CLE Contact Lenses

Keratoconus is a genetic, recessive condition that affects less then 1% of the population, is progressive and can have devastating affects on the vision. There are several types of the condition each demonstrating varying degrees of severity.

The mild variation of the condition will present with decreased vision that is most often treated with eye glasses. The vision is corrected to 20/20 and frequently no diagnosis is even made.

When the vision continues to get worse, additional testing must be done to determine the etiology of the changes. A corneal topography must be performed to make the ultimate differential diagnosis. The inferior nasal area of the cornea is steeper then the rest of the cornea and is the only possible diagnosis. When this occurs careful examinations must be performed in order to maximize the visual acuity. When acceptable vision is not achieved with eye glasses, then Gas Permeable contact lenses must be employed. These lenses mask the irregularities of the cornea and give the best visual results.

As the condition continues to progress the central cornea near the cone will get thinner and protrude anteriorly. Danger exists when the apex of the cone touches the posterior surface of the contact lens. This interface can result in scarring of the cornea and permanent decreased vision. Careful and frequent evaluations must be performed to continuously redesign the lens to vault over the cone. On occasion, if an acceptable fit can not be achieved then a “piggy back” method must be used. This involves fitting a soft contact lens under the gas permeable one. The soft lens acts as a cushion and protects the cornea while still maintaining good comfort and vision.

I recently had a patient whose corneas had progressed to the level that even the piggy back was not giving the patient enough comfort so I had to refit the worse eye with a custom made soft contact lens specifically designed for Keratoconus. This increased the comfort and prevented the eye from getting an apical scar from the lens. The best vision in that eye was not as good as possible, but in combination with the other eye which still had a gas permeable lens, the vision was adequate.

If the condition progresses to the level that no improvement can be achieved with lenses, then a corneal graft must be performed. That topic will be discussed in another article.

In short, if a patient has declining vision that appears to be irregular in nature, Keratoconus must be considered and special contact lenses employed.

Comments(15)

Do you wear contact lenses and need reading glasses as well?

This is not uncommon, but there is an alternative. Bifocal contact lenses are becoming more popular than ever, especially now that Acuvue by Johnson & Johnson has created the Acuvue Bifocal, a two-week disposable lens that is quite affordable.

Check with your eye care professional to find out if bifocal lenses will work for you.

And speaking of reading, we at CLE have been involved in a heated debate over a list that I found on the Internet.

The list was published back in 1998 by the Modern Library and it compiles the “100 Best” novels of all time. Of course, the rankings are only the opinions of one association, but the purpose of the list is to get people to think and talk about great books. Of course, the list has sparked controversy here and elsewhere as many of us have strong opinions about what did and didn’t belong on the list and what was “inexcusably” left off. Other groups responded with rival lists of 100 best novels. But we think that those who were put off by the list missed the point. Of course there is no objective standard for the number one best novel or the next ninety-nine. But the dialog that the attempted compilation starts is a valuable way to get us exposed to books that are widely esteemed for their contributions to culture.

With that in mind, we offer the top twenty-five from the Modern Library’s list. How many have you read? For the rest of the list, see http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100best.html.

1. ULYSSES by James Joyce
2. THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce
4. LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov
5. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley
6. THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner
7. CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller
8. DARKNESS AT NOON by Arthur Koestler
9. SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. Lawrence
10. THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck
11. UNDER THE VOLCANO by Malcolm Lowry
12. THE WAY OF ALL FLESH by Samuel Butler
13. 1984 by George Orwell
14. I, CLAUDIUS by Robert Graves
15. TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf
16. AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY by Theodore Dreiser
17. THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers
18. SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut
19. INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison
20. NATIVE SON by Richard Wright
21. HENDERSON THE RAIN KING by Saul Bellow
22. APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA by John O’Hara
23. U.S.A. (trilogy) by John Dos Passos
24. WINESBURG, OHIO by Sherwood Anderson
25. A PASSAGE TO INDIA by E.M. Forster

Comments(15)

I get this question constantly in my practice, and the short answer is; there is no minimum age. However, there are important factors that need to be considered:

What is the overall health of your child?
Is there a disease, or condition that can be exacerbated by wearing contact lenses? Chronic infections, both viral and bacterial, chronic allergies that affect the eyes, are some factors that would prohibit contact lens wear. A full medical history must be discussed with your eye care professional.

Are your child’s eyes healthy?
A thorough eye exam should be performed to rule out any conditions that would compromise eye health. Diseases of the cornea, or eyelids would be an example of such conditions.

How responsible is your child?
An irresponsible child is a recipe for disaster. It is essential that contact lenses be cleaned on a daily basis, and replaced every 2 weeks in the case of disposable contact lenses. The child must understand the seriousness of failing to comply with cleaning and caring procedures. Eye infections as a result of poor compliance can ultimately be disastrous, and could lead to blindness.

What is your child’s hygiene like?
The child’s hygiene must be evaluated, and discussed. A child with poor hygiene would not be a candidate for contacts.

Long term studies show that contact lens wear does not cause any significant damage to the eye, in most cases. As a result, there is no real defined minimal age for contact lens wear, rather it is based on multiple conditions that need to be meet, and understood.

