Australia was a shining light for global eyewear supplier Safilo last year. But the company holds even greater hopes for the country’s thriving independent market and has plans to significantly expand its presence here in 2021 and beyond. Read more
Presbyopia eye drop in final stage of clinical development
An ophthalmic pharmaceutical company has commenced two Phase 3 clinical studies to evaluate its eye drop candidate for presbyopia. Read more
Roche’s faricimab meets primary endpoint in DME trial
Swiss drug giant Roche is poised to pursue regulatory clearance for its new faricimab antibody for diabetic macular edema (DME) after it produced a similar effect to Eylea in twin clinical trials, but with half the dosing regimen in several patients. Read more
Aussie firm helping to solve bandwidth issues with smart glasses
Australian-operated company Harvest Technology Group has announced a new agreement to commence proof-of-concept trials with the Belgian producer of industrial smart glasses. Read more
Dispensing wage subsidy ‘back on’ for existing staff after government changes tune
The Federal Government has reversed its decision to restrict a major optical dispensing traineeship wage subsidy to new employees only, reinstating the original criteria that included longer term staff. Read more
Clinical trial results reinforce potential new treatment for DME
Novartis has announced positive findings from its the Phase 3 trial assessing the efficacy and safety of Beovu (brolucizumab) to treat diabetic macular edema (DME). Read more
Aussie firm pushes for Medicare wording change to standalone MIGS
Nova Eye Medical is seeking a modification to the existing minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) Medicare item number that only came into effect in May, stating the current wording has the unintended consequence of excluding microcatheter technology. Read more
Safilo marks Carrera milestone with best-seller relaunch and exclusive Australian models
Safilo is celebrating the 65th anniversary of its proprietary eyewear label Carrera with a relaunch of its most iconic designs. Read more
Menicon collaborating with smart contact lens developer
Japanese contact lens manufacturer Menicon has signed a joint development agreement with a US firm producing the world’s first augmented reality contact lens that overlays images and text on wearers’ natural field of vision. Read more
Optometrists concerned over health fund letters that left patients ‘confused’
Independent optometry practices have been scrambling to contact thousands of patients in recent weeks after health funds sent letters to policy holders, with many wrongly interpreting them as notification they could no longer access care from their usual optometrist or use optical rebates.