A recent study finds that contact lens care systems with hydrogen peroxide are significantly more effective than most multi-purpose contact lens solutions at killing fungi associated with fungal eye infections. Read more…

Scientists have developed a contact lens that releases anesthesia to the eye for post-surgery pain relief. The contacts can be particularly effective for patients who undergo PRK (photorefractive keratectomy), in which the healing process can take days, weeks or even months. Read more…

The majority of contact lens wearers do not comply with safe contact lens practices, according to a new study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Of the more than 400 contact lens wearers surveyed, more than 80 percent believe they follow good practices while only 2 percent actually do so. Read more…

New research sheds light on the safety and requirements of bionic contact lenses, or wirelessly powered contact lenses that display information. Researchers from the University of Washington and Aalto University in Finland tested a prototype device in the eyes of rabbits. Read more…

This year’s American Eye-Q Survey by the American Optometric Association (AOA) reveals that contact lens wear and care differ among generations. The survey examined lens habits among four generations: the traditionalist or silent generation (1925-1945), baby boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1977) and Generation Y (1978-1994). Read more…

Hydrogen peroxide lens care systems like CIBA Vision’s Clear Care are popular in Canada.

Eye care practitioners in Canada tend to prescribe hydrogen peroxide contact lens care systems more frequently than their counterparts in the United States, according to a new report.

Based on recent AC Nielsen MarketTrack data, hydrogen peroxide systems account for almost 25 percent of the contact lens care market in Canada, compared with 15.9 percent in the United States. Read more…

Though multipurpose contact lens solutions have been marketed for simplified “no-rub” lens care, using a “rub and rinse” regimen is much more effective at keeping lenses free from dangerous microorganisms that can cause eye infections, according to a new study.

Researchers in Australia investigated the effectiveness of popular multipurpose disinfection solutions (MPDS) when used in various cleaning methods for conventional soft and silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Disinfecting effectiveness was tested against common bacteria, fungi and Acanthamoeba microorganisms that have been associated with contact lens-related eye infections. Read more…

Wearing daily disposable contacts can reduce eye allergy symptoms, say UK researchers.

Wearing daily disposable contact lenses significantly reduces a number of eye symptoms among allergy sufferers, according to a new study conducted in the UK.

Many eye doctors recommend daily disposable lenses to their contact lens-wearing patients as a possible solution to seasonal allergy problems. Daily disposables may be superior to other contacts for this application since they are discarded after each use, eliminating the accumulation of allergy-causing debris on the lenses from day to day. Read more…

Halos and glare can affect safety when driving at night.

Halos and glare are common and bothersome symptoms for eyeglass and contact lens wearers alike, according to a new multi-nation study.

Halos are rings that appear around light sources such as street lamps and headlights; glare is the difficulty of seeing in the presence of bright light. Most people who experience these symptoms reported they were most likely to be bothered by them in the evening and when driving at night. Read more…

Most survey respondents said they used tap water to clean their lens case.

Many contact lens wearers have bad habits that significantly increase their risk of discomfort and eye infections, according to two online surveys.

A total of 1,432 people who wear frequent replacement contact lenses responded to the surveys, which included questions about hygiene, lens disinfection, lens replacement frequency and replacement of lens storage cases. Read more…

Children who are fitted with contact lenses at age 12 or younger are equally likely to be successful long-term contact lens wearers as wearers who were fitted with lenses during their teens.

That’s the finding of a study presented this month at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology by Jeffrey Walline, OD, PhD, of The Ohio State University College of Optometry. Read more…

Researchers may have found a new way to effectively treat a serious contact lens-related eye infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis: topical application of riboflavin (vitamin B2), followed by exposure to select wavelengths of UV light (UVA).

In a study conducted by The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore, Md.), two patients with confirmed cases of the infection and one patient with a presumed case — all characterized by painful corneal ulcers that were resistant to conventional medical treatment — underwent two 30-minute sessions of the vitamin B2/UVA photochemical therapy. Read more…