A new daily lens pitch

It's always nice to read about new material developments that could lead to more comfortable contact lenses, such as this recent announcement in the journal Nature Materials self-adapting-material-wettness-and-opacity-2013-4. The team involved suggest that a new adaptive material opens up the possibility of very differing developments - contact lenses that clean themselves, as well as water-repellent tents that can darken to block sunlight on bright days. While this all sounds very interesting, I'd much rather focus on a material development that is very much in the here and now. The resulting contact lens has already been available in other parts of Europe and now has been launched on the UK market and it is Alcon's Dailies Total 1. The new lens increases the water content from 33 per cent in the core to over 80 per cent on the surface, with improved lubricity and therefore comfort http://www.opticianonline.net/Articles/2013/04/05/30928/Alcon+launches+Dailies+Total1+.htm. The premium lens, which took a considerable time to develop, aims to address the issue of contact lens drop out through discomfort and statistics presented by Alcon indicate end of day comfort not far removed from that at insertion. The lens may be slippier on the finger, as a result of its lubricious surface, but it sounds well worth getting your hands on to try out.