Top contact lens stories of 2023: virtual reality, bill to ban prescription robocalls
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This year, we looked ahead to the future of contact lenses, with news stories detailing advancements in virtual reality, legislation to ban prescription robocalls and technology that measures IOP almost as well as the Goldmann tonometer.
Read below for summaries of these news stories and more.
VIDEO: Future of contact lenses will involve augmented, virtual reality
Contact lenses of the future will go beyond vision correction, a speaker from the Vision Expo West Global Contact Lens Forum said in this Healio video.
Lyndon Jones, BSc, PhD, DSc, FCAHS, FCOptom, DipCLP, DipOrth, FAAO, FIACLE, FBCLA, director of the Centre for Ocular Research & Education at the University of Waterloo, shared highlights of a presentation on the latest developments in contact lenses as well as future possibilities. Watch here.
New bill in Congress targets contact lens prescription robocalls
A proposed bill to make ordering contact lenses online safer by banning sellers from verifying prescriptions through robocalls has earned the praise of the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety.
According to a press release from the nonprofit organization, the Contact Lens Prescription Verification Modernization Act would prohibit online contact lens sellers from using automated phone calls to verify customers’ prescription details. Sellers are required by law to contact prescribers for confirmation, but the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety (HCAPS) said that robocalls have led to inaccurate prescriptions, which could cause permanent eye damage or blindness. Read more.
IOP-measuring contact lens nearly as good as Goldmann applanation tonometry in study
A soft contact lens for monitoring IOP was comparable to the “current gold standard” Goldmann tonometer, according to study results presented at the American Glaucoma Society Annual Meeting.
The noninvasive, electronics-free miLens by Smartlens Inc. was able to take IOP measurements that matched readings collected using Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT), the company announced in a press release. Read more.
Eiyan Lens launches as ‘affordable’ direct-to-consumer contact lens brand
New York City-based Eiyan Lens is a new direct-to-consumer contact lens brand created to make quality contact lenses that are affordable and accessible at 58% less than brand-name contact lenses.
According to a company press release, the monthly lenses are manufactured by Visco Vision and made from silicone hydrogel with high oxygen permeability and 47% water content. The lenses come in a range of powers, with a base curve of 8.7 and a diameter of 14.0. Each box includes three contact lenses and is shipped at no charge to consumers throughout the United States. Read more.
Acanthamoeba keratitis risk greater with reusable vs. daily disposable contact lens use
The risk for Acanthamoeba keratitis increases threefold with reusable contact lens wear compared with daily disposable lens wear, highlighting the importance of safe use guidelines, according to research in Ophthalmology.
“The widespread use of [daily disposable (DD)] lenses is both because of convenience and because data suggest that the risk for severe microbial keratitis with vision loss, including that caused by Acanthamoeba, is probably reduced for DD compared with reusable contact lens wear, although this has not been confirmed for either predominantly bacterial or Acanthamoeba keratitis,” Nicole Carnt, PhD, associate professor and deputy director of research at the University of New South Wales School of Optometry and Vision Science in Australia, and colleagues wrote. Read more.
Dual contact lens, glasses prescribing ‘represents a significant opportunity’
Nearly a quarter of more than 2,000 contact lens and spectacle wearers surveyed said they wear both modalities to correct their vision, according to a report from the Contact Lens Institute presented at Vision Expo East.
“When we look at the glasses-only patients, 18% of them said they’d be interested in contact lenses if they knew about them. Those who wear contact lenses (18%) said they’d like to wear spectacles more often,” Contact Lens Institute (CLI) board chair Michelle Andrews, OD, said during a CLI-sponsored event. “More than one-third of patients already in the chair are interested in something you can provide, but you’re not talking about it. It represents a significant opportunity in the practice.” Read more.