Contacts lenses are a safe and reliable way for eye care patients to correct their vision without compromising an active lifestyle. In fact, as we covered in a previous post about contact lenses and sports, the most important reason for younger patients switching contact lenses was because of sports activity However, sports is not the only reason that patients may want to switch from eyeglasses to contacts. Whatever the reason may be, it is important that patients to know what factors to consider when choosing a contact lens with their eye care practitioner.

CooperVision offers a great resource called “The Right Contact Lens For You .” It is a simple questionnaire that patients can use to find out which contact lens can help achieve the best vision, comfort and overall health. It is a great way for patients to start the contact lens conversation with their eye care practitioner.

Here are some other factors that patients should consider :

• Astigmatism: As we wrote about in an earlier post , astigmatism is a common refractive error that causes vision to be blurry because the cornea is abnormally curved. If a patient has astigmatism, contacts lenses known as toric lenses may be recommended. CooperVision offers toric lenses in all of our brands: Proclear, Avaira, and Biofinity.
• Modality: Contact lenses are typically grouped by how long a contact lens can be worn before it is replaced . This is known as modality. Currently, there are three different modalities for patients and eye care practitioners to choose from. The first is known as 1 day; or daily disposable contacts. These lenses are worn in the morning by the patient and discarded at night. This is a great modality in terms of convenience for patients. CooperVision offers a 1 day contact lens with the Proclear brand . The second modality patients can choose from is known as 2 week contacts. Patients who prefer this modality can benefit from a more cost effective alternative to daily disposables . CooperVision offers 2 week lenses with the Avaira brand . The final modality is the monthly wear contact lens. This is the most cost effective lens and is ideal for patients who can be sure to care for their lenses and be compliant with eye care practitioners’ advice. CooperVision offers a brand in this modality known as Biofinity .
• Special Lifestyle Needs: Are you a patient that suffers from dry eyes or allergies? Do you need a contact lens that will remain comfortable from extended wear? Are you planning to sleep with your contact lenses? These are all special lifestyle questions that are important when it comes to selecting a contact lens. For more information on contact lenses, make sure to talk to an eye care practitioner near you.

While most people know about refractive errors of the eye such as nearsightedness or farsightedness, some eye care patients may ask, “What is astigmatism?” after their eye exam with an eye care practitioner. Astigmatism is a common refractive error that causes vision to be out of focus because the cornea is abnormally curved. While it is not known what causes astigmatism, it is typically present from birth and accompanied with other refractive errors such as nearsightedness or farsightedness. It can even occur after specific types of eye surgery such as cataract surgery.

Astigmatism is commonly diagnosed early in life, so it is important to make sure to be aware of the symptoms and schedule eye exams for younger children. Symptoms that can occur with astigmatism are blurred vision, headaches or eye strain after prolonged tasks such as reading. Astigmatism can be detected during a simple eye exam. The test for astigmatism that an eye practitioner uses is known as a retinoscopy. However, this test is slowly being replaced with an automated refraction.

Astigmatism can be treated in three ways: traditional glasses, surgery and contact lenses. While astigmatism had to be treated with hard contact lenses in the past, it can now be treated with soft toric lenses such as CooperVision’s Biofinity Toric line. CooperVision has created this toric lens for patients with astigmatism with two major benefits. It is made from silicon hydrogel which allows for more oxygen to pass through the eye. It is also our most stable toric design. When a patient with astigmatism wears a toric lens, it is essential that the lens is stable so that when the patient blinks, the lens doesn’t move too much. A toric lens needs to stay in place because there are two different powers in the lens versus a traditional spherical lens which is all one power. Toric lenses must remain in position on the patient’s eye for optimal visual acuity.

Remember, astigmatism is common and simple to detect. So if you want to learn more about astigmatism, ask your eye care professional. For more information on CooperVision’s Biofinity Toric lenses, visit our product page here .

Football playoff season is in full gear and fans around the country are courageously rooting for their favorite team.   We want to make sure that everyone can see their teams clearly — near, far and everywhere in between!

With today’s smartphone and tablet technologies keeping up with scores and stats should be easy, right? Maybe not for those over 40 fans suffering from presbyopia, switching from small screens near and far can be a challenge.   CooperVision’s Biofinity Multifocal Contact Lenses can provide patients with outstanding vision, health and comfort all day.

Multifocal contact lenses focus light from both near, intermediate, and far distances to the back of the eye, creating the clearest possible image. This unique system uses two different, yet complementary, lenses that work together to provide clear vision near or far.

Ask your eye care practitioner if our Biofinity Multifocal lenses can help you keep up with your favorite team this season!  Click here to find an eye care practitioner near you.

Is your child ready to have a glasses-free option when on the go? Are you tired of worrying about your son or daughter’s glasses during sports or about them playing the game with imperfect vision? It may be time to get your child fit for contact lenses!

Follow the easy steps listed below to find the perfect lens for your child’s eyes and for their lifestyle:

• Find an eye care practitioner near you by using our Find a Practitioner tool.
• Talk to your child about contact lenses, but first do the research: 
• Think about what type of contact lens  may best suit your son or daughter’s needs and what modality works best for their lifestyle.
• Download the Rookie Playbook and review it with your son or daughter.  This will demonstrate the wear and care for contact lenses.
• Get familiar with the average costs of contact lenses and brainstorm ways you can contribute to the cost.
• Try them out! Get fit with a free trial pair of contact lenses - print off our free* trial certificate and bring it with you to your child’s next visit with your eye care practitioner.

For more resources and information, please visit www.coopervision.com. 

*By prescription only. Eye exam may be required and this coupon does not include eye exam or fitting fees.

The American Optometric Association recently published research findings from their annual Eye-Q® survey. They found that a generational gap in habits and awareness exists when it comes to contact lens wear.

