Industry heads up to Manchester

Industry partners are gearing up for this weekend’s British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) clinical conference and exhibition in Manchester – promising a wealth of product innovation, education and clinical insights.

Alcon/WCO Dry Eye Wheel

Platinum Sponsor Alcon will stage the first in-person demonstration of the Dry Eye Wheel, developed in partnership with the World Council of Optometry (WCO), at 9am on Saturday 10 June. Wheel developers, world-renowned educators Professors Jennifer Craig, Lyndon Jones and James Wolffsohn will explain about how and why it was designed and how the interactive tool allows practitioners to easily reference three pillars of mitigation, measurement and management.

“We are excited to present the WCO Alcon Dry Eye Wheel to colleagues and friends from around the globe at the BCLA,” said Professor Jones. “This easy-to-use tool will help to improve quality of life for our patients as we navigate the journey toward diagnosis and treatment of dry eye disease.”

Scientists, clinicians and executives from Platinum sponsor CooperVision will highlight how the company “improves lives, one person at a time” through its suite of product options, myopia management innovation and research, and breakthroughs in sustainability.

“We appreciate the difference eyecare professionals can make to people’s lives with contact lenses, helping improve their self-confidence and offering a sense of freedom,” said Debbie Olive, president EMEA, CooperVision. “It’s a passion for improving lives that we share. Every patient is different and every eye is unique, and at this year’s event we are demonstrating CooperVision’s support of ECPs to meet their patients’ needs.”

The CooperVision team will discuss the company’s sphere, toric, multifocal and toric multifocal lens designs, soft lens and orthokeratology myopia management products, as well as scleral lenses and other specialty care options designed for more complex eye conditions. The company will also showcase its portfolio of evidence-based myopia interventions, including MiSight 1 day contact lenses and its extensive orthokeratology line-up. CooperVision experts and partners will speak about various elements of advancing myopia control and management throughout the event. Sustainability is also a topic CooperVision will be focusing on.

J&J Vision’s Acuvue Oasys Max 1-Day is designed for today’s ‘intense modern lifestyles’

Also a Platinum sponsor of the event, Johnson & Johnson Vision has prepared two feature presentations, along with a series of free papers and poster sessions. New data examines the technological features of Acuvue Oasys Max 1-Day and Acuvue Oasys Max 1-Day Multifocal contact lenses, including filtering high-energy visible light designed to reduce visual discomfort.

“We are delighted to be back at BCLA this year and to share new data on the technology behind our Acuvue Oasys Max 1-Day contact lenses,” said Jacqueline Henderson, president, EMEA, Johnson & Johnson Vision. “We introduced these lenses specifically to address patients’ evolving needs and are pleased to see results showing such a positive impact on vision and comfort.”

Visitors to the company’s stand will be invited to try the Acuvue Virtual Reality vision experience with a demonstration on fitting multifocal contact lenses. The company will also host multiple educational presentations, with the opportunity for attendees to hear from leading experts about clinical data and guidance in contact lens innovations.

Gold Sponsor Menicon will discuss its full treatment plan for myopia management, Menicon Bloom, the Miru lens family and its made-to-order range including Rose K2 lenses. Complimentary drinks with eye-friendly ingredients will be served on the stand, and bespoke Eco Cups, made from fully recycled materials, will reinforce the company’s sustainability goals: for each cup received, one tree will be planted.

The company will also reveal a new look for its MTO (made-to-order) range inspired by the company’s Japanese origins. The team will introduce five origami ‘heroes’ representing each category within its MTO range.

Kevin Mitchell, managing director of Menicon, said: “Beyond vision correction, this rebrand reflects 70 years of innovation from Menicon. Origami is a traditional artform using one sheet of paper folded intricately to create infinite possibilities and shapes. This concept both embraces our heritage and is aligned to our never ending pursuit of creating the best lens. Like a master of origami, we too use precision craftsmanship to allow people to see life in detail.”

Premium Sponsor Topcon Healthcare will showcase its Myah instrument, which incorporates corneal topography, including keratoconus screening and pupillometry, axial length measurement, progression reports for analysing treatment efficacy, and a suite of dry eye assessment tools. Myah will feature in Debbie’s Jones’s free paper on ‘Young adult acceptance of dual focus myopia control soft contact lenses’.

The company will also demonstrate its optical coherence tomographers, the Maestro 2 and Triton Plus, with Brian Tompkins using the latter in his workshop, ‘Empirical fits with sclerals’. Its dry eye diagnosis tools, the Eye-Light, with MGD Mask, My-Mask and Me-Check, will also be in focus, as well as Topcon Chronos: a complete digital refraction solution that combines binocular objective autorefraction, keratometry and subjective refraction in a single device.

The Body Doctor will showcase its dry eye portfolio, including the Eye Doctor range as well as Optimel, NuLids and Zocular. It will be a first exhibition outing for NuLids Pro and Zest. NuLids Pro is gentle micro-exfoliation system to help manage patients with blepharitis and/or meibomian gland dysfunction; also suitable for use with dry eye disease and demodex. Zest is an in-practice deep cleansing system utilising patented Zokrex technology and activated natural Okra polysaccharide complexes.

EyeDream MC, an orthokeratology contact lens designed specifically for myopia management with an optic zone diameter of 5.50mm, will be launched by No7 Contact Lenses – part of the CooperVision Specialty EyeCare Division – during a breakfast meeting. Presented for the first time at the BCLA conference, EyeDream MC lenses are custom-made using detailed corneal topography. Available in spherical and an updated toric design, correcting prescriptions up to -5.50D and -2.50D astigmatism, the lenses are said to be suitable for a wide range of patients.

Katie Harrop, No7 professional services director, commented: “Every dioptre helps to make a difference with myopia control. These lenses are indicated for slowing myopia progression in children and young people, and our technical expertise and manufacturing excellence over the last 18 years are well recognised by our loyal EyeDream eyecare partners – now numbering in excess of 300 UK and Ireland practices.”

For more details about the exhibition and Exhibitors Pavilion presentations, visit the BCLA website.