Archive for September, 2011

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Combining Volume and Elegant Use of Materials—The New Öga Copenh-AL

September 30th, 2011

Combining volume and elegant use of materials, the new Öga Copenh-AL adopts a creative approach to eyewear. Temperate lines and bold volumes create a frame full of character, offering exceptional comfort.

Available in rimmed or browbar versions, the aluminum front defines the eyes while the temple, also in aluminum, is imposingly simple and reveals a spring-hinge that is an integral part of the product’s beauty. A truly decorative element in its own right, the flex function is provided by a visible spring blade. A Morel patent has been filed for this new spring-hinge with cam return and anti-rocking effect.

The colors and aluminum are aesthetically pleasing with a brushed and anodized finish giving color stability and additional corrosion protection. Four models are available in 3 colors. Copenh-AL offers a wide range of sizes from 53 to 55, with 2 progressive-friendly lens depths.

morel-eyewearusa.com

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In Theaters Now: IZOD PERFORMX Featured in the Movie MONEYBALL

September 30th, 2011

Jonah Hill, who starred in Superbad and Get Him to the Greek as well as in movie hits like The 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, sports the IZOD PFX63 frame in the hit film– Moneyball.

Currently in theaters, this must-see sports drama written by Aaron Sorkin is the story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget. For his role, Hill wears the IZOD PerformX63 frame throughout the film.

The IZOD PFX 63 is a semi-rimless metal frame with a memory metal bridge and memory metal temples that provide durability, comfort and the perfect fit. With sport style elements and innovative performance features, the PFX 63 is available in Brown and Gunmetal and sold at fine optical retailers nationwide.

Izod PFX 63

Jonah Hill is the second celebrity in Moneyball wearing a ClearVision frame. Philip Seymour Hoffman wears the IZOD 729 sunglass in the entire movie. Moneyball, also starring Brad Pitt and Robin Wright, is in theaters now. Check your local listings.

www.cvoptical.com

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RockOptika Eyewear: Retro-Futurism

September 29th, 2011

Designed by Tom Herrington, these hand made pieces are a byword for the ultimate in classic sartorial elegance. The finish is impeccable as one would expect for a frame designed in England and produced in the Jura region, France by a genuine craftsman in the finest organic grade Italian acetate.

The debut collection features 10 superb designs; five for the girls and five for the chaps, each in four bespoke colours with luxurious 5 barrelled pin joints and fittings, expect punk-tortoiseshells and antique french lace alongside classic blacks and clarets. Inspired by the greatest frames of the last century and brought hurtling back to the present.

Model: San Remo

Model: Key Largo

Model: Gstaad

Model: Formentera

Model: Antibes

The strong styles have been ergonomically adjusted to suit todays vital statistics. Tom has a strong understanding of the personal requirements a spectacle/ sunglass wearer considers when he/she undertakes a purchase, having owned and run his own luxury eyewear boutique in Hastings’ Old Town for the past three years – The Optical Lounge.

Having worked with some of leading, more original designers in luxury eyewear [Jason Kirk – Kirk Originals, Shane Baum – Leisure Society/ Paul Frank], Tom Herrington has concentrated for two years on developing and bringing to the market a truly inspired and stylish collection.

Conscientiously balancing well proportioned models against bold lines and an indulgent splattering of Great British eccentricity.

From conception to their arrival, this concise collection of glasses has at its core value the simple ethics of classic styling and faultless quality. These frames are built to last, and looking this good you will want them to.

www.rockoptika.co.uk

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ClearVision Continues Its Charitable Commitment By Joining The World Sight Day Company Challenge

September 29th, 2011

ClearVision Optical, the optical leader renowned for its do-good efforts, teams up with the Optometry Giving Sight to take part in this year’s World Sight Day Company Challenge.

On Thursday, October 13th, in conjunction with World Site Day, ClearVision will participate in the World Site Day Company Challenge, an opportunity for the optical industry to help raise funds to provide quality vision care in countries with little or no access to it. This year’s plans include an employee sunglass and cookie sale at ClearVision’s Hauppauge, Long Island headquarters. An advocator of hundreds of charitable interests, ClearVision will match the total funds raised during this event, donating all proceeds to support World Sight Day on behalf of the company and its employees.

“As a member of the optical community, we feel compelled to help transform lives of others through the gift of vision,” says Jennifer Trakhtenberg, ClearVision’s Senior Talent Leader. “ClearVision’s involvement in the World Sight Day Company Challenge is part of our commitment to giving back and helping to make an impact on those who need support.”

