Contact lenses may soon be safer for your patients to wear than ever before. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley and Rohm and Haas Texas Inc. in Houston have invented a material called sulfoxide hydrogel polymer, which enhances the water level in the eye while minimizing protein build-up. They believe it will allow contact lenses to be worn for a longer period of time, prevent bacterial build-up and increase patient comfort.

By minimizing protein deposition, a major concern with current soft contact lenses, the new material can help prevent infections and blurred vision. The new lenses are undergoing clinical trials at present but could be available as early as next year.