the person was alive. This

CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CRIME, CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE ACCIDENT, CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT

can even be the case where the eyes are open after death;

The question whether a contact lens can provide relevant

however the deposits have to be distinguished according to

evidence about an unexplained death remained unanswered for

their origin which is often difficult due to the amount of

quite some time. Nonetheless a careful search for clues on eyes

material.

and contact lenses during an autopsy can prove helpful when investigating a crime.

CASE 8: INVESTIGATING THE CRIME SCENE A corpse found in water still had soft hydrophilic lenses

CASE 10: QUESTIONABLE SUICIDE

in the eye. The contact lens specialist was asked to

The best-known case is probably that of a young woman

determine the time and place of the crime. A microscopic

who years ago was found dead at the foot of the cliff by

examination revealed algae on the lenses that had grown

the river Rhine. Due to a one-sided amblyopia she only

over and nearly covered the entire lens. It was possible

wore a soft contact lens in one eye with -10.5 D spherical.

to narrow down the origin of the algae to a small area in

Without vision correction she could scarcely count her

the upper reaches of the river and the laboratory calculated

fingers, with the contact lens she had a one-sided visual

that growth must have taken about 15 days. Based on

acuity of 0.8 (20/25). The contact lens enabled her to drive

these details about the time and the place of the crime,

a car and have a job. The cause of death initially seemed

the police were able to catch the person who had raped

clear: suicide by falling from a great height. A motive was

his victim at night after a fun fair, killed her and dumped

constructed quickly. The police did not have to look for a

her body in the river nearby.

suspect and the life insurance was not obliged to pay out, so the case seemed closed. But one question still remained unanswered: where was her contact lens? Her spectacles

CASE 9: FINGERPRINT

were found during a house search and the empty contact

An RGP contact lens was found on the left cheek of a dead

lens box too. Witnesses, who had last seen her with an

woman. It had probably fallen out of her eye while she was

unknown person, said that she wasn’t wearing spectacles.

struggling for her life. Forensic examination showed part

The second autopsy, this time in the presence of an

of a fingerprint on the surface of the lens. However, the

ophthalmologist experienced in contact lenses, failed to

investigations showed that the fingerprint came from the

find the contact lens despite ectropionizing twice and

victim herself, so it seemed as if she wanted to put the lens

rinsing the conjunctival sac. So it must have been lost

back in herself. Nothing was revealed about the identity

earlier. The pictures from the crime scene showed that the

of the perpetrator of the crime.

dead woman’s eyes were closed when she was found. Thus,

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09.06.15 15:53 12:22 23.06.15

REPORT CSI

the lenses must have been lost before she fell. Computer

Not only the evidence obtained from the lens is significant for

simulations about the loss of contact lenses showed that a

a forensic investigation but also the evidence obtained from

soft lens can only be thrust out of the eye if the eyes are

the eye itself. Bleeding in the periorbital area, cuts or lacerations

open. The blow must have been aimed at an angle of 0 to

to the eyelids and hematoma need to be photographed.

25 degrees to the temple. Later, an X-ray confirmed a bone

Accompanying symptoms such as lesions to the soft or bony

fissure at that very spot.

parts of the eye can indicate how the lens got lost. After a

The evidence was clear: the scene of crime and the place

diagonal blow to the temple, even large soft lenses may fall out

where the body was discovered could not have been the

if the eye is open.

same. Consequently, it could not have been suicide. The

In the laboratory, the lens needs to be examined under the

person who had been seen with her was found thanks to

slit lamp with a deflecting prism or upright in a cuvette.

the description of the witnesses. After being confronted

Under a reflecting microscope it is appropriate to use a

with the forensic evidence, the person confessed to throwing

petri dish. A low level of magnification is sufficient. If the

the woman off the cliff after having beaten her to death.

evidence is unclear, fluorescence may be used to heighten the contrast. Under favorable conditions this technique may even make fingerprints visible which originate from putting

Algae, plant growth (Fig. 1)

House dust (Fig. 4)

Bacteria, fungi (Fig. 2)

Eggs from insects

Remnants of blood and tissue

Pollen

Damage, stains (Fig. 3)

Gunpowder residue (Fig. 5)

Epithelia

Soot

Fingerprint

Sand, foreign matter (Fig. 6)

in the lens. A digital camera is essential for documenting the evidence.

