Bausch + Lomb Corporation is introducing its latest scleral lens to the U.S. commercial market: the Zenlens CHROMA higher-order aberration (HOA) scleral contact lens.
The new addition comes just over a year after the company’s previous new Zenlens (ECHO) was launched.
First, a rundown on Zenlens.
As the company’s exclusive line of scleral lenses, the Zenlens brand features the proprietary SmartCurve technology.
What this offers: Simplified scleral lