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…

You can lower your risk of contact lens-related eye problems simply by following the lens replacement schedule specified by your eye doctor.

Researchers at the Centre for Contact Lens Research, University of Waterloo, evaluated the relationship between compliance with doctor-recommended lens replacement frequency and contact lens-related problems in a population of 501 contact lens wearers. All participants were patients at seven optometry practices in Canada, and all wore silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Read more…

Biofinity Multifocal will be introduced in the United States in June, reported a CooperVision representative at the Contact Lens Society of America meeting held last week in Austin. Biofinity is a family of silicone hydrogel lenses that currently includes a toric version for astigmatism.

The Biofinity Multifocal lens is designed to enable adult contact lens wearers with presbyopia to see clearly at all distances without reading glasses and enjoy all-day wearing comfort, according to CooperVision.

Biofinity Multifocal will be the first product to feature CooperVision’s new logo and product packaging, said the company.

Metro Optics has launched new custom RevitalEyes Post-Surgical silicone hydrogel contact lenses. The lenses are specially designed for eyes that have undergone refractive surgery.

Made with Definitive silicone hydrogel material designed for custom contact lens applications, RevitalEyes Post-Surgical contacts can be custom-made to each patient’s individual needs, much like rigid gas permeable contact lenses. Read more…

A new sweepstakes by Vision Direct and Acuvue offers Facebook fans a chance to win a free annual supply of contact lenses.

The sweepstakes launched on February 28 and runs for four weeks. One winner will be selected each week, beginning on Monday and ending on Sunday, through March 27. Read more…

KeraSoft custom contact lenses will become available globally this year, says Bausch + Lomb.

These made-to-order soft contacts are designed for the correction of keratoconus and other corneal irregularities — problems that previously could be corrected only with rigid gas permeable contacts, hybrid contact lenses or eye surgery. Read more…

Unilens Vision Inc. has launched the C-Vue Advanced HydraVue line of silicone hydrogel custom contact lenses, for monthly replacement.

The new custom contacts include made-to-order single vision and toric single vision options for correction of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, and multifocal and toric multifocal designs for correction of presbyopia and presbyopia with astigmatism. Read more…

Bausch + Lomb (B+L) recently announced the launch of PureVision 2 HD contact lenses with High Definition Optics.

The new silicone hydrogel lenses are designed to provide exceptional oxygen supply to the eye and also improve visual quality compared with other contact lenses, according to the company.

PureVision 2 HD lenses have an aspheric surface that reduces spherical aberration — a type of higher-order aberration that reduces image quality and causes glare and halos, especially during activities performed in low-light conditions, such as driving at night. Read more…

Disposable contact lenses designed for more frequent replacement are associated with fewer unscheduled visits to the eye doctor, according to a new study.

Researchers found 8 percent of patients wearing two-week disposable contacts returned to their eye doctor with comfort or vision complaints over the study period, compared with 13 percent of patients wearing monthly replacement lenses. Read more…

If you’ve been wanting to wear silicone hydrogel contact lenses but couldn’t because they weren’t available in your prescription, your wait is over: Custom-made silicone hydrogel lenses are now available in the United States.

The 2002 introduction of lenses made from new-generation silicone hydrogel materials was welcomed by contact lens wearers and eyecare practitioners alike, because silicone hydrogel lenses deliver more oxygen to the eye than traditional hydrogel lenses, which can mean improved comfort and better eye health.

But until now, silicone hydrogel lenses have come only in limited sizes from manufacturers such as Bausch + Lomb, CIBA Vision, Johnson & Johnson and CooperVision. If you have an unusual prescription, such as one with very high amounts of astigmatism, silicone hydrogels weren’t an option for you.

Now Contamac, a U.K.-based supplier of contact lens materials, has FDA approval for a silicone hydrogel material that they’ll be supplying to smaller U.S. lens manufacturers who can fabricate custom lenses. Read more…

SynergEyes, the leading U.S. manufacturer of hybrid contact lenses, has received FDA approval of its new silicone hydrogel hybrid contact lens technology, according to the Carlsbad, California-based company.

The company’s latest generation hybrid contacts made with this new technology will feature SynergEyes’ MaxVu rigid gas permeable material in the central optic zone, surrounded by its new Flex2O silicone hydrogel material, which transmits significantly more oxygen to the front of the eye than conventional soft lens materials. Read more…

Now that Acuvue recently introduced the first silicone hydrogel daily disposable contact lens approved by the FDA, wearers likely will want to know if benefits merit the extra cost of the lens material.

Acuvue’s 1-Day TruEye daily disposables are made of what the company describes as a “breathable” type of silicone hydrogel contact lens material known as narafilcon B.

Before Acuvue offered silicone hydrogel dailies, these types of contact lenses were replaced only at intervals ranging from weekly to monthly. Read more…