The main reason people stop wearing contact lenses is because they make their eyes feel uncomfortable or dry.  Fortunately, there are several products and contact lens brands that specialize in relieving dry eyes.

AllAboutVision.com reports on strategies for reducing contact lens-induced dry eye (CLIDE) symptoms among contact lens wearers, including eye drops, a change in contact lens care regimen and a change to a lower-water contact lens material.

There are also several contact lens brands that eye care practitioners have found to be particularly helpful:

•  Proclear soft contact lenses (CooperVision). Made with a high-water hydrogel material and containing molecules found naturally in human cell membranes, these lenses stay comfortably moist all day.

• Extreme H20 (Hydrogel Vision). These soft lenses made of two high-water hydrogel materials have a unique water-binding property that helps retain almost all their water during the entire wearing period.

• Safigel 1 Day (Safigel) disposable contact lenses.  A natural biopolymer that is often found in artificial tear drops is activated by the wearer’s body temperature and helps keep these lenses moist and comfortable.

Patients should talk with their eye care practitioner about the right combination of contact lenses and eye drops for their eyes.

The 2013 Acuvue 1-DAY Contest for teens who wear contact lenses has been launched. The contest, now in its third year, features celebrity mentors Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas, Dwight Howard and Shay Mitchell.

Winners of the contest will have a chance to meet and be mentored for a day by one of the celebrities. They’ll also receive a trip to Los Angeles to attend a celebrity event and a one-year supply of 1-Day Acuvue Moist Brand Contact Lenses.

To enter, teens should visit Acuvue’s YouTube channel and upload a 30 to 60 second video that outlines their dreams, how they find the confidence to achieve those dreams and why they should be chosen for the mentorship opportunity.

Those looking for inspiration on the topic can check out celebrity 1-DAY stories and the stories of past winners on Acuvue’s YouTube channel, as well.

Researchers examined the effectiveness of two hydrogen peroxide lens care systems and five popular multi-purpose solutions (MPS) against biofilms of two strains of fungi: Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum. Both fungal strains were susceptible to the hydrogen peroxide care solutions. In contrast, only two of the five MPS were effective against F. solani, and one of the five MPS against F. oxysporum.

The study was reported in the April 2012 issue of Optometry and Vision Science.

Chief Clinical Editor’s comment:

Consult with your eye doctor before switching lens care regimens to discuss which care products are best for you. – Gary Heiting, OD

Spring allergy season is in full bloom, and many contact lens wearers are experiencing contact lens discomfort from eye allergies.

The solution may be to switch to eyeglasses at times, but other tips can help to relieve discomfort.

In a recent issue of Contact Lenses Today, Susan J. Gromacki, OD, MS, FAAO, explains that many of her patients with eye allergies complain of itchy, red and watery eyes, as well as blurred vision and photophobia.

Dr. Gromacki offers the following suggestions for contact lens wearers:

• Follow the recommended care and replacement schedule to ensure lenses are clean.
• Consider wearing daily disposable contact lenses.
• Use artificial tears or rewetting drops to help rinse away allergens.
• Know that oral antihistamines may lead to dry eyes and can contribute to discomfort.
• Use medicated eye drops for allergy relief as recommended by your eye doctor. Generally, use these drops at least 10 minutes before you apply your contacts and immediately after removing them, not during contact lens wear.

The FDA clearance follows last year’s recall of certain lots of Avaira Toric two-week silicone hydrogel contact lenses due to silicone oil residue found on some lenses.

Manufactured by CooperVision, the contact lenses feature Aquaform Comfort Science Technology that allows the lenses to stay moist and transmit high levels of oxygen.

After evaluating a series of severe eye infections following colored contact lens wear, researchers concluded that over-the-counter use of cosmetic lenses is increasing, and the unmonitored accessibility of these lenses to young people can potentially lead to sight-threatening conditions.

Of the 13 cases studied, the average patient age was 19 years. In all cases, the patients didn’t need vision correction and had worn their color contact lenses for cosmetic purposes only.

The researchers found that all of the lens wearers had failed to obtain a valid contact lens prescription, as required by U.S. law. Seven of the wearers purchased their color contacts from an unlicensed optical shop, five shared them with friends or relatives, and one found lenses in the garbage.

In each case, the patient was successfully treated for infectious keratitis with topical antimicrobials.

The study was reported in the journal Cornea.

