I thought I might add some comment here, too.

You would think that a global company with the resources of J&J would
come up some new and valuable contact lens technology.  But no. They
persist in marketing----a leader in forcing practitioners to buy in to
lens banks with trial sets priced at a premium just to be allowed to
have an account to order product for dispensing. At least they're trying
something new with Advance, while carefully marketing them in limited
parameters in limited markets with limited access to trial lenses so as
not to hurt their Acuvue sales ?

Meanwhile, I've long ago ceased dispensing "legacy" soft lens designs
and materials.

There have been a few, just a few new plastics in the three decades
since soft lens started.  Benz Research started the ball rolling with
their hioxifilcon material. BH came out with vasurfilcon (Precision) and
then came Biocompatible's omafilcon Proclear material. Even B&L came out
with their hilafilcon and alphafilcon materials, and now, of course,
their silicone-hydrogel Purevision, but even so while persisting to
market their polymacon lenses. Talk about ancient technology! Polymacon:
the lowest permeability lens on the market.

And most everyone else kept on with the 1970's-80's plastics which in
2005 is absurd. IMHO, those lenses have no application anymore.  And I
think that in the next couple of years silicone-hydrogel will replace
all of that, at least for professional dispensing.  The rest being
relegated to mail-order and discount sellers. Perhaps advanced
copolymers based on the newer plastics will still be around for short
term daily wear and daily disposable use, a reasonable application. But
if the contact lens industry is going to persist, it's going to be with
high quality, precision optics in a healthy, deposit resistant
user-friendly material. Why in the world would you want to mess around
with anything short of that?

So then there's the question of: what's holding back a major marketing
shift to high oxygen permeable quality lenses?  If you're a conspiracy
believer, think LASIK/refractive surgery. That market is about done, at
least around here, and anyone left who is interested is far more likely
to go with a contact lens that can stay in their eyes for week or two or
four.  B&L makes LASIK machines, home of the smart-card cash cow. Do you
think they're going to come out with Purevision in a full range of
parameters including multifocals anytime soon? Could they? You bet, like
instantly. And what's with Ciba/Novartis sitting on limiting O2Optix to
low power myopes and the more expensive N&D in a more expanded but still
seriously incomplete parameters?

I guess as long as the big manufactures are successful pushing their
lenses through multiple dispensers, like 1-800, Costco, etc, why do
anything different?

My two cents.

LB, O.D.