Contact Lenses 1 Flashcards
why may patients drop out of the lens fitting?
-dryness
-discomfort
-redness
-convenience
-expense
-vision: this is the main reason as sometimes vision with CLs can be worse than with glasses
What are the advantages for assessing vision before lens fit (this is how it should be)
-for hard lens, tears correct astigmatism making it hard to get the Pxs original Rx before
-to allow time for lens to settle so you can get a more accurate assessment of the fit
-as you may dazzle the Px when assessing lens fit causing time wasting waiting for them to re-adjust from the bright light before assessing vision
what do you do if at any point of the lens fitting you find the fit is unacceptable?
start the process again right from choosing the initial trial lens but this time, choose a lens with a different manufacturer so you get a different sag instead of just looking at different base curve
What are the conditions for an optimal fitting lens
-good centration
-full coverage in all positions of gaze
-acceptable movement on blink and excursions
-comfortable
-clear and stable vision
when do you include OR in your CL Rx?
if it improves VA
if it makes sense with the spectacle Rx
when do you not include OR in your CL Rx?
-if it makes the VA worse
-you think you’ve given too much plus or minus when compared with the spec Rx
what can deposits on contact lenses cause?
-inflammatory complications including papillary conjunctivitis
-reduce lens surface wettability
-contaminate the CL case which is a high risk factor for CIE’s
-be a food source for microorganisms increasing the number of bacteria on the case or lens hence increasing risk of inflammation
what are the two main types of contact lens solutions?
MPS (multipurpose solutions) and peroxide solutions
how do MPS reduce hypersensitivity problems?
the preservatives have a large molecular weight so they don’t enter the lens matrix which would allow them to get into contact with the ocular surface
what percentage of contact lens patients use MPS?
96%
why may a patient choose peroxide instead of MPS to clean their CLs?
because peroxide is preservative free and so can be used by patients who are sensitive to MPS
what are the key functions and properties of contact lens solutions
*Effective disinfection against wide variety of
pathogenic organisms
* Non-toxic to ocular tissues
* Rapid disinfection capability
* Facilitate removal of lens deposits
* Condition lens surface to enhance
wettability & comfort
* Compatible with all CL materials
* Simple to use
* Affordable
what do preservatives in contact lens solutions do and how?
-they provide antimicrobial efficacy allowing them to work as a disinfectant
-by disrupting microbial cell membrane and inhibiting key enzymes
what are the two main preservatives in contact lens solution? What is the minimum recommended disinfection time when both these preservatives are used in one solution?
-polyhexanide
-polyquad
MRDT is typically4-6 hrs
what are the 4 key components of MPS solution?
-surfactant cleaner
-sequestering agent
-wetting agents
-tonicity and buffering agent
explain how surfactant cleaner is a key component in MPS
-by lowering the surface tension of a liquid
-acting as a detergent by forming micelles around the deposit
-acts as a wetting agent
explain how sequestering agents is a key component in MPS
They act on metal ions to improve disinfection efficacy and aid removal of tear film proteins like EDTA
explain how wetting agents are a key component in MPS
promote lens surface wetting improving comfort and relieve dryness and irritation
explain how a tonicity and buffering agent is a key component in MPS
it means the solution is maintained at a desired pH, tonicity and osmolarity which is important for comfort on insertion and integrity of the ocular surface
why is saline not good for cleaning contact lens cases compared to MPS?
saline has less ingredients and saline has 4x less preservative compared to a MPS as it is only to keep the saline itself from being contaminated. Not sufficient quantities to kill microbes hence why it’s only okay for rinsing CLs
what is saline only suitable for compared to what is MPS suitable for?
saline is only suitable for rinsing lenses only whereas MPS is suitable for daily conditioning, cleaning, removal of protein deposits, rinsing, chemical disinfection and lens storage
how does CL care solution tested?
- stand alone test
- the solution is incubated with a number of organisms
- stand alone test is passed when the solution has met primary criteria of 90% reduction in fungi and 99.9% reduction in bacteria
- if it does not meet primary criteria of standalone test then its tested against the secondary criteria
- secondary criteria is there has to be a combined reduction of 99.999% of bacteria, 90% reduction of each type of bacteria and fungal stasis at the minimum disinfection time
- when this is passes it can then pass on to the regimen test
- to pass the regimen test, there has to be a reduction of at least 99.99% for all organisms
what is a great MPS CL care brand?
Biotrue as it has good disinfecting efficacy and is great at reducing chance of development of both trophozoites and cysts of AK
name a great peroxide CL solution
Clear care
with peroxide CL solution, why is it important to allow the lenses at least 6 hours after adding neutralising agent before they are worn?
because above 100ppm of peroxide concentration, the patient can start to get stinging and redness which would make the CLs uncomfortable
Why is it especially important to clean contact lens cases?
as they can grow a biofilm which protects microbes from preservatives in CL solutions, providing a food source of acanthamoeba keratitis
Where does acanthamoeba come from?
protozoa commonly found in soil and fresh water, bacteria are the main food source
what are the two forms of acanthamoeba?
-trophozoites, activated feeding and dividing stage
-cysts, dormant and resistant
what is the two step system to using peroxide CL solution?
- surfactant containing
- neutralised to H2O and O2 by platinum disc or catalase tablet
- residual peroxide is toxic to ocular tissue
- there is then no ongoing disinfection so not suitable for long term storage
what is the hygiene, lens cleaning and case advice on insertion?
Wash & dry hands
* Apply lenses
* Empty case
* Rinse with solution
* Wipe with tissue
* Place case & caps face
down on clean tissue
what is the hygiene, lens cleaning and case advice on removal?
- Wash & dry hands
- Remove lens
- Rub & rinse lens
- Fill case with fresh
solution - Insert lens, re-cap case &
leave for at least MRDT
how do you help a patient choose a CL care solution?
- Availability in practice (often limited to one or two
manufacturers) - Specific indications / contra-indications of lens
- Px history / lifestyle
- Compliance
- Previous sensitivity problems
- Cost
If a toric lens has poor stability, what should you do?
-change manufacturer
-do a refit to make sure its not too loose or too tight
-change to a lens with a different method of stabilisation
What are the two types of soft toric lens stabilisation?
prism ballast
dynamic stabilisation
how does prism ballast stabilisation of toric lenses work?
-as the toric lens has an increasingly thicker profile towards the base
-the watermelon seed principle explains how the lens sits
-so the thinner portion of the lens is located under the upper eyelid and the thicker portion is squeezed towards the lower lid
what are the negatives of prism ballast lenses?
- reduced comfort
- thicker lens = reduced Dk/t
- prism in optic zone
- orientation affected by gravity
what is the positive of prism ballast lenses?
they are better for oblique cyls
what are peri ballast lenses?
toric lenses where as much prism as possible is removed from the lens through comfort chamfers and eccentric lenticulation to reduce lens thickness. Prism is restricted mainly to the lens edge allowing for a potentially free prism optic
how does dynamic stabilisation of CLs work?
- there are thin zones at the top and bottom of a lens which orientate beneath the lids
- the lids then squeeze against the thickness differential to maximise stability
what are the positives of dynamic stabilisation?
-better orientation for patients with tight or high lower lid due to minimal thickness differential
-gravity causes minimal rotation so more optimal for dynamic situations
what are the negatives of dynamic stabilisation?
limited to a correction of 4.00DC