Freshen Your Eye Color with FreshLook Contacts

FreshLook® Contacts, a CIBA Vision product, are color contacts that can change your eye color to a completely different shade or simply brighten and deepen your current color. Changing your eye color is as easy as changing your hair color with FreshLook® Contacts. Even if you don’t need vision correction, you can use colored lenses to alter the look of your eyes.

The FreshLook® Color Collection

FreshLook® lenses are available in three styles, depending on your natural eye color.

o        ColorBlends® – Three colors blend into one natural shade that adds depth and brightness to your eyes, whichever final color you choose. These lenses are best for dark eyes and are opaque enough to change the color of brown eyes.

o        Dimension™ –Transparent colored lenses enhance your current eye color and add depth. They’re designed for use with light-colored eyes only.

o        Radiance™ – A starburst pattern adds sparkle and brightness without dramatically changing your eye color. The lenses can be used with light or dark eyes.

FreshLook® also offers One-Day Color Contacts in four shades so you can change your eye color without committing to a single shade.

Where to Buy FreshLook® Contacts

FreshLook® Contact Lenses are available only with an eye care professional. an eye doctor must examine your eyes and write a prescription for the lenses, even if you don’t need vision correction. For those who do need vision correction, the lenses are available in a wide range of prescription strengths and some can correct astigmatism too. Although the contacts are colored, they don’t alter or enhance the way you see color.

With daily wear and nightly cleaning, each lens can last upto two weeks and unopened lenses will last for several months when stored properly. If you can’t choose one color, get two so you can change your eye color whenever the mood strikes. With One-Day lenses or disposable lenses useful for up to two weeks, you can add sparkle to your eyes for an important work presentation, then choose a dramatic new color for a night on the town.

Your optometrist can help you select the right color for your contact lenses depending on your eye color, hair color, skin tone, and desired degree of change. You can also take the online quiz at the FreshLook® website. Most optometrists can also give you a free trial pair so you can make sure how you like in your new look before you buy a box. They are sold in boxes of six.

 

 

CONTACT LENSES

 

Extended wear contact lenses are generally made of flexible plastics and are available for overnight or continuous wear ranging from one to six nights or up to 30 days. They are different from other contact lenses as they allow oxygen to pass through to the cornea. Also, there are some rigid gas-permeable lenses designed and approved for overnight wear.

The duration of continuous wear depends on the type of lens and on the tolerance of your eyes for overnight wear prescribed by your eye care professional’s evaluation. The majority of extended wear lenses to be worn without removal for up to seven days have been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). However, some lenses are approved for up to 30 days of continuous wear are made from super-permeable silicone hydrogel. Silicon hydrogel contains less water than traditional hydrogel, this being an additional advantage. Result of which is that extended wear lenses are not as prone to dehydration while they’re being worn.

Extended wear contact lenses were first sold in the early 1980s but it soon became apparent that people who kept their contact lenses in over night suffered more from eye infections. Therefore, many doctors started advising their patients to remove their contacts lenses atleast while sleeping.

The situation now has changed thanks to the introduction of disposable lenses. Previously, you would wear your lenses for a week, take them out, clean them, and then re-use them. However, the cleansing process, could never be thoroughly enough to eliminate the risk of inflammation. Today, the introduction of disposable extended wear lenses that can be used for seven days or more and then replaced with a fresh pair have dramatically reduced the health concerns stemming from extended wear.

Inspite of these advances, you should always follow the advice of your eye-care professional with respect to contact lens replacement and care. While greatly reducing the risks of sleeping in contact lenses, technical advances have not removed them altogether.

 

CONTACT LENSES

An Introduction to Disposable Contact Lenses

The most popular type of contact lens worn today are Disposable Contact Lenses. Depending on their structure, disposable contact lenses may be exchanged for new on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Designed for short-term use during waking hours, disposable contacts bridge the best of both worlds in regards to convenience and health.

Why Disposable Contact Lenses

Disposable contact lenses may not work for everyone but their benefits outweigh any harm. The two major areas of benefit are safety and convenience. Choosing the type of contact lens is completely a personal decision. Many factors, including cost and comfort, will come into play.

