Johnson & Johnson

ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions Light Intelligent Technology Named Among TIME’s ‘Best Inventions of 2018’

First-of-its-kind contact lens corrects vision and adapts to changing light conditions

TIME has selected ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions Light Intelligent Technology as one of the ‘Best Inventions of 2018,’ in its annual round-up spotlighting groundbreaking innovations worldwide. The development of ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions has created and defined an entirely new category of contact lenses that provides wearers with vision correction and reduces blaring light for all-day soothing vision.

The contact lenses – built for a modern and active lifestyle – help reduce exposure to bright light indoors and outdoors, including filtering blue light and blocking UV rays that can impact eye comfort and vision.

“Receiving this prestigious designation for ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions alongside other game-changing inventions that are improving the way we live in today’s ‘always on’ world, is a major achievement for our company,” said Ashley McEvoy, Executive Vice President and Worldwide Chairman, Medical Devices, Johnson & Johnson. “This ACUVUE innovation was born out of deep research into consumer lifestyle needs, and it took more than a decade to combine the revolutionary light-adaptive technology with these advanced contact lenses. The result are lenses that deliver a first-of-its-kind benefit, going beyond vision correction to be as nimble as consumers are in their everyday lives.”

The two-week reusable contact lens, which will be marketed by Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., continuously adapts from clear to dark and back, helping eyes adjust to changing light better than they would on their own. ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions begin to darken as soon as they’re exposed to UV or HEV light, with Transitions Light Intelligent Technology enabling the lenses to become dark in 45 seconds – and fade back from dark to clear within 90 seconds when going from outdoors to indoors. At full activation, the lenses block up to 70 percent of visible light. The revolutionary contact lens experience is designed to offer the highest level of UV protection available in contact lenses and are the only contact lenses that provide 100% protection against UVB rays.

ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions was developed through a strategic partnership between Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and Transitions Optical Limited– combining the strengths and expertise of each company.

The contact lenses received 510(k) clearance for the attenuation of bright light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April of this year, and was issued a medical device license by Health Canada in October of this year. They are expected to launch in the U.S., Canada and other select markets in the first half of 2019.

 

Sightbox Releases New Website with Resources and Education to Support Doctors and Patients

Doctor-reviewed, shareable content furthers company’s vision to keep optometrists at the center of care

Sightbox, a concierge contact lens membership service offering a yearly eye exam, contact lens fitting, and the annual supply of contact lenses for monthly payments throughout the year, has launched a new website with shareable resources specifically for optometrists and eye care professionals as part of its efforts to keep doctors at the center of care.

Doctor.sightbox.com demonstrates how Sightbox keeps doctors at the center of care by offering unbranded educational content that eye care professionals can share with their patients—allowing them more time to focus on patients in the exam room.

The doctor resources are reviewed and vetted by optometrists. Dr. Bradley Smith, OD, Tigard Vision Center in Portland, Ore. helped review the most recent resources on the website.

“Finding or creating resources for patients can be difficult when you’re taking care of the administrative work that comes with owning a private practice,” said Dr. Smith. “The doctor resources from Sightbox help us extend patient care outside of the exam room with easy-to-use and unbranded resources for communicating with patients.”

Content on the website includes:

  • Educational Resources: For doctors who already educate their patients in the exam room but do not have enough time to create supplemental materials that patients can use outside the exam room—Sightbox’s doctor resources website provides doctor-reviewed materials for eye care professionals to share with patients.
  • Blog: Many doctors have many topical interests but need an outlet to share their viewpoints or learn about others—the Sightbox doctor blog includes topics that mean the most to optometrists. Topics will continue to evolve as doctors contribute their insights to the blog.
  • FAQs: This section serves as an outlet to answer all of the important questions we hear daily, like: How can Sightbox benefit my practice? or How does Sightbox choose practices when scheduling Members?
  • Informational Video: Produced in an easily digestible format, the informational video helps explain how Sightbox supports the work of optometrists and helps put—and keep—patients in their chairs.

“At Sightbox, we want to make sure doctors can spend their time caring for patients in the exam room,” said Travis Rush, CEO, Sightbox. “Sightbox will continue to provide resources, content and blog posts authored or reviewed by doctors so they feel comfortable knowing that their patients are getting information about eye health from a doctor in and out of the exam room.”

To find the latest doctor-focused resources from Sightbox, visit doctor.sightbox.com/resources.

Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore Eye Research Institute and Johnson & Johnson Vision set sights on halting global Myopia epidemic

New US$26.35 Million Collaboration Seeks Prevention and Treatment Solutions to Address Rising Burden of Condition

The Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) and Johnson & Johnson Vision today announced a US$26.35 million (S$36.35 million) research collaboration to tackle myopia, or nearsighted vision, the largest threat to eye health this century. By 2050, half of the world’s population are projected to be myopic, with one billion expected to have high myopia, a severe state of the condition that can lead to retinal disease with an increased risk of blindness.

The first-of-its-kind public-private strategic partnership in Asia focused on myopia will create a deeper understanding of how the condition develops, how it progresses and how it may be intercepted. It will focus on developing predictive tools to identify those who may be at risk to develop high myopia, conduct research on the underlying mechanisms of myopia, progress novel therapies, and discover and validate methods to prevent the onset and progression of the condition.

“The incidence of myopia is increasing at an alarming rate around the world and if left unchecked, the human and financial toll could skyrocket in the coming decades, especially in Asia,” said Paul Stoffels, MD, Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer, Johnson & Johnson. “We are delighted to be collaborating with SERI and SNEC to better understand the underpinnings of this condition and identify ways to halt this global public health threat,” he said. “Together, we hope to bring important progress to individuals and families throughout the Asia Pacific region and ultimately, around the world.”