Table 2 gives an overview of the most important findings such as material damage after the assault, residues on the lens surface, algae and fungi. Thorough photo documentation of the evidence with a digital camera is the minimum requirement for the assessment of a contact lens from a forensic point of view. If algae or fungi are found, their growth rate can be determined in an incubator at ambient temperature from which a time frame for the time of death can be calculated.

Table 2: Evidence relevant for forensics: Changes on the lens surface.

CONCLUSION REMOVING THE LENS, INVESTIGATION

The examination of contact lenses by a forensic contact lens

The procedure for removing the lens from the eye for the

specialist can provide helpful information after accidents or

purpose of forensic examination should be as sterile as

homicides. An assessment of the lens surface complements

possible. An empty lens box or one of the small glass

further forensic examinations and can contribute useful

containers in which lenses are delivered by the manufacturer

information about the identity of the victim, the circumstances

are most suitable for transporting the lenses. Where possible,

and time of the offense and the crime scene. It is therefore

samples from the surroundings such as earth, sand, dust or

necessary to check at the crime scene whether the victim wore

plant material should also be secured. If they do not match

contact lenses. If so, they have to be carefully removed from

the residue on the lens surface, the place of discovery and

the eye for an examination in a laboratory that is experienced

the actual crime scene are probably not the same. It is

with forensics and contact lenses. n

important to remove the contact lenses from a corpse very carefully to prevent any damage to the material. Such damage may otherwise be misinterpreted as possibly being associated with the crime. All contact lenses that have been removed from the eye during the securing of evidence or an autopsy

Dr. Hans-Walter Roth

should be stored and transported in a dry condition.

The ophthalmologist Dr. Hans-Walter Roth from

Otherwise, residues could be washed away from the surface and get lost before the diagnostic investigation. Lenses should only be moistened with physiologic saline solution in the laboratory after prior documentation of the lens in a dry state. This is preferably done in a special lens cuvette.

Cleaning using ultrasound is only appropriate where gases or fluids need to be identified which may be trapped in the lens material.

42

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Ulm is the long-time Chairman of the Editorial Advisory Board of DER AUGENSPIEGEL and author of numerous articles on ophthalmology and contact lenses. He is planning to set up a technical museum, among other things to display his own extensive collection on the “history of the eye and seeing”. Already in the past, exhibits have been shown from time to time at exhibitions, such as on the occasion of the jubilee celebrations of the Ulm University and at the ECLSO Congress in Ulm. He is Director of the Institut für wissenschaftliche Kontaktoptik in Ulm, Germany.

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 15:53

BCLA INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Global contact lens community 'Comes Together' 39th BCLA Clinical Conference and Exhibition "An exceptional conference" with a "fantastic buzz" are just some of the words being used to describe the 39th BCLA Clinical Conference and Exhibition, which saw the global contact lens community ‘Come Together’ in Liverpool for three days of clinical and scientific education, networking and business brainstorming.

Held at the ACC Liverpool from Friday 29 to Sunday 31 May,

within the global contact lens community. Professor Fiona

the Conference delivered a record 69 CET points, plus seven

Stapleton was presented with the 2015 BCLA Medal, Benjamin

COPE-accredited sessions for North American delegates.

Coldrick with the 2015 Da Vinci Award winner, and Dr. Nicole

Attendance figures exceeded all expectations with a record

Carnt and Dr. Simon Kilvington with the 2015 Dallos Award.

number of delegates arriving on the Friday to register onsite

Wolfgang Sickenberger of Ernst Abbe University, Germany,

for the full conference.

was the winner of the 2015 Photographic Competition, for

The conference saw optometrist Brian Tompkins installed as

his image of “Piggyback lens with air bubbles and mucus

BCLA President and contact lens optician Keith Tempany as

between soft and rigid contact lens in high magnification.

President Elect. Speaking after the conference, Brian said:

Slit lamp technique – retro illumination with offset beam’.

"BCLA 2015 really #CameTogether with knowledge sharing,

The winner of the Poster Competition was Dorota H.

interaction and fun. My job is to make sure that during the

Szczesna-Iskander with ‘Dry contact lens, poor wettability

two-year gap between clinical conferences we #StayTogether.

and visual performance’.