Health Benefits of Disposable Contact Lenses

Wearing any contact lens leaves the wearer open to infection due to the lack of oxygen reaching the cornea. Soft lenses have reduced that risk to some extent but the chance of corneal infection is still high.

The best way of avoiding any corneal infection is with a daily disposable contact lens. Reason being is that a daily disposable is tossed away likely before bacteria have had a chance to take over. Not everyone will want to pay extra for the ultimate convenience of daily disposable contact lenses. However, changing contact lenses more often is the road to eye health and the frequency with which disposable contact lenses are changed, it should help in keeping the wearer’s eyes in better state.

Convenience of Disposable Contact Lenses

Is there anything more convenient than tossing a contact lens away on a daily basis? No. There’s no cleaning or buying of cleaning products. And because they’re daily disposable contacts you don’t have to even consider how long you’ve worn them. It is the best of all solutions.

Secondly, daily disposable contact lenses are lenses with a shorter life. Yes, you still have to clean them but costs are less and care is easier. Also, with all disposables, any problem with the contact, like a tear, means tossing them away and popping in another. Plus, if contacts are a secondary eyewear option, having disposable contact lenses is a very reasonable backup plan.

Disposable Contact Lens Issues

Disposable contact lenses cost more, are less durable and won’t fix every vision problem. These are all considerations, though most are minor.

The bigger issue with disposable contact lenses is the time people wear them for. They are made for a certain period of time and many people try to stretch another week or month out of them, increasing the risk of infection or irritation. In the end, outside of those with an unusual prescription, disposable contact lenses are a great solution to most people with vision issues.

 

CONTACT LENSES

Advice for Using Extended Wear Contacts

Extended wear contacts are made in such a manner that they can be worn for 24 hours a day. While that would seem to make sense over taking them out and cleaning them every night, eye infections is a big risk.

Origins of Extended Wear Contacts

When extended wear contacts were first approved by the FDA, we went through this once in the 1980’s. Then wearers were attacked by many eye problems and irritations in the night and the FDA rescinded its approval.

Changes in Wearing Contacts

Disposable contacts and the advent of silicone hydrogel were the two biggest changes since then. With disposables the wearer can dispose off the contacts into the trash after a week and start with a fresh pair. The advent of silicone hydrogel meant more oxygen to the eyes which also meant fewer eye problems and safety of the eyes.

However, there are still people who opt for extended wear contacts. They should follow their eye care professional’s instructions closely and strictly. Make sure to take a good look at your eyes regarding any redness or irritation and if any should report it you to your eye care professional immediately.

CONTACT LENSES

A Guide to Bifocal Contact Lenses

Presbyopia is a condition that affects almost everyone as they age. In such a condition, the eye loses some of its elasticity and people begin to notice a difficulty with reading fine print. The first line of defense in the battle against presbyopia is the Bifocal contact lenses. The role of bifocal lens is to place two prescriptions in the same contact lens.

Bifocal Contact Lens Solutions

Bifocal contact lenses are most common but multifocal lenses, which may be called progressive lenses and monovision lenses. So, in short there are three different solutions to one problem i.e. to solve presbyopia.

Bifocal Contact Lenses:

A picture of an aging man wearing glasses with a very definitive line etched across the middle comes into clear view, when thinking of bifocal lenses of any sort. There is a corresponding bifocal contact lens that works in the same manner, called translating bifocal contact lenses, the bottom half of which is for correcting near eyesight issues and the top is for correcting distance issues. These bifocal contact lenses generally made of GP work because they hug the eyeball and move as the eye moves.

A design developed around concentric rings, is another alternative. With concentric ring bifocal contact lenses, the near prescription is likely in the middle and the distance prescription is generally on the outer bands. These can be made of either soft or rigid materials.

Multifocal Contact Lenses:

Bifocal contact lenses can also be referred to as multifocal contact lenses, which can be referred to as progressive lenses. The story with multifocal contact lenses is that the near and distance areas are mixed together and the change between them is less distinct. They are somewhat similar to the concentric ring bifocal lenses.

Monovision Contact Lenses:

Monovision contact lenses make the eyes work separately, unlike bifocal or multifocal contact lenses. One lens is for the non-dominant eye, which is set for near vision while the other is for dominant eye, which is set for distance vision.

