VISTAKON® Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla (May 9, 2012) – Daily disposable contact lenses could alleviate symptoms experienced by wearers of reusable contact lenses, new research shows. The study also found that lens performance is further affected by lens material. The findings were presented today at the 2012 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting.
About the Study
In the first part of the study, data from 364 reusable contact lens wearers were used to estimate the prevalence of the following key symptoms and signs that may indicate struggling or ‘problem’ contact lens wearers: frequent or constant dryness or irritation, uncomfortable wear for two or more hours, grade 2 or higher bulbar or limbal hyperemia (0-4 scale), and grade 3 or higher corneal staining (0-15 scale). These patients had no evidence of ocular abnormalities or disease that would contraindicate contact lens wear.
In the second part of the study, 235 ‘problem’ patients – made up of the 154 patients identified in Part 1 as having at least one of the qualifying criteria and 81 patients with objective signs of dry eye that were recruited in separate trials – were fitted with either etafilcon A (Johnson & Johnson Vision Care) or nelfilcon A (Alcon®) daily disposable lenses.
Refitting ‘problem’ patients with daily disposable lenses reduced the prevalence of dryness by 19 percent (P=0.001) and uncomfortable wearing time by 35 percent (P=0.041). Overall, there was no significant effect on irritation, conjunctival injection or corneal staining.
At baseline, prior to being fit with daily disposable lenses, there were no significant differences noted in the prevalence of symptoms and signs between patients fitted with etafilcon A or nelfilcon A lenses. Significant differences between lens materials were reported following refit.
Forty-five percent of patients wearing nelfilcon A reported dryness compared to 32 percent of etafilcon A wearers. The prevalence of irritation was nearly twofold higher in nelfilcon A wearers (22 percent) than in etafilcon A wearers (12 percent, P=0.05).
Approximately 11 percent of nelfilcon A-fitted patients were classified with ‘problematic’ injection compared to 2 percent in the etafilcon A group (P=0.003). No significant differences were reported in the prevalence of ‘problematic’ corneal staining.
“The study demonstrates that daily disposables can offer a more comfortable wearing experience to patients experiencing challenges with their reusable contact lenses,” says study co-author Sheila Hickson-Curran, BSc(Hons), MCOptom, FAAO, Director, Medical Affairs, VISTAKON® Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. “The study analysis suggests that the etafilcon A daily disposable lenses may be a good choice to help solve patients’ problems with reusable lenses and to help struggling patients remain in contact lenses.”
The study was supported by funding from Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, makers of
1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST® Brand Contact Lenses and 1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST® Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM.
ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses are indicated for vision correction. As with any contact lens, eye problems, including corneal ulcers, can develop. Some wearers may experience mild irritation, itching or discomfort. Lenses should not be prescribed if patients have any eye infection, or experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, redness or other eye problems. Consult the patient information leaflet for complete information. Complete information is also available by visiting www.jnjvisioncare.com.
Source: Spyridon, M, Hickson-Curran, S, Young, G, “Refitting ‘Problem’ Reusable Contact Lens Wearers with Daily Disposable Lenses.”
VISTAKON® and 1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST® Brand Contact Lenses are trademarks of
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
The third-party trademarks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.
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