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.

Sometimes the things you put on your hair, face and eyelids to look more attractive can make your contact lenses look horrible.

This is particularly the case with eyeliner and eye makeup. If either of these substances makes its way into your tear film, it can easily adhere to your contact lenses, causing discomfort, vision problems and the potential for eye infections.

It doesn’t matter if you wear soft (including silicone hydrogel) contacts or rigid gas permeable (GP) lenses; once makeup adheres to the contact lens surface, it’s often there for good and can’t be removed with contact lens solutions.

Also, debris from cosmetics floating in the tear film can change appearance when it adheres to the contact lens surface. In the December 2011 issue of Contact Lens Spectrum, John Mark Jackson, OD, associate professor at Southern College of Optometry, reports a case where a lens deposit attributed to eyeliner formed a white (not black) opaque deposit on the surface of a soft contact lens, affecting the wearer’s vision.

Dr. Jackson offers the following advice on how to keep your contact lenses clean and free of problems caused by cosmetics-related lens deposits:

• Always apply your contact lenses before applying cosmetics.
• Avoid oil-based makeup and removers.
• Close your eyes tightly when using hairspray.
• Replace your cosmetics frequently, especially mascara and eyeliner, to avoid infection.

If you have any questions about lens care — especially if you have problems with your lenses getting dirty quickly — see your eye care practitioner for advice.

Another option for avoiding contact lens deposits is to switch to daily disposable lenses that you discard after each use.

Key wrongdoings included sleeping while wearing contact lenses and using lenses longer than recommended. Interestingly, the majority of respondents demonstrated awareness of the risks associated with these behaviors.

Showering and swimming while wearing contacts were also popular malpractices. Only 2 out of 3 respondents reported awareness of potential contact lens complications, such as Acanthamoeba keratitis, from tap water and wearing lenses during water sports. Even less respondencts were aware of the risks from showering with lenses.

Although most patients knew of the importance of hand washing before lens handling, about 90 percent were not aware of the importance of disposing used contact lens solution before adding fresh solution. In addition, nearly half of the respondents admitted to not replacing their lens case as recommended, or only doing so when they receive a new one from their eye doctor.

The researchers concluded that increased patient education could improve compliance in the short term, but new approaches may be needed for maximal compliance in the long term.

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

There were no observed adverse effects on the rabbits, and the researchers attest the device could be worn by people. Currently the prototype only generates one pixel of information, but they predict that years from now the device could display short emails and other messages in front of the wearer’s eyes.

The researchers built the bionic lenses with light-emitting diodes (LED) and metal circuits about one-thousandth the size of a human hair. An external source transmitted power to an antenna built into the device. The energy then transferred to a transparent sapphire chip with a single blue LED.

Although the wireless transmission was successful, the prototype had to be centimeters away from the power source. The researchers cited the wireless connection as a challenge, as well as having all components fit into the volume of a contact lens.

In a paper published in the Nov. 22 journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, the researchers stated that successfully deployment could “fundamentally change the nature of interaction between humans and visual information.”