Comments(27)

Here is the most recent press release for clecontactlenses.com. This release will give you up to date information on what is new here at CLE.

Blauvelt, NY November 11, 2008 - Convenience has always been the hallmark of retail sales. The Internet has provided one company the opportunity to enhance a ten-year tradition of eye care service to customers.

Michael Starvaggi, President of EYE CARE ASSOCIATES, LLC, which owns the CLE Contact Lenses brand (http://www.clecontactlenses.com) indicated, “No one should have to be confined to a specific sales region when it comes to the care of their window on the world – their eyes. CLE is consistently serving customers throughout the United States.”

Since 1998 CLE Contact Lenses has provided customers a low-cost solution to replacement contacts. The site further provides the following resources…
• Ask the Doctor;
• Blog;
• Chat Room;
• Deals/Coupons;
• Eye Care;
• Medical Articles;
• Newsletter.

VisionWatch recently conducted a survey of Americans who use contact lenses. They discovered 44% of all contact wearers use them on a daily basis. The total number of Americans that wear contact lenses stands at 19%. “If that sounds like a small figure,” said Starvaggi, “that equals almost 60 million Americans, which is why we have worked to make CLE Contact Lenses a premier and trusted resource for contact lens users.”

With ten years of success behind them, CLE Contact Lenses announces a management restructuring and capital infusion that is designed to further accelerate company growth.

“Bringing both medical and web-based experience to our team is Dr. Jay Stockman,” Starvaggi announced. “Dr. Stockman has received the prestigious 10 year membership award from the American Optometric Association, is a senior examiner for the National Board of examiners in Optometry, and has published numerous articles in the fields of Contact lenses, ocular pathology and general health.”

Stockman’s experience will be relied upon to advance the overall quality and performance of the CLE Contact Lenses website.

CLE Contact Lenses (http://www.clecontactlenses.com) delivers a comprehensive network of information and competitively priced optical products since 1998.

For additional information, contact:

Michael Starvaggi
CLE Contact Lenses
Telephone: 1-877-536-7373
Fax: 1-845-398-6655
Email: president1@clecontactlenses.com
Web site: http://www.clecontactlenses.com

Eye Care Associates, LLC. is an affiliate of one of the largest New York eye care practices with over 20 years of experience. CLE Contact Lenses is the online presence of ECA. A team of eye care professionals, Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, and Opticians supervise the company to best service the needs and questions of consumers. CLE Contact Lenses remains a trusted source for contact lenses and eye care information. Contact Information

Comments(13)

HOW THE FARINESS TO CONTACT LENS CONSUMERS ACT WORKS

As I mentioned in my last post, I am an attorney and co-owner of www.clecontactlenses.com. In that post, I began telling you about the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act, which was implemented by Congress in 2004 to help ensure competition in the market for online replacement contact lenses. In this post, I would like to tell you about how the Act is structured and your rights under the law.

First, the Act provides that a contact lens prescriber must provide the patient with a copy of the prescription, whether or not the prescription is requested, and must also cooperate in verifying the prescription to anyone who requests a verification on the patient’s behalf (including an online lens retailer). The prescriber cannot require the patient to purchase lenses from the prescriber or charge the patient any fee for the prescription or a verification thereof.

Next, the Act states that a contact lens retailer can only sell lenses to a patient upon presentation by the patient of a valid prescription, or upon verification of the patient’s prescription from the prescriber. Here is where the “anti-stonewalling” provision takes effect. In order to avoid the situation where a prescriber simply refuses to respond to the retailer’s request for verification, the Act states that if the prescriber fails to respond to the request within eight (8) business hours, then the prescription is deemed to be accurate and may be filled by the retailer. Of course, if the prescriber responds by confirming the prescription, or correcting any inaccuracies in it, then the prescription is also deemed to be verified.

Under the Act, if, within the eight (8) business hours mentioned above, the prescriber informs the retailer that the prescription is “inaccurate, expired, or otherwise invalid,” then the retailer “shall not fill the prescription” unless a new, valid prescription is provided or verified.

There are also provisions for the period of time after which a prescription for lenses is deemed to expire. This period of time cannot be less than one year, regardless of the provisions of any state law to the contrary, unless the prescriber documents a medical reason for having the prescription expire in less than one year. This segment of the Act prevents states from favoring local prescribers by having prescriptions expire too quickly, thus forcing patients back to the prescriber for a new prescription. Such a policy by the state would abrogate the purposes of the Act.

Another measure of protection for the consumer is added by the Act in a provision that states that contact lens retailers, manufacturers and distributors “may not represent, by advertisement, sales presentation, or otherwise, that contact lenses may be obtained without a prescription.”

Thus, the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act creates a balance, protecting the lens wearer from pricing monopolies by allowing free competition in the sale of replacement lenses while keeping safeguards in place to ensure that lenses are only provided pursuant to a valid prescription.

Before you choose an online lens retailer, be sure they are familiar with the provisions of the law, and that they are in compliance. Failure to do so is a risk that is not worth taking.

For a copy of the Act, see www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode15/usc_sec_15_00007601—-000-.html.

Comments(13)