An estimated 670 million people in the world are blind or vision impaired simply because they don’t have access to an eye exam and glasses. Every year, World Sight Day raises global awareness on blindness, visual impairment and rehabilitation of the visually impaired. The main advocacy event for “Vision 2020: The Right to Sight,” a global blindness prevention effort created by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, World Sight Day is observed worldwide by all partners involved in preventing visual impairment or restoring sight. It is always held of the second Thursday in October.

Optometry Giving Sight has received tremendous support from the optical industry. In addition to ClearVision Optical, organizations such Optos, ABB Concise, Vision West, AllAboutVision, demandforce, Primary Eyecare Network, OcuSOFT, REM Eyewear, SpecialEyes LLC, Lens Dynamics, Inc., American Polarizers, AVT Advanced Vision Technology and Valley Contax, among others, have shown their commitment to this cause.

Deeply rooted in the belief that everyone can make a positive difference in the world, ClearVision plays an instrumental role in forging long-term relationships with various charitable organizations, including Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, Long Island Cares, UCP Suffolk and others. It has been honored by Big Brothers and Sisters of Suffolk County, Long Island Cares, LI Harvest, Madonna Heights, Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, Newsday Charities Help–A-Family Campaign and the Optometry Giving Sight for its charitable efforts that include making the community, organization, and world a better place.

About Optometry Giving Sight

Optometry Giving Sight is the only global fundraising initiative that specifically targets the prevention of blindness and impaired vision due to uncorrected refractive error – simply the need for an eye exam and a pair of glasses. At least 670 million people around the world are blind or vision impaired because they do not have access to the eye examination and glasses they need. We fund the solution by supporting programs that deliver vision care, training infrastructure development and more. Optometrists, opticians, their staff and patients, optical companies and their staff support Optometry Giving Sight by making donations and raising funds in their practices and work places. For more information, please visit www.givingsight.org

About ClearVision

Founded in 1949, ClearVision Optical is an award-winning leader in the optical industry, designing and distributing eyewear and sunwear for top brands, such as BCBGMAXAZRIA, Cole Haan, Ellen Tracy, IZOD, Marc Ecko Cut & Sew, Ocean Pacific, Jessica McClintock and Fisher-Price®. ClearVision’s house brands include ClearVision Collection, Junction City and Digit. A privately held company, ClearVision is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York and has more than 250 associates throughout the U.S. ClearVision’s collections are distributed throughout North America and 20 countries around the globe. To learn more about ClearVision Optical, visit www.cvoptical.com or join us Facebook community, www.facebook.com/clearvisionoptical and stay updated on all the latest ClearVision news.


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Rolf Spectacles “Dino” Stone Eyewear

September 28th, 2011


Having won numerous awards for its great wooden frames, Austrian glasses specialist Rolf Spectacles has created another first… glasses made from stone!

“The material stone with its strong structure brings a new surface into the optical industry. With the combination of the light material wood the frame provides a high wearing comfort,” says Rolf.

www.rolf-spectacles.com

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AGTC Receives Grant from the Foundation Fighting Blindness for Pre-Clinical Study of Gene Therapy for Eye Disease

September 28th, 2011

Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation, a privately-held, clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel systems to deliver human therapeutics, announces that it has received a grant of $1.5 million from the Foundation Fighting Blindness to fund a pre-clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of a gene therapy treatment for X-linked Retinoschisis (XLRS), a genetic eye disease affecting over 35,000 patients in the US and Europe. The work is being coordinated by AGTC in collaboration with researchers at Oregon Health & Science University Casey Eye Institute, Dr. David Wilson and The University of Florida, Dr. William Hauswirth. The grant is part of the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ effort to fund research projects with strong potential to enter into human clinical trials within three years.

Dr. David Wilson, Director, Casey Eye Institute

Max Planck Society “Translating the advances in genetics of eye disease to potentially curative treatments provides hope to the patients and families affected by these conditions,” says Dr. David Wilson, Director, Casey Eye Institute. “We are delighted to be partnering with AGTC and FFB in what is the most exciting and meaningful work being done in ophthalmology and medicine at this time.”

“AGTC’s emerging gene therapy is an elegant approach to treating a devastating retinal disease like XLRS, because one treatment may last several years or even a lifetime,” says Stephen Rose, Ph.D., chief research officer, Foundation Fighting Blindness. “Furthermore, AGTC has the production resources, clinical development knowledge, and regulatory expertise to move this promising approach through clinical trials once proof of principle is established in the laboratory.”

