Soft Contacts Lens: Fitting and Management Flashcards
Material properties
safe
inert
nontoxic
biocompatible
chemically and physically stable
good wettability
deposit resistance
durable
easy to formulate and manufacture
good optical clarity
Materials
polymerization of different monomer combinations, creates a balance of:
- water content
- refractive index
- hardness
- mechnical strength
- oxygen permeability
silicone:
- a high Dk value (oxygen permeability)
- good comfort
- good wettability
- optical clarity
- deposit resistance
HEMA - first hydrogel lens to allow oxygen
DK value
how much oxygen allowed through contact lens
needs to be at least 84
silicone hydrogel allows higher oxygen permeability with proper hardness and mechanical strength
Final Evaluation
transparency
hardness and stiffness
tensile strength
modulus of elasticity
refractive index
wettability
ionic charge
hydration (water content)
oxygen permeability/oxygen transmission
Modulus of elasticity
silicon hydrogel > hydrogel material
pros: stiffer, resists deformation, holds shape, easier to handle, better VA maybe
cons: edge lift, flutting, superior epithelial arcuate lesions, mucin balls, GPC
Oxygen permeability
DK value
property of lens material itself
not affected by power
hydrogel - Dk value increases as water content increaes
silicone hydrogel - Dk value decreases as water content increases
oxygen transmission
Dk/t
Dk divided by average thickness of lens
considers how much oxygen for a given lens can reach the cornea
lens power indirectly affects Dk/t
holden and mertz
measured corneal swelling following lens wear and compared to measurements from without wearing lenses
Dk/t = 24 for daily wear to avoid corneal swelling
Dk/t = 87 for extended wear
water content and ionic charge for classification of lens groups
water content and ionic charge affect:
strength
refractive index
deposit resistance
Dk
interaction with contact lens solution
as water content increases:
- lens strength, deposit resistance, and refractive index decreases
- oxygen permeability increases
classification of lens group
low water content is defined as <50% water, high water content is defined at >50%
- group 1: low water content, nonionic polymers:
includes HEMA and hydrophobic monors, attracts less deposits, less oxygen permeability, stays clean longer - group 2: high water content, nonionic polymers: lower protein interaction due to nonionic polymer matrix, avoid sorbic acid and potassium sorbate
- group 3: low water content, ionic polymers - greater attraction towards tear proteins and lipids, therefore exhibit more deposits than nonionic group
- group 4: high water content, ionic polymers: strongest proteins attraction, avoid heat disinfection
silicone hydrogel
latest and greatest technology in soft cl
- very low water content
- high oxygen transmissibility
- beware of silicone allergy
- the higher the amt of silicone, the lower the water content = the more oxygen transmitte to cornea
- silicone material has higher modulus of elasticity (high resistance to deformation or stress), stiffer material compared to hydrogel
remember: hydrogel material has higher water content so it’s more fragile, therefore the modulus of elasticity is lower -> flimsier material
manufacturing methods
lathe cutting: PMMA, RGP, many soft CL
spin-cast: manufacture soft lens, hydrogel materials into a cast, spinning action determines final power
cast-molded: cost effective, reproducible, less labor intensive process for high-volume manufacturing
combination
lathe cutting
process begins with long, plastic cyl of material cut into lens buttons followed by:
- lathing: the hard, dry button is ground on a lath which cuts lenses into different front curves, base curves, and secondary curves when necessary
- polishing: removes any lathing marks, improves the optics, and smooths the edges
- hydration: for soft lenses - the brittle dry lenses are immersed in saline and become soft, flexible lens
- extraction: all unpolymerized chemicals or materials are removed
- tinting: if there is a handling tint
- finishing: full quality inspection
- sterilization: lenses are placed in autoclave for 20 minutes
spin casting
liquid lens polymer injected into spinning mold, followed by lens material being treated with heat and UV light (curing) -> causing liquid to solidify
front surface of lens determined by curvature of the mold
back surface is determined by combination of temp, gravity, centrifugal force, surface tension, amt of liquid in mold, rate of spin
high reproducible and thin, comfortable edges
small problem: often decenter on eye -> temporally or superior temporal
tends to be flat -> moves a lot (good an easy though)
Cast molding
make mold
liquid polymer poured into concave half of mold and convex portion of applied and clamped into place
material is cure with UV light and hydrated
contraindications
inflammation, disease of ant. seg., systemic disease that can be complicated by CL wear, poor hygiene, poor compliance, lack of motivation
irregular cornea (keratoconus, ocular trauma), autoimmune disease, immunocompromised patients, chronic allergies, chronic antihistamine use, GPC
indications
good tear quality and quantity
spherical RE
low astig.
low lenticular astig.
atheltes
unable to adapt to GP lenses
occasional/flexible wearer
desires tint to enhance or change eye color
previous GP adherence
previous 3 and 9 oclock staining with GP lenses
high motivation
soft lens advantages
excellent initial comfort
min. adaptation time
part-time wearing schedule possible
risk of corneal distortion min.
min. spectacle blur
dislocation uncommon
foreign-body sensation rare
ability to fit and dispence from inventory
low incidence of flare
low incidence of discomfort from excessive lens lag
ability to change or enhance eye color
simplicity of fit
rarely causes excessive tearing
disposable/frequence replacement possible
therapeutic use possible
soft lens disadvantages
reduced VA in uncorrected astig.
limited durability
oxygen transmission w/ hydrogels
deposit formation/ GPC possible
greater chance of bacterial contamination/infection
greater risks with noncompliance
more difficult to verify
limitation of corrections
quality of vision may be reduced
GPC
patient factors affecting material selection
RE
handling issues
deposit-prone patients
marginal dry eye
therapeutic use
ocular disease
age
aphakia
occupation
part-time wearers
refitting GP wearers
compliance