Tag Archives: contact lenses

Rub and Rinse Contact Lens Cleaning Method Shown to be More Effective Than No Rub Technique

Posted on September 19, 2011 by | 4 Comments

A study out of Australia has confirmed what eye doctors have long suspected. Rubbing your contact lenses and briefly rinsing them prior to overnight storage and disinfection is more effective at removing bacteria from the lens surface than merely placing the contacts in the case (no rub technique). Numerous multipurpose no rub contact lens solutions have been approved by the FDA  and shown to be an effective method of disinfecting contact lenses however this study shows that applying a few drops of the multipurpose solution, rubbing and then rinsing the lenses is much more effect at removing bacteria from the lens surface.

This study was done “in-vitro” meaning that it was a lab study where patients did not actually wear these lenses but the lenses were seeded with bacteria and then after the lenses were cleaned and disinfected the lenses were then testing to see how much bacteria was removed.

So the moral of the story is after removing your soft contact lenses add a few drops of the multipurpose contact lens solution, rub both sides of the lens then rinse the lens and place it in the case to disinfect overnight.

Reference Data: Zhu H, Bandara MB, Vijay AK, Masoudi S, Wu D, Willcox MD. Importance of rub and rinse in use of multipurpose contact lens solution. Optom Vis Sci. 2011 Aug;88(8):967-72.

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Posted in contact lens, Eye Care

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Keratoconus – New Options for Patients

Posted on August 9, 2010 by | 2 Comments

Due to the fact that one of the specialties at Total Eye Care is keratoconus we see many patients with this condition.  We recently updated our patient information on keratoconus page to reflect some of the new technologies available to our patients such as;

  • Mini scleral lenses, which provide excellent vision like that of traditionally fit gas permeable lenses, however with markedly improved comfort.
  • Corneal collagen cross linking, though not yet FDA approved, is a new technology that I expect will be of a tremendous benefit to our patients.

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Posted in contact lens, Ehlers-Danlos, keratoconus

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FDA Study Cites Contact Lenses as Leading Cause of Medical Device Related Emergency Room Visits

Posted on July 31, 2010 by | 2 Comments

During a 24 month study of 100 hospitals contact lenses accounted for 23% of
medical device related emergency room visits involving children.

In a study published online this week in the journal Pediatrics entitled “Emergency Department Visits for Medical Device-Associated Adverse Events Among Children” it was found that 23% of the medical device related emergency room visits involving  children from birth to 21 years of age were contact lens related, this is in contrast to the next closest category,  injuries due to a puncture by a hypodermic needle, which placed a distant second at 8%.   An additional noteworthy finding was that an another 6% of the ER visits  involved lacerations caused by eyeglasses.

The study did not outline how the children were using their contact lenses.  Were they caring for and cleaning them properly?  Did they discard the lenses according to the replacement interval prescribed by their doctor and what type of contact lenses were involved in the study?  The injuries incurred while wearing eyeglasses did not specify the type of activity the child was participating in when the incident occurred.

Contact lenses are medical devices and as such require a prescription from an eye doctor with professional fitting and followup. In clinical practice we have found that patients that follow the guidelines below rarely experience contact lens related complications.

Injuries due to eyeglass lenses and frames was also a significant source of injuries in the study. We must therefore, not forget to provide our children with protective eyewear when they participate in sports.  Sports eyewear has come a long way since the days when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar captured his trademark look.  Sports eyewear has now become fashionable and safe.

More information on contact lenses.

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Posted in children, contact lens, emergency, optometrist

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Total Eye Care and Bausch + Lomb Announce Back to School Contact Lens Program

Posted on June 30, 2010 by | Leave a comment

From July through September, Total Eye Care is partnering with Bausch + Lomb to raise awareness about the benefits of daily disposable contact lenses for children.

As parents prepare to send their children back to school, it’s important to make sure that our children are getting proper vision care for optimal performance in and out of the classroom.

“Daily disposable contact lenses are easily the safest and most convenient contact lens option.  Now through our partnership with Bausch + Lomb, we hope that more children and adults will experience the convenience and safety of daily disposable contact lenses” says Dr. Richard Driscoll of Total Eye Care in Colleyville.

Through our partnership we will be able to offer a 90 pack of daily disposable contact lenses for only $35…….read more

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Posted in children, contact lens

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How are Soft Contact Lenses Made?

Posted on February 8, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Have you ever wondered how soft contact lenses are made?  We found this Discovery Channel video from the show How Do they do it? showing how custom soft contact lenses are made.  

