Grabbing the toric opportunity

Global contact lens manufacturer, CooperVision, has celebrated the official launch of MyDay toric, a silicone hydrogel contact lens for patients with astigmatism (10 May). 

The exclusive event, held at ME London, welcomed over 160 industry professionals to find out more about the benefits of the new lens.

As guest speaker at the event, Dr Shehzad Naroo encouraged delegates to reflect on “the toric opportunity.”

Reporting on his 2014 clinical paper, Comparison of fitting stability of the different soft toric contact lenses, Dr Naroo highlighted how the optimised toric lens geometry used in the design of the Biofinity toric helps to reduce lens rotation and improve rotational recovery.

Reflecting on the penetration of the contact lens category in the UK, Dr Naroo said that Euromcontact data from 2014 revealed that the UK is in the centre of the curve with 8% share, with Germany lagging behind on 3%, and Sweden leading they way on 13%. 

Dr Naroo added that practitioners looking to grow their business need to think about contact lenses, noting, “research shows that practices that engage in more contact lens work perform better.” He added that practitioners should remember that “contact lenses are not a mature market yet,” and more growth can come.

Reflecting on the issue of comfort and contact lenses, Dr Naroo told delegates that “patients have a different perception of comfort, as when patients are defocused their comfort drops,” adding the two thirds of dropouts are the result of an uncorrected cylinder.

Fitting more patients

Speaking at the event, CooperVision’s UK head of marketing and professional services, Mark Draper, told OT: “We are delighted to now offer all the benefits of our premium MyDay lens to patients with astigmatism, offering them the same soft, comfortable lens-wearing experience, alongside the lens stability and visual acuity they have come to expect from CooperVision’s toric lenses. With an extensive parameter range, we are confident that eye care professionals will now be able to fit even more of their astigmatic patients.”

Mr Draper highlighted how MyDay toric’s “highly breathable Smart silicone chemistry, provides unsurpassed comfort and a healthier lens-wearing experience.” 

“Its optimised toric lens geometry offers patients the exceptional vision stability that eye care practitioners have come to expect from Biofinity toric,” he added.

Smart silicone technology features long chain silicone molecules that support efficient oxygen delivery to the cornea, molecularly bonded hydrophilic groups to enhance the compatibility of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic material ingredients, and longer silicone chains and increased compatibility between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials enable lower cross-link density, Mr Draper explained.