Having the chance to lead the best contact lens organization in

This year’s Awards Dinner had a Swinging 60s Beatles theme and

the world is something I cannot wait to begin as BCLA President.

was held at the stunning Liverpool Anglican Cathedral with music

I hope to bring enthusiasm, passion and fun into every aspect

provided by the Mersey Beatles. Many of the 21 new BCLA

of the contact lens world."

Fellows, who had taken and passed their viva voce examination on the Friday of the conference, were present to collect their

PRIZES AND AWARDS

certificates from the outgoing and incoming presidents.

As always, the BCLA took great pride in recognizing and honoring

The 40th BCLA Clinical Conference and Exhibition will take

the achievements of those practicing, researching and working

place in 2017. Read more in GlobalCONTACT 3-2015 n

Anzeige

43_BCLA.indd 43 !AZ.indd 1

23.06.15 22.01.15 17:32 17:14

COLUMN Intitiative

Nepal Nepal suffered the worst earthquakes in the history: first on 25 April and only a few weeks later, again on 12 May. Thousands of people are killed and many more thousands are injured and lost their homes. A few years ago we reported on an initiative of a Dutch architect in this magazine (GlobalCONTACT Issue 49 and 50, 2008).

By Wim Aalbers

Just to bring it back to your memory I will explain in a few

In 2008 GlobalCONTACT asked its readers for help and many

words what happened then: A young Dutch architect took the

donated to this hostel. I had the privilege to visit the hostel in

initiative to train people in building houses and schools in such

2011, just before the grand opening. As gratitude the school

a way that they could withstand earthquakes. Especially in

had placed a plaque in which they thank the readers of

countries such as Nepal these techniques were not common

GlobalCONTACT.

and not immediately embraced by the local people.

The initiative of the architect is called Smart Shelter

Yet our architect, Martijn Schildkamp, managed to get

Foundation. The buildings they designed were all built by

local people building several schools and a hostel for blind

local people and with materials available in the area and for

children near a school. He taught people how to build and

just fraction higher costs than the traditional and dangerous

what extras were needed to make the building earthquake

buildings. Dangerous? The local people did not recognize

resistant.

that and the initiative slowly faded away because of the indifferent attitude of the people. That was not only the case in Nepal, but also in other earthquake sensitive areas. Our young architect lectured all over the world about his building methods and many people were interested, but those people who had to decide about new buildings in Nepal were not interested enough.

Until recently!

All schools and the big hostel for blind children were not damaged by the last earthquake and are still in use. At this moment as shelter for victims who lost their houses. The constructions proved what the architect predicted.

Of course it is sad that an awful disaster that happened on 25 April had to prove what Martijn Schildkamp tried to explain for several years.

The hostel for visually impaired, just before the opening in 2011 44

44_WimColumn.indd 44

Sad, but understandable.

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 18:00

!AZ.ind

Intitiative  COLUMN

Istanbul, Tokyo, Los Angeles and many more cities are built

We have been there and we have seen what was built and, to be

on earthquake sensitive locations. Do the local worry?

honest, we did not pay too much attention to the fact that the

When you arrive at the national airport in the Netherlands, you

construction was earthquake resistant. Just like the locals did.

are a few meters below sea level, just like about 50% of our

But now it is obvious how important the constructions of Martijn

country. Does anyone get worried?

Schildkamp are.

There are many houses in the forests in Australia and California.

In the areas that suffered most, many schools built by the traditional

Forests where we see huge fires every year. Does anyone decide

methods do not exist anymore. New schools have to be build. Smart

not to build a home in such an area?

Shelter Foundation is working very hard to assist local people to

So living in an area of which one knows that maybe tomorrow

start re-building, but earthquake resistant this time. Education is

or maybe in 100 years from today, nature will show its power,

their first aim. Education that should result in using safe building

is obviously not a reason to get worried.

methods by all local people, without the help of the Foundation.

But when the disaster really happens, like in Nepal in April this

Information about the Foundation can be found on:

year, the issue gets the attention of all people involved. Martijn

www.smartshelterfoundation.org

Schildkamp is overwhelmed with requests for advice the last

In case you want to support the Foundation, all information is

few months. So the original initiative, that seemed to got stuck

on this website. n

by the indifferent attitude, suddenly is fully alive again.

It is not a common procedure to ask for financial help in this magazine for any organization. In 2008 we made an exception and that resulted in essential help to enable the building of that

Wim Aalbers was Executive Director of EFCLIN until 2011.

