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…

Patient MB describes living with keratoconus, and how KeraSoft lenses have improved his quality of life. Click for video.

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…

SynergEyes’ ClearKone hybrid contact lens is specially designed for keratoconus treatment.

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…

Keratoconus, a degenerative eye disease, generally causes vision problems that cannot be adequately corrected with eyeglasses.

But specially designed contact lenses often provide excellent visual acuity for people suffering from mild or even moderate stages of keratoconus.

In the January 2010 issue of Optometric Management, Gregory W. Denaeyer, OD, reviews four contact lens strategies for correcting vision problems caused by keratoconus:

Specialty soft contact lenses. This option often works well for individuals with mild keratoconus. Several contact lens companies produce specially designed soft contacts to fit the steep curvature of mildly keratoconic eyes, and these lenses also can correct significant amounts of keratoconus-induced astigmatism, according to Dr. Denaeyer.

Bi-aspheric gas permeable contacts. Gas permeable contact lenses that are aspheric on both surfaces (bi-aspheric) offer two advantages for keratoconus patients. The aspheric back surface helps the lenses stay centered for a more comfortable fit, and the aspheric front surface helps reduce higher-order aberrations for sharper vision, Dr. Denaeyer says.

“Piggybacking” contact lenses. This strategy involve fitting a gas permeable (GP) contact lens over the top of a soft lens. The GP lens can be specially designed to provide optimal vision for the keratoconic eye, and the underlying soft lens provides a cushioning effect for greater comfort. The soft lens also may help improve the fit of the GP lens and protect the cornea from friction caused by the GP lens that could otherwise lead to corneal scarring.

Scleral contact lenses. Specialty gas permeable lenses called scleral contact lenses are much larger in diameter than regular GP lenses so they can vault over the entire cornea and rest on the white of the eye (sclera). The large size of scleral lenses reduces pressure on the cornea and enables the lenses to stay centered, even on highly irregular keratoconic eyes.

Eye doctors who can offer their keratoconus patients all four of these contact lens strategies will help improve the fit and comfort of their contacts and help provide optimum vision, Dr. Denaeyer says.

[Ed. note: Another strategy not discussed by Dr. Denaeyer is the use of hybrid contact lenses. Essentially, the center of a hybrid contact is a gas permeable lens and the peripheral portion is a soft lens. Special hybrid lens designs are available specifically for keratoconus.]

SOURCE:  Four strategies for keratoconus. Optometric Management. January 2010.

Scleral contact lenses provide acceptable visual acuity and comfort in patients with keratoconus, according to researchers evaluating the effect of these extra-large gas permeable (GP) lenses on people with the corneal condition.

In a report published in this month’s issue of Eye & Contact Lens, researchers Muriel M. Schornack, OD, and Sanjay Patel, MD,  described the results of a study of 32 patients with keratoconus who were evaluated for scleral contact lens wear.

Of these, 12 patients (37.5 percent) decided not to be fitted with scleral lenses after an initial contact lens exam and consultation.

The remaining 20 patients (32 eyes) underwent the fitting process with Jupiter scleral contact lenses (Medlens Innovations, Front Royal, Va., and Essilor Contact Lenses, Inc., Dallas, Texas).

Mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of the keratoconic eyes prior to being fitted with the scleral lenses was 20/76, as tested on a standard eye chart. After being successfully fitted with the lenses, mean BCVA improved to 20/30.

One patient (two eyes) abandoned the fitting process because he needed cataract surgery. The remaining patients (95 percent) continued to wear the scleral lenses successfully over a follow-up period ranging from 3 to 32 months.

Scleral contact lenses differ from conventional gas permeable contacts in their size and design. Scleral lenses have a much larger diameter than regular GP lenses so they can vault over the entire clear front surface of the eye (cornea) to correct vision problems caused by severe corneal irregularities.

