"Fifteen years ago, if someone had told us there would one day be a disposable soft toric contact lens, you would have thought it was the funniest thing you have ever heard." Joseph Barr, O.D., M.S., F.A.A.O. made that comment in a recent panel discussion on soft toric lenses, and it's an indicator of just how far the industry has come in product design and manufacturing.

VISTAKON® introduced its ACUVUE® Brand TORIC Contact Lens to the U.S. market in June at the AOA Congress in Las Vegas. The product, successfully launched in Europe this year, is already changing old notions and generating a buzz of excitement among Eye Care Professionals (ECPs) and their patients.

"The lens is really defining our thinking on fitting torics," said Mitch Cassel, OD during the round table, in which seven panelists discussed the successful fitting of astigmatic patients with the ACUVUE® Brand TORIC.

During the market testing, a survey of participants showed that 96 percent of patients who completed a 2-week trial period chose to continue wearing the ACUVUE® Brand TORIC beyond the trial period. "The lens is designed for excellent quality of vision and patient comfort," said Phil Keefer, President, VISTAKON® Americas.

"Now that the lens is available nationwide," Keefer continued, "Eye Care Professionals who are prescribing it tell us that it fills a need in the market, and that having a true one or two-week replacement lens for astigmatic patients is a big advantage. Many of the patients who are candidates for ACUVUE® Brand TORIC are spectacle wearers. In the US, there is an estimated market of 48 million people who have the potential to wear toric contact lenses, and that market could be worth close to $225 million. Those numbers are worth considering when you decide to begin fitting the ACUVUE® Brand TORIC."

In addition to providing a new option for a category of patients who were not able to wear disposable lenses in the past, the ACUVUE® Brand TORIC offers superior reproducibility. "When soft torics first came out, they were compared to snowflakes because no two were exactly alike," said another panelist, Peter Bergenske, OD, F.A.A.O. The stability of the ACUVUE® Brand TORIC addresses this with dual thin zone ballasting which provides excellent lens stability and comfort.

"Comfort on the initial fit is very important, because that is when most patients decide whether they are going to say with the lens," said Cassel. "We've found that in patients who are astigmatic in only one eye, using ACUVUE® Brand TORIC in one eye and ACUVUE®2 Brand in the fellow eye is very comfortable."

Oxygen transmissibility for the ACUVUE® Brand TORIC is the industry's highest for soft toric contact lenses. Like other members of the ACUVUE® Brand family of products, the lens also provides UV Blocking*, which helps protect against the transmission of harmful UV radiation to the cornea and into the eye. The lens is now available in 1,350 parameters. ECPs report that pricing is another strong advantage.

Patients can replace ACUVUE® Brand TORIC on a biweekly basis for about the same cost as a monthly or quarterly lens.

While chair time has been a concern in the fitting of soft toric lenses in the past, surveys of test markets ECPs reported an average chair time of 10.4 minutes to achieve initial fit of the lens and took an average of only 1.25 lenses per eye to achieve the fit.

"The ACUVUE® Brand TORIC Contact Lens is a significant addition to the family of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. products that include: ACUVUE® Brand, ACUVUE® 2 Brand, SUREVUE® Brand, ACUVUE® Brand BIFOCAL and 1•DAY ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses, " said Keefer.AN

*WARNING: UV-absorbing contact lenses are NOT substitutes for protective UV-absorbing goggles or sunglasses because they do not completely cover the eye and surrounding area. You should continue to use UV-absorbing eyewear as directed. NOTE: Long term exposure to UV radiation is on of the risk factors associated with cataracts. Exposure is based on a number of factors such as environmental conditions (attitude, geography, cloud cover) and personal factors (extent and nature of outdoor activities). UV-blocking contact lenses help provide protection against harmful UV radiation. However, clinical studies have not been done to demonstrate that wearing UV-blocking contacts lenses reduces the risk of developing cataracts or other eye disorders. Contact your eye care practitioner for more information.