He wrote the columns "Something Else" since 1992. Active in the industry since 1972. He writes for GlobalCONTACT since it was founded in 1992.

hostel near Katmandu in Nepal. And now we dare to ask for your help again.

Advertisement

44_WimColumn.indd 45 !AZ.indd 2

23.06.15 23.01.15 18:00 15:30

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Education

IACLE First presentation of Lifetime Achievement Award in Contact Lens Education The International Association of Contact Lens Educators has presented the first-ever IACLE Award for Lifetime Achievement in Contact Lens Education.

By Alison Ewbank

Professor Desmond Fonn received the award at a dinner at

in the contact lens world’. ‘We owe Des phenomenal thanks

Manchester Museum on Wednesday 27th May to mark the

because without him we wouldn’t be here,’ he said.

Third IACLE World Congress which was held 24th to 28th

‘IACLE has been very dear to me,’ said Professor Fonn,

May 2015.

acknowledging the contribution of the association’s co-

His contribution to global contact lens education includes being

founders and the support of industry since its inception. ‘I’ve

a founding member of IACLE and its vice president for 15

made incredible friends around the world who have spent

years. He also served as Editor in Chief of the first edition of

thousands of hours working for IACLE. The result is that

the IACLE Contact Lens Course (ICLC), used by educators

IACLE has been so instrumental in driving contact lens

around the world. And in 1994 and 2002, he organized the

education.’

previous two IACLE World Congresses.

The Congress saw more than 100 contact lens educators and

A Distinguished Emeritus Professor at the University of

industry representatives gather in the UK for the four-day event,

Waterloo, Canada, Professor Fonn joined the university in 1986

hosted by The University of Manchester. Delegates gained

and was founding Director of its Centre for Contact Lens

hands-on experience of innovations in teaching, such as learning

Research (CCLR). He retired from the university’s School of

delivery systems, the use of iPads in the classroom and for

Optometry in 2010.

creating ePub content, and augmented and virtual reality

At the award presentation, Professor Fonn’s successor at

technologies. IACLE members around the world also took part

Waterloo, Professor Lyndon Jones, described him as a ‘giant

via a live online broadcast.

The Third IACLE World Congress was made possible by the generous support of sponsors Alcon, CooperVision and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care.

Many delegates travelled on from Manchester to Liverpool for the British Contact Lens Association’s Clinical Conference & Exhibition (29th to 31st May). At a special IACLE session at the conference, President Dr. Shehzad Naroo announced that a new edition of the ICLC was in preparation by leading educators and researchers worldwide.

Fu Pl

IACLE CONTACT LENS EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS The 2015 IACLE Contact Lens Educator of the Year Awards to recognize and reward achievement in contact lens education worldwide, supported by the BCLA and sponsored by Cooper

Ne

Vision, were presented, one for each of IACLE’s three global regions. The 2015 IACLE Travel Award, a travel bursary for an IACLE Educator Member who would not otherwise be Professor Desmond Fonn receives the first IACLE Award for Lifetime Achievement in Contact Lens Education.

46

46_IACLE.indd 46

able to attend the BCLA conference, was also presented.

GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 15:56

WW STE +1 7

Sterling !AZ.ind

Education INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Dutch educator Dr. Eef van der Worp takes part in the Third IACLE World Congress at his home in Amsterdam, The Netherlands via a live online broadcast from Manchester, UK.

Pictured (l-r) at the IACLE session held at the British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference are 2015 IACLE Travel Award recipient Dumpati Srikanth from India, IACLE Americas Contact Lens Educator of the Year Martín Giraldo, IACLE Asia Pacific Contact Lens Educator of the Year Professor Monica Chaudhry, Vice President Global Professional & Clinical Affairs at CooperVision Dr. Gary Orsborn, IACLE Europe / Africa - Middle East Contact Lens Educator of the Year Helmer Schweizer, and IACLE President Dr. Shehzad Naroo.

IACLE Asia Pacific Contact Lens Educator of the Year

IACLE Europe / Africa – Middle East Contact Lens Educator

Professor Monica Chaudhry has almost 25 years of academic

of the Year

and clinical experience. Prior to joining the Amity University

Helmer Schweizer is a trained optometrist (Germany)

Gurgaon, India, where she is Head of Optometry and Vision

specializing in contact lenses and has held positions in industry

Science, she served at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences,

including professional affairs and R&D roles. He is president

New Delhi. Monica has won several prestigious awards and is

of the industry body Euromcontact and chairman of the European

currently the Chairman of the Optometry Council of India.

