Continuing with last month’s topic about hybrid lenses misconceptions (you can read last month’s newsletter here), this time we’ll explore how easy it is to fit them and care for them.
The most common mistaken statements I hear are:
- They’re fragile!
- A nightmare to handle
- Complicated to fit and needs special equipment
- You need a chemistry set to keep them clean
‘Complicated to fit’
On the face of it you’d expect a lens with an RGP portion and soft portion, with the ability to correct astigmatism up to 6.00DC or vault the ectasia for irregular corneas, to be quite a challenging lens to fit.
In truth, they are potentially some of the quickest to fit, especially when thinking of an astigmat or worse still a presbyopic astigmat!
They are empirically fitted from a few essential measurements and the finished product arrives for you to put on eye. With a 1st lens success rate running well past 80%, most of the time the first lens ordered will be the final lens.
Even for the lenses for irregular work, we fit empirically, we just need topography to make that happen.
‘You need a chemistry set to keep them clean’
THINK SOFT LENSES!
Keeping them clean isn’t hard. These are a six-monthly replacement lens and for many, a good rub and rinse with a good soft lens multi-purpose solution is adequate to keep the lenses clean and deposit free for their life.
How? They have a patented 2-stage plasma coat that resists deposits and makes the surface more lubricious. If you have a patient who deposits particularly heavily, they can use any soft lens cleaner or protein remover too however most don’t need the extra step provided they are good at their rub-n-rinse technique. They can also be used with any comfort drops and artificial tears that are suitable for soft contact lenses!
Different not difficult: SynergEyes Hybrid lenses are different from soft lenses to handle and may take a little adapting to for a patient who has had soft lenses before but it’s important to recognise they are not difficult to use.
If you are keen to introduce these innovative lenses, that are not available on the internet, in your practice or would like some advice, contact us on support@positiveimpact.co.uk.