Eye care professionals know that comfort can reign king in a patient’s long-term contact lens wearing success. But in the attempt to optimize contact lens comfort for patients, it’s important to note: a comfortable contact lens wearing experience is often more than meets the eye.
Numerous studies have reported that comfort is a key reason for contact lens drop-out.1,2 Yet other investigations frame comfort as a nuanced and misunderstood condition with most treatments focusing on how the contact lens interacts with the ocular surface.3 Of course, these approaches can fail if they are centered on the wrong or only partial source of a patient’s discomfort symptom.3
With digital device use on the rise, don’t forget the importance that visual comfort plays in contact lens wear,4 says Dr. Brooke Kaplan, market clinical manager at MyEyeDr.
“I tell my patients all the time, they shouldn’t be aware of their eyes. They should just see. When a patient is aware of their eyes, it impacts everything they do. It impacts job performance. It impacts mood. It impacts energy level. If a patient experiences eye fatigue and visual discomfort at the end of the day, this can ultimately affect their quality of life,” Dr. Kaplan says.
Understanding the Dual Impact of Screen Use on the Eyes
Today, more and more patients are coming into eye care practices with symptoms of eye fatigue and dryness, and they may not realize their symptoms are tied to digital device use, Dr. Kaplan explains.5
Digital device use symptoms can be twofold, she adds. Physical or external symptoms related to the ocular surface can include dryness and irritation while internal symptoms related to the visual system can encompass blur, headache, and eye fatigue.6
“In many cases, practitioners may decide to switch the patient from a monthly to a daily lens or focus solely on the ocular surface to ‘fix’ the problem,” she adds. “It’s up to us to solve our patients’ problems. Fortunately, we now have solutions that can help our patients with both eye fatigue and dryness.”7
Ask the Right Questions
During routine eye exams, Dr. Kaplan talks to every patient about their digital device use habits. The discussion is generally initiated by her technician during a thorough patient history and continues into the exam lane.
“I ask every single patient how many hours a day they are on digital devices, including their phones. If the answer is ‘not very often,’ I’ll have them pull out their smart phone and show me their daily use report. Even if a patient is on their phone for three hours a day, studies show visual discomfort and digital device use symptoms can develop after two hours of use.8 We need to educate our patients and get ahead with these conversations.”
Turn to a Unique Treatment to Help Address Both Visual and Physical Comfort
CooperVision’s MyDay Energys® daily disposable and Biofinity Energys® monthly replacement contact lenses combine an innovative aspheric lens design and advanced material technology that may help with eye tiredness and dryness associated with digital device use.7
“MyDay Energy® and Biofinity Energys® are unique in that they help address two sources of eye strain throughout the day in one lens,” Dr. Kaplan notes.7
This is achieved through Aquaform® Technology and DigitalBoost™ Technology, which are found in both MyDay Energys® and Biofinity Energys®.7
“When we’re on screens, we blink up to 60 percent less, and our eyes get dry.8 Aquaform® Technology retains water from the core to the surface of the lens without the need of added wetting agents or for surface coatings, which can wear off over time,” she adds.7
To address visual comfort, DigitalBoost™ Technology helps relax ciliary muscles and reduce eye stress and accommodative burden so wearers can shift focus from on-screen to off-screen with less effort.*9
Learn More
Discover more about MyDay Energys® and Biofinity Energys®, the only lenses that can help address both visual comfort and ocular surface comfort needs for your patients on digital devices.1 And find additional insight from Dr. Kaplan in this full article about visual comfort and solutions that can help with digital eye strain symptoms.
Dr. Brooke Kaplan completed her undergraduate education with a B.S. in Genetics from the University of Georgia. She earned her doctor of optometry degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry. Dr. Kaplan is a Market Clinical Manager at MyEyeDr in Alabama, member of AOA, a member of ALOA, immediate past president of NE Miles Jewish Day School, past member of UABSO Alumni Board and current board member of the Birmingham Jewish Foundation. She’s also a contributing editor for the contact lens section of Review of Presbyopia and the Aging Eye.