Contact Lens Forum. Helmer also teaches at the schools of

IACLE Americas Contact Lens Educator of the Year

optometry in Novi Sad (Serbia) and Velika Gorica (Croatia).

Martín Giraldo qualified as an optometrist at La Salle

The IACLE Travel Award, offered for the first time in 2013,

University, Colombia, where he holds the post of Candidate

is a travel bursary for an IACLE Educator Member who would

Magister in Vision Science. He is currently Coordinator of

not otherwise be able to attend the BCLA conference. This

the Specialization in Anterior Segment and Contact Lens at

year’s recipient is Dumpati Srikanth from India, who completed

Santo Tomás University, Colombia. Martin also teaches at

his training at Bharatiya Vidhyapeeth University, Pune in 2006.

courses and congresses in Colombia, Perú, Ecuador, Argentina

He is presently working as Faculty in the Bausch + Lomb School

and Venezuela.

of Optometry, Hyderabad, India. n Advertisement

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6/3/15 11:19 AM 23.06.15 09.06.15 15:56 12:19

INDUSTRY NEWS

ENHANCE YOUR CAPITAL EQUIPMENT INVESTMENT! DAC SHOWS THE WAY AT THE 42ND EFCLIN CONGRESS Once again, DAC International’s booth was overwhelmed with visitors, existing and new. The latest ALM OTT Lathe was showcased featuring DAC’s most recent developments in calibration systems for diamond tool set-up and sphericity control. This valuable upgrade to the ALM product line improves accuracy and reliability of tool changeover. Visitors were also given a glimpse of what may be possible in the use of 3D graphics to aid in visualisation of Do you have the edge on 'visualising' your lens design?

lens designs prior to manufacture. With tools like this, the easier it will become to implement increasingly complex lens designs. Finally, what better

way to take advantage of the abilities of your ALM than to add an accurate and consistent Blocker. The DAC Precision Blocking System ensures the best possible chance of realising your new lens design or edge detail and attracted the attention of both CL and IOL producers alike. www.dac-intl.com

YELLOW PAGES

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Benz Research & Development 6447 Parkland Dr Sarasota, FL 34243 USA

BostonMaterials Materials Group Group Boston Bausch++Lomb Lomb Bausch Wintergasse 32 69469 Weinheim Wintergasse 32 Germany

Phone: +1 941 758 8256 Fax: +1 941 758 1191

69469 Weinheim Germany Phone: +49 6201 17869

lpomroy@benzrd.com www.benzrd.com

T +49 6201 17869 tanja.malkus@bausch.com F +49 6201 62184

Contact Lens Material

Fax: +49 6201 62184 www.fit-boston.com

tanja.malkus@bausch.com Contact Lens Material www.fit-boston.com

Europe: Phone: +44 7769 646135 kpayne@dac-intl.com www.dac-intl.com

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Contamac LTD Bearwalden Business Park Saffron Walden Essex CB11 4JX United Kingdom Phone: +44 1799 542000 Fax: +44 1799 543000 sales@contamac.co.uk www.contamac.com

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Contact Lens Material GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 00:48

YELLOW PAGES

K & Y Diamond Ltd. 2645 Diab Street Ville St. Laurent Quebec, H4S 1E7 Canada Phone: +1 514 3335 606 Fax: +1 514 3395 493

LAMBDA-X S.A. Avenue Robert Schuman 102 B-1400 Nivelles Belgium

Larsen Equipment Design 1117 N.W. 52nd Street Seattle, WA 98107 USA

Phone: +32 67 79 40 80 Fax: +32 67 55 27 91

Phone: +1 206 789 5121 Fax: +1 206 789 7756

info@lambda-x.com www.lambda-x.com

erik@larsenequipment.com www.larsenequipment.com

kydiamond@kydiamond.ca www.kydiamond.ca

Instruments

Diamond Tools

Machinery and Tools

35

YEARS

OPTOCRAFT GmbH Am Weichselgarten 7 D-91058 Erlangen Germany

Optimec Limited Unit B3 The Haysfield Spring Lane North Malvern WR14 1GF United Kingdom