“Documented increases in myopia, especially among young people, are a serious concern and if we can understand the underlying mechanisms that are contributing to its rapid rise, we can work to tackle the problem at its roots,” said Professor Aung Tin, Executive Director of SERI. “SERI is strongly committed to collaborating with leading companies to address eye diseases, and we are excited to be embarking on this research collaboration to break new ground against the epidemic.”

According to Professor Wong Tien Yin, Medical Director at the SNEC, the collaboration will bring together the right mix of resources, clinical and scientific experience, and intellect to create a leading centre for myopia research, clinical care and education practices designed to contribute substantially to regional and global efforts to fight the condition. “SNEC is honored to be working with collaborators coming together to address the growing burden of myopia,” Professor Wong said. “By leveraging the diverse strengths of our clinicians, clinician scientists and strategic partners to establish new disease frameworks and share this knowledge across world communities to help eradicate myopia.”

Myopia is the number one eye defect in the world. Myopia increases risk of retinal degeneration and detachment, cataracts and glaucoma. Unchecked, it will become the leading cause of irreversible vision impairment and blindness. The condition occurs when the eyeball becomes elongated due to environmental and genetic factors. Few modalities are currently approved by regulatory bodies to control myopia.

Significant Burden Projected Worldwide, With Biggest Impact in Asia

  • Five billion people globally are expected to have myopia by 2050.
  • East Asia and Singapore will shoulder the greatest impact, with current prevalence rates among young people as high as 80 to 97 percent concentrated in urban areas.
  • Children are most vulnerable. For example, in China, among children ages six to 18, myopia prevalence rises from less than 10 to 80 percent. Children who go on to develop high myopia are at a high risk for a lifetime of severe eye disease and permanent vision loss.
  • In Singapore, one in two children develop myopia by the age of 12, and 75 percent of teenagers are myopic and rely on glasses.
  • Uncorrected distance refractive errors, largely caused by myopia, are already estimated to cost global healthcare systems US$202 billion annually and this cost will rise exponentially with increased prevalence and severity of myopia in coming decades.
  • In Singapore alone, the annual direct cost of optical correction of myopia for Singaporeans has been estimated at US$755 million (S$1.04 billion).

Due to the complexity and scale of myopia, halting the epidemic will require a multidisciplinary approach that encompasses novel clinical research as well as innovations in education and clinical care. SNEC, SERI and Johnson & Johnson Vision intend to build on these efforts and convene other stakeholders to support broad-based strategies.

Johnson & Johnson Vision brings to this initiative deep expertise in optometry and ophthalmology backed by the strength, capabilities and reach of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, which are committed to solving complex global public health challenges. SERI and SNEC have a strong track record of high-impact eye research and excellence in clinical care that has paved the way for improvements in how eye diseases are detected, prevented and treated in Singapore, across Asia and on a global scale.


Two Studies Measure Performance of ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions Light Intelligent Technology Contact Lenses in Simulated Sunlight, Day and Night Driving Conditions

  • First-of-its-kind photochromic contact lens delivered improved visual function compared to transparent contact lenses in simulated sunlight
  • Subjects wearing photochromic contact lenses performed equal or better across several measures in daytime and nighttime driving compared to wearing transparent lenses alone or with photochromic spectacles

Johnson & Johnson Vision announces that data from two new studies on the visual effects of photochromic contact lenses was presented at the 2018 American Academy of Optometry Annual Meeting in San Antonio (Academy 2018 San Antonio). Both studies were among the ‘most newsworthy’ at the meeting, as selected by the American Academy of Optometry. These are the first scientific presentations focused on photochromic contact lens technology since the lenses received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in April.

Comparing the visual effects of photochromic and clear contact lenses
In a study of 58 subjects, there was a clear benefit to visual function when comparing the activated photochromic contact lens with a transparent contact lens on the same individual in simulated sunlight conditions. Specifically, compared to eyes wearing transparent contact lenses, eyes wearing the photochromic contact lenses experienced, on average:

  • 43% faster photostress recovery (vision recovering after exposure to bright light); in a real-world scenario, this can represent up to five seconds faster recovery of vision
  • 38% less squint
  • 27% less impairment of vision (when bright light reduces visibility, or disrupts vision)
  • 32% improved chromatic contrast (when one color stands out more than another)

“In real-world environments, people are exposed to a variety of lighting conditions, and sunlight can be one of the most disruptive conditions for eyes and visual function,” said Billy R. Hammond, PhD, Professor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Georgia. “Based on these study results, we see that photochromic contact lenses can provide true visual benefits during outdoor activities.”

Photochromic contact lenses’ impact on daytime and nighttime driving performance
In daytime and nighttime driving conditions, 24 subjects wearing photochromic contact lenses demonstrated equal or better performance across several measures compared to subjects wearing transparent contact lenses alone or with photochromic spectacles.

“Interestingly, subjects wearing the photochromic contact lenses were able to read road signs from about 17.8 meters farther away at night than subjects wearing non-photochromic lenses,” said John R. Buch, OD, Senior Principal Research Optometrist at Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.

Availability of ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions Light Intelligent Technology
Earlier this year, Johnson & Johnson Vision announced it had received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions Light Intelligent Technology, a first-of-its-kind contact lens that provides wearers with vision correction and a dynamic photochromic filter that helps to continuously balance the amount of light entering the eye for all-day soothing vision. These contact lenses quickly and seamlessly adjust from clear to dark in response to changing light conditions, reducing exposure to bright light indoors and outdoors, including filtering blue light and blocking UV rays. ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions Light Intelligent Technology will be available in the United States in the first half of 2019.