Tomorrow's Technologies For
Today's Lens Wearers
Contact lens solutions may factor into the
success formula. Patient success equals practice success.
BY JOSEPH T. BARR, O.D., M.S., F.A.A.O.
Soft
contact lens patients represent about 90% of a contact lens practice.
Unfortunately, every one of these nearly 34 million patients in the United
States is a potential contact lens dropout. In fact, in 1 year, as many as 2.7
million patients may stop wearing their contact lenses.
Of
those patients who drop out of contact lens wear, more than 90% do so because of
discomfort, according to reports by Fonn and colleagues in 2002. So if you can
keep your patients comfortable wearing contact lenses not only will they be
happy, but you'll profit more because contact lens patients, long-term, are more
profitable than spectacles-only patients. Here's why.
Not
only do contact lens wearers see their eyecare practitioners more frequently
than spectacles-only patients, they also need spectacles and sunwear in addition
to their contact lenses. So it makes good sense for you as a clinician and
businessperson to make sure the lens design, material and fit all work together
to satisfy your patients. And of course, before fitting or refitting patients,
you'll treat any eyelid disease, ocular surface disease or dry eye. But contact
lens success doesn't stop with the lens and the eye.
New
technologies
The newest lens care
solutions are the best ever and quite different from those of the past decade.
Technological advances already have given us highly efficient disinfectants and
lens cleaning agents combined in a single solution. New ingredients keep lenses
cleaner and make lens surfaces more biocompatible, more wettable and better
moisturized. The next generation of contact lens solutions focuses on patient
comfort and ocular health.
For example,
ingredients like the ophthalmic demulcent hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)
keep lens surfaces moisturized. Nontoxic surfactants, buffers and amino acids
are critical to optimal cleanliness and long-lasting comfort. Some of these
ingredients may even have therapeutic antioxidant and cellular protective
effects. Indeed, these new ingredients help keep your patients happy in safe
contact lens wear, and that can improve your bottom line.
We
all should read the literature, the labeling, and the solution containers and
talk to lens care company representatives to learn about the many new important
ingredients that differentiate lens care solutions. As our authors point out,
only one multipurpose solution contains two ophthalmic demulcents, HPMC and
propylene glycol.
Play to your strength
Your
patients come to you because they know you are the expert and will recommend the
best products for each individual patient. If you recommend a lens care solution
to a patient, she'll continue to use it, especially if you monitor her lens care
at each visit to ensure compliance. In other words, don't underestimate the
power of your lens solution recommendation. It can mean the difference between
contact lens failure and success for your patients.
Dr.
Barr is editor of Contact Lens Spectrum. He's a professor and assistant dean for
clinical affairs at The Ohio State College of Optometry.
|
Key Components of Multipurpose Solutions |
| Brand Name |
Manufacturer |
Ingredients |
| Complete MoisturePlus |
Advanced
Medical Optics (AMO) |
Purified water, sodium chloride, polyhexamethylene
biguanide, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, propylene glycol, taurine, edetate
disodium, potassium chloride, sodium phosphate, poloxamer 237. |
Opti-Free Express
MPDS Lasting Comfort
No Rub Formula |
Alcon Laboratories, Inc. |
Sodium citrate, sodium chloride, edetate disodium 0.05%, polyquartenium-1 0.001%
(Polyquad), myristamidopropyl dimethylamine (Aldox) 0.0005%, Tetronic 1304, boric acid,
sorbitol, AMP-95. |
ReNu MultiPlus Multi-
Purpose Solution
No Rub Formula |
Bausch & Lomb |
Hydroxyalkyl
phosphonate, boric acid, edetate disodium, sodium borate, sodium chloride, polyaminopropyl biguanide
(Dymed) 0.0001%, poloxamine |
| SOLO-care Plus |
CIBA Vision |
Sodium chloride, bis-tris propane, pluronic F127, Aqualube
(cremophor), edetate disodium dihydrate 0.025%, polyhexanide 0.0001% |
|
Less Dryness, Longer Wearing Time |
Our patients have been thrilled with the increased comfort while wearing their contact lenses when using the new Complete
MoisturePlus. The new formulation has reduced the problems we often encounter with multipurpose solutions and has offered the additional benefit of improved comfort and wearing time. Patients report their lenses are more comfortable and they're able to wear them longer than with other multipurpose products. The ability of the solution to wet the lenses appears to result in improved patient response as far as dryness is concerned. The additional wetting properties of the propylene glycol and HPMC appear to help reduce drying, and taurine appears to reduce the irritation signs we've seen with other multipurpose disinfection systems. I recommend Complete MoisturePlus without hesitation. Patients have enjoyed the benefits of the new formulation, and we've solved additional problems by switching those patients who have concerns with their solutions.
 Glenda B.
Secor, O.D., F.A.A.O., Huntington Beach, Calif.
|
Contact Lens Spectrum, Issue: August 2004