Rotlex (1994) Ltd. Unit 2D P.O. Box 3039 Omer Industrial Park Omer 84965 Israel

Phone: +49 9131 691500 Fax: +49 9131 691511

Phone: +44 1684 892859 Fax: +44 1684 893037

Phone: +972 8 690 1144 Fax: +972 8 690 1155

sales@optocraft.de www.optocraft.de

www.optimec.com enquiries@optimec.com

Instruments

www.rotlex.com info@rotlex.com

Instruments

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PUBLISHING GROUP RATINGEN MediaWelt Services Verlag f端r Optometrie Ophthalmo Verlag China FOCUS Publishers Beijing - Hong Kong - Xi'An

KernVerlag

Publishing Group Ratingen Papierm端hlenweg 74 D-40882 Ratingen

MediaWelt GmbH Papierm端hlenweg 74 D-40882 Ratingen

Phone: +49(0)2102-1678-0 Fax: +49(0)2102-1678-28

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www.mediawelt-services.de info@mediawelt-services.de

www.global-cl.com info@global-cl.com

Media Service GlobalCONTACT 2-15

48_YellowIndu.indd 49

Media Service 49

23.06.15 00:48

CLOSING WORDS

MASTHEAD

KEN PAYNE

Managing Director, Europe DAC International

GLOBAL CONTACT The Website and the Magazine: The complete communication system for the contact lens industry. The magazine, 2,500 copies, is distributed to contact lens laboratories, wholesalers and other organizations active in the contact lens and IOL industry.

The website, www.global-cl.com is free for all industry related professionals PUBLISHERS ADDRESS MediaWelt GmbH Papiermühlenweg 74, D-40882 Ratingen Tel.: +49-2102-1678-0 Fax: +49-2102-1678-28 Website: www.global-cl.com E-mail: info@global-cl.com

1. If I didn’t do this job, then… I would never have had the opportunity to get to know the friends and colleagues I enjoy working with now and for so long.

2. The best thing about this job is…the chance to make a difference… to people and their businesses.

3. In this job it is not difficult to… find enrichment through understanding cultural differences, appreciate the value others are willing to share with you and to be open to fresh thinking every day.

4. The last time I was disappointed with my job was… when I fell so ill that I couldn’t travel to see my clients/friends.

5. Using social media for the company means… employing an efficient and focused method for client communications! Public social networks are not the best place for client specific discussions. We want our customers to access technology based responses specific to their individual needs, so we utilize web-based tools and a specific 'dac support’ system to get direct responses and action that meet their specific requirements. Simply put, it’s an extension of the 'personal touch’ we like to give in all of our interaction with clients and suppliers alike 6. Professional/trade journals are… a wonderful source of finding my inner inspiration, helping me to focus my experiences and how to best share that with our industry and to learn from other’s what is to come!

7. I was surprised that… I would continue learning long after I finished school.

8. For me talking with customers is… probably one of the best ways to understand what I can do to make my job more effective.

9. When we introduce a new product… it’s so much fun to see the reaction of the clients. Being innovative is a great way to get the most out of your product or service and one of the most exhilarating to be a part of. We need to keep moving forwards if we want to keep ahead of the new challenges.

10. I can see why a product is going to be successful by… the passion and enthusiasm shared by everyone involved. That’s a sure-fire way to see that everyone’s confidence is well placed in the efforts leading up to that moment and goes a long way to ensure a products success.

11. When I think about those who work for me, I am happy that… I have them on my team! I value their experiences and the feedback they provide me. Without they’re efforts, I could not be as effective at my job as I am.

12. A day is perfect when… the client gives repeat orders.

13. The most insane thing about my job was… visiting 8 countries in 5 days!

14. I cannot live without… a Whiskey….What can I say, I’m Scottish, so it’s in my blood!

15. My greatest wish is… that there would be more peace in the world and that all eye corrections were made with great contact lenses and IOL’s!