Bifocal Contact Lens Issues

We’ve all seen few people who try to get by with multiple pairs of glasses. There is no easy solution to presbyopia. But bifocal contact lenses are ideally prescribed. However, bifocal contact lenses take some time getting used to, especially monovision lenses which affect the wearer’s depth perception. It is very likely that a person wanting bifocal contact lenses will go on a bit of a journey before settling on the pair that feels best. Once they have settled it is unlikely they’ll go back to the two pairs of glasses routine or looking like Ben Franklin.

 

CONTACT LENSES

About Contacts
Contact lenses are the eyewear made to be placed directly onto the surface of your eye. If you wear eyeglasses, the odds are good that you can also wear contact lenses. Even if you

are someone who tried contacts in the past with less than perfect success — or if your eye doctor told you at some time that contacts weren’t for you — advanced contact lens technology has created innovations that will likely work for you now.

Types of contacts

Disposable
These are contacts that can be thrown away after each use or used for a short, predetermined schedule of one or two weeks. They are great for people whose busy lifestyles make it difficult to do routine care and cleaning of the lenses.

Colored
A number of different colors and intensities of color are available. You may choose to wear colored contacts every day or only on special occasions. You may use contact lenses to change your eye color even if you don’t need vision correction. To do this, you will need a regular contact lens eye exam and consultation with the eye doctor as well as care and cleaning instructions, just as you would if you needed them to correct your eyesight.

Extended Wear
As the name suggests, these contacts may be worn when you are asleep, either overnight or for up to one week.

Gas Permeable
Ask your eye doctor if gas permeable lenses are right for you. They are designed for very specialized prescriptions.

Contact lenses for specific eye conditions

Astigmatism
For many years, people who had astigmatism were unable to enjoy the convenience and appearance benefit of contact lenses. Now, contacts are available to correct astigmatism. Ask your eye doctor.

Presbyopia
If you are over 40, you may have trouble focusing on objects close to you. That’s a condition called presbyopia. And, until recently the only way to treat it was to wear bifocal glasses or use one near vision contact lens and one far vision contact lens. In 1999, technology became available that combined the two powers in one lens. Bifocal contacts are available in soft and gas permeable materials and even with a disposable or frequent replacement wear regimen.

Your Contact Lens Eye Exam
The first step to getting contacts is to see the independent Doctor of Optometry at Sears. He or she will give you an eye exam designed to determine if contacts are right for your eyes and your prescription. The contact lens eye exam includes more tests and measurements than a regular exam. It will include an internal and external examination of your eyes and a glaucoma test. The prescription you receive can be used for your contacts and for eyeglasses should you decide, as many people do, that you’d like to have the option of glasses for times when you’re not wearing your contacts. (The regular exam prescription for eyeglasses can’t be used to fit you with contacts.)

Once you have your exam, you’ll explore all the choices that are now available to today’s contact lens wearer. Here are some things the eye doctor will consider.

• What’s your prescription?
You can likely wear contacts if you are nearsighted, farsighted, need bifocals, or have astigmatism.

• What’s your sport?
Contacts add enjoyment — even improved performance — to a number of sports. Be sure to ask the eye doctor about precautions you should take to ensure safety in the sports you will play while wearing contacts.

• What are your risks?
If you have allergies, certain hazardous work activities, diabetes, dry eyes or persistent infections of the eye, contacts may not be appropriate for you. Your eye doctor will help you decide.

• Choosing your contacts.
If you and your doctor decide on contact lenses for you then you’ll explore all the choices that are now available to today’s contact lens wearer and choose the type that are right for your prescription and your lifestyle color-changers.

• Caring for your contacts.
When you get your contacts, you’ll be shown how to care for them in a way that protects and optimizes the performance of the lenses themselves and safeguards your eye health and vision. This will include an explanation of the products and procedures.

CONTACT LENSES

 

CONTACT LENSES

Contact lenses are the smallest, least visible, the finest of all devices for correcting refractive errors of the eye. Prescribing and fitting contact lenses have become an integral part of today’s comprehensive ophthalmology practice. Majority of the people are using contact lenses for cosmetic purposes. Other reasons for wearing contact lenses include occupational preferences, sports and therapeutic uses. Their growing importance makes it appropriate to inquire into the origins and development of these valuable ophthalmic resources.

