Ultra Stories: The Science

The ultra performance lens:
The science
Dr. George Grobe
Vice President of Global R&D at Bausch + Lomb.
Take on the best life has to offer with the next-generation daily disposable contact lens

Do these following scenarios sound familiar? You love the freedom of contact lenses, but at times you rely on eye drops to improve comfort; you reduce the wear time of your contact lenses because your eyes feel tired; or you settle for end-of-day discomfort.

“People choose to wear contact lenses over spectacles because they perceive them as being a better fit for their lifestyle,”

Whether it is playing sport, working long hours in front of a computer, meeting up with friends or enjoying the great outdoors, contact lenses can give wearers the freedom to enjoy what they want to enjoy.

“Contact lenses can feel liberating for wearers, so they will often settle for less comfort to keep wearing them longer. In fact, a recent study of 318 silicone hydrogel daily disposable contact lens wearers by Kadence International found that 82% were interested in a contact lens that could reduce dryness, and 70% agreed that they had to settle for less comfort to wear their lenses the entire day1,” continues Dr George Grobe, Vice President of Global R&D at
Bausch + Lomb.”

Eye Exam

Soft silicone hydrogel lenses have indeed advanced since being introduced in 1998, but lifestyles have changed, too. For many, the “go, go, go” of life today increases demands on contact lenses in terms of comfort, vision and eye health. Long hours and long days can put a strain on both eyes and contact lens performance. In fact, 74% of wearers blame their own lifestyle for their eye concerns1.

“We asked ourselves — What if we could do more for contact lenses wearers and for their wearing experience? What if we could do more for comfort from morning to night, more for vision, and more for eye health? What if we could go beyond today’s daily disposable contact lens constraints — to provide a whole new wearing experience, unlike anything wearers have tried before?”

With this goal, Dr. Grobe and a team of researchers set out to develop a new daily disposable lens with exceptional performance2.

Eye Exam
What is new and innovative about Bausch + Lomb ULTRA® ONE DAY contact lenses?

After several years of research and development, the team created a new and innovative lens material, kalifilcon A, which is available as the Bausch + Lomb ULTRA® ONE DAYcontact lenses silicone hydrogel lens. This next-generation contact lens material integrates two break-
through technologies, Advanced MoistureSeal® Technology and ComfortFeel Technology, to promote an exceptional level of comfort for a full 16 hours3,4.
The new material starts with a high moisture level of 55% water and maintains 96% of this moisture for up to 16 hours of wear5,6.

The soft lens material also has high-oxygen transmissibility, which helps to keep the eyes healthy and white4.

“The surface of the eye the contact lens rests on gets its oxygen from the surrounding environment, so the contact lens material has to allow the eye to breathe,” says Dr. Grobe.

Eye Exam
Unique approach to lens comfort and health

“The important step in the research and testing process was to find ingredients to support an outstanding level of lens comfort. The result is ComfortFeel Technology, which represents a unique combination of comfort and eye health ingredients, which are released during wear to help protect, enrich and stabilise the tear film4,” says Dr. Grobe.

Advanced MoistureSeal® Technology and ComfortFeel Technology work together to make Bausch + Lomb ULTRA® ONE DAY contact lenses as comfortable at the end of the day as at the beginning7. They take contact lens wearers beyond their usual comfort expectations to give them the freedom to be who they want to be and to take on the best life has to offer7.

 

Eye Exam

Bausch + Lomb research has recognised that many of wearers lead active lifestyles that involve moving between air-conditioned offices, cars and gyms to outside where their eyes are exposed to the elements. The difference in humidity, temperature and air velocity can influence the evaporation rate of tears8. Further-more, physical exercise contributes to loss of body fluids that affects tears9.

“All of these situations can have an impact on the comfort of a lens1. With Bausch + Lomb ULTRA® ONE DAY contact lenses, we’re aiming for two things – 16 hours of comfort and a stable and healthy ocular environment, so wearers can have an exceptional wearing experience and
live the ULTRA life3, 4.

1. Results of a consumer symptoms survey of 318 silicone hydrogel daily disposable contact lens wearers. Kadence International, April 2019. 2. Only Bausch + Lomb ULTRA® ONE DAY contact lenses offer a complete moisture + comfort system with Advanced MoistureSeal® and ComfortFeel Technologies plus a complete design of high Dk/t, low modulus, UV blocking and High Definition Optics. Bausch + Lomb ULTRA® ONE DAY contact lenses deliver health through its complete system working together to support a healthy ocular environment, the inclusion of eye health ingredients which are retained over 16 hours and the high allowance of oxygen permeability (Dk/t=134). 3. Data on file. Product Performance Evaluation of a Novel Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lens: kalifilcon A Daily Disposable Contact Lenses – Summary of kalifilcon A Patient Comfort and Vision Outcomes for Patients Who Wore Lenses for 16 or More Hours Per Day. Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, Rochester, NY, 2021. 4. Rah M. Ocular surface homeostasis and contact lens design. February 2021. 5. Schafer,J. Steffen,R. Reindel,W; A clinical assessment of dehydration resistance for a novel silicone hydrogel lens and six silicone hydrogel daily disposable lenses. Poster presented at AAO; October 2020. 6. U.S. Food & Drug Administration 510(k) Summary K200528; Bausch + Lomb (kalifilcon A) Soft (hydrophilic) Contact Lens. May 2020. 7. Data on File. Product Performance Evaluation of a Novel Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lens: kalifilcon A Daily Disposable Contact Lenses – Summary of kalifilcon A Patient Comfort and Vision Outcomes. Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, Rochester, NY, 2021. 8. Wolkoff P., Karcher T., Mayer H., Problems of the “outer eyes” in the office environnent: an ergophthalmologic approach. 2012. 9. Holland J.J.,Ray M.,Irwin C, Skinner T.L., Leveritt M., Desbrow B., Tear osmolarity is sensitive to exercise-induced fluid loss but is not associated with common hydration measures in a filed setting. J Sports Sci. 2018. 10. Craig J.P., Willcox M.D., Argueso P., Maissa C., Stahl U., Tomlinson A., et al. The TFOS International Workshop on Contact Lens Discomfort: Report of the Contact Lens Interactions With the Tear Film Subcommittee. Invest Ophtalmol Vis Sci 2013.