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…
Alden Optical has released NovaKone contact lenses, the company’s first lens for patients with keratoconus. The lens uses a new soft lens design for easy fitting and comfort, which the company says makes it a good lens option for patients who cannot tolerate gas permeable (GP) contact lenses. Read more…
An optometrist from the Shekhar Eye Research Center in India has developed the world’s first contact lenses made with gold and diamonds.
Valued at $15,000, the sparkly contact lenses are oxygen permeable and can be customized for vision correction. Read more…
Contact lens wearers who reach “bifocal age” have several options to deal with the normal age-related loss of near vision caused by presbyopia. These include: 1) wearing reading glasses over their contacts; 2) wearing monovision contacts; and 3) wearing multifocal contact lenses.
According to a recent report published in the journal Contact Lens Spectrum, more aging contact lens wearers than ever are choosing option 3: being fitted with multifocal contacts. Read more…
Wearers of costume contact lenses — special colored contacts that dramatically change the appearance of the eye — are significantly more likely to experience contact lens-related eye infections, according to a European study.
Researchers in France conducted the study at 12 university hospitals between July 2007 and July 2009 to evaluate the risk of eye infections among individuals who wore costume color contacts (also called theatrical contact lenses), compared with people who wore conventional (non-costume) contact lenses. Read more…
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…
Wearing an experimental dual-focus soft contact lens may reduce the progression of myopia in children, according to a new study.
Dr. John R. Phillips and Dr. Nicola S. Anstice, researchers in the Department of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Auckland (New Zealand), recently studied the effectiveness of an experimental dual-focus soft contact lens in reducing myopia progression, compared with a conventional soft contact lens. Read more…
Glaucoma, a common and sight-stealing eye disease, often is difficult to manage.
That task may soon become easier, thanks to a new “smart” contact lens developed by Sensimed, a Swiss spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology that is focused on the design, development and commercialization of integrated micro-systems for medical devices. 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…
Overnight wear of gas permeable contact lenses specially designed for corneal refractive therapy (CRT) can reduce farsightedness, according to a new study.
CRT, like orthokeratology (ortho-k), is the use of specially designed gas permeable (GP) contacts to alter the shape of the cornea and thereby temporarily reduce or eliminate refractive error. The GP lenses are worn overnight during sleep, to produce clear vision without glasses or contacts during the day. Read more…
SynergEyes, Inc. (Carlsbad, Calif.) recently announced that people suffering from keratoconus are receiving the life-changing gift of clear and comfortable vision this holiday season thanks to the company’s Sharing Vision Grant Program.
The program was created to bring hybrid contact lens technology to patients with keratoconus or other eye diseases who otherwise might not have access to the sight-changing treatment. Read more…
Myopia (nearsightedness) is becoming increasingly prevalent in the United States and throughout the world. A recent multi-year study found that 41.6 percent of Americans were nearsighted in 1999 to 2004, up significantly from 25 percent in the early 1970s.
The primary cause of myopia progression in children appears to be axial elongation (lengthening) of the eyeball. Some researchers believe the key to slowing myopia in susceptible children is found in how light is focused in the peripheral retina. Read more…