History

The idea of contact lens was first conceived by Leonardo da Vinci in 1508. He described a glass cup containing water which was placed over the eye, eliminating the cornea as a refractive surface. After, so many attempts made by different scientists, in 1920, zeiss produced, a fitting set used to correct Keratoconus. This was the first set of trial contact lens. In 1929 Heine described a method of fitting Contact Lens by means of a trial set consisting of large number of contact lenses.

Later in 1937, there was a break through, William Feinbloom, an American used plastic in the construction of Contact Lens. A year earlier in 1936 the Rohm and Hass company introduced transparent Methyl Methacrylate. The first plastic corneal contact lens was introduced in 1947 by Kelvin touhy.  Then in 1960, wichetrle discovered the soft contact lens which is made up of hydrophilic material.

 

Advantages of contact lenses

There are several advantages of contact lenses over spectacles.Some of them are:

1. Fewer magnification effects

2. Decreased peripheral and chromatic abberations 3. Increase in the size of visual fields 4. Marked decrease in aniseikonia in monocular aphakia and Anisometropia.

5. Good Cosmetic appearance.

6. Permits better correction for refractive errors that occur with keratoconus and irregular astigmatism.

Indications

a) Optical: Myopia, Hypermetropia, Astigmatism, Presbyopia, Aphakia, Post Keratoplasty, Keratoconus .

b) Orthoptic uses: Aniesokonia, Anisometropia,

Amblyopia (Occlusion).  c) Special Uses: Albinism, Aniridia, Nystagmus with Refractive error, coloboma, symblepharon.

d) Therapeutic uses: Bullous Keratopathy,

corneal ulcers, Glaucoma therapy (for Drug

Delivery)

e) Prosthetic uses: Pthisical eye, corneal opacity, leukoma , corneal scars.

f) Surgical Uses: Corneal protection at surgery

Contra Indications

(i) There are several contra indications especially Dry eyes, lid problems such as active Blepharitis, stye, chalazion, entropion .

(ii) Acute and chronic conjunctivitis, corneal abrasions, hyphema, Vth nerve paralysis, hypopyon, Uveitis and iritis.

(iii) Some Rare contra indications are allergies, Uncontrolled diabetes, pregnancy period and Pterygium .

Types

Modern system classifies contact lens into three

major types such as

(i) Soft

(ii) Semi soft and

(iii) Hard contact lens

Soft Contact Lens

Well flexible contact lenses that are composed of 4. Power: Determine the spherical power first, convert the refraction prescription into minus cylinder and use spherical equivalent method. Add to the sphere to determine the lens power and compensate this for vertex distance.

5. Base curve : Select the base curve which is 0.4 - 0.6 mm flatter than the flattest ‘K’ for smaller lenses and 0.6 - 1.0 mm flatter for larger lenses.  6. Fit the contact lens to the respected eye and leave the patient to wait for 15-20 minutes to settle the lens well.

Fitting Evaluation

1. Acceptable fitting should show about 0.5 - 1 mm lag as the eye is turned upon to the side.

Movements have best been detected by asking the patient to look up and blink. When the lens moves more than 1 mm with each blink, then it is fitted as too flat. If it moves less than 0.5 mm it is steeper and will limit the tear exchange.

2. The other factors that should be considered while looking the fitting are:

a. Good centration

b. Adequate movement

c. Stable vision

d. Crisp retinoscopic reflex

e. Clear undistorted Keratometry mires.

 

 

 

 

 

Insertion and removal

either hydrogel or silicon material. These soft contact lenses are madeup of different polymers but basically Hydroxy ethyl metha acrylate(HEMA) which is a stable, clear, nontoxic, non allergic, and optically desired material. These lenses are usually larger in size than the cornea for optimum centring and stability.  It is much more comfortable than rigid lens, because of its soft qualities and its ability to flex on blinking.  Its larger size produces a fit with its edge lying under the upper and lower eye lids.

