BostonSight’s Dr. Karen Carrasquillo Publishes Study on Data-driven Scleral Lens Design With Drs. Melissa Barnett and Muriel M. Schornack

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“Clinical Outcomes of Scleral Lens Fitting with a Data-driven, Quadrant-specific Design: Multicenter Review” Optometry and Vision Science: September 2020 – Volume 97 – Issue 9 – p 761-765

The purpose of the study was to evaluate clinical outcomes with a data-driven, quadrant-specific scleral lens design compared with traditional lens designs.

For this multicenter retrospective observational study, the authors distributed a REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) survey to scleral lens practitioners who participated in β testing of a data-driven, quadrant-specific scleral lens design (study lens) between June 1, 2016, and January 31, 2017.

Descriptive data were collected, and patient-reported outcomes, visual acuity, and lens design outcomes achieved with the study lens were described.

Seventy-five patients (85 eyes) were fit with the study lens design between June 2016 and January 2017. Mean patient age was 47 years (range, 17 to 77 years). Forty-six were male, and 29 were female. Seventy-six eyes (89%) were fit for corneal irregularity, whereas nine eyes (11%) were fit for management of ocular surface disease. Compared with habitual correction, 22%more eyes achieved 20/20 or better, and 21%more eyes achieved 20/40 or better. There was also a 60% decrease in the need for midday removal with the study lens. An average of two lenses were manufactured per eye to complete the fitting process.

Alignment of the scleral lens haptic with the anterior ocular surface is of critical importance when fitting scleral lenses. The concept of leveraging big-data analysis to drive lens design is explored in this study. This retrospective study evaluated fitting outcomes of a data-driven, quadrant-specific scleral lens design and found that most patients (76%) were successfully fit with this design.

Using a data-driven, quadrant-specific scleral lens resulted in visual improvement, a reduced need for midday removal, and an average of two lenses needed to complete the fitting process. Longer-term clinical outcomes and the use of big-data analysis to inform scleral lens design should be further explored.

The abstract can be found online at: https://journals.lww.com/optvissci/Abstract/2020/09000/Clinical_Outcomes_of_Scleral_Lens_Fitting_with_a.17.aspx

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BostonSight Grows PROSE™ Provider Network

