American Optometric Association Awards ACUVUE® OASYS™ For ASTIGMATISM With Seal Of Acceptance For UV Absorbing Contact Lenses

Main Category: Eye Health / Blindness
Also Included In: Medical Devices / Diagnostics;  Conferences
Article Date: 28 Jun 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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ACUVUE® OASYS™ Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM, became the fourth contact lens in the ACUVUE® family of products to receive the AOA Seal of Acceptance for Ultraviolet Absorbing Contact Lenses from the American Optometric Association's Commission on Ophthalmic Standards. The announcement was made in Seattle at Optometry's Meeting™, the annual meeting of the American Optometric Association (AOA).

In awarding the Seal of Acceptance, AOA's Commission on Ophthalmic Standards, which provides independent evaluation of ophthalmic related products, determined that ACUVUE® OASYS™ for ASTIGMATISM, just launched in the U.S. this week, meets AOA specifications for ultraviolet absorbing contact lenses. These specifications are in accordance with published standards of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and International Standards Organization (ISO).

"The greatest measure of UV protection can be achieved with a combination of UV-absorbing sunglasses, a wide brimmed hat, and UV-blocking contact lenses," says Jeffrey L. Weaver, OD, Director, Clinical Care Group, AOA.

All ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses offer effective UV-blocking, and among contact lens brands, only ACUVUE® ADVANCE® with HYDRACLEAR®, ACUVUE® ADVANCE® for ASTIGMATISM, ACUVUE® OASYS™ with HYDRACLEAR® PLUS and ACUVUE® OASYS™ for ASTIGMATISM carry the AOA's Seal of Acceptance for Ultraviolet Absorbing Contact Lenses.

"Not all contact lens lines offer UV protection, and, of those that do, not all provide similar absorption levels," explains Sheila Hickson-Curran, Director, Medical Affairs, VISTAKON®, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. "ACUVUE® ADVANCE®, ACUVUE® ADVANCE® for ASTIGMATISM, ACUVUE® OASYS™ and ACUVUE® OASYS™ for ASTIGMATISM offer the highest level of UV-blocking available, blocking more than 90 percent of UVA rays and 99 percent of UVB rays that reach the lens.†* On average, contact lenses without UV blocking block approximately 10% of UV-A radiation and 30% of UV-B radiation.

Because they cover the entire cornea and limbus, UV-blocking contact lenses offer an added level of protection when worn with UV blocking sunglasses. While many sunglasses will block UV rays that enter through the lenses, most do not prevent unfiltered rays from reaching the eyes through the sides, as well as the top, and/or bottom of the glasses. Due to their inability to block these peripheral rays, some sunglasses block as little as 50 percent of all UV radiation from reaching the eyes.

Johnson and Johnson
http://www.jnj.com