Colleagues have shared that they face challenges in getting patients to comply with lens replacement schedules. Some patients are wearing contact lenses longer than recommended despite the risk for complications. Have you overcome this problem in your practice? If so, please send me your Compliance Tips.

I am thrilled with the positive acceptance and success stories generated by our new ACUVUE® Brand TORIC Contact Lens. I expect this new lens to become the #1 toric contact lens in the USA in its first year on the market. If you have a testimonial you wish to share, please contact me.

With deep sorrow, we relay the news of Dr. Rodger Kame's passing in July, after a valiant fight against cancer. Dr. Kame was a humble visionary and served with me on the original VISTAKON® Professional Advisory Panel in 1987, helping VISTAKON® develop the world's first disposable contact lens, ACUVUE® Brand. And he continued to play an important role as one of our best advisors until the very end.

"The ACUVUE® Brand TORIC Contact Lens should be the first lens to consider for your astigmatic patients. Consistency of lens rotation from one lens to the next regardless of power and axis means fewer diagnostic lenses are needed to evaluate fitting characteristics. While no single lens design works best for all patients, the ACUVUE® Brand TORIC fits most patients quickly and is remarkably comfortable. Patients often say that they have the finest vision they have ever experienced. It is so easy to fit, we have converted many of our present patients to it, especially those who previously wore spherical soft or rigid gas permeable lenses. We anticipate that this lens will replace may of our previous "custom" toric contact lenses. With its quality of vision and comfort, and ease of fit, the ACUVUE® Brand TORIC is raising the standard of toric lens performance.

Jay L. Klessman, OD
DRS. KLESSMAN & ROSENBLATT
WASHINGTON, D.C.

"I have really enjoyed fitting the ACUVUE® Brand TORIC Contact Lens. I am having over 90 percent success with the first pair that patients try. I believe that the ACUVUE® Brand TORIC is by far the best frequent replacement toric soft contact lens on the Marietta. It has excellent stability and comfort and the two week replacement enables me to fit most of my patients with ease. I have reduced my chair time on my new fits and am able to switch my other patients into the ACUVUE® Brand TORIC with one visit.

Lowell C. Ware, OD
BREIWA, WARE, & JESKIE
EYE CARE CENTER
Bowling Green, Kentucky

"The new ACUVUE® Brand TORIC Contact Lens has been a great match for my office. I want a toric that is stable and repeatable with exceptional comfort and crisp vision for my patients, and VISTAKON® has done it with this new toric lens. I have been able to take patients who were wearing spherical lenses that "masked" their low amounts of astigmatism and provided them with crisper, clearer vision using this toric lens. My patients like the easy handling of the lens and the convenience that disposability offer. The ACUVUE® Brand TORIC is now the toric lens of choice for my office. Its high percentage of first fit success pleases my patients and saves me chair time and increases my productivity."

James C. Lanier, JR., OD, F.A.A.O
DRS. WOOD, LANIER, BOWMAN, & ROGERS
Jacksonville, Florida

"I have had the opportunity to work with the new ACUVUE® Brand TORIC Contact Lens with several of my patients. Patients have been very receptive toward the concept of a two-week replacement toric lens. What impresses my about the lens is its stability. When prism ballasted lenses have been unreliable on a patient, the double slab-off design of the ACUVUE® Brand TORIC has had reproducible, stable performance. This results in less chair time and a happier patient.

Jeanne R Derber, OD
EXECUTIVE PARK EYE CARE
Colorado Springs, Colorado

HPR (Health Products Research) Data reports that VISTAKON® posted a 29% share of new contact lens fits in the quarter ending June 30, a gain of 2 points compared to Second Quarter 1999. The nearest competitor, Bausch & Lomb, held a 16% share, a 3 point decrease compared to the same period last year.

While on the market for only part of the second quarter, the ACUVUE® Brand TORIC Contact Lens garnered a 7% share of the total soft toric category.

