States Look to Cut Medicaid Vision Benefits

"New York State spent more than $20 billion on Medicaid this fiscal year — or nearly a quarter of the total operating budget. With the state confronting a projected $10 billion deficit for next year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has little choice but to cut back the program," goes an editorial in the NYTimes. "New York also provides a large menu of 'optional benefits,' including prescription drugs, dental and vision care…That is good for the health of low-income residents, but savings will have to be found." Yesterday California senators, facing similar challenges as New York's politicians, considered cutting its Medicaid vision benefits but backed off.

OpticalCEUs News Blog Moves to a New Location Today

OpticalCEUs News Blog is taking up residence at a new web address: http://opticalceu.blogspot.com. "OpticalCEUs made the move in order to provide more services for the readers of the blog and attendees at its conferences," said Linda Conlin, founder of OpticalCEUs. "The search tool is more effective with the new site. We can provide news feeds from other sources of eye care news. Our design can be more up-to-date. Visit us at OpticalCEUs News Blog."

 This blog will remain online indefinitely for individuals who want  to research an item.

Remember to bookmark, http://opticalceu.blogspot.com.

Eyewear Manufacturer Guilty of Fraud
Topic: Eyewear
The South China Morning Post reported that "the founding chairman of Moulin Global Eyecare Holdings and two other defendants have been found guilty in a fraud case involving the company that once boasted of being one of world's largest eyewear manufacturers."

Buy One, Give One Away
Topic: Eye Care
In the post "A Name You Need to Know in 2011: Warby Parker" on Forbes.com, Nicole Perlroth writes: "Warby Parker is doing for global vision what TOMS Shoes did for bare feet: For every pair of eyeglasses the company sells, it gives a pair to someone in need. ...Now, one-year-old Warby Parker aims to be even more ambitious. The company plans to not only hand out fish, but teach people to fish and revolutionize the $16 billion U.S. prescription eyeglass industry along the way....Warby Parker donates its eyeglasses in 24 countries...[The] company also partners with non-profits like VisionSpring, which distributes its glasses to local entrepreneurs, who then sell them at low cost."

Trunk Shows on Rise
Topic: Optical
"Retailers and ECPs are rediscovering the trunk show as a means of deepening relationships with patients. For suppliers, taking part in the events means building better bridges with their accounts, getting a feel for the industry and expressing the brand’s point of view to customers." That's the report from a VisionMonday report.

Young CL User Going Blind?
Topic: Contact Lenses
The Times of Malta reports that "a 17-year-old girl [Jade] is fighting against blindness in both eyes after developing a rare contact-lens related infection. Jade’s corneas have been attacked by acanthamoeba, a very painful and potentially blinding eye parasite that hitches a ride on contact lenses and invades the vulnerable eye." 69G2T426ZD2U

Slain Optometrist Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Topic: Optical--Sort Of
"The late optometrist Tom Little, a Kinderhook native, was one of 15 people recently named by President Barack Obama to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Among others named along with Little were cellist Yo Yo Ma, Congressman and Civil Rights hero John Lewis, poet Maya Angelou, artist Jasper Johns, investor Warren Buffet, civil rights activist Sylvia Mendez, baseball great Stan Musial, basketball great Bill Russell, president George H.W. Bush and labor leader John J. Sweeney," goes the report from the RegisterStar.

Younger Promotes Africa's First American Football Game
Topic: Sunglasses

According to a company news release, Younger Optics will support the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl in Tanzania – the first ever sanctioned American football game in Africa. The game will take place May 21, 2011, at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. "Just as protective gear protects football players' bodies on the field, polarized Rx sunwear protects the eyes off the field. While in Tanzania, players from Drake University in Iowa and the Mexican National All Star Team will be performing a host of humanitarian duties as well as taking part in a hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro," says the company. "Throughout their stay in Tanzania, polarized Rx sunwear, equipped with NuPolar® and Drivewear® Transitions® SOLFX™ lenses from Younger Optics, will be part of the players' essential defense against blinding glare and harmful UV rays."

This announcement came about a month after Younger received three Awards of Excellence at the recent OLA Annual Meeting. Since winning the first ever OLA Award of Excellence in 1987, Younger Optics has received a total of 22 OLA Awards.

Indiana Cuts Eye Care Benefits for Medicaid Recipients
Topic: Eye Care
Fearing financial shortages this coming year, Indiana will cut back on Medicaid services, such as for eye care: "Eyeglasses limited to one pair every five years for people age 21 years or older. (Previous limit was one pair every two years). Eyeglasses for those under 21 limited to one pair per year," notes the Examiner. More states will follow suit as the strain of the current economy takes tolls and on state budgets.

Calculate Your Kids Chances for Cataracts
Topic: Eye Care

It's a lousy proposition. But it can be done. According to a post on OptometryToday, "Transitions Optical has launched a new online tool which predicts the probability of a child developing cataracts later in life. The Children’s Cataract Calculator aims to help practitioners educate parents about the importance of children’s eye health." That's not so lousy. You can find the calculator in the Children's Corner of the Transitions Store on its United Kingdom website. 

Eyecare Apps
Topic: Eye Care
A variety of individuals and manufacturers are offering smart phone apps for consumers and eye care professionals. If you want to see what's out there, check out TheOpticalVisionSite.

Life Sucks in Sweden for Opticians--and Editors
Topic: Optical--Sort Of
"Psychologists, physiotherapists, dentist and specialist fire fighters are not likely to have to worry about getting a job in the future, according to the trade union Saco's prognosis. Other professions that will be in high demand by 2015, says the report, are social workers and chiropractors. Librarians, opticians, editors at publishing houses and museum workers are on the other hand more likely to face unemployment, according to the white collar union Saco." That was a recent post on Radio Sweden.

Video Games Good for Vision? Some Scientists Think So!
Topic: Optical
"They are often accused of being distracting, but recent research has found that action packed video games like Halo and Call of Duty can enhance visual attention, the ability that allows us to focus on relevant visual information," according to a story on MedicalNewsToday. "This growing body of research, reviewed in WIREs Cognitive Science, suggests that action based games could be used to improve military training, educational approaches, and certain visual deficits."

New Vision Discount Plan
Topic: Insurance
Pan-American Life’s signature Limited Benefit Medical product, PanaMed, reportedly  will offer a vision discount plan as well as fully insured dental plan. The vision plan,  offered through Avesis National Vision Network, is said to provide members "significant" savings from the retail prices on frames, discounts on eye exams, lenses, contact lenses and discounts on Lasik (refractive surgery) from more than 18,000 providers nationwide. Members interested in dental will be offered discounted fees through Guardian’s DentalGuard Preferred Select Network.

The Longer the Replacement Interval, the More CL Patients Complain
Topic: Contact Lenses
Thirteen percent of patients wearing monthly replacement contact lenses returned to their eye doctor with comfort or vision complaints or required a lens refit compared to eight percent of patients wearing a two-week modality over the study period, according to a press release from the American Academy of Optometry. This translates to 62 percent more of these unscheduled doctors' visits for monthly wearers versus two-week wearers.  Visits requiring medical treatment were recorded separately and were not different between the two groups.

Education Will Reduce Vision Impairment in Elderly
Topic: Eye Care
MedicalNewsToday posted: "As in all areas of medicine, the key for preventing diabetic complications in the eye is early detection," explained Madeline L. Romeu, O.D., F.A.A.O. "Diabetic patients are at greater risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, cataract, age-related macular degeneration or open angle glaucoma, all of which are vision-threatening. In fact, research shows that 23.5 percent of patients over the age of 50 will become vision impaired."

B+L Launches "Hi-Def" CLs, B+L Promoting Rub 'N Rinse, B+L Exec Honored
Topic: Contact Lenses

Bausch + Lomb has launched its PureVision2 with High Definition Optics contact lenses. The new monthly contact lenses reportedly will help CL wearers "overcome" several challenges, such as spherical aberration, glare, and halos while providing clear vision, optimal comfort and breathability.

The company also announced that as part of an ongoing initiative that promotes an optimal contact lens wearing experience, it's providing a rub and rinse regimen in the directions for use of its multi-purpose contact lens solutions. The initiative includes the removal of the phrase "no rub" from the product labeling of its renu fresh solution globally.

Meanwhile, ContactLenses.co.uk reported that B+L's "Joseph Barr has been presented with the American Academy of Optometry's 2010 Max Schapero Memorial Award for his contribution to the cornea and contact lens field."

Fans of Nashville Recording Artist Gokey Donate Old Eyewear
Topic: Eyewear
"Since early October hundreds of Danny Gokey fans have donated used eyeglasses and non-perishable food items at Wisconsin Vision stores throughout the state. In exchange for their donation, today those fans get to meet Gokey, the 19/RCA Nashville recording artist and 2009 American Idol finalist, when he shows up to contribute his own used pairs of eyeglasses at Wisconsin Vision's new Glendale location. Gokey's glasses will then be auctioned online to raise funds for a new program announced today by Wisconsin Vision and Sophia's Heart to provide free eye exams and glasses for children in need." That's the report from Wisconsin Vision's press release.

B+L Suing Ciba
Topic: Contact Lenses
"The single-celled organism Acanthamoeba can cause eye infections in humans.The question of how well competing contact lens solutions kill off the little bugger is now before a federal judge, as Rochester eye-care company Bausch + Lomb Inc. is suing industry rival Ciba Vision Corp. over a Ciba ad campaign," goes to story posted on the DemocratandChronicle.com.

Zeiss Vision Rewards to Offer Digital Communication
Topic: Lenses
"Carl Zeiss Vision will offer Demandforce D3 to eye care professionals through the company's Carl Zeiss Vision Rewards program.  With Demandforce D3, eye care practitioners may use text messaging, email marketing, and automated appointment reminders to communicate with patients, and will benefit from online profiles enhanced with consumer reviews, surveys and customized business data," goes the company's press release.