18 April 2017
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care has announced that it has entered the monthly contact lens market in the UK with the launch of Acuvue Vita.
The move comes on the back of research showing that, despite the growth of the daily disposables market, monthly contact lenses remain a popular choice for new patients, with 123,000 new wearers entering the monthly reusable category every year.
The contact lens giant told OT that it was mindful that this group has one of the highest levels of drop outs, with 202,000 monthly lens wearers leaving the category annually – causing a net reduction of 79,000 wearers in the market.
“The latest innovation from Johnson & Johnson Vision Care is set to turn the tables on the industry-wide monthly dropout issue and reverse the category’s fortune,” the company explained.
At the trade launch in London (4 April), Johnson & Johnson Vision Care highlighted the technology behind the product, called HydraMax, which is designed with the aim to provide patients with “ground-breaking comfort.”
“HydraMax technology,” the company says, “integrates natural lipids into the lens as opposed to attracting denatured lipids to deposit on the lens surface. This harnesses the natural lipid-function of retaining aqueous thereby maximising and maintaining hydration.”
This approach reverses the traditional view of lipid interaction with the lens as a negative attribute.
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care added: “With a greater density of these lipids within the lens, the results show that evaporation rate is greatly reduced. This feature helps retain moisture and aid comfort, meaning the lens provides excellent comfort from the first day of wear to the last: an industry first.”
Vita also includes features that are associated with all Acuvue contact lenses, including UV blocking technology.
Speaking to OT, UK director of professional affairs at Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Dr Kamlesh Chauhan, said: “The monthly market has been under-served. Despite the relentless march towards daily disposables, there is still a significant group of patients who desire monthly lenses. This new product development has huge implications for delivering patient comfort and thereby keeping patients in contact lenses that will help practice success.”
Image credit: Johnson & Johnson Vision Care
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