SynergEyes, Inc. (Carlsbad, Calif.) recently received a CONNECT Most Innovative New Product (MIP) Award for 2009 for its patent-pending ClearKone hybrid contact lenses designed for people with keratoconus.

CONNECT is a regional nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and sustaining the growth of innovative technology and life sciences businesses in the San Diego area.

The MIP Award finalists were selected from approximately 100 entries representing a broad range of companies within eight categories. The SynergEyes ClearKone hybrid contacts won the MIP Award in the Life Science – Medical Products category.

ClearKone hybrid contact lenses are designed specifically for people with moderate to advanced keratoconus who characteristically have poor vision with eyeglasses. The patent-pending hybrid lens design is optimized to vault the irregularities of the keratoconic cornea, thereby restoring visual acuity to a vast majority of patients without compromising comfort or eye health, according to the company.

“It is a great honor to receive an award recognizing SynergEyes as a technology leader among the medical device companies in San Diego,” said Kellie Kaseburg, Vice President of Global Marketing, in a press release issued by SynergEyes, Inc.

Since the market release of ClearKone hybrid contact lenses in May 2009, approximately 2,500 keratoconus patients have been prescribed the lenses, the company says.

To learn more about SynergEyes hybrid contacts and to find an eye doctor that prescribes ClearKone lenses for keratoconus, visit TreatKeratoconus.com.

SynergEyes, Inc. (Carlsbad, Calif.) announced today that its new ClearKone hybrid contact lens for correction of vision problems associated with keratoconus is now available in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

The new ClearKone lens is the second SynergEyes hybrid contact lens specifically designed for people with keratoconus — a degenerative disorder in which structural changes in the clear anterior portion of the eye cause the cornea to bulge forward into a cone shape.

Keratoconus frequently causes vision problems that cannot be corrected with conventional eyeglasses or soft contact lenses.

The company launched SynergEyes KC hybrid lenses in 2006, which have proven successful in restoring vision for certain types of keratoconic eyes. The ClearKone lens is designed to fit a much broader spectrum of cone-shaped corneas, according to the company.

Hybrid contact lenses feature a rigid, gas permeable central portion, surrounded by a ring of soft contact lens material. The lenses are designed to provide the sharp vision of gas permeable contact lenses and the all-day comfort and convenience of soft lenses, says Kellie Kaseburg, Vice President of Global Marketing for SynergEyes.

SynergEyes ClearKone and SynergEyes KC are the only FDA-approved hybrid contact lenses specifically designed for keratoconus vision correction in the United States. The company also makes hybrid contacts for the correction of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism in normal eyes.

You can learn more about SynergEyes hybrid contact lenses by visiting the company’s website.

SynergEyes, Inc. (Carlsbad, CA) recently announced it has launched its next generation hybrid contact lens design for keratoconus. The new lens, called ClearKone, has a patent-pending design that vaults the irregularities of a keratoconic cornea and restores vision to a vast majority of patients without compromising comfort or eye health, according to the company.

Hybrid contact lenses have a central zone identical to a rigid gas permeable (GP) contact lens, surrounded by a peripheral zone made of a soft contact lens material. The lenses are designed to provide the optical clarity of a GP contact lens, with wearing comfort comparable to a soft contact lens.

The design of hybrid contact lenses makes them especially suited for fitting many types of hard-to-fit eyes, including those with misshapen corneas due to conditions such as keratoconus and ectasia following LASIK or other laser vision correction surgery.

“SynergEyes recognized the need to develop a hybrid contact lens design that could fit a much broader spectrum of keratoconus patients, including oval cones, highly advanced central cones, decentered cones and, depending on the specifics of the case, globus keratoconus and pellucid marginal degeneration,” says Kellie Kaseburg, Vice President of Global Marketing for SynergEyes. “The ClearKone lens does just that and will allow many more keratoconus patients to experience the benefits of hybrid technology.”

ClearKone is currently available in limited release in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The lens will be more widely available starting in September 2009. For more information, visit www.synergeyes.com.