Contact lens innovation to “deal with modern life”

Johnson and Johnson Vision has launched its latest contact lens, Acuvue Oasys with Transitions Light Intelligent Technology, at the BCLA Conference 2019 (30 May–1 June 2019).

Speaking to OT at the event, Giovanni Abruzzini, Johnson and Johnson Vision’s director of Northern Europe region and general manager UK and Ireland, explained that the product seamlessly adapts to changing light to provide all-day soothing vision. 

“The lens knows light. It reduces the stress of changing light conditions, giving the perfect visual experience,” he commented.

 
The UK is the first country outside the US to have the product, Mr Abruzzini explained, adding: “If we think about the opportunity of the product, we can reach out to different audiences that may not have tried contact lenses so far, and put more spice into the contact lens market.”

Dr Zohra Fadli, director of sphere, light management and lens care platform at Johnson and Johnson Vision, told OT she had been working on the project for 10 years. “There is no lens like it, it is the first of its kind,” she said.

Presenting at BCLA 2019 on behalf of Johnson and Johnson Vision, Dr Billy Hammond, professor of behavioural and brain sciences at the University of Georgia, discussed research on visual comfort, along with research on the performance of photochromic contact lenses in comparison to clear lenses in indoor and outdoor environments.

“Humans did not evolve to deal with modern variation in light like headlights and digital device light; we evolved to deal with natural variations in light. This is why people have issues with migraines and insomnia for example,” he explained to OT.

“There is a whole new area of science called photobiology that deals with how light affects human health, visual functions and visual health. The real innovation with this technology is that it is allowing us to deal with modern life,” Dr Hammond said.