Contact Lenses
B+L Launches Revive Custom Soft Contact Lenses
With the goal of providing a more individualized vision-correcting solution to a broad range of patients, Bausch + Lomb recently launched a new family of customizable soft contact lenses called Revive. The product line includes spherical, toric, multifocal and multifocal toric options.
Revive lenses are made of a non-ionic material that helps resist protein deposits, B+L says, allowing for up to three months of daily wear; the replacement schedule is at the discretion of the doctor. The company explains that the customizable parameters include lens diameter, base curve and power, all of which can be adjusted as needed until the optimal fit is achieved.
Toric lens versions include what B+L calls “dual elliptical stabilization,” a process for ballasting that adds material with more forethought toward achieving the optimal shape and position than traditional “slab-off” designs. The company says this aids in orientation and rotational stability.
For multifocal fits, the near-zone diameter is customizable from 1.8 mm to 3 mm to account for small-pupil patients or other circumstances where a non-standard design is desired.
For more information, visit bauschsvp.com.
B+L’s new BioTrue Hydration Plus Multi-purpose Solution
A growing number of people today are opting to use natural products to manage their well-being, for reasons such as ingredient transparency and the potential for reduced side effects. Several eyecare companies offer contact lenses and solutions that cater to lens wearers in search of a more natural and preservative-free option, one example being Bausch + Lomb’s BioTrue line.
The company recently launched a new addition to BioTrue’s product portfolio called Hydration Plus Multi-purpose Solution, which B+L says matches the pH of healthy tears and keeps lenses moist for 12 hours.
Compared with BioTrue Multi-purpose Solution, the formula in Hydration Plus contains 25 percent more hyaluronan, a moisturizer found in tears that helps the lenses to maintain moisture, the company explains in the press release. It’s also made up of a unique combination of other ingredients including potassium, an electrolyte and erythritol, an antioxidant that protects hyaluronan against free radicals, all of which help to maintain ocular surface homeostasis, says B+L. The solution is now available in a multi-dose, eco-friendly bottle.
For more information, visit biotrue.com.
Therapeutics
Help for Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis
Vernal keratoconjunctivitis is uncomfortable for young patients and can damage the ocular surface if left untreated. A variety of steroids and antihistamines are typically prescribed to manage the rare condition. A new contending therapeutic—Verkazia—is a cyclosporine 0.1% emulsion that blocks the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, thereby suppressing the immune system and reducing inflammation, manufacturer Santen says.
Clinical trials of Verkazia demonstrated improvements in corneal inflammation (keratitis score) and ocular itching, the company said. The company also noted that the most common side effects, occurring in more than 5 percent of patients, typically during instillation, were eye pain (12 percent) and eye itch (8 percent).
In addition to providing vernal keratoconjunctivitis patients with symptomatic relief, Verkazia may also mitigate their chances of developing vision-threatening complications such as shield ulcers, according to Santen.
For more information, visit verkazia.com.
Vitrectomy tech
Upgrades to B+L’s Stellaris Elite Vision Enhancement System
Users of Bausch + Lomb’s Stellaris Elite machine are getting some new tweaks that might help them in their vitreoretinal surgical cases, the company says.
In the first of what it says will be a series of efficiency-enhancing upgrades to its Stellaris Elite system, Bausch + Lomb has increased the maximum vacuum setting and enhanced the trocar/cannula removable valve caps. The company says the vacuum increase from 600 to 660 mmHg will provide a 10-percent boost in vacuum capabilties and an approximately 8-percent increase in vitreous removal efficiency.
The enhancements to the removable valve caps increase the central thickness of the valve by 33 percent, with a reduction of each segment of the tri-slit profile, the device’s maker says. B+L believes that these changes, which became available in July, will improve the machine’s fluidic stability during delicate surgical maneuvers.
For more information, visit bauschsurgical.com.