PUBLISHING GROUP RATINGEN

CEO AND PUBLISHER Jörg Spangemacher (SPA) E-mail: j.spangemacher@mediawelt-services.de EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dipl.-Ing (FH) Silke Sage E-mail: s.sage@mediawelt-services.de

MediaWelt Services Verlag für Optometrie Ophthalmo Verlag China FOCUS Publishers Beijing - Hong Kong - Xi'An

KernVerlag

Members of

EDITOR Jörg Spangemacher E-mail: j.spangemacher@mediawelt-services.de Britta Laupichler E-mail: Britta@mediawelt-services.de USA CORRESPONDENT FOR CONTACT LENSES Dr. Thomas Baugh E-mail: tkbaugh@hotmail.com TRANSLATIONS John Saniter, Bopfingen, Germany EDITORIAL BOARD Wim Aalbers, Dr. Thomas Baugh, Dr. Patrick Benz, Erik Larsen, Eef van der Worp PRODUCTION & LAYOUT Efstathios Efthimiadis E-mail: litho@mediawelt-services.de Data Transfer: +49-2102-1678-240 DISTRIBUTION PressUp GmbH, Postbox 70 13 11, D-22013 Hamburg Tel.: +49-40-41448460, Fax: +49-40-41448499 MEDIA CONSULTANT Constanze Classen Tel.: +49-2102-1678-26 Fax: +49-2102-1678-28 E-mail: constanze.classen@mediawelt-services.de ADVERTISING AGENT GREAT CHINA Beijing FOCUS Optics Culture Commnication Co. Ltd. Room 319, Building 2, Nr. 1, Northbank 1292, Nr. 15 Jianguo Eastroad, Beijing 100024 (Chaoyang), P.R. China Mrs. Jian Wang Tel.: +86-10-8537-6529 Email: jennywang_focus@126.com Skype: jennywang611 ADVERTISEMENT RATES Price list No. 7, valid from January 01, 2015 Publication Schedule 3 issues 2015: March, July, October SUBSCRIPTION COSTS PER YEAR European Union 80,00 € (plus VAT for German companies), Overseas Seamail 90,00 €, Overseas Airmail 110,00 €, United States Seamail 95,00 €, United States Airmail 125,00 €, Single issue 20,00 € (plus mailing costs) The Publisher requires three months written notice on cancellation. Subscribers please note that proof of notice may be required.

BANK DETAILS Bank account: Commerzbank AG Bank No.: 300 800 00 Acc. No.: 0303 108 100 IBAN: DE 72 30080000 0303108100 SWIFT: DRES DE FF 300 PRODUCTION & PRINT PHOENIX PRINT GmbH The publisher takes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts. Please note also that photographs submitted for use in GlobalCONTACT cannot be returned. The publisher's written permission is required for any reproduction, translation or recording of material published in GlobalCONTACT, including extracts of such material. Permission will normally be given, subject to the usual acknowledgement. Copies made of published items must be limited in number and for personal use only.

PHOTO CREDITS P.12: Rawpixel, P.22: nito, P.26: ShadeON, P.28: Marcos Mesa Sam Wordley, P.36: LukaTDB /shutterstock.com

16. In my next life I'll… be a cat, they spend a lot of time eating, sleeping and being made a fuss of, but most of all, they have nine lives and goodness knows how close I’ve been to using just the one I’ve been blessed with!

50

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GlobalCONTACT 2-15

23.06.15 16:00

YOUR GATEWAY TO SUCCESS IN CHINA... ... use the contacts and the trade journal FOCUS China The trade journal for the Chinese ophthalmic optics industry and labs, optometrists and ophthalmologists, managed by Europeans Founded in 2010 in Beijing and Xi‘An Well established and recognized in Chinese ophthalmic industry, labs, trade and associations Editorial content brought from MAFO, GlobalCONTACT and the german FOCUS Translations are done by professional Chinese interpreters and trade experts from universities and ophthalmic industry More than 9,000 stable contacts to Chinese industry, ophthalmologists, optometrists in clinics and big chain shops Content: Lens Technology - 镜片知识 Labs & Industry - 加工和制造 Optometry - 视光学 Ophthalmic Training - 眼视光和眼科培训 Contact Lenses + IOL - 隐形眼镜和人工晶体 Frames & Fashion - 镜架和时尚

Contact: MediaWelt GmbH Jörg Spangemacher Fon: +49 2104 958883, Cell: +49 172 6685550 Skype: joergspa1, QQ: 1417012494 E-Mail: joergspa@mafo-optics.com

FOCUS-China.indd 1

Contact: Beijing FOCUS Optical Culture Communication LTD. Jian Wang Fon: +86 (29) 89380269, Cell: +86 (139) 10771318 Skype: jennywang611, QQ: jenny E-Mail: jennywang_focus@126.com

20.02.15 14:51

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