ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The Vision Council of America (VCA) is making progress in its dialogue with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) about the FDA’s proposed guidelines for lens impact testing.

Ed Greene, chief executive officer of VCA, told VMail the organization has sent a letter to the FDA a letter urging it not to adopt the guidelines, which the FDA issued in October, 2007 in a document known as a draft Q&A. The draft Q&A provides questions and answers about how to interpret federal regulations on drop ball testing.

Greene said VCA has also submitted to the FDA a draft rewrite of the guidelines, which it prepared with input from VCA’s lens manufacturers committee. The VCA draft cites test data that refutes some of the FDA’s assertions concerning the effect of edging on lens impact resistance.

“The VCA looks forward to working with the FDA and other optical organizations in developing a mutually acceptable document that is applicable and appropriate to the market,” said Greene. “The FDA has agreed to schedule a meeting at the end of March to discuss the Q&A in more detail.”

Greene noted that VCA is pleased that the FDA has extended the period for public comment on the draft Q&A until April 24. View VCA’s deadline extension request.

He said that the FDA has informed VCA that it has already received numerous communications from the optical community at large expressing their concern with the draft Q&A.

“We are very encouraged by the recent correspondence and development with the FDA and are very confident that they plan to partner with the optical community to create a more appropriate Q&A guidance document,” Greene said. “The industry as a whole has spoken to them and they have listened and the process of working together has started.”