Contact Lens Business
A New Soft, Disposable Toric
A different approach to designing and manufacturing the Biomedics Toric leads to benefits for patients and practitioners.
BY CHRISTOPHER KENT, SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Soft toric lenses haven't yet reached the level of comfort, ease of fitting and problem-free wear associated with spherical lenses. Now, however, Ocular Sciences has created a soft, 2-week disposable lens that it believes will go a long way toward achieving that goal.

To find out what makes this new lens unique, we spoke with Rick Franz, O.D., vice president of professional relations at Ocular Sciences, and Jason Jacobs, M.D., who practices in Denver, Colo.

WHAT MAKES THIS LENS DIFFERENT?

Ocular Sciences says it designed the Biomedics Toric from scratch. The company worked with the Cornea and Contact Lens Research Unit of the Institute for Eye Research at the Uni-versity of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, where researchers did a de-tailed analysis of the shape and design of existing soft toric lenses and conducted more than 1,200 patient trials to evaluate the performance of each brand.

Researchers found problems, such as uneven lens surfaces resulting from multiple-cut manufacturing techniques, which caused the eyelid to move the lens during blinking. To avoid this problem, the company uses a new computer-controlled manufacturing process that creates the front lens surface using a single cut. Other design features include a uniform horizontal thickness in the ballast zone to improve fit and comfort.

According to the company, these and other changes make the new lens significantly more stable and comfortable for the wearer. The company also says that the new design process has increased manufacturing consistency, an important consideration when patients replace lenses on a regular basis.

WHAT IS THE LENS MADE OF?

For material, the company says it chose Ocufilcon D, which has a Dk of 19.6 and a UV inhibitor. (This is the same material used in Biomedics spherical lenses, although the company says it was chosen because it had the right physical properties, such as tensile strength and modulus of elasticity.)

HOW DOES THE PATIENT BENEFIT?

In clinical trials conducted by the Institute for Eye Research, patients rated the new lens as the most comfortable of all current soft torics. Dr. Franz says the stability and minimal rotation of this lens also provide clearer vision.

Dr. Jacobs says his experience agrees. "The lens seems to fit and align well on most of my patients, and most patients say it's comfortable. Several patients who rejected other toric lenses in the past like these."

HOW DO PRACTITIONERS BENEFIT?

The Biomedics Toric has several potential advantages for your practice:

• Increased comfort, stability and consistency can mean easier fits and fewer return visits. Some doctors have reported picking a lens simply on the basis of the patient's spectacle prescription. According to Dr. Jacobs, "These lenses require less chair time because they usually fit well the first time."
• Easier fits and less rotation on the eye mean that doctors will have less reason to fit low astigmats with spherical lenses. This should improve patient vision and satisfaction, as well as the practice's bottom line.
• Like all Biomedics lenses, Ocular Sciences says that these are only offered for sale through practitioners. Studies conducted by the company indicate that this causes a significant increase in patients returning to the practice.

Dr. Jacobs says the lens may generate referrals as well. "One patient was so pleased with the fit that she referred her boyfriend, who had been unsuccessful with torics in the past. I suspect the lens is generating other referrals, too."

OFFERING VALUE

"This is a premium lens," says Dr. Jacobs. "It fits better, it's more comfortable, and it offers value to our patients. It's probably our number one toric lens."

For more information, e-mail gbradley@ocularsciences.com, or contact your Ocular Sciences representative.