2024-04-15 03:01:19
If your eyesight is poor, wear glasses or contact lenses. 89% of contact lens users worldwide are using soft contact lenses.
Soft contact lenses are made of soft and flexible materials, so they are comfortable to wear and allow quick adaptation. However, the majority of wearers give up wearing contact lenses within 3 years due to discomfort and dryness. In fact, according to a survey by Alcon, a global ophthalmology company, four out of 10 contact lens wearers said they were considering stopping wearing contact lenses or had actually stopped wearing them.
Research on ways to improve the wearing comfort of soft contact lenses is also active. Soft contact lenses have different oxygen permeability and moisture content, which affect wearing comfort, depending on the material. Oxygen permeability is a measure of how much oxygen passes through a contact lens. Moisture content is the moisture content contained in contact lenses. Most of the soft contact lens products currently sold are made of ‘silicone hydrogel’ material. It reduces side effects caused by wearing lenses for long periods of time and increases wettability compared to existing materials.
The material used before silicone hydrogel was ‘hydrogel’. Although the moisture content was relatively high and the lens surface was soft, it had the advantage of being comfortable to wear at first, but when the lenses were worn for a long time, the lenses dried easily, causing dryness. Due to the material’s low oxygen permeability, there were concerns that wearing lenses for a long time could have a negative effect on the cornea.
Later, silicone hydrogel was developed by adding silicon to hydrogel to increase the low oxygen permeability, which was considered a limitation of hydrogel material. As oxygen permeability improved compared to existing hydrogels, side effects from wearing lenses for long periods of time could be reduced, but there were also limitations to the early silicone hydrogel materials. Because it is not friendly to water and has very low wettability, it has the limitation of sticking to the surface of the cornea and causing discomfort.
Currently, research on silicone hydrogel contact lenses is continuing to increase water content while maintaining oxygen permeability by adding wetting ingredients or modifying the properties of silicone to increase the moisture and wearing comfort of the lenses. Innovative technologies such as ‘water gradient’ also emerged. Water gradient is a technology that combines a material with a high moisture content on the surface of a silicone hydrogel lens. ‘Water Surface Lens’, developed with a water gradient, provides excellent moisture stability and oxygen permeability as the water content increases by more than 80% from the center of the lens to the surface in contact with the cornea and eyelids. It has been approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for its effect in reducing dryness.
Satisfaction with contact lenses depends on their comfort. If a user wants to wear contact lenses for a long time, they must carefully consider not only the moisture content and oxygen permeability of the lens, but also the characteristics of the lens surface material that directly contacts the surface of the eye. Above all, it is important to select the right contact lenses for you and learn how to use them through appropriate consultation with an expert.
Reporter Hong Eun-sim [email protected]
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2024-04-15 03:01:19