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THE WHITBY FREE PRESS GUIDE TO FITNESS IN THE 90'S WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1990, PAGE 17 Disposable soft contact lenses-vision care made easy If you've ever wished you had perfect vision 24 hours a day... If you've ever wondered how it would feel to present an unmasked face to the world....If you've ever imagined what it would be like not to have to clean and disinfect your con- tact lenses....then disposable soft contact lenses may be for you. Disposable soft contact lenses are worn continuously and require no clean- ing or disinfecting, because after about a week of wear they are thrown away and a new pair is inserted. And now they are available for farsighted wearers. What could be easier? Disposables are easy. They save time and energy because there is no cleaning or disinfecting. You wear the lenses for up to seven days at a time, overnight, day and night, then throw the used lenses away, and insert a new pair. This latest innovation may become the vision care option for millions of contact lens and eyeglass wearers. Who can wear them? Who is a likely disposable soft contact lens consumer? Initial industry research in selected parts of the country has shown that people who wear extended wear soft contact lenses are the most likely candidates-they make up 46 per- cent of current disposable lens wearers. People who used to wear contact lenses but for one reason or another have "dropped out" have now returned to the fold-they comprise 12 percent of cur- rent disposable lens wearers. People who have suffered eye irritation resulting from improper contact lens care or allergic reactions to contact lens disin- fecting solutions are also likely to wel- come disposable contact lenses. Finally, eyeglass wearers who never opted to wear contact lenses because of the lens care maintenance involved now make up seven percent of disposable lens wearers. Your eye care professional will tell you whether disposable soft contact lenses are an appropriate option for you. Contact lens care Conventional contact lenses require routine maintenance and care. They need to be both cleaned and disinfected. These steps are necessary to remove de- posit build-up and microorganisms from the lenses. Without proper contact lens care, your eyes may become irritated or even infected. Conventional daily wear soft contact lens wearers must remove, clean, and disinfect their lenses every day. Conven- tional extended wear users wear their lenses overnight, but their cleaning and disinfecting schedule may vary from sev- eral days to a week, depending on their eye care professional's instructions. Con- ventional daily wear and extended wear patients, however, must go through the same basic lens cleaning and disinfecting process to keep their lenses clean and their eyes healthy. Safe and comfortable "My patients love the idea of simply throwing the lenses away without ever having to worry about cleaning and disin- fection," says Dr. Sharon Thomas, re- search optometrist at CIBA Vision' • Corporation, a leading manufacturer of contact lenses and vision care products. "And, since lenses are discarded after a week of continuous wear, there are no long-term deposits, and eye comfort and safety are enhanced." CIBA Vision has introduced a new dis- posable lens called NewVues (vifilcon A) disposable soft contact lenses. Near- sighted and farsighted people who could not be fitted with disposable soft lenses in the past will be glad to know that this new brand of disposable lenses is availa- ble.in sizes not offered previously. The lenses were designed with com- fort in mind. Made of a low-friction ma- terial, their thin design and unique, computer-designed edge allow eyelids to sweep easily over the lens surface, pro- viding enhanced comfort. "Patients have been enthusiastic about their convenience and comfort," says Dr. Thomas. "One patient in particular who could not tolerate conventional extended wear lenses found that he could wear NewVues® lenses for a week at a time with no discomfort." A convenient option The advantages of disposable soft con- tact lenses are clear. They are safe, con- venient, easy to use, and they save time. Instead of going through the routine cleaning procedure that conventional contact lenses require, you throw dispos- ables away after seven days and insert a fresh pair. Disposable soft contact lenses may be slightly more expensive than conven- tional soft contact lenses. However, when you compare the add-on costs of wearing conventional lenses-which include pur- chasing lens cleaning and disinfecting solutions, insurance, and occasional re- placement lenses-to those of wearing disposable lenses, the difference is mini- mized. - How do I get them? If throwing away your lenses once a week sounds good to you, call your eye care professional for an appointment. Be- cause disposable soft contact lenses are now available for both nearsighted and farsighted wearers, it makes sense to find out whether your vision can be corrected by wearing them. Just keep in mindthat disposable con- tact lenses are called disposable for a rea- son: They are designed to be worn for up to seven days, taken out, and discarded. It's that simple. Disposables offer wearers the conven- ience and safety of a new pair of contact lenses every weeks If used properly, dis- posable contact lenses are.sure to make more than just your day. Throwing away your contact lenses may be the vision correction option you've been waiting for.