CLToday Fitting Tip of the Month

September 2004

Contact Lenses Today^Ž is edited by Dr. Joseph T. Barr and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum.

Extended Wear Indications
Patients who have a history of dry eyes, microbial keratitis or blepharitis are poor candidates for extended wear. High myopes and patients searching for a non-surgical alternative to LASIK are among those likely to find success in this modality. Examine the patient toward the end of his wearing cycle to determine the condition of the lenses and to assess any problems that might be developing. Emphasize the fact that just because a lens is FDA approved for a specific wearing schedule doesn't mean the patient's eyes will tolerate that lens or schedule. Monitor compliance by tracking the patient's contact lens purchasing patterns.
--Brad Giedd, OD, MS, FAAO & Kerry Giedd, OD, MS, FAAO
Apopka, Fla.

Contact Lens Wearers Not Likely to Mention End of Day Discomfort
In a recent VISTAKON^Ž survey of vision-corrected consumers, 63 percent of contact lens wearers reported some end-of-day discomfort from wearing contact lenses. The most common symptoms were eye dryness and lenses not feeling as comfortable as they did when first put in. Those experiencing discomfort attributed it to a variety of reasons, such as wearing contact lenses for too long, lack of sleep, windy environment, climate and cigarette smoke.
However, less than a third told their Eye Care Professional about the discomfort problem, underscoring the importance of asking specific probing questions to uncover real issues among seemingly happy patients.
Address end of day discomfort by prescribing ACUVUE^Ž ADVANCE^TM with HYDRACLEAR^TM. You'll exceed patients' expectations and hopefully keep them in contact lenses longer. (http://www.ecp.acuvue.com)
--ADVERTISING

Report adverse contact lens reactions here: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/ or call (800) FDA-1088.

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