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Large-molecule staining drop will not spoil contact lenses
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Accutome’s new FluraSafe eye drop is a two-in-one product that combines a large-molecule stain with an anesthetic.
Two-in-one stains and anesthetics are not new to the ophthalmic market, but FluraSafe is the first to feature a larger molecule that will not spoil contact lenses, according to product co-creator Jerry Rosenstein, OD.
FluraSafe combines fluorexon disodium with anesthetic benoxinate HCl. Fluorexon has an atomic weight of more than 700, which will not fit into the matrix of a contact lens, Dr. Rosenstein noted.
The product is ideal for contact lens wearers who forget to bring their eyeglasses to their appointment, he said. Patients can immediately insert their contact lenses after the examination, and their eyes do not have to be irrigated once the drop is applied.
“It’s a time-saving aspect,” he told Primary Care Optometry News, adding that FluraSafe could enhance convenience for both the practitioner and the patient.
More options
Stanley H. Postar, OD, noted that he has been using FluraSafe for the past 4 months to facilitate Goldmann tonometry or in cases in which he suspects that a patient might have a corneal abrasion.
“I have a fairly large contact lens practice,” Dr. Postar said, estimating that about 75% of his patients are contact lens wearers. With FluraSafe, “you can feel good about using a fluorescein for Goldmann tonometry,” he said in an interview.
He noted that current products on the market do not leave practitioners with many options when contact lens wearers forget to bring back-up glasses.
In the past, he added, fluoresceins that have been marketed for contact lens wearers have been too expensive to make them practical. “[FluraSafe] just makes life easy; that really is what it amounts to,” he said. “It’s really a no-brainer.”
The drop also has applications during suture or foreign body removal, according to an Accutome press release.
Safe “in any patient”
The ingredients in FluraSafe have been commercially available for years. FluraSafe has been commercially marketed since Feb. 4, an Accutome representative said.
Dr. Rosenstein noted that none of the patients who have received the eye drop experienced any sensitivity to it. The eye drop causes “little or no stinging,” he said. “This can be used safely in any patient.”
Dr. Postar, who tried the product on members of his staff before using it on his patients, said that FluraSafe causes less stinging than other fluoresceins. He reported no sensitivity or allergic reactions in any of his patients.
FluraSafe is sold in a 6-mL bottle, according to Accutome.
For Your Information:
- Jerry Rosenstein, OD, can be reached at 9622 Baseline Rd., Alta Loma, CA 91701; (888) EYE-DROP; fax: (909) 948-2193; e-mail: jrosenstein@hotmail.com. Dr. Rosenstein has a direct financial interest in FluraSafe.
- Stanley H. Postar, OD, can be reached at 13637 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423; (818) 501-5565; fax: (818) 784-2894; e-mail: stanleypostarod@sbcglobal.net. Dr. Postar has no direct financial interest in the products mentioned in this article, nor is he a paid consultant for any companies mentioned.
- Accutome, maker of FluraSafe, can be reached at 263 Great Valley Pkwy., Malvern, PA 19355; (800) 979-2020; fax: (610) 889-3233; e-mail: eyeopenr@accutome.com; Web site: www.accutome.com.