The Science Behind the Ultra Performance Lens
Take on the best life has to offer with the next-generation daily disposable contact lens
Do these following scenarios sound familiar? You love the freedom of contact lenses, but at times you rely on eye drops to improve comfort; you reduce the wear time of your contact lenses because your eyes feel tired, or you settle for end-of-day discomfort.
“People choose to wear contact lenses over spectacles because they perceive them as being a better fit for their lifestyle,” says George Grobe, Vice President of Global R&D at Bausch + Lomb.
Whether it is playing sport, working long hours in front of a computer, meeting up with friends or enjoying the great outdoors, contact lenses can give wearers the freedom to enjoy what they want to enjoy.
“So liberating can contact lenses make wearers feel, that they will at times settle for less comfort to be able to wear their lenses longer. In fact, a recent study of 318 silicone hydrogel daily disposable contact lens wearers by Kadence International found that 82% were interested in a contact lens that could reduce dryness, and 70% agreed that they had to settle for less comfortable to wear their lenses the entire day1,” continues Grobe.
Soft silicone hydrogel lenses have indeed advanced since being introduced in 1998, but lifestyles have changed, too. For many, the “go, go, go” of life today increases demands on contact lenses in terms of comfort, vision and eye health. Long hours and long days can put a strain on both eyes and contact lens performance. In fact, 74% of wearers blame their own lifestyle for their eye concerns1.
“We asked ourselves — What if we could do more for contact lens wearers and for their wearing experience? What if we could do more for comfort from morning to night, more for vision, and more for eye health? What if we could go beyond today’s daily disposable contact lens constraints—to provide a whole new wearing experience, unlike anything patients have tried before?” With this goal, Grobe and a team of researchers set out to develop a new daily disposable lens with exceptional performance2.
What is new and innovative about Bausch + Lomb ULTRA® ONE DAY lenses?
After several years of research and development, the team created a new and innovative lens material, kalifilcon A, which is available as the Bausch+Lomb ULTRA® ONE DAY silicone hydrogel lens. The next-generation contact lens material integrates two breakthrough technologies, Advanced MoistureSeal® Technology and ComfortFeel Technology, to promote an exceptional level of comfort for a full 16 hours3.
The new material starts with a high moisture level of 55% water and maintains 96% of this moisture for up to 16 hours of wear4,5.
The soft lens material also has high-oxygen transmissibility, which helps to keep the eyes healthy and white6.
“The surface of the eye the contact lens rests on gets its oxygen from the surrounding environment, so the contact lens material has to allow the eye to breathe,” says Grobe.
Unique approach to lens comfort and health
“The final step in the research and testing process was to find ingredients to support an outstanding level of lens comfort.
The result is ComfortFeel Technology, which represents a unique combination of comfort and eye health ingredients, which are released during wear to help protect, enrich and stabilise the tear film7,” says Grobe.
These two technologies work together to make Bausch + Lomb ULTRA® ONE DAY contact lenses as comfortable at the end of the day as at the beginning3. They take contact lens wearers beyond their usual comfort expectations to give them the freedom to be who they want to be and to take on the best life has to offer8.
Contact lens technology that goes beyond
Bausch + Lomb research has recognised that many of us lead active lifestyles that involve moving between air-conditioned offices, cars and gyms to outside where our eyes are exposed to the elements. The difference in humidity, temperature and air velocity can influence the evaporation rate of tears9. Furthermore, physical exercise contributes to loss of body fluids that affects tears10.
“All of these situations can have an impact on the comfort of a lens11,” says Grobe.
“With Bausch + Lomb ULTRA® ONE DAY contact lenses, we’re aiming for two things – 16 hours of comfort and a stable and healthy ocular environment3,7, so wearers can have an exceptional wearing experience and live the ULTRA life2”.