contact lens focus

Clear the Way

Lens provides daily disposable option for presbyopes.

Corrie Pelc, Contributing Editor

For Dr. Scott Pouyat, who practices in Lake Zurich, Ill., providing a contact lens for his presbyopic patients was always a challenge.

“A lot of our [contact lens] patients were wearing monovision lenses — one for far, one for near — and they complained of eye fatigue and [their] distance and reading [vision] not being as clear,” he explains. He adds some contact lens patients were using reading glasses as a secondary visual aid.

Now, Dr. Pouyat is offering these same patients CooperVision's Proclear 1 Day Multifocal lenses with great success. “Giving them the multifocal option in a one-day lens, patients are much happier about the clarity of their distance and reading vision, and their eyes aren't as fatigued at the end of the day,” he says.

Overview

The Proclear 1 Day Multifocal has a center-near aspheric design with an 8.7 mm base curve and a 14.2 mm diameter, that can accommodate up to a +2.50 ADD power, according to Dr. Carol Deitz-Bertke, who practices in Edgewood, Ky.

She adds that the lens is made from CooperVision's Proclear material technology. “The material found in the Proclear lens naturally mimics human cell membrane molecules that attract water,” she explains. “It surrounds itself with water so, as the day goes on, the lens stays moist.”

Dr. Deitz-Bertke says the Proclear technology has resulted in patient satisfaction in terms of the comfort of the lens. “As soon as patients put the lens on, they tell me it feels like they have nothing on,” she adds. “And, as the day goes on, they make it through the day — 12 to 15 hours — with no problem at all. I've never had anyone complain about the comfort of the lens.”

Dr. Mitch Cassel, who practices in New York, N.Y., says he has found patients to be enthusiastic about the clarity of vision offered by the Proclear 1 Day Multifocal lenses.

“(They) realize the added benefits that this lens gives vs. either a straight-up maximum distance correction or monovision,” he adds.

He says the lenses have been beneficial for his early presbyopic patients who are having challenges with the true disparity between their eyes. However, he says he has also found this product to be advantageous for patients who work in front of a computer as well as athletes.

Fitting & chair time

Dr. Pouyat says he has had great success in fitting his patients with the Proclear 1 Day Multifocal lens using the provided fitting guide (see below).

One of the points in the fitting guide is in regards to a certain starting point with the lenses based on the patient's ADD power. For example, if the power is below a +1.00 ADD, there's no adjustment necessary in the lenses. However, if there's an ADD power of 1.25 to 1.75, you have to make an adjustment in the power of the non-dominant eye.

Another example in the fitting guide is that the practitioner is instructed to let the lens settle on the eye. If the patient is satisfied with his/her vision, dispense the lenses and see the patient for a follow-up visit. The fitting guide then recommends improving distance vision by performing an over-refraction on the dominant eye in plus or minus quarter steps, but to test it binocularly. For near vision, the doctor performs his/her over-refraction in the non-dominant eye with the binocular condition in plus or minus quarter steps.

Dr. Pouyat recommends practitioners follow the guide step-by-step to help them troubleshoot any problems. “We've found if we follow the protocol of the design of the lens, my chair time has been very limited, and it's a pretty quick fit,” he adds.

Proclear 1 Day Multifocal Lens MATERIAL: Omafilcon A DK/T: 28 WEARING SCHEDULE: Daily RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT SCHEDULE: Daily disposable DIAMETER: 14.2mm SAGITTAL DEPTH VALUE: 8.7mm

Dr. Deitz-Bertke has had similar success with fitting, stating the parameters fit almost any cornea she has encountered. However, she says when following the fitting guide she found she was required to add a bit more plus power to the distance in the dominant eye than the fitting guide recommended for best results.

And Dr. Cassel advises practitioners not to be apprehensive in fitting patients who have high presbyopic corrections, as the lens can go up to powers of +2.50 ADD.

“This really captures a lot of our patient base,” he says. “I wouldn't prejudge. I would try it on all different types of patients.”

Marketing & ROI

For Dr. Deitz-Bertke, the Proclear 1 Day Multifocal lenses practically marketed themselves, as she says she has a large base of one-day contact lens wearers.

“As soon as people would become presbyopic, we were kind of stuck — we didn't have a lot we could do,” she explains.

Once this product became available in her practice, Dr. Deitz-Bertke says patients were very excited at the opportunity to wear a daily disposable lens.

Additionally, Dr. Pouyat says he has found offering the Proclear 1 Day Multifocal lens a great retention tool by offering the latest contact lens engineering available.

“If (you're) not offering what's new and the technology that's out there, your patients are going to go somewhere else,” he says. OM