The breathability factor. It sounds like a cheap new game show, but it’s actually a new advance in contact lenses. A plethora of new products have hit the market promising unprecedented levels of comfort and usability. Even if you don’t think you’re suited to contacts, they promise, you can ditch your specs. One of the latest and most high end products are the Purevision Multifocal contact lenses. Manufacturers Bausch & Lomb hope this could prove to be the game winner for them, but how do they stack up against the competition?
First of all let’s take a look at how the Purevision Multifocal Contact Lenses work. According to the marketing text, they make use of a new material called Aergel. What this is and what it does, I’m not entirely sure, but we can rest assured it has something to do with – yes, you’ve got it air. The biggest problem with wearing contacts is the flow of air to the cornea. Great riches await any product that can deliver on a promise to solve this problem and that’s what this does.
However, these are not alone. In fact there are so many different products out there that it can seem to be impossible to work out which ones are best. They offer different benefits for different types of eyes. For example, some, like the Purevision Multifocal Contact lenses, are marketed as a great boom to presbyotic patients. Others simply promise better comfort and longer wear.
One of the most active players in this sector is Acuvue. It has unleashed an army of products onto the market such as Acuvue Advance, Trueye and many more. If you thought it was difficult choosing between different suppliers, just wait until you are presented with options within one product line.
Ciba Vision, meanwhile, base their hopes on O2 Optix, also known as Air Optix. These have a loyal band of followers. These transmit up to five times more oxygen than traditional lenses. The company loves its facts and on its website you enter a purgatory of graphs, diagrams and tables. It’s like returning to science classes and that can put some people off.
But don’t worry. Behind the figures is one simple aim: to provide improved comfort and usability to all users. The best option is to try. That can be expensive. The Purevision Multifocal Contact Lenses can cost around 35 pounds for a pack of six on the internet. However, the benefits are such that it can be worth the effort.