Dr. William Hauswirth, The University of Florida

“We are thrilled that the FFB and its grant reviewers recognize AGTC’s expertise in development of treatments for rare genetic diseases and our ongoing commitment to ophthalmology patients,” said Sue Washer, President and CEO of AGTC. “This funding will enable us to finish final testing of the treatment in animal models of XLRS as well as complete the pre-clinical safety studies required by the FDA in order to start a Phase 1 human clinical trial. The ultimate goal is to improve these patients’ quality of life; there is currently no treatment available for the thousands of young boys losing their sight due to XLRS.”

XLRS, an inherited genetic condition, is a leading cause of juvenile macular degeneration in males. It is caused by mutations in a gene, called RS1, which results in splitting of the layers of the central retina. Patients typically begin to experience progressive loss of vision between the ages of 5 and 10, and other early symptoms include the inability to focus both eyes and roving, involuntary eye movements. No treatment for XLRS is currently available. AGTC’s potential treatment uses an adeno-associated virus (AAV) — a safe, manmade virus — that delivers healthy copies of the XLRS gene to the cells of the retina, replacing the defective copies of the gene. A single treatment can halt the disease for several years, perhaps a lifetime. The AAV delivery system is successfully being used in clinical trials of Leber congenital amaurosis gene therapy that have restored vision in more than 40 adults and children who were virtually blind.

About AGTC

AGTC is focused on the clinical development of novel therapeutics for patients with unmet medical needs utilizing its proprietary, non-pathogenic adeno-associated virus (AAV) delivery system. AGTC has demonstrated that this system can be used to deliver a normal form of a gene in both animals and humans, thus allowing their own bodies to produce sustained therapeutic levels of important biologics. The Company’s most advanced programs in development are treatments for Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a disease causing a progressive loss of lung function, and Leber’s congenital amaurosis, an inherited condition causing early blindness. Both utilize AGTC’s proprietary AAV system and production methods. AGTC has licensed a significant portion of its intellectual property from the University of Florida where researchers originated this groundbreaking work, and has received significant financing from some of the world’s leading venture capital firms: InterWest Partners, Intersouth Partners and MedImmune Ventures.

About The Foundation Fighting Blindness

The Foundation Fighting Blindness is a national nonprofit driving blindness research that will lead to preventions, treatments and cures for retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher syndrome and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases that affect 10 million Americans. In its 40-year history, the Foundation has raised more than $425 million as the leading non-governmental funder of retinal research. With a network of 50 chapters, the Foundation also provides free disease information and low vision resources to affected individuals and their families. Most recently, a breakthrough Foundation-funded study using gene therapy restored significant vision in children and young adults who were previously blind, paving the way for using this method to treat a wide variety of retinal degenerative diseases, and proving a cure is in sight.

www.agtc.com | www.blindness.org

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BCBGMAXAZRIA Eyewear Defines Fashion in its Refined Design Direction

September 28th, 2011

It’s all about glamour: BCBGMAXAZRIA introduces a spectacular, newly-refined design direction for its Fall 2011 eyewear collection, featuring fresh color, brilliant “bling” and exquisite detailing in 8 modern, luxe styles. Sleek, chic, and dramatic, this new, must-see collection makes a powerful fashion statement for every Fashionista.

Eye-popping color in a fresh, paler palette including lavender, green and pink with dazzling, jewelry-inspired accents of European crystals, chains, and pin dots. Plus simplistic shapes with modern, architectural lines.

BCBGMAXAZRIA’s Fall collection brings the ultimate in glam to your dispensary, ideal for your fashion-forward customers. The new design direction provides a larger, more fashionable selection to BCBGMAXAZRIA’s newly-expanded audience: any woman who expresses herself through fashion and strives to keep up with today’s latest trends.

www.clearvisionoptical.com

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Repeated Use Of Ophthalmic Antibiotics By Patients Undergoing Intraocular Injection Therapy Linked To Antimicrobial Resistance

September 27th, 2011

Repeated exposure of the eye to ophthalmic antibiotics appears to be associated with the emergence of resistant strains of microbes among patients undergoing intraocular injection therapy for neovascular retinal disease, according to a study published in the September issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

Stephen J. Kim, MD, and Hassanain S. Toma, MD, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, and colleagues conducted a randomised, controlled, longitudinal study of 48 eyes of 24 patients who, in 1 eye each, received intraocular injection.

Stephen J. Kim, MD

At baseline and after every injection, researchers obtained cultures of the conjunctiva for both treated and untreated eyes. Patients were randomised to 1 of 4 antibiotics and after each injection used only the antibiotic they were assigned. The researchers tested the bacterial samples for susceptibility to 16 antibiotics and analysed the bacterial DNA. Injections were administered every 4 weeks for at least 4 consecutive months, and patients were followed for 1 year.

Repeated exposure to fluoroquinolone antibiotics was associated with coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) that demonstrated significantly increased rates of resistance to both older- and newer-generation fluoroquinolones. Repeated exposure to azithromycin was associated with CNS that demonstrated significantly increased resistance to macrolides and decreased resistance to both older- and newer-generation fluoroquinolones.

Specimens of CNS from treated eyes demonstrated significant increases in multiple-drug resistance; for example, 81.8% of CNS specimens appeared resistant to at least 3 antibiotics, and 67.5% appeared resistant to at least 5 antibiotics.

The researchers suggest that their results demonstrate rapid development of resistance from CNS to certain antibiotics, and that this resistance is maintained when the antibiotic is periodically re-administered.

“This finding has considerable implications because conjunctival flora are presumed to be the predominant source of postinjection endophthalmitis,” the authors wrote.

They added that research suggests 1 strain of CNS is associated with greater intraocular inflammation than are strains more susceptible to antibiotics. “Our findings indicate the need for more judicious use of ophthalmic antibiotics after intraocular injection to reduce the potential emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance.”

SOURCE: Archives of Ophthalmology


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LIGHTEC Launches Alpha 14 Collection

September 26th, 2011

LIGHTEC is launching the Alpha 14 collection, featuring 5 new models for men. A distinctive part of the frame’s design are the wide injected crystal temples, which offer a contemporary and pure look. The crystal temple is enhanced with a clipped-on, stainless steel hinge support, which provides a hint of color.

The temple injected around the core prevents air from entering, while the nylon/Grilamlid used allows very easy cold alignment. From an aesthetic point of view, the chrome-plated core appears only at the curve of the endtip, guiding the eyes to the colored logo.

Although simplicity inspires the design, it is not in any way simple: The choice of materials used and the precision developed for this concept illustrate how LIGHTEC combines purity with technical excellence and provides the wearer with a light, reliable and comfortable product.

Alpha 14 is available in 2 semi-rimless browbar shapes and 3 rimless shapes in a choice of 6 colors per model, including some highly vibrant shades: orange, lime green, and red.

www.morel-france.com

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Urine Reveals Blindness Risk

September 23rd, 2011

CERA researchers have discovered the potential of urine as a source of biomarkers for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The discovery could pave the way for the first urine test to detect AMD, long before the disease can be identified through an eye test or a patient experiences irreversible vision loss. Two urinary proteins were found to be associated with AMD. Patients with early AMD were found to have significantly increased levels of the transforming growth factor-beta protein.

While patients with both the early and late stages of AMD were found to have significantly increased levels of the protein macrophage chemoattractant protein-1. Recently, researchers have begun to view AMD as a chronic low grade inflammatory disease, leading scientists to look to the blood and urine for biomarkers to predict the disease.

Study leader Professor Robyn Guymer said the discovery is exciting news for patients who are often unaware they have the disease until they experience symptoms.

“The current practice of detecting AMD and monitoring its progression and the effectiveness of treatment is expensive and time consuming, requiring sophisticated equipment and clinical expertise,” Professor Guymer said. “Through the discovery of urinary biomarkers, we aim to develop a simple urine test to detect early AMD,” she said. “The early detection of AMD can help patients seek treatment to prevent the irreversible vision loss that is associated with the late stages of the disease.”

When Michelle Kornberg was diagnosed with AMD at just 30-years-old, she couldn’t bring herself to tell anyone.

“It was a complete shock. I saw an optometrist for a routine eye test and I was immediately referred to a retinal specialist who diagnosed me with AMD,” Michelle said. “I was told that I could lose my sight. I was distraught. I went home to my two children and tried to memorise everything about them,” she said.

Fortunately for Michelle, being diagnosed early allowed her visit an ophthalmologist and seek treatment to stop the progression of the disease.

“Like most people, I can’t imagine life without my sight. The development of a sensitive, simple test to detect AMD before the onset of symptoms would be wonderful news for patients.”


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