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Expanding Access to Life Changing Eye Care That Restores Vision in People with Corneal Disease Needham, Mass. –September 15, 2020 – BostonSight®, a nonprofit eye healthcare organization and research center dedicated to saving sight and improving quality of life for patients, announced today they have added three PROSE™ Provider sites and four PROSE Clinical Fellows to the BostonSight PROSE Network. With this addition, the BostonSight PROSE Provider Network now includes 18 sites in four countries. BostonSight PROSE is a custom medical treatment model that saves sight in individuals with ocular surface disease. During treatment, doctors customize prosthetic devices from gas-permeable polymers for each patient’s condition and unique eye shape. For many people, PROSE treatment is their only option to restore visual function and end suffering from critical and devastating eye issues resulting from complications with dry eye, keratoconus, ocular GVHD, Sjögren’s Syndrome, Stevens Johnson Syndrome, corneal damage or injury, and other corneal diseases. PROSE treatment teams include cornea specialist ophthalmologists and optometrists who have completed an intensive BostonSight PROSE Clinical Fellowship. “Our mission at BostonSight is to expand our network of PROSE providers, elevate the standard of patient care, and improve quality of life for those who are suffering from corneal irregularities or ocular surface disease,” said Sara Yost, BostonSight President and CEO. “We are excited to welcome our newest PROSE Network Clinics and Fellows to provide broader access to this life-changing treatment. The new Fellows are highly regarded and experienced in the treatment of ocular surface disease and will continue to provide the expert level of care for which PROSE treatment has been recognized.” Among the additions, the BostonSight PROSE Network now includes:
  • Lee Guo. Dr. Guo joins the previously established PROSE site at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore, MD.  He is currently an assistant professor within the department of Cornea, Cataract, and External Diseases. Dr. Guo is also among clinical faculty in the multidisciplinary Johns Hopkins Sjögren’s Center and the Wilmer Ocular Surface Diseases and Dry Eye Team. He received his Doctor of Optometry degree from Nova Southeastern University and completed ocular disease residency at C.W. Bill Young VAMC in Bay Pines, FL. Dr. Guo currently assists as research investigator to various active dry eye studies and provides patient care at Wilmer Eye Institute locations in the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/profiles/results/directory/profile/10004625/lee-guo
  • Robert Davis and Davis EyeCare in Chicago, IL. Dr. Davis is the medical director at the Contact Lens Clinic at Davis EyeCare. He is also co-founder of EyeVis, Eye and Vision Research Institute, developing novel contact lens designs as well as forging the knowledge of anterior segment pathophysiology. Dr. Davis has been recognized as a Diplomate in the Corneal, Contact Lens and Refractive Technology section of the American Academy of Optometry as well as an inductee in National Academy Practice in Optometry. He is an adjunct faculty member at Southern California College of Optometry – Marshall B. Ketchum University, Illinois College of Optometry, Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University, and Pacific University. He has held leadership roles in the American Optometric Association, American Academy of Optometry, National Academy of Practice, and other professional organizations. https://daviseyecare.com/
  • John D. Gelles and the Cornea and Laser Eye Institute (CLEI) Center for Keratoconus in Teaneck, NJ. Dr. Gelles is a graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science. He an adjunct clinical professor at State University of New York College of Optometry, Illinois College of Optometry and New England College of Optometry. Dr. Gelles is clinical investigator for various keratoconus and specialty contact lens clinical trials and is active nationally with a number of professional organizations related to keratoconus and contact lens. Dr. Gelles is committed to helping individuals affected by complex corneal and ocular surface diseases through the utilization of advanced contact lenses, treatments, therapies, and the latest technologies to improve quality of life. With a team of specialized ophthalmologists, Dr. Peter S. Hersh, Dr. Steven A. Greenstein, and Dr. David S. Chu, CLEI provides comprehensive corneal and ocular surface disease care. https://www.vision-institute.com/
A full list of PROSE Network Sites can be found on the BostonSight website at www.bostonsight.org. About BostonSight®   BostonSight has saved the sight of thousands of individuals suffering from ocular surface disease, corneal disease, injury, or damage with BostonSight PROSE™ treatment. Founded in 1992, the Needham, MA Center of Excellence includes a clinic, research center, state-of-the-art FDA-certified and ISO-compliant manufacturing lab, and patient and family support center.  BostonSight SCLERAL was launched in 2017 to expand access to global scleral lens technology.  Eye care practitioners achieve a fast, effective scleral lens fit that provides optimal vision and comfort for patients while attaining long-term eye health. SCLERALIG is the newest innovation in BostonSight’s portfolio, using image topography to map the eye for a truly custom scleral lens fit. BostonSight envisions a world where no one suffers loss of sight from corneal irregularities or ocular surface disease. Learn more at www.bostonsight.org. Contact: Michele Hart BostonSight (617) 669-4225 mhart@bostonsight.org

BostonSight CEO Sara Yost Featured in Contact Lens Spectrum Industry Focus

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This month, we focus on BostonSight, a non-profit organization and scleral lens manufacturer. I recently had the pleasure to speak with BostonSight President and CEO, Sara Yost.

Sara Yost BostonSight CEO

Ms. Yost, please tell us about your organization in terms of its history and direction.
BostonSight is a nonprofit health-care organization based in Need-ham, MA. It was founded in 1992 with a mission to address the unmet needs of patients suffering from ocular surface disease and vision loss from corneal disease, damage, or injury. We started a small clinic to provide scleral lenses for this purpose.

In 1994, we developed and manufactured the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved flu-id-ventilated scleral lens for therapeutic and irregular corneal indica-tions. We hold patents in scleral lens design and manufacturing, and we also share a patent with the University of Rochester in correcting higher-order aberrations (HOAs).

We wanted to share what we learned so that patients outside of our clinic could benefit. We published peer-reviewed literature. Since 2007, we have trained practitioners on our Boston PROSE treatment in tertiary eyecare centers in four countries.

In 2017, we launched BostonSight Scleral with our new FitConnect platform. BostonSight Scleral is our data-driven  lens based on scleral shape. It has left and right eye designs for more efficient and effective fitting. FitConnect is an all-in-one resource and practice management tool for fitting scleral lenses.

Patient care and expanding global access to our innovations remains at our core. In 2018, we partnered with LV Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India, and we recently partnered with Spectrum International to bring our lenses to patients in Latin America. We strongly believe in collaboration to push the industry forward. We also have a focus on connecting patients to share experiences and information.

Read the full industry focus piece here