RGP insights

New RGP Lenses Raise The Bar for RGP Quality

BY EDWARD S. BENNETT, OD, MSED
October 2001

This is the second of a two-part series pertaining to how improvements in RGP manufacturing technology have produced higher quality RGP lenses. We surveyed Contact Lens Manufacturers Association (CLMA) member laboratories

ers Association (CLMA) member laboratories to learn more about the latest RGP technology. We asked them what new and exciting products they now offer through their laboratories.

Ultrathin Innovation

Art Optical features its Thinsite lens design, an ultrathin profile design available in almost any power that enhances centration and promotes initial and long-term comfort. Thinsite represents an exciting result of new manufacturing technology that enables laboratories to make RGP lenses thinner. This often results in an improved lens-to-cornea fitting relationship and increased patient comfort.

Art Optical also features its MagniClear presbyopic lens, which has a tri-zone front surface designed to achieve acuity at all distances. It is also available in toric designs.

New Astigmatism Design

Danker Laboratories recently released its patented Latitude GP design for astigmatism. The Latitude GP design purports to neutralize up to 4.00D of corneal astigmatism using a completely spherical geometry. Its rotationally-symmetric design eliminates the need for toric geometry and prism ballast, allowing 360 degrees of rotation. This can result in good patient comfort and a simplified fitting process.

Technological Curves

Blanchard Contact Lens manufactures a full line of RGP aspheric multifocal contact lenses. Its proprietary manufacturing process applies Blanchard's S-Form Technology. These lenses may offer practitioners and patients alike a better quality aspheric optical system for full range vision correction, less contrast loss and less visual compromise, within a simplified fitting regimen.

The Essential RGP is available in three different add powers and is currently the number-one selling RGP presbyopic lens in North America. It represents an exciting trend in new aspheric multifocals currently being introduced: higher add powers.

Acculens has introduced numerous designs using inverse (change of direction) technologies, which incorporate variable curves that allow tear reservoirs to form and contribute to a better exchange of tear distribution.

Acculens' Comfort Perm is an enhanced diameter design that incorporates sagittal depth values for a more efficient fitting relationship. Accufocal Plus represents a new generation of high add multifocal designs featuring variable eccentricity zones that allow a fitter to customize the lens to a patient's visual needs

Most of the laboratories that responded indicated that they have introduced new reverse curve lens designs as well as incorporated new technologies to manufacture high quality aspheric multifocal lenses.

Acknowledgements: Pam Scoggins (ABBA), Kevin Hing (Danker), Steve Young & Janice Schramm (Valley Contax), Mel Sanford (Conforma), Keith Parker (Accu Lens), Roger Fitch (Procon), Lee Buffalo (Blanchard), Tom Anastor (Art Optical), Westlens, Pat Shelton & Charles Hegge (Dist-O-Con), Jan Daniel (Paracon), Boyd Richardson (G.P. Specialists), Tru-Form.

Dr. Bennett is an associate professor of optometry at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and executive director of the RGP Lens Institute.