The Eye Doc Blog » contacts

Study Shows UV Absorbing Contact Lenses Really Work.

RAD — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:25:25 +0000

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.

How are Custom Soft Contact Lenses Made

RAD — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:04:51 +0000

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.

Are Bifocal Contact Lenses Right For You?

RAD — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:51:36 +0000

Why do I need bifocals is a very common question. As a child we have a tremendous capacity to focus at near and as we get older our ability to focus at near slowly decreases to the point where around 40 years of age we begin to notice that it takes a significant effort to read. We need more light than we used to. The print quality has to be good. We can’t read as well in the afternoon. Sometimes we can read at near, but when we look up the distance is blurry. These are all signs of presbyopia. From the age of 40 to approximately the mid 60’s we notice the decline of our near vision. This is called presbyopia (prez-bē-ˈō-pē-ə).

The good news is we have better options available than ever before. Bifocal contact lenses really do work. Read more…