Category Archives: contact lens

Cool Technology – Stem Cell Treated Contact Lens Reduces Blindness

This is great stuff.  A contact lens was applied to a patient’s eye to treat a corneal problem, reducing the patient’s blindness.  Contact lenses will soon be used to administer allergy and glaucoma medications.  Our state legislature, here in Texas, last month approved eye doctors to fit the medication delivery contact lenses.  Optometrists and ophthalmologists will be able to begin fitting them when the FDA gives the new drug delivery contact lenses their final approval.  Check out the stem cell video below.   A medical school in Australia is pioneering this important technology.

Are Bifocal Contact Lenses Right For You?

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…

Another Study Shows Progression of Nearsightedness Slowed With Contact Lenses

Study from Ohio State University Confirms Prior Studies   Myopia Slowed With Contacts

In February, here in The Eye Doc Blog, we reported that The CANDY Study showed that OrthoKeratology contact lenses markedly slowed the progression of nearsightedness in children.  The results of The CANDY study have now been confirmed in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, the new study, Corneal Reshaping and Myopia Progression, showed that children wearing corneal reshaping lenses, also known as ortho-K or orthokeratology lenses significantly reduced the rate of change of the length of the children’s eyes.  The study participants wore the lenses for two years and ranged in refractive error from -0.75 to -4.00.  The study concluded that previous reports of slowed eye growth following corneal refractive therapy were confirmed.

Read more about Orthokeratology and Corneal Refractive Therapy at Total Eye Care.  Also view a video from ABC News about Ortho-K.

The archive summary of the study is available here.

Bausch & Lomb Launches Multi-Tiered U.S. Consumer Education Initiative To Raise Awareness Of Presbyopia

The naturally occurring vision condition will affect more than 78 million U.S. baby boomers.  Most are unaware that multifocal contact lenses can resolve their vision needs and avoid readers.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Bausch & Lomb, manufacturer of the #1 multifocal lens design, has launched its largest integrated marketing initiative with the goal of raising U.S. awareness of presbyopia and multifocal contact lenses. Presbyopia is a naturally occurring vision condition that begins to affect people in their 40s. As the eyes’ internal lenses become less flexible and lose elasticity, the eyes are less able to adjust quickly to rapid changes in focus from distance to near objects, causing blurred vision, most notable at reading distances.

Bausch & Lomb, makers of the Purevision Multifocal Contact Lens,  wish to make the public aware that just because you are over 40 doesn’t mean you need to wear reading glasses with your contact lenses.  Soft, bifocal contact lenses have come a long way in the last 10 years.  Read more …….

Study Shows Contact Lenses Improve The Self Image of Children

A new study evaluated the self perception of children between ages 8 and 11, finding that the contact lens wearers had a significantly higher sense of self worth than eye glass wearers in the areas of physical appearance, athletic competence, social acceptance and scholastic competence.

As eye doctors we should not only consider the best mode of correction for the patient but also the social and psychological implications on the child.  More information about the Adolescent and Child Health Initiative to Encourage Vision Empowerment (ACHIEVE) Study is  available here.  This is excellent information for any parent considering whether glasses or contacts are right for their child.

Study Finds Nearsightedness Slowed in Children With Contact Lenses

It’s good to see another study indicating that Orthokeratology Contact Lenses prevent the progression of nearsightedness (myopia).  The Controlling Astigmatism & Nearsightedness in Developing Youth Study (CANDY) was based on a relatively small population (28 patients) and it would have been good to see the rate of myopic progression after removing the contact lenses over a greater period of time, however the data was compelling and warrants further study.

As eye doctors we are often asked if we can prevent the progression of nearsightedness in children.   Clinically, we feel that the answer is probably yes, however there are relatively few studies that have investigated this common question.  The CANDY Study backs up what we feel our clinical experience has taught us.  The progression of nearsightedness in CANDY study patients was 0.37D prior to wearing overnight Ortho-K contact lenses.   When the patients discontinued wearing their lenses they found that the patient’s refractive error, on average, had increased by only 0.03D.

An FDA sponsored study of 300 children started in 2007 and is expected to continue for 5 years.  Hopefully, the FDA study will answer more of our questions.  Additional findings from the CANDY Study found that the younger the child the more beneficial was the effect on controlling myopia and the technique was more convenient.   A more comprehensive look at Orthokeratology including a link to the CANDY Study is available on the Total Eye Care website.

Biofinity Soft Contact Lenses Approved for Extended Wear

Just a quick note today.  The Food and Drug Administration has approved Coopervision’s Biofinity monthly soft contact lens for 6 consecutive nights and 7 days of extended wear.  Read the Biofinity product information insert here.

Acuminder – An Online Contact Lens Replacement Service

Vistakon, a division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, has developed a Facebook application that reminds patients to replace their contact lenses.  The application allows patients to receive reminders by email or via their Facebook feed.

Patients that are not Facebook users can still use the service by going to the  Acuminder website to register where the can elect to get reminders via text message or email.  There is also an option to download a reminder to you computer desktop.

This is a great idea! We constantly hear that patients forget to replace their contact lenses, thus increasing the risk of eye infections, because the get busy and forget to do it.  The more often contact lenses are replaced the healthier it is for our eyes.  So give your eyes a break and sign up.

Patients and Doctors at Total Eye Care Discuss Dry Eye Syndrome

Seeing patients with complications related to dry eye syndrome are a very common occurrence at Total Eye Care.  Last month we made this video about dry eye syndrome.  The video discusses how silicone punctal plugs are used to treat dry eye syndrome.  It ties in well with this post on the Eye Doc Blog a few months ago about what causes  dry eye syndrome.  Check it out and let us know what you think.

The Dangers of Not Discarding Your Contact Lenses

With the advent of disposable contact lenses, cases of Contact Lens Acute Red Eyes (C.L.A.R.E) have been greatly reduced. With the new generation of contact lens materials, known as silicone hydrogels, extended wear contact lenses have made a resurgence. The incidence of vision last as a result from contact lens wear has been greatly reduced the chances of a patient losing vision as a result of contact lens wear, thus actually making 30 day extended wear contact lenses safer than LASIK.

Here is a good video that talks about the dangers of stretching your contact lenses.

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The study comparing the safety of extended wear contact lenses vs LASIK did not restrict itself to patients that complied with the wearing schedule recommended by the contact lens manufacturer and the patient’s doctor.  We find that if a patient complies with the prescribed wearing schedule then the incidence of contact lens related red eyes is very low.

Almost without exception if a patient comes in to our office with a red eye they almost always have exceeded their wearing schedule.  So the moral story, discard your lenses following the prescribed wearing schedule and enjoy safe contact lens wear.

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