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Posted in contact lens, FAQ, video

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Top Ten Reasons to Buy Your Contact Lenses from Your Eye Doctor

Posted on February 1, 2010 by | Leave a comment

1. You are guaranteed to get the correct lenses in the correct parameters

2. You are guaranteed to get unexpired lenses

3. If your lenses are not performing properly you don’t have to worry about exchanging your old lenses

4. You can exchange unopened, unexpired, unmarked boxes in new condition at your yearly eye exam

5. If you have a defective lens, we will replace it free of charge

6. We have the latest manufacturer’s rebates available to save you money

7. Competitive pricing

8. FREE shipping

9. You will be getting the lenses from an authorized distributor of the brand you wear

10. You will have the satisfaction of supporting a local business that cares about you and your eyes

Image courtesy of Flickr user Malkav.

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Posted in contact lens, Eye Care, eyecare, FAQ, Opinion, Vision

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Study Shows UV Absorbing Contact Lenses Really Work.

Posted on October 15, 2009 by | 2 Comments

Johnson & Johnson conducted a study using rabbits and concluded that UV absorbing contact lenses significantly reduced the UV induced changes in the cornea, aqueous humor (fluid in the eye) and the lens.  The study authors concluded that UV absorbent contact lenses were capable of protecting the cornea and crystalline lens of rabbit eyes from UV induced changes.

So the question is how does this affect humans?  There are a number of contact lenses on the market today that block most of the UV rays.  While we can’t guarantee that the results of the study would apply to humans we can generally infer that wearing this type of contact lens is beneficial for patients that spend a lot of time outdoors and do not wear sunglasses.

UV absorbent lenses do not protect our conjunctiva. The conjunctiva is the clear membrane that covers the blood vessels over the white part of the eye.  This is an important reason as to why UV absorbent contact lenses are not a replacement for quality sunglasses.  Excessive exposure to UV light on the conjunctiva is a leading cause for pterygia and pinguecula.  A pterygium is the fleshy growth that grows over the colored part of the eye, usually located at 3:00 or 9:00.  A pinguecula is the yellow bump on the white part of the eye, which is also located at 3:00 or 9:00.

While not a replacement for good sunglasses, using UV absorbent contact lenses, especially in children, is a good practice.

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Posted in contact lens, Cornea

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How to Insert, Remove and Take Care of Soft Contact Lenses

Posted on August 10, 2009 by | 1 Comment

Coopervision has produced this 10+ minute video on how to insert, remove and take care of soft contact lenses.    There is a brief commercial at the beginning outlining the different kinds of contact lenses offered by CooperVision.  This video outlines the right way to do it.  Throw away that contact lens solution everyday!

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Posted in contact lens, video

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How are Custom Soft Contact Lenses Made

Posted on August 5, 2009 by | 3 Comments

Here is an interesting video from the TV show How It’s Made on how custom soft contact lenses are made.  The vast majority of soft contact lenses  prescribed today are mass produced and molded, however if you have a lot of astigmatism or wear special custom ordered contact lenses then the odds are good it was manufactured in a similar manner.

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Posted in contact lens, video

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Encouraging Early Results in Nearsightedness Prevention Study

Posted on July 10, 2009 by | 2 Comments

The first year of the Stabilization of Myopia by Accelerated Reshaping Technique (SMART) Study has produced some encouraging results in a recent announcement.  According to Dr. Robert L. Davis, co principal investigator of the SMART trial,  “The net effect of this contact lens fitting philosophy is to change the cornea shape for the sole purpose of reducing the amount of myopia as measured by change in refraction” .  “The results of the SMART Study so far are very exciting,” said Dr. Davis. “The outcomes of this study may revolutionize how we manage young nearsighted patients from this point forward”.

The SMART Trial involves 300 patients between the ages of 8 and 14.  The goal of the study is to see if having patients where overnight orthokeratology or corneal molding lenses will stop or slow the progression of nearsightedness.  The SMART Trial is the largest of its kind.  Other studies have also shown that preventing nearsightedness with ortho-K contact lenses is possible, such the CANDY Study.  A study from Ohio State Unversity suggested that wearing Ortho-K lenses overnight actually prevented the eye from becoming longer.  The SMART Trial has just completed the first year of the five year study.  We will continue to keep an eye on this potientially ground breaking study.

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Posted in children, contact lens, orthokeratology, Refractive issues

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