Workshops and Award makes for a special year for UltraVision

Published: 13 July 2010

2010 is a special year for UltraVision; in April the Leighton Buzzard based contact lens manufacturer received The Queen's Awards for Enterprise: Innovation, specifically for KeraSoft^® as well as launching a series of KeraSoft^® IC Workshops, being held at their Leighton Buzzard head office.

The popular one day workshops are led by UltraVision's in-house Clinical Services Advisor, Josie Barlow SMC (Tech) FBDO CL. Added support is provided by experienced Keratoconus and Irregular Cornea Consultant, Lynn White MSc FCOptom.

Open to Practitioners in the UK and abroad the KeraSoft^® Workshop provides guidance to delegates, enabling them to confidently assess the Keratoconic and irregular cornea patients' eyes. In-depth discussion about the lens design, along with the chance to fit real patients, provides the Practitioner with the ability to quickly achieve the best fitting lenses, and thereby provide life-changing benefits to the wearer.

Historically, rigid lenses have been used to correct irregular corneas. However, some patients experience reduced wearing time due to lack of comfort or ocular health issues. This can have an adverse impact on their quality of life. Patients suffering with all types of Irregular Cornea can now choose a soft contact lens that is comfortable from the offset and provides comparable vision to that of a rigid lens, providing up to 18 hours of wear every day.

For any practitioner wishing to attend the KeraSoft^® IC Workshop, please click here for more information, or contact UltraVision on Freephone 0800 585115.

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KeraSoft IC Workshops

Published: 30 June 2010

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In Contact - June 2010

Published: 30 June 2010

"Excerpt from article by Alan Saks Dip.Optom(SA), MCOptom(UK),FAAO(USA), FCLS(NZ)

KeraSoft
Of course there are many, usually more extreme cases where off the shelf disposable lenses do not work. That’s where the KeraSoft IC comes in. My fitting set, the only one in NZ as far as I know, arrived early in the New Year. Since my return from travels in February I have now trialed and fitted a few complex cases with some great results. 

Challenging Cases
It’s never fair to a new lens design to throw all the grief cases at it that have been building up on ones desk for the past six months. Such cases have generally failed outright or failed to obtain decent wearing time, comfort, vision or physiology. Trialing a new lens on such cases will likely increase the failure rate. I am pleased to report that of the trials I did the success rates with KeraSoft IC were pretty impressive. Two cases have decided to think about it and one simply had too poor vision to benefit. Such cases are really at the graft stage as RGPs, piggybacks, semi-sclerals and other options have failed to date. I currently have three cases that are all doing rather well.

In general I have been suitably impressed with the lenses and in particular the stability and accuracy of fit and lack of rotation, particularly considering the complexity of the lenses and corneas involved.
My results with a variety of NZ, AUS and UK manufactured custom silicone hydrogel torics in high powers over the past few years have been an almost universal disappointment. The KeraSoft results were thus a pleasant surprise.

As usual I temper my comments with the fact that these are initial results but the true test is time.

See http://www.nzoptics.co.nz/incontact/2010/Jun10.htm for full article"

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Life Changing Lens Showcased at BCLA

Published: 30 May 2010

UltraVision was delighted with the large number of visitors to their stand at the BCLA this weekend. KeraSoft IC, the new soft contact lens for all irregular corneas generated most interest. Folllowing Cristina Kenney’s lecture on Friday morning, practitioners wanted to know all about how KeraSoft IC can provide their irregular and keratoconic patients with a healthy alternative to RGP lenses.

UltraVision, featured its most popular products; KeraSoft® IC, UltraWave® SiH and their Multifocal range of contact lenses.  J Keith Lomas, CEO, was thrilled with the amount of interest shown, “KeraSoft IC was a particular draw to our stand this year. The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, along with the dedication and enthusiasm for a working alternative to GP lenses from the whole UltraVision team, have helped raise the profile of this revolutionary contact lens which has changed many patients’ lives for the better.”

KeraSoft® IC is designed for all irregular corneas, including every level of Keratoconus and is now available in SiH and Hydrogel materials.  The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise: Innovation, the highest award that can be bestowed upon a UK company, was received by UltraVision specifically for its KeraSoft design in April this year.  This is the second Queen’s Award that UltraVision has received, the first being in 2006.