"We are pleased that the numbers indicate a very positive response to the rollout of ACUVUE® Brand TORIC Contact Lenses," said David Smith, Vice President, Sales, VISTAKON Americas.

The ACUVUE® Brand BIFOCAL Contact Lens retained its leadership in the bifocal soft contact lenses category, with a 72% share. VISTAKON® products continue to be leaders in the overall soft contact lens market as well; ACUVUE®2 Brand Contact Lenses earned a 13% share for the quarter, while ACUVUE® Contact Lenses attained a 7% share of new fits. In total disposable lens new fits, ACUVUE®2 Brand had a 21% share and the ACUVUE® Brand had a 11% share. These were the #1 and #2 products in both of the categories. AN

VISTAKON®, a division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., has formed a new strategic global alliance with Allergan, Inc., which will include research,education and marketing initiatives. "The intent of the alliance is to leverage both companies' considerable experience and innovation to better meet the needs of our customers, and to expand the contact lens and lens care markets," said Robert Maiolo, Vice President of Marketing, VISTAKON® Americas.

Allergan, Inc. is a global force in eye care product development and marketing, and its COMPLETE® brand Multi-Purpose Solution is the fastest growing multi-purpose solution in the world.

"There's solid research behind this alliance," Maiolo explained. "In two joint comfort preference studies in the United States and Europe, we found that patients preferred the combination of COMPLETE® brand Multipurpose Solution and ACUVUE®2 Brand Contact Lenses for key comfort characteristics."

The US study of 284 patients showed 75% were very satisfied with the comfort achieved throughout the day with the combination.

"We're excited by the opportunities that the alliance with Allergan will create," said Maiolo. "The right combination of contact lenses and contact lens care products can increase the number of successful contact lens wearer, which benefits Eye Care Professionals and their worldwide."

"As leaders in the vision care industry, VISTAKON® and Allergan, Inc. share a commitment to identify the most innovative ways to maximize patient and Eye Care Professional satisfaction. This alliance allows us to combine our resources and expertise to further vision science and introduce more people to the benefits of contact lens wearer." AN

COMPLETE® is a registered trademark of Allergan, Inc.

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. launched a new web site for online ordering on May 22. The site, www.acuvue.com, offers options and interactive features that will simplify and speed the ordering and delivery of ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses and SUREVUE® Brand Contact Lenses.

On-screen instructions guide Eye Care Professionals (ECPs) and their staffs through the complete ordering process. Product inventory and diagnostics are available through the site, which also offers enhanced ship-to-patient features and patient profile information. A shopping cart feature, commonly used in e-commerce, accumulates orders and allows them to be submitted all at once when an office's order is complete.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEW "EYE SITE" INCLUDE 24 hours a day/7 days a week ordering Simple, on-screen instructions Log on from any computer with assigned password Secure socket layer for safe web access and order transmittal Individual Orders (Revenue, Diagnostics, Ship-to-patient) accumulated and submitted at once Flexible shipping options Online patient information updating

Prospective patients can also use the site to locate the nearest practitioner who can fit them with ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses and can even download a map showing the exact location of the practice. The site is also an educational tool, providing patients with valuable information about eye health, advice on the importance of compliance and yearly exams and the opportunity to take a "virtual tour" of an ECP's office. Product information on the entire family of ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses and the option to download free trial pair certificates are also among the site's features. Educating the consumer in this manner is expected to drive traffic into ECP's office, resulting in more new fits.

"The enhanced web site with Internet ordering and other features demonstrates our continued commitment to innovative services that help practitioners manage their practices more profitably and effectively," said Ed Rastrelli, Product Director, New Products & Technologies.AN

SUREVUE is a registered trademark of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. © Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. 2000

Practice-Building Advice And Career Management Tools

FREE SHIPPING and a $20 rebate are incentives offered to patients purchasing an annual supply of any ACUVUE® Brand or SUREVUE® Brand Contact Lenses through Doctor Controlled Patient Delivery (DCPD). "This new program is an expansion of the popular ACUVUE® 2 Brand Contact Lenses program and reflects our commitment to providing Eye Care Professionals (ECPs) with tools to address patient retention concerns, said Robert Maiolo, Vice President of Marketing.

