Meredith Bishop, OD, MS, FAAO; David Ruston, BSc, FCOptom, DipCLP, FAAO; and John Buch, OD, MS, FAAO
With adults spending more time on screens combined with the fact that half of patients over age 45 will drop out of contact lens wear,‡ it is imperative that the technologies built into your contact lenses address these factors related to the aging population. ACUVUE® OASYS MAX 1-Day MULTIFOCAL includes three unique technologies that do just that.
In this age of digital technology, lifestyles demand more from our vision. A persistent trend toward longer screen times – and the burden this can put on eyes – is well documented. Over the last few years, the average time adults spend using screens has increased by 33% to about 13.5 hours per day.1 A recent change that may have contributed to this trend is the shift to remote working and the associated increase in video teleconferencing.
The number and variety of digital devices people use is also on the rise; nowadays, a typical household owns around 25 connected devices.2 The burden this puts on the eye can include symptoms of both ocular and visual discomfort. The direct causes of these symptoms include altered blinking and accompanying tear film issues at all ages,3-5 accommodative and convergence demands,6 and glare.7
These demands can be even more troubling for the aging eye. Accommodation declines, impacting near vision. Tear film break up time reduces 50% by age 50,8 which can lead to dryness and inconsistent vision, and light scatter doubles by age 60, resulting in increased visual artifacts.9
Given these increasing visual challenges, contact lens designs must provide further technological advancements to meet patients’ needs. End-of-day comfort is a key consideration among eye care practitioners, with 74% viewing it as the number one performance gap.10 Another important challenge is vision under various light conditions, for example, many patients have difficulties with the visual requirements of driving at night.11 Lastly, patients report that near vision provided by multifocal contact lenses could also be improved.12
Technologies for Comfort Clarity
ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal is designed to help address contact lens needs of the presbyopic patient, combining three powerful technologies: Pupil Optimized Design, TearStableTM Technology, and the OptiBlueTM Light Filter. Most of your presbyopic patients can benefit from these innovative technologies, which make ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal a great choice for upgrading existing contact lens wearers and first-time wearers.
Technology Number One: Pupil Optimized Design
Of contact lens wearers older than 40, 94% expect to continue in contact lenses.§13 Despite this, half of patients over age 45 will drop out of contact lens wear.‡
Pupil size varies with age and refraction: older and more hyperopic eyes tend to have smaller pupils.15,16 By tailoring optical parameters to pupil-size variation across both near and distance powers, ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal is designed for superior visual performance.†14 The Pupil Optimized Design also enables a high rate of fitting success, with 96% of patients successfully fit using two pairs of lenses or fewer.*17
Technology Number Two: TearStableTM
TearStableTM Technology supports a stable tear film by mimicking the moisturizing and lubricating properties of the tear film.18–21 To do this, ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal optimizes the distribution of the wetting agent (PVP) throughout the lens and at the surface.18-21 The wetting agent allows both water and lipid components of the tear film to spread over a surface, enabling moisture retention and lubrication.22-24 This is designed to lock moisture throughout the lens and across the surface.18
Objective measures indicate that the benefits provided by TearStableTM Technology include reduced tear evaporation**18,19 and enhanced tear-film stability.§§20 With the ACUVUE® MAX family of contact lenses, tear evaporation is almost halved when compared to competitors’ lenses.††18,19 As for tear film stability, wearers of ACUVUE® MAX are 1.6 times more likely to have an increased tear film break-up time (VBUT).§§20 Compared to a leading contact lens, ACUVUE® MAX increased the proportion of patients with a VBUT >10 seconds, reflecting an improved tear film stability and optical quality.§§20
Technology Number Three: OptiBlueTM Filter#
High-energy, blue-violet light (380–450 nm) can be emitted from various sources, such as indoor lighting, car headlights, and digital devices, as well as the sun.
Longer blue wavelengths of around 460 nm to 500 nm are responsible for regulating pupillary light reflexes and circadian rhythm,25 with exposure to these wavelengths leading to reduced sleepiness,26 increased alertness,27 and increased cognitive function.28 Therefore, while the macular pigment provides some filtering at these longer wavelengths, additional filtering could reduce or delay the associated biological processes.29
The shorter blue-violet light can have a negative effect on visual comfort and clarity; these wavelengths are more uncomfortable to view than the longer orange/red wavelengths (assuming equal luminous output).30,31 They are also scattered more easily within the eye than longer wavelengths, thus reducing retinal contrast.32 Therefore, filtering at these shorter wavelengths of the blue-violet range can improve both subjective and objective visual outcomes.30,31,33
Not all blue-violet light filters are created equal – they can have different levels of filtering and act on different regions of the light spectrum. The OptiBlueTM Filter provides the highest level of blue-violet light filtering, reducing blue-violet light transmission by 60% within a range of shorter wavelengths (Figure 1).#‡‡18 ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal is designed to reduce intraocular light scatter, starbursts, halos and thereby improve visual clarity.#18,34
Figure 1. Spectral transmittance curves for ACUVUE® OASYS 1-DAY (blue) and ACUVUE® OASYS MAX 1-DAY (yellow) across a range of wavelengths, including ultraviolet (UV) high-energy visible (HEV) and visible light. #,^,^^,19
Clinical Performance of ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal
ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal provides crisp, clear vision at all distances and in all lighting conditions plus all-day comfort.17 When compared to Dailies Total1® Multifocal, ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal offers superior near and intermediate vision with comparable distance vision.¶35 Additionally, after wearing ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal, 94% of patients reported comfort throughout the day and 90% reported end-of-day comfort.17
ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal offers clarity in all lighting conditions.17 Compared to Dailies Total1® Multifocal, ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal provides superior vision during daily activities, and superior vision in dim light.¶35 In addition, the majority of ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal wearers reported feeling confident driving at night.¶¶
In clinical trials, the lens also shows benefits for viewing digital devices. 94% of patients wearing ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal reported clear vision using digital devices.17 The wearers of ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal also experienced less feelings of tired eyes using digital devices.¶35
Conclusion
Many patients are struggling to keep up with today’s visually demanding lifestyles. ACUVUE® MAX Multifocal uses three innovative technologies – Pupil Optimized Design, TearStableTM Technology, and the OptiBlueTM filter – to meet more presbyopic needs.^‖ Now is the time to offer the multifocal contact lens your patients have been waiting for.