UltraVision’s 15 minute Premium Exhibitor Presentation, led by Irregular Cornea and Keratoconus Consultant Lynn White MSc FCOptom, was extremely well attended.  An insight was provided into the rationale behind KeraSoft® IC fittings and the life-changing effect this ground-breaking lens has on patients with Irregular Corneas and Keratoconus, who previously have been struggling with GP lenses.

With the use of video testimonials Lynn was able to demonstrate the full impact that KeraSoft® IC can have on Irregular cornea patients who have had their life turned around, , through the use of KeraSoft® IC lenses. You can view these videos by clicking here, and full case studies, are available here.

Also available on UltraVision’s stand was information regarding training workshops, being run at our head office in Leighton Buzzard, further information on the workshops can be found byfollowing this link.

The UltraVision team look forward to seeing delegates at next year’s BCLA in Manchester or at the 36th Hospital Optometrists Annual Conference from 5th to 7th November, being held at Heathrow, London.

To see an overview of the exhibitors and lecturers at this years BCLA including an interview with UltraVision's Marketing Consultant, Joan Myhill, please play the video below. Courtesy of OT tv.

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Queen's Award for Enterprise 2010

Published: 30 April 2010

UltraVision CLPL is celebrating the fantastic news of a second Queen’s Awards for Enterprise – Innovation

UltraVision CLPL, the largest independent manufacturer, supplier and licensor of contact lenses in the UK, has scored a double with a second Queen’s Award for Enterprise – Innovation.

The Queen’s Award is the highest honour that can be bestowed on a UK company and was awarded specifically for KeraSoft®, UltraVision’s patented soft and silicone hydrogel contact lenses for all irregular corneas including keratoconus.

In 2006 UltraVision received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation for its SAM® and UltraWave® technologies. As well as being applied to UltraWave® monthly disposable contact lenses, SAM® and Wavefront technology are also applied to KeraSoft®, HydroWave® and DuraWave® contact lenses.

The UltraVision group formed by two former St. Albans School friends, J Keith Lomas, Group CEO, and John Clamp, Group COO, both aged 39, is expanding throughout the world with sales into more than 60 countries.

“To receive the Queen’s Award once is a serious achievement, but twice is out of this world” said J Keith Lomas, CEO, “we were improving people’s vision but now our team is taking our technologies to new levels and dramatically changing lives for the better for thousands more people every month”.

Patients can have irregular corneas for a number of reasons including disease, trauma, corneal transplants or failed laser surgery, such as LASIK, and other prescription changing operations. Standard contact lenses or spectacles do not successfully address such complexities so patients can have considerably reduced vision. The traditional approach was with hard or rigid gas permeable lenses, but the rigid surfaces on thinning tissue was often extremely uncomfortable and resulted in short wearing times or patients not even able to wear the rigid lenses at all; so minimal sight.

KeraSoft® lenses are a combination of the latest in soft and silicone hydrogel materials using geometries from complex mathematics to offer comfortable wear and excellent vision for all waking hours, engineered and developed by John Clamp, COO. Keratoconus Consultant and Optometrist Lynn White, helped refine the design for a wide range of irregular cornea conditions through her close work with her patients.

Gareth Beynon, a keratoconic patient from Rugby, Warwickshire said “I had to persevere with rigid lenses for years as there used to be no alternative. I was limited to a maximum of six to eight hours of comfortable wear a day, five days a week so I had to choose when I could see; at home or at work. My life revolved around whether I could wear my lenses or not and had no spontaneity at all. I had to rely on others being present most of the time in case I had a problem with the lenses which was very frustrating. With the KeraSoft® lens, it’s like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. I can now see throughout all my waking hours, have resurrected my motor racing hobby and have got my life back. This is genuinely transformational for me and others. The more people who hear about this the better”.

KeraSoft® lenses are fitted and dispensed by optometrists and opticians in hospital departments, private and high street practices. Ophthalmologists are using the lenses both pre and post-operatively, following cross-linking surgery and as a safer and longer term solution than corneal transplants.

UltraVision CLPL states that KeraSoft® sales are growing by double digit percentages month on month. As well as launching directly in India with new dedicated operations in Trivandrum, Kerala, UltraVision CLPL is currently in licensing discussions with third parties to help accelerate the roll out of KeraSoft® around the world.

J Keith Lomas added “We’ve got game-changing technology here so need to maximise the positive impact on people’s lives wherever we can”.

Her Majesty The Queen will host a reception at Buckingham Palace later this year for the winners of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise – 2010.

To learn more about the Queen's Awards, please visit http://www.queensawards.org.uk

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