Advantages

a. More comfortable because the lens fits under the eyelid margins, flexes with each blink and the softness permits more oxygen to reach the cornea

b. Spectacle blur is uncommon.

c. Less chances of lens loss, because of larger size and minimal movement.

d. Minimal over wear reaction, because of its soft nature and to create oxygen tear pump

mechanism by flexing with each blink.

e. Less glare and photophobia.

f . Ideal for children because of comfort and less chances of lens loss factor.

Fitting procedures (Ref.1)

Soft contact lenses are usually fitted as large as than the corneal diameter to maintain good centration and stability.Fitting steps include

1. Record the ‘K’ reading and convert it to millimeters (mm).

2. Measure the corneal diameter in mm

3. Diameter : The initial lens diameter selected should be 1.0 – 2.0 mm larger than the corneal diameter.  1. Wash the hands thoroughly with soap and dry.  2. Take the lens out, clean and rinse it well 3. place the lens on the tip of the index finger 4. Look up, and retract the lower lid with the middle finger and while looking upward, gently apply the lens to the lower part of the eye.

5. Remove the finger and then slowly release the lid.

6. Close the eye and gently massage the lids.

7. Cover the other eye and focus it to make the correct centration.

8. Repeat the same procedure to the next eye.  9. While removing, Look upward and retract the lower lid with middle finger and place the index finger tip on the lower edge of the lens.

10. Slide the lens down to the white of the eye.  11. Compress the lens between the thumb and the index finger, so that the air breaks the suction under the lens. Remove the lens for cleaning and sterilising.

 

 

 

 

 

Semisoft

contact lens

 

 

Gas permeable lenses which made up of a unique plastic that has the ability to permit

oxygen to diffuse into and Carbondi oxide to diffuse out of the lens. Materials

1. CAB (Cellulose Acetyl Butyrate) lenses

2. Silicon Acrylate

3. Butylstyrene

Advantages

1. Increased comfort

2. Longer wearing time

3. Reduced corneal edema, spectacle blur and over wear syndrome.

4. Rapid adaptation

5. Permeability of more oxygen than other lenses 6. Larger optic zone consequently offers increased visual field and less glare.

7. Gas permeable lenses in a spheric form can cover upto five diopters of astigmatism.

Fitting procedure

      Record the Keratometry readings

      Select the initial lens based on base curve.

      The base curve of the initial lens should be slightly steeper than the flattest meridian .

      Diameter selection is directly related to base curve. The flatter the cornea the larger the lens.

      The following table describes the selection of diameter:

      While fitting the trial, leave the patient for 20 –

30 minutes to attain good centration and

settlement of the lens.

      However for best results fit the lens according to its best position and comfort.

Power Diameter

40.0 – 43.0 D 9.4 mm

43.25 – 45.0 D 9.2 mm

Greater than 45.25 D 9.0 mm

 

 

Insertion and Removal

1. Wash your hands thoroughly with oil free soap 2. Take out the lens from the container.

3. Keep at your palm, clean it well with the prescribed solution .

4. Depress the lower lid by the middle finger while the index finger carrying the lens is gently applied on the cornea.

5. Slowly release the lids to avoid accident ejection of the lens. Release the lower lid first and then the upper.

Removal

1. Look downward, open the lids wide so that the edge of the lid will engage the edge of the lens 2. Draw the lid tight by a lateral pull of the index finger and blink.

3. The lid should dislodge the lens slowly 4. Cup the other hand under the eye to catch the lens.

Scissors Technique

Hold the upper lid by the index finger and the lower by middle finger. Apply lateral traction to the lids and squeeze the lens off by a scissors motion.

Fitting Evaluation

a) Normal fit: There is a slight vault over the apical zone of the cornea with slight central pooling with an absence of stain in the intermediate area. The peripheral portion of the lens should have a pooling of stain indicating that the edge is standing off from the cornea.  b) Flatter fit: Typically with a flat lens, there is a apical touch with little fluoresceine in the area of contact.  c) Steeper Fit: Tight lens fitting will have a central pooling with an intermediate or peripheral zone of touch.  d) Astigmatic Cornea: There is a band shaped area of touch on the flattest meridian.

Hard Contact Lens

Hard contact lens is made up of PMMA (Poly methyl metha acrylate) which is a stable,

clear, non toxic, non allergic, easily worked and optically desied material. It can be moulded or lathed and the stability of PMMA is more than RGP lenses.The oxygen permeability of hard contact lens is almost nil. It provides oxygen only by means of tear pump.

