CIBA VISION® Introduces AIR OPTIX® for ASTIGMATISM

Breakthrough Precision Balance 8|4™ Design combined with Highly Breathable Silicone Hydrogel Material

AIR OPTIX® for ASTIGMATISM, the latest addition to the AIR OPTIX^® family of lenses is now available. AIR OPTIX for ASTIGMATISM combines a unique design with a highly breathable silicone hydrogel material to provide astigmatic patients with improved levels of comfort and visual acuity¹.

Current soft toric wearers often suffer from dryness, discomfort, variable vision and redness throughout the day², and are twice as likely to drop out of contact lens wear compared to spherical patients³. AIR OPTIX for ASTIGMATISM has been designed to address these issues through a number of innovative features.

AIR OPTIX for ASTIGMATISM offers the highest oxygen transmissibility of any soft contact lens for astigmatism⁴. A Dk/t of 108 at -3.00D enables the lens to transmit seven times more oxygen than the leading low Dk/t hydrogel toric lenses⁵, helping to protect lens wearers from the signs and symptoms of corneal oxygen deficiency for whiter, healthy-looking eyes.

In addition, the lens features a breakthrough Precision Balance 8|4™ design, which places the thickest points of the lens at the eight and four o'clock positions, minimising interaction with the lower lid and providing increased comfort and stability. Placing most of the prism at eight and four o'clock also allows for a large and relatively prism free optic zone, especially important if the patient is only wearing a toric in one eye. AIR OPTIX for ASTIGMATISM also feature the same permanent plasma surface treatment as AIR OPTIX spheres for enhanced wettability and deposit resistance.

The Precision Balance 8|4™ design of AIR OPTIX for ASTIGMATISM lenses provides eye care professionals with a 95 percent first-fit success rate⁶. In addition, ninety-nine percent of AIR OPTIX for ASTIGMATISM lenses have an acceptable or optimal fit at dispensing⁷ whilst the lenses have been shown to stabilise on the eye in just 30 seconds⁸ so potentially saving chair time for practitioners.

AIR OPTIX for ASTIGMATISM has a base curve of 8.7mm and a diameter of 14.5mm. It is available now in sphere powers of plano to -6.00D in 0.25 steps with cyl powers of -0.75D and -1.25D. axes are around the clock in 10º steps. Increased sphere and cyl powers will follow shortly.

Trial lenses are of course available, contact your CIBA VISION representative for more information. AIR OPTIX for ASTIGMATISM is the latest addition to the AIR OPTIX family that also includes AIR OPTIX spheres, AIR OPTIX NIGHT&DAY, and AIR OPTIX Individual made to order lenses, allowing you to meet your patient’s silicone hydrogel needs to patients in a wide range of powers from +20.00D to -20.00D, and now also for astigmats.

References

1 CIBA VISION. Data on file, 2005
2 CIBA VISION. Data on file, 2006
3 CIBA VISION. Data on file, 2006
4 The ACLM Contact Lens Year Book 2007
5 CIBA VISION. Data on file, 2006
6 CIBA VISION. Data on file, 2005
7 CIBA VISION. Data on file, 2005
8 CIBA VISION. Data on file, 2006.