"This expanded program gives patients an incentive to purchase an annual supply of lenses with the added benefit of FREE SHIPPING. The only exception to the quantity requirement is 1•DAY ACUVUE® Brand. The FREE SHIPPING and $30 rebate apply to a 6-month supply (12 boxes), instead of a full year's supply, since the 6-month purchase is more in line with actual purchase behavior," said Maiolo.

"The offer allows ECPs to extend an additional value-added service to their patients," added Maiolo, "as well as improving patient compliance." Market research shows that patients adequately supplied with lenses are more likely to comply with their ECP's recommended wear schedule.

A three-part education audiotape series called "Successful Communication Techniques for Managing Presbyopic Patients," was released this summer according to Todd Krombholz, Professional Marketing Product Director.

"Four well-known and highly regarded contact lens specialists, who have achieved significant success with the ACUVUE® Brand BIFOCAL Contact Lens, discuss the importance of communication guidelines, coupled with ACUVUE® Brand BIFOCAL Contact Lenses, will help listeners provide better care for their presbyopic patients," noted Krombholz.

Dr. Stephen Cohen of Scottsdale, Arizona, and Dr. Gary Gerber of Hawthorne, New Jersey, are featured in first two parts. In the third part, Dr. Joseph Shovlin of Scranton, Pennsylvania and Dr. Mary Jo Stiegermeier of Beachwood, Ohio, are featured. Dr. Howard Purcell, Director of Professional Affairs, moderates the audiotape series.

These four experienced practitioners share their communication skills in setting proper patient expectations. They point out that due to the unique factors surrounding this patient group, successful communication is essential to assure recommendations are understood.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DISCUSSION INCLUDE THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU:

• Set proper patient expectations
• Perform a current refraction
• Select a prescription based on the refraction (see chart below)
• Allow at least 20 minutes for the patient to adapt to the lens
• Assess vision binocularly
• Adjust power based on objective and subjective findings
• Make minimal adjustments to achieve desired patient satisfaction

Table 1
IF CYLINDER POWER IS:	ADD TO THE DISTANCE SPHERE POWER:
-0.25D	-0.25D
-0.50D	-0.25D
-0.75D	-0.50D
Table 2*
AGE	ACUVUE® BIFOCAL ADD POWER
40-46	+1.00D
47-52	+1.50D
53-59	+2.00D
60+	+2.50D

*Nominal ADD powers are matched with material presented on pages 338-9 and 803-7 in Benjamin WJ (ed); Borish's CLINICAL REFRACTION (1998), W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia. A patient's individual characteristics should be considered as well when the ADD power is determined.

The audiotape series has been distributed to current ACUVUE® Brand BIFOCAL customers. Audio copies of the tapes will soon be available for ECPs on the VISTAKON® web site, www.acuvue.com.

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and Essilor of America, Inc., jointly announced that they are founding equity partners in VisionWeb, a new an innovative business initiative designed to drive growth and success for all vision care customers. It will be a virtual community that brings together Eye Care Professionals (ECPs), manufacturers, independent laboratories, retailers, insurance companies, health and medical resources and patients seeking information.

Dennis Upah, former Chief Operating Officer (COO) of healthcare portal drkoop.com, was appointed VisionWeb president and CEO. Upah calls VisionWeb "a dynamic online environment that will benefit the entire eye care community. It will provide ECPs with resources to streamline their operations, grow their practices, and provide the highest quality products and services to their patients. The site will encourage patients and prospective patients to visit their ECPs more often."

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. includes The Spectacle Lens Group and VISTAKON®. Dallas-based Essilor of America, Inc. operates the nation's leading network of optical labs.

VisionWeb, headquartered in Austin, Texas, is expected to launch in the US in early 2001. AN