Fitting procedure

      Record the Keratometry readings

      Select the initial lens based on base curve.

      The base curve of the initial lens should be slightly steeper than the flattest meridian .

      Diameter selection is directly related to base curve. The flatter the cornea the larger the lens.

      while fitting the trial, leave the patient for 20-30 minutes to attain good centration and settlement of the lens.

      However for best results fit the lens according to its best position and comfort.

 

Insertion and Removal

1. Wash your hands thoroughly.

2. Take out the lens from the container.

1. Keep at your palm, clean it well with the prescribed solution.

2. Depress the lower lid by the middle finger while the index finger carrying the lens is

gently applied on the cornea.

3. Slowly release the lids to avoid accident ejection of the lens. Release the lower lid

first and then the upper.

 

Removal

1. Look downward, open the lids wide so that the edge of the lid will engage the edge of the lens 2. Draw the lid tight by a lateral pull of the index finger and blink.

3. The lid should dislodge the lens slowly 4. Cup the other hand under the eye to catch the lens.

Other Lenses

Piggy-back contact lenses

It is basically the wearing of a soft lens against the cornea to provide comfort and a rigid lens over the soft to attain vision.

X - chrome Lens

Is a type of contact lens which improves the colour discriminations for the colour blindness people who is partially blind in red-green area.

Bandage Contact lens

Is used to protect the cornea from external influences and permit healing of underlying corneal disorders.

Prosthetic Contact Lens

Tinted lenses for corneal prosthesis. Prescribed for corneal opacity, leucoma, corneal scars, pthisical eye.

24 AECS Illumination

Toric contact lens

Lenses used for astigmatism. It has different radii of curvature in each meridians.ie The principle meridians differ by 90 degrees. Front toric, Back toric and Bi toric lenses are available.

Ortho – Keratology

The technique of flattening the cornea and thus correcting refractive errors by the use of a series of progressively flatter contact lenses.

Contact lens care and maintenance

Contact lens care and maintenance is one of the most crucial aspects of contact lens wear. It can influence the success of contact lens wear and patient’s satisfaction.

Lens care and maintainence procedure really have 4 steps ( cleaning, rinsing, disinfecting and storing the lenses )

Cleaning

The daily cleaners usually contains surfactants and are used to remove most loosely bound foreign bodies on the lens which includes cell debris, mucus, lipid, protein and micro organisms. The mechanical action of rubbing reduces the amount of loose debris and also enhances the efficacy of the solutions surfactant properties.

Rinsing

After cleaning, the lenses could be rinsed. The rinsing procedure helps to remove the loosened deosits, and some micro organisms.

Disinfecting & Storage

The process of disinfecting helps to kill or deactivate

the microorganisms.Ideally there are two types of

disinfecting systems

Thermal disinfection

The lenses should be placed in the case with saline solution and heated to 70oc - 80 oc for 10 –20 minutes.

Chemical Disinfecting

Hydrogen peroxide based solutions are used for chemical disinfection. This is reasonably effective with in 10 – 15 minutes.

These disinfecting solutions also used for storage.  They are functioning as a hydrating medium which helps to maintain the stability of contact lens parameters and physical parameters.

Multi purpose solutions

The modern lens care systems use one solution to perform the functions of a number of components. For ease of use and patients convenience, multipurpose solutions are formulated to allow cleaning, rinsing, soaking and disinfecting functions to be combined.  To avoid lens contaminations, the lens case should be rinsed after every use and the lenses should be stored in fresh solution. For better lens care, change the lens case monthly.

Complications

The complications of contact lens in various aspects include:

      Hypoxic related problems such as corneal edema,

Superficial punctuate keratitis, decreased

sensation, superficial and deep infiltrates,

vascularisation, superior limbal kerato

conjunctivitis, epithelial microcysts.

      Allergic related problems include hyperemia, sterile infiltrates, Giant papillary conjunctivitis.

 

Conclusion

Thus contact lenses are the ideal choice for refractive errors which give better vision correction without any distortions. At the same time proper lens care and regular followup are very essential to maintain a good ocular health.

 

 

CONTACT LENSES