Acuvue-now.com, January 3, 2009
We have updated the rebate center showing the latest Acuvue Mail-in Rebates available from Vistakon, the makers of all Acuvue products.

So what has changed? Well - pretty much everything. Vistakon has completely revised their mail-in rebate structure.

Previously the rebates were ranging from $20 to $75 based on buying 8, 12 or 24 boxes. Now there are only $20 and $30 rebates available.

This simplifies the rebate structure and takes away some of the confusion, but gone are the days where you could buy 24 boxes and get a hefty $75 rebate.  Some of the rebates have been reduced, for example buying 8 boxes of Acuvue Bifocal got cut from a $55 rebate to a $20 rebate. The biggest hit took Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism: If you buy 8 boxes, your rebate is $20, compared to $65 before.

In general, all rebates are now based on buying 8 boxes, so you no longer have to worry about how many box tops to submit (you always have to submit 2 box tops).

Last not least additional retailers are excluded from this rebate promotion. When you buy from CostCo®, WALMART® or 1-800 CONTACTS®, you are NOT eligible for this manufacturer mail-in rebate.

View all Acuvue Rebates in one simple chart...

Acuvue-now.com, Oct. 14, 2008
Vistakon's flagship site www.acuvue.com got an entire refresh of its interface. More flash, a fresh new look and an entire new navigation system are the most noticeable changes. We had a look at the site and took some screen shots.

Acuvue-now.com, October 14, 2008
Johnson & Johnson released Q3 2008 Earnings today. Another stellar quarter. We extracted some comments from the earnings transcript that are specific to the vision care division. 

"...Our Vision Care franchise achieved operational sales growth of 9% in the third quarter compared to the same period last year. Sales in the US increased 10%. Sales outside the US grew 8% on an operational basis. Acuvue Oasys, One-Day Acuvue Moist and Acuvue Lens for were the major growth drivers in the quarter."

Congratulations on another great quarter! We can't wait to see additional product introductions in the US (such as the long-awaited 1-Day Acuvue TruEye)!

Jacksonville, Fla, Oct. 8, 2008
VISTAKON, a Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and maker of Acuvue 2 Contact Lenses, today announced that a United States district court in New York has ordered Ocular Insight, Inc. to permanently discontinue stating or communicating in its advertising or promotional materials or activities for the company’s Clear 58® contact lenses in the United States, any of the following claims:

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sep. 4, 2008
If the Chicago Cubs make it to the World Series this year, infielder Mike Fontenot can point to his contact lenses as a contributing factor.

In 2003, while struggling at the plate with a batting average around .200 for the AA Bowie Baysocks (a minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles), Mike noticed that his vision was, at times fuzzy and not as sharp as it should be. A visit to the eye doctor and a prescription for contact lenses (Acuvue 2) helped correct his vision problems and he finished the season with a .325 average.

Fontenot joined the Cubs organization in 2005 as part of a trade that sent Sammy Sosa to Baltimore. He appeared in seven games for the Cubs in 2005 and spent the 2006 season with the club’s Iowa AAA team, posting a .296 average.
Following the season, Fontenot’s eye doctor prescribed Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism. After getting off to a torrid start with the Iowa club in 2007, he joined the parent club midway through the season, appearing in 86 games and making two appearances as a pinch hitter in the National League Division Series against Arizona.

Today, the 28-year-old Fontenot is a vital part of the Cubs’ 2008 success. Through the mid-way point of August, he’s already established career highs in home runs and RBIs, while sporting a .290 batting average.
Fontenot clearly sees the impact that optimal vision has had on his play. “At the major league level, good vision is critical to success,” he says. “Contact lenses have made a huge difference for me. My vision is crisp and clear and at the plate I can pick up the spin and direction of the ball, helping me to maximize each at bat.”

Source: Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sep. 3, 2008
VISTAKON®, a Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and maker of ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses, today announced the launch of its ACUMINDER™ Facebook application (www.acuminder.com/facebook). This newest iteration of the company's free online ACUMINDER™ contact lens compliance service expands its functionality into a multipurpose lifestyle tool available to Facebook's 80 million active users.

ACUMINDER™ was introduced last year as a complimentary online service designed to help improve contact lens compliance and eye health for the nation's 38 million contact lens wearers. Now available as a Facebook application, ACUMINDER™ users can receive reminder messages via e-mail and/or alerts in their Facebook newsfeed. In addition to helping consumers with contact lens compliance to help avoid potential eye health complications, ACUMINDER™ Facebook reminders can pertain to just about anything, including taking daily medications, doctors' visits, work deadlines, important social events and more. Reminders also can easily be sent to other Facebook users.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Aug. 5, 2008
To help families better understand the important connection between vision and performance, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., makers of ACUVUE® Brand Contact lenses, is offering BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE(TM), a free online educational digest with advice from experts on how to keep eyes healthy for better performance.

"We know there's a connection between excellent vision and overall performance, so good eye health and optimal vision correction should be a consideration for all performance-minded individuals," says Optometrist, researcher, and author Graham B. Erickson, O.D., F.A.A.O., F.C.O.V.D.

"Uncorrected or under-corrected vision problems can be major contributing factors to computer-related eye stress, affecting visual performance and comfort," adds Jeffrey Anshel, O.D., author of Visual Ergonomics in the Workplace.

Both doctors agree that poor vision should not limit performance, and stress the importance of regular eye examinations, as well as making sure to see an eye care professional if you experience vision problems or discomfort.

BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE(TM) features advice from doctors Erickson, Anshel, and other experts on keeping your eyes healthy for better performance on the athletic field, behind the wheel of a car, and even in front of your computer screen. Also included are tips on simple exercises you can do at home to make ocular muscles more efficient, information on a free brochure on eye health and allergies, and advice on how to protect your eyes from dangerous UV rays.

The educational digest, along with a free trial-pair certificate (Note: Professional exam and fitting fees not included. Valid only while supplies last) for ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses, is available for free download at www.acuvue.com/bethebestyoucanbe for a limited time.

Acuvue-now.com, Aug. 24, 2008 (Update: Dec. 26, 2008)
Which one is better, Acuvue Oasys or Acuvue Advance?  What are the differences between 1-Day Acuvue Moist and 1-Day Acuvue? How does Acuvue TruEye compare to Acuvue Moist?

We will answer these and many other questions in our new series 'Acuvue Lenses Unveiled'.

• The first two articles provide a comparison of Acuvue Oasys and Acuvue Advance and a comparison of Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism and Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism.

• The third article is looking at the brand new daily wear contact lens '1-Day Acuvue TruEye'. Can it challenge the 7 year old 1-Day Acuvue Moist? Check out the first-ever online comparison of 1-Day Acuvue TruEye and 1-Day Acuvue Moist.

• Another article in this series compares Acuvue Advance to Acuvue 2.

• December 26: We just added a comparison of Acuvue Oasys vs. Coopervision Avaira.

Acuvue-now.com, July 15, 2008
Johnson & Johnson released Q2 2008 Earnings today. Overall pretty impressive (considering the slow-down in the economy). We extracted some comments from the earnings transcript that are specific to the vision care division. 

"...Our vision care franchise achieved operational sales growth of 8% in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. Sales in the U.S. increased 7%. The rate of growth has been impacted by the softness in the lens category overall, and the competitive launches. Additionally, the quarterly comparison was impacted by the very strong growth in the second quarter of 2007 due to significant new product launches earlier in that year.

Sales outside the U.S. grew 10% on an operational basis. Acuvue Oasys, 1-Day Acuvue Moist, and Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism were the major contributors to the growth in the quarter. Additionally, outside the U.S. 1-Day Acuvue Define made a strong contribution to growth in the quarter...

...Since June 5 our medical devices and diagnostic business has continued to advance the products and technologies that were mentioned that day. In the U.S. Vistakon introduced Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism, which combine unique stabilization technology with a new generation of silicone hydrogel material..."

Congratulations on a great quarter!  Hopefully this trend will continue as we are looking forward to additional product introductions (such as 1-Day Acuvue TruEye) within the next 2 quarters!

Acuvue-now.com, July 08, 2008
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Devices and Riadiological Health has informed Vistakon about the positive decision on the premarket notification (called 510(k)) for a new type of Contact Lenses made from narafilcon A.

Within the application, originally submitted by Vistakon back in December of 2007, the description of the new lenses - which includes 1-Day Acuvue TruEye - reads as following:

The VISTAKON® (narafilcon A) Contact Lens Clear and Device Visibility Tinted with UV blocker is available as a spherical lens, multifocal lens, toric lens, and toric-multifocal lens.

• The lenses are made of a silicone hydrogel material containing an internal wetting agent.
• The VISTAKON® (narafilcon A) Contact Lens may be tinted blue using Reactive Blue Dye #4 to make the lens more visible for handling
• A benzotriazole UV absorbing monomer is used to block UV radiation. The transmittance characteristics are less than 1% in the UVB range of 280 - 315nm and less than 10% in the UVA range of 316 - 380nm.
• The VISTAKON® (narafilcon A) Contact Lens is a hemispherical or hemitoric shell.
• The lens is supplied in a sterile state, packaged in a buffered saline solution with methyl ether cellulose.
• The composition of the lens is 54% narafilcon A and 46% water by weight when hydrated and stored in the buffered saline solution.

So, everything is lining up for a successful product introduction in the US.  As previously reported, 1-Day Acuvue TruEye was unveiled at the British Contact Lens Association conference in Birmingham (May 29).  1-Day Acuvue TruEye will be available in the UK and Ireland in autumn 2008, with the US following afterward.

Additional information including updates and images are available in the new 1-Day Acuvue TruEye section.

But is the application also revealing that there might be other narafilcon A based Acuvue contact lenses coming?

Acuvue-now.com, June 22, 2008
According to multiple sources on the web and unveiled at the British Contact Lens Association conference in Birmingham (May 29), Johnson & Johnson is introducing 1-Day Acuvue TruEye, a new disposable lens that will be available in the UK and Ireland in autumn 2008.

Althought there wasn't any official release date announced for the US, we think that the new lens will (most likely) be made available in North America by the end of the year or in early 2009.

For more information (including updates and images) visit our new 1-Day Acuvue TruEye section.

The lens is manufactured from a new material, narafilcon A, which has an extremely high oxygen transmissibility (Dk/t) of 118. It features Hydraclear, a moisture-rich ingredient specifically designed for the daily disposable modality and a new formulation of the technology already used in Acuvue Advance, Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism, Acuvue Oasys and Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism.

Acuvue-now.com, June 14, 2008
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. introduces Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism. Currently available through select eye care professionals (in pre-launch) these lenses will be made available throughout the US later in the summer of 2008.

Astigmatism is the most common vision problem, caused by an irregular shape of the cornea and can (usually) be corrected with a contact lens such as Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism. Not only will they help to take away the blur that is caused by this condition but they also protect from UVA and UVB sun light. In addition they come with Hydraclear technology which ensures a long lasting soft, moisture rich and silky feel.

For more information visit the new Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism section on www.acuvue-now.com.