SPECIALTY LENSES ATTRACT NEW CONTACT LENS WEARERS

Washington, DC…Specialty contact lenses for aging eyes, astigmatism, and cosmetic purposes are fueling growth in new contact lens wear, according to new data released by the Contact Lens Council (CLC). Edward Schilling, Executive Director of the CLC, reports that the specialty lens segment has grown more than 20% in the past year and helped push the total number of contact lens wearers to over 34 million.

"Thanks to new and improved technology, contacts are now available to people who previously did not have the option," Schilling said. "Boomers with 'aging eyes,' people with irregular vision (astigmatism) previously forced to wear eyeglasses, and even fashion-conscious wearers interested in changing their eye color are discovering the convenience and comfort the new lenses offer."

For people who suffer from presbyopia (the loss of ability to focus on close objects, which usually occurs around age 40), contacts are fast becoming an alternative to bifocals or reading glasses. Presbyopes can now choose from segmented lenses, which are similar to bifocals, or simultaneous-vision lenses, which allow both near and far objects to remain in focus. Monovision, a technique developed thirty years ago using different corrections for each eye, also remains popular. Bifocal contact lens wearers increased 29% last year.

A growing number of new contact lenses can correct astigmatism, characterized by an irregularly shaped cornea that causes light images to focus on two separate points in the eye. Called toric lenses, these lenses use two different optical powers at right angles to each other. Toric lenses, which grew 23% last year alone, offer an alternative to patients who do not like the inconvenience of eyeglasses, and are not comfortable with the risks of eye surgery.

Cosmetic lenses, for people who need correction or simply want to change the way they look, continue to be popular. The use of tinted and colored lenses grew last year by 17%, according to the Contact Lens Council.

Continued enhancements in comfort and convenience are also fueling growth in specialty lenses, as well as contact lenses overall. According to Joseph T. Barr, OD, MS, FAAO and editor of Perspectives, a magazine for contact lens professionals, lens makers are increasingly embracing new technology.

"Just over a decade ago we laughed at the possibility of a daily disposable or safe extended wear, tinted, toric, bifocal contact lens for convenience, presbyopia, and even astigmatism," Dr. Barr said. "Today the question is not if, but when. New highly repeatable, automated manufacturing and better materials make failure with contact lenses very difficult."

For more information on contact lenses and eye correction, please visit The Contact Lens Council at www.contactlenscouncil.org or call 1-800-884-4CLC.

The CLC is a non-profit organization serving as an educational resource on vision correction for consumers and is devoted to promoting the safe use of contact lenses. Alcon Laboratories, Allergan Optical, Bausch & Lomb, CIBA Vision, CooperVision, and Vistakon (a division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Products, Inc.) sponsor the CLC. The American Optometric Association, Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists, and the Contact Lens Society of America are advisory members of the CLC.

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