The new lens is a daily disposable soft toric contact lens made with Lacreon Technology. The technology embeds a water-holding ingredient in the lens surface to create a cushion of moisture, according to the company.

1-Day Acuvue Moist for Astigmatism lenses also feature a special Blink Stabilized Design to help the lens stay aligned in front of the eye, providing consistently clear vision for patients with astigmatism, Vistakon says.

The company made the announcement at the Southeastern Council of Optometry (SECO) International, held in Atlanta early this month.

Worldwide use of extended wear contact lenses that are worn continuously for several days remains low, according to a new study.

In a report published in Optometry and Vision Science,* researchers in Australia evaluated contact lens fittings performed in 39 countries over a 14-year period (1997 through 2010). The study data suggest use of extended wear (EW) lenses peaked in 2006, when approximately 12 percent of all contact lens fittings performed in the countries surveyed were for extended wear.

In 2010, worldwide use of EW lenses accounted for just 7.8 percent of contact lens prescriptions, with usage being highest in Norway (27 percent). Approximately 10 percent of contact lenses worn in the United States in 2010 were extended wear lenses.

The researchers also found that most people using extended wear contact lenses also purchased contact lens solutions, suggesting that many wearers might be removing their lenses occasionally and sleeping without them on rather than wearing them on a continuous basis for the lifetime of the lenses, which typically is 1-2 weeks or monthly.

The study also revealed that 72 percent of extended wear lenses were silicone hydrogel contact lenses, which allow significantly more oxygen to reach the front surface of the eye than regular soft (hydrogel) lenses and therefore are considered by many eye care professionals to be safer for continuous wear.

The study authors noted that the risk of eye infections remains significantly higher when contact lenses are worn overnight compared with when lenses are worn on a daily wear basis (removed before sleep), and that extended wear lenses are unlikely to gain mainstream use until “the already low risk of ocular complications (from EW) can be reduced to be equivalent to that of (daily wear).”

*International survey of contact lens prescribing for extended wear. Optometry and Vision Science. February 2012.

Acanthamoeba is a type of amoeba (ah-MEE-bah), which is a single-cell microorganism with an indistinct shape that is commonly found in soil, fresh water and tap water. It also survives in chlorinated swimming pools and hot tubs. Infection of the front surface of the eye by Acanthamoeba is called Acanthamoeba keratitis.

Researchers in Hong Kong evaluated four leading brands of multipurpose solutions and a hydrogen peroxide disinfecting system (Oxysept) for soft contact lenses (including silicone hydrogel contacts) and four brands of multipurpose solution for rigid gas permeable contact lenses for their effectiveness at killing three species of Acanthamoeba.

The study also evaluated whether the presence of protein deposits on the lenses influenced the disinfecting effectiveness of the solutions.

Results of the study revealed that none of the contact lens solutions achieved a significant reduction of the viability of all three types of Acanthamoeba when used for the manufacturers’ recommended disinfection times. The presence of protein on the lenses further reduced the effectiveness of all the contact lens solutions tested.

A full report of the study appears in the January 2012 issue of Optometry & Vision Science.

Chief Clinical Editor’s comment:

This study underscores the importance of not wearing contact lenses while swimming and avoiding the use of tap water to rinse your lenses or lens case — activities that increase your risk of exposing your eyes to Acanthamoeba microorganisms. It also supports the rationale of using a “rub-and-rinse’ method of lens care, since this method can help keep Acanthamoeba from adhering to the surface of contact lenses. Finally, replace your contact lenses and lens case frequently to avoid protein deposits that appear to further decrease the disinfecting effectiveness of contact lens solutions. – Gary Heiting, OD

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.

Currently, medicated eye drops are used after laser eye surgery, and patients typically use the drops every few hours for several days. Compared to the LASIK procedure, PRK has a longer period of pain following surgery, and PRK patients receive a “bandage” contact lens to help the eye heal.

Lead by Anuj Chauhan, PhD, from the University of Florida, a team of scientists found that anesthesia can continually release from the lens for a full day and up to seven days when vitamin E is added to the lens. Without vitamin E, the lens can release anesthesia for only less than two hours.

The scientists stated that the vitamin E loaded silicone contact lens could act as a bandage contact lens as well as deliver pain medication following laser eye surgery.

The study was reported in the American Chemical Society’s journal Langmuir.