Contact Lenses

Kelly Nichols, OD, FAAO, PhD, MPH, Dipl PH, says she would like to see optometrists screen for meibomian gland dysfunction during eye exams and consider the condition when treating patients who are experiencing discomfort with their contact lenses.

Contact lenses are a large part of any general eye care practice. It is one source of great pride and satisfaction when a patient new to contact lenses first sees clearly without his spectacles, and we all enjoy seeing that epiphany. Yet, like with all experiences, the new soon wears off, and those patients who started out with the best of intentions regarding their contact lens wear and care can slip into some not-so-healthy habits.

There is significant healing power in the doctor-patient relationship. If we work together in these relationships, significant improvement can occur to our patient’s quality of life and health status.

Otolaryngologists (ENTs) have it easy. They can instruct their patients not to stick anything in their ears that is smaller than their elbows, and not only is it sound medical advice, but it has a fairly high rate of compliance. Eyecare professionals (ECPs) who fit contact lenses, on the other hand, have a more difficult hill to climb because we purposely put materials in our patients’ eyes, an impossible feat without biocompatible products.

Researchers are developing a prototype contact lens for the blind that would translate images into a Braille-like sensation felt on the eye using small electric impulses.

Bausch + Lomb has begun the initial rollout of its Ultra monthly replacement silicone hydrogel contact lens with MoistureSeal technology.

UK-based Sauflon recently announced that it is entering the U.S. contact lens market with clariti 1day (somofilcon A), a daily disposable silicone hydrogel lens.

Innovega debuted its first fully functioning prototypes of iOptik, an augmented reality system that projects a heads-up display onto contact lenses, at the recent Consumer Electronics Show.

ABB Optical Group will offer two new custom soft contact lens product lines. Customers can now order the full line of SynergEyes Inc. products and BioColors from Orion Vision Group.»

Many patients may assume their solution of choice will do the job and that, perhaps, the differences represented on the shelf are minimal. But we know that contact lens solutions are complex formulations of biocides, buffering agents, and surfactants, and that the balance between these agents must be nearly perfect.

The majority (91 percent) of astigmatic patients are willing to trial a daily disposable contact lens for astigmatism with a doctor’s recommendation, research shows.

Zeiss recently introduced Zeiss Officelens, a customized, task-specific lens that allows patients to choose the amount of working distance they need, from 3 to 14 feet, to help battle computer vision syndrome.

According to the survey, a majority of consumers admit to a number of behaviors that could lead to dirty lenses, and ultimately, discomfort or infection. For example, storing CLs in tap water rather than in disinfecting solution (35%) or failing to rinse lenses with disinfecting solution before placing them in their lens storage case (55%).

A coefficient of friction value on human corneal donor tissue has been measured for the first time, according to new research conducted by Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and presented in a poster at the recent American Academy of Optometry meeting. The research also shows that while coefficient of friction is dependent on the type of buffer solution, it may not be dependent on donor age or on the time of death when measuring fresh corneal tissue.

The TFOS International Workshop on Contact Lens Discomfort report is available to help practitioners better understand the challenge with contact lens wear.

I used to take noncompliance personally. I was failing my patients as their eye doctor. After all, it’s my job to explain the risks of contact lens wear and care non-compliance, and if my patients weren’t complying then I must be doing a poor job of communicating those risks. One of the many points I learned: It’s not my fault!

Preventing CL dropouts can be a challenge with patients suffering from CLIDE. A number of factors, including the patient’s overall general health, the type of contact lens worn and solution interaction, among others, can influence the condition. Predicting which CL patients are more likely to develop dry eye helps you tailor management to the individual patient needs and set realistic patient goals for successful lens wear.

CooperVision adds additional myopic and hyperopic powers to its silicone hydrogel Biofinity line and adds -2.25 D to its Avaira cylinder availability.

While there are many factors involved, a number of individuals opt out of wearing their contact lenses every year. Randy Kojima, FAAO, a research scientist and clinical instructor at Pacific University College of Optometry, discusses how there could be a mechanical component involved.

In a study comparing extended wear and daily wear contact lenses, extended contact lens wear was associated with more inflammatory and infectious complications, says Loretta Szczotka-Flynn, OD, PhD, from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, They appeared to have a greater frequency of lens bioburden and decreased frequency of lid bioburden, as compared to daily wear.

The future is here when it comes to innovations in ocular drug delivery, according to an expert panel, including such technologies as nanotechnology, contact lenses, and MIGS devices.

Daily disposable contact lenses provide a clean, deposit-free, sterile lens in a saline-based solution on a daily basis, so that each new lens is comfortable, safe, and convenient.

Dailies Total 1 water-gradient, daily disposable contact lenses are made using a new silicone hydrogel material (delefilcon A). The lens surface has a water content of more than 80%, and mimics the natural hydrophilic ocular surface. Studies have found that Dailies Total 1 lenses remained subjectively moist and comfortable throughout the day.

Alcon launches its new daily disposable contact lens to North American practitioners.

CooperVision’s app helps your patients stay in contact lens wear during allergy season.