How often do you replace your contact lenses? The survey results show that younger generations are more likely to follow their contact lens replacement schedule and general wear and care guidelines more so than older generations. The replacement schedule is the length of time your contacts can be worn before they need to be replaced with new lenses (taking them out at nighttime is a given, unless your lenses are approved for extended wear). An array of replacement schedules is available - CooperVision offers contact lenses on a Daily, Two-Week, and Monthly replacement schedule - for more information, please click here.

To keep your eyes healthy, always follow your replacement schedule, unless otherwise directed by your eye care practitioner. For more information and to read more survey results, please click here.

Just like any other part of your body, your eyes age as you get older. In honor of Healthy Aging Month, here are a few tips to help keep your eyes healthy as you age.

• Visit your eye care practitioner - comprehensive eye exams are recommended on a regular basis for adults and those who frequently use computers. For those 65 and older, as well as those with family history of eye disease, it is advised that you visit your eye care practitioner more frequently. To find an eye care practitioner near you, please click here.
• Follow the 20-20-20 rule - if you frequently use computers, be sure to take a 20 second break after every 20 minutes of use. Stare at something approximately 20 feet away - this will allow your eyes to relax.
• Stay up to date on the normal aging process for your eyes - continuously monitor your health and be aware of the normal changes to your eyes that occur with age. For a reference on vision conditions and eye health problems that commonly occur in older adults, please click here.

One of the most common changes to your vision as you age is an increased difficulty in performing near-vision tasks, like reading and close work. This is known as presbyopia, the worsening of vision that occurs with age. As you age, the lenses in your eyes thicken and lose their elasticity, and the muscles surrounding the lenses weaken. Presbyopia can be corrected with multifocal contact lenses or glasses. For more information on presbyopia, please click here.

School is back in session! Are you having trouble reading the board? Do you find yourself squinting to read street signs while driving? You may be experiencing myopia, one of the most common vision conditions. An estimated 70 million people in the United States suffer from myopia, often referred to as nearsightedness, a condition in which the eye sees near objects clearly but distant objects appear blurry.

How can I tell if I have myopia?
Symptoms include distant objects appearing blurry, squinting, and eyestrain. Myopia is often diagnosed in children, but as the eyeball continues to grow, it is likely that the myopia will also worsen. The condition generally stabilizes around age 16 for women and around age 25 for men; however some cases can worsen with age. The condition can be hereditary - you have a greater risk if both of your parents are nearsighted.

The best way to ensure that the symptoms you're experiencing are attributed to myopia is to discuss them with your eye care professional, who can perform a comprehensive eye exam to diagnose the condition. To find an eye care professional near you, please click here.

How is myopia treated?
Myopia can be corrected using spherical contact lenses or glasses. Correction requires a "minus" lens to "weaken" the eye optimally, permitting clear distance vision. Click here to see a visual demonstration! CooperVision offers a range of contact lens brands that correct for myopia including Avaira, Biofinity, and Proclear. Try CooperVision contact lenses for free* with this Free Trial Coupon.

*By prescription only. Eye exam may be required and this coupon does not include eye exam or fitting fees. Print and bring this offer to your next visit with your eye care professional.

It's back to school time! Whether or not you're headed back to school this fall, it's a great time of year to make sure you're up-to-date with your regular health check-ups. Does your regular health check-up routine include an annual visit to your eye care practitioner? If not, read this post and be sure to schedule an appointment today. A routine comprehensive eye exam ensures good, healthy vision and can even help in detecting more serious medical conditions.

A typical eye exam will consist of several tests and may include checking for eye movement, peripheral vision, and color blindness; administering a glaucoma test; and determining the health of your optic nerve and retina. Routine eye exams can often detect early signs of vision conditions, allowing for faster treatments of most problems. Comprehensive eye exams can also reveal serious, and often times, hidden medical conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, inflammations and infections.

To find an eye care provider near you, please click here. For more information on the importance of eye exams, please click here.

August is Children's Eye Health and Safety Month. As a reminder, it is recommended that school-aged children and teens get eye exams annually. An annual comprehensive eye exam is an important part of monitoring eye and overall health in children. For more information on the importance of eye health and children, including educational content and games, please visit the National Eye Institute's See All You Can See website.

Many vision conditions can be corrected with contact lenses. Is your child or teen ready for contact lenses? A recent survey of children and youth ages 8 to 18 revealed that the most important reason for getting contact lenses wasn't to look better, it was because they became active in sports.* There are many benefits to wearing contact lenses while playing sports, and there is no set age to start wearing contacts. Many eye care practitioners begin to encourage contact lens wear between the ages of 11 to 14 and use responsibility and maturity to indicate whether or not a child or teen will be a successful candidate for contact lenses. For more information on the relationship between children/teens and contact lenses, please visit mycontactsports.com.


*Source: CooperVision Study Conducted by Braun Research, December 2009.

Nearly 70 million people in the United States suffer from myopia. Commonly referred to as nearsightedness, myopia is a condition in which near objects (objects up close) are viewed clearly and objects in the distance appear blurred. Myopia occurs when the eyeball is too long for the focusing power of the lens and cornea; creating an overpowered eye that causes images to reach true focus in front of the retina.

Most cases of myopia are diagnosed in children or teens; however the condition tends to run in families - if both of your parents have myopia, your risk level increases. Symptoms include eyestrain, squinting, and distant objects appearing blurry. Myopia can be corrected with spherical contact lenses or glasses. Correction requires a "minus" lens to "weaken" the eye optically, permitting clear distance vision. Click here for a visual description of the way in which spherical contact lenses correct for myopia.

If you think you or your child may be experiencing myopia, contact your eye care practitioner. Myopia is usually diagnosed through a comprehensive eye exam. Click here to find an eye care practitioner near you.