contact lens management
A Contact Lens for Astigmats
This new toric lens offers comfort and
stability.
JUAWANA
C. HALL, O.D.
Toric
contact lens wearers are often silent sufferers due to discomfort and poor
vision. They may not initially complain, but when probed, these patients
frequently report lens instability, which leads to unstable vision. As a result,
astigmats are often contact lens dropouts. But a new lens can provide both
comfort and stable vision for these patients. When Vistakon introduced the
Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism, I was skeptical. Previous toric contact lenses
didn't stabilize well; I didn't expect this lens to, either.
An astigmat meets his match
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The
Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism features Class 1 UVA and
UVB blocking. |
I first tried the lens on my most
challenging toric patient � my husband. He has low levels of astigmatism, but
it's all corneal, which makes fitting more complicated. He also has mild dry eye
symptoms that bother him only during allergy season and when wearing contacts.
He cannot tolerate GP lenses, and after trying every soft toric lens
on the market with no success,
he'd resigned himself to wearing glasses.
His
initial response to the new lenses was that they were "perfect." That seemed too
good to be true, so I asked him to try wearing them all day. A few months later,
he still loves them and can wear them for 16 hours at a time. His vision is
20/20 OU with no haze or fluctuating vision.
These lenses work just
as well in other astigmats. The best candidates, I find, are patients with low
to moderate amounts of astigmatism (0.75D to 2.00D), and those who've had issues
with their current lenses. These patients often complain of some blurriness or
fluctuation in vision because the lenses tend to rotate with the eyelids'
movements.
Lens particulars
This lens uses an accelerated
stabilization design that works with the eyelids to balance the lens in place
when the eye is open and quickly re-align the lens if it rotates out of
position. Additionally, the lenses stabilize in less than 60 seconds. This is a
great time saver, because I'm now able to fit my patients in less than a minute,
compared with the typical 15 minutes of chair time for older lens designs.
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Acuvue
Advance for Astigmatism |
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BASE CURVES 8.6mm
MATERIAL:
galyfilcon A
DK VALUE: 60
PARAMETERS: plano to -6.00D in 0.25D steps
(Cylinders: 0.75, -1.25, -1.75; Axis: 10� to 180� in
10� steps); -6.50D to -9.00D in .50D steps
(Cylinders: -1.25, -1.75; Axis: 90� & 180�, + 20, no
obliques); and +0.25D to +6.00D in 0.25 steps
(Cylinders: -0.75, -1.25, -1.75; Axis: 90� & 180�, +
20, no obliques).
Spherical lens only.
COST:
$100-$120 for a three-month supply
FDA-APPROVED WEARING TIME: Daily-wear with
two-week replacement schedule |
These silicone
hydrogel lenses combine an oxygen-rich material, galyfilcon
A, and the company's Hydraclear technology, a wetting agent
designed to help the lens retain moisture.
I've fit more than 100
patients and have had great success with at least eight out of every 10. These
lenses are my first choice for patients with low to moderate levels of
astigmatism, except those who are non-compliant with the two-week wearing
schedule. I'm confident that my astigmatic patients can now wear contact lenses
successfully.
DR. HALL IS IN PRIVATE
PRACTICE WITH DIGBY EYE ASSOCIATES IN GREENSBORO AND HIGH POINT, N.C. CONTACT HER AT (336) 454-2020.
Optometric Management, Issue: February 2006