Few parts of the human body are assailed by modern life like the eyes which makes the introduction of Johnson & Johnson’s latest photochromic contact lens an interesting innovation.
Our bodies are cossetted in clothes and airconditioning, machines save our muscles, and chew-less food is presented to us on a plate. Developments from fire to electricity have generally made man’s life more comfortable but all have put ever greater strain on our vision.
The idea of mixing photochromic technology with a contact lens throws up a range of questions: how dark does it go and how quickly, what is the cosmetic effect and what does it feel like visually?
The lens has been feted in the US with accolades from Time Magazine and keen interest from ECPs. What Optician learned when it interviewed the team leading the lens’ introduction in the UK was not to consider the Acuvue Oasys with Transitions from a rigid eyewear product perspective (In Focus, 29.03.19).
The J&J team wanted to talk much more about light management, indoors and out, this isn’t a sunglass in a contact lens, it’s a light management system that is always on.
As more details of the Acuvue Oasys with Transitions contact lens (features page 32) emerge ahead of a bigger reveal at the BCLA Conference in Manchester at the end of the month (see page 18) we are beginning to appreciate more what the lens could mean for the modern eye and how it encounters light.
Research shows that light bothers most of us on a daily basis. It’s an interesting concept that finally the eye is getting a little love from technology. As humanity becomes ever more sedentary, glued to digital devices, we feel more comfortable but are increasingly unhealthy.
Perhaps this technological innovation will, for once, bring
comfort and health to the eye.