Embedded Files
Page 12
The list of scientists and clinicians who have worked and studied there is a veritable who’s who of optometry in the United States and abroad. “Almost every standard or base of knowledge in contemporary contact lens research has its foundation in CCLRU work,” said former CCLRU fellow Cristina Schnider, O.D., now an executive with Vistakon.Prof. Holden staked his reputation on the talented people drawn to the CCLRU, supported them and promoted their careers. “He has very high expectations of others, but he’s also enormously supportive and kind,” Schnider said.Over the years, Prof. Holden has written or coauthoredBrien A. Holden, Ph.D., F.A.A.O., D.Sc., O.A.M.O.A.M., established the Cornea and Contact Lens Research Unit (CCLRU) at the University of New South Wales in Australia. For many years, the CCLRU was one of the most highly respected and prolific research centers in optometry. Researchers there conducted some of the first studies on extended wearnearly 300 scientific papers, including two landmark papers with George Mertz, O.D. (1946–2002), that established standards for the minimum oxygen requirements to avoid corneal edema from contact lens wear.3,4 Dr. Mertz, a former petroleum engineer who received his optometry degree from Berkeley, spent a year at the CCLRU studying the ocular physiological response to extended wear of contact lenses.He and Prof. Holden developed a micropachometer [ CONTACT LENS CARE SYSTEMS ]Contact lens cleaning and care solutions are critical to the safety and comfort of lenses, but they are often given short shrift by practitioners and patients, according to Ralph P. Stone, Ph.D. “Unfortunately, even clinicians don’t spend enough time instructing patients on the care protocols for their lenses and cases,” he said.One of the earliest pioneers in the contact lens solution realm was Harry Hind, Ph.D., a California chemist and founder of Barnes-Hind who made the first cleaning solution for PMMA lenses. When HEMA lenses were first introduced in the early 1970s, patients hadto make their own saline solution using salt tablets. The first big push into chemical disinfection came from a company called Burton Parsons, which was later acquired by Bausch & Lomb. BP licensed the technology to B&L, but the company was ultimately sold to Alcon. Around the same time, Dr. Hinds and Joseph Krezanoski, Pharm. D., were also experimenting with soft lens disinfectants.Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, there werenumerous exciting developments in the chemistry of contact lens care, and the solutions development paralleled or even stayed slightly ahead of contact lens development. By 1980 to 1981, there were quite a few chemical disinfecting solutions | 11on the soft lens market, sold by Burton Parsons, Allergan, continued on page 12 1970Drs. Donald and Joan Korb introduce an important fitting technique, the “Korb fit,” in which a PMMA contact lens is fitted to adhere to the upper lid.1971Bausch & Lomb receives FDA approval for the Soflens (polymacon)soft contact lens, based on Wichterle’s technology.Contact lens wear becomes much more widely accepted;hydrogel lenses dominate the market.and an algorithm for measuring overnight corneal edema and then examined the relationship between overnight corneal edema and contact lens oxygen transmissibility.
Google Sites
Report abuse