Lab Equipment
Ring Thing Lab Tool


The Ring Thing, from Hilco, lets you or your optician assemble rimless frames without scratching the lenses and frame or balancing multiple tools while trying to tighten or assemble nut or screw-style three-piece rimless frames.

There are six different plastic rings that are available in multiple sizes for star and hex nut configurations. The rings are color-coded for easy identification. Call 1-800-955-6544, or go to www.hilco.com.

Contact Lens Material
CL Material Gets FDA Marketing Approval
Lagado Corporation has received FDA marketing approval for its Tyro-97 fluorosilicone-acrylate gas permeable contact lens material for spherical, aspheric, toric and bifocal daily wear contact lenses. The material contains a combination of hydrophilic monomers for surface wettability. It has a DK value of 97 and a wetting angle of 23. The lenses can be made in blue, green, gray, blue/green and clear tints with or without a UV absorber.

Tyro-97 is designed for patients who need higher oxygen permeability and thicker lens designs. Call 1-800-574-2581, or go to www.lagado.net. 

PC Hydrogel Material


PC (phosphorycholine) Hydrogel, from CooperVision, is a new category of contact lens material for daily wear. The PC Hydrogel material is made of omafilcon A, which has a high water affinity to create a shield of water on the lens surface, thus preventing deposits and allowing the lens to withstand dehydration. The materials soft, low modulus also contributes to comfort and fit, the company says.

This new contact lens material is available in CooperVisions Proclear Sphere, Proclear Toric (the company plans to introduce a new Proclear Toric lens with an 8.4mm base curve in February), Proclear Multifocal, UltraVue PC Multifocals and Biomedics XC.

CooperVision expects Biomedics XC, the latest addition to the PC Hydrogel grouping, to be available this month (January). This two-week aspheric lens has a low modulus, deposit resistance and on-eye wettability to provide extended comfort, the company says. Call 1-800-341-2020, or go to www.coopervision.com.

Contact Lens Care
Renu Gets FDA Nod


ReNu with MoistureLoc Multi-Purpose Solution (MPS), from Bausch & Lomb, received FDA-labeling clearance for use on silicone hydrogel contact lenses. The FDA also approved a claim that the solution conditions contact lenses.

In clinical studies that evaluated the use of ReNu with MoistureLoc on various silicone hydrogel contact lenses, practitioners said that the solution combined with the silicone hydrogel material offered eye health benefits, while patients said the combination provided them with comfort and less dryness, Bausch & Lomb says. Call 1-800-553-5340, or go to www.bausch.com.

Patient Education
Visual Screening System


M&S Technologies, which manufacturers visual acu-ity, contrast sensitivity, fixation and vision screening systems, has partnered with Eyemaginations Inc., manufacturers of the 3D-Eye Office, to make Eyemaginations patient education and instructional software available via the M&S SmartSystem 2020 Visual Acuity System. This PC-based integrated visual screening system can produce an array of acuity tests, patient education and other video media to help you evaluate your adult patients.

This integration lets you display and fully control the Eyemaginations software directly through the M&S Technologies computerized vision testing systems, M&S Technologies says. You or your staff can select, display and control the patient education software while in the exam room by using the M&S Technologies remote control. Call 1-877-225-6101, or go to www.mstech-eyes.com.

Vol. No: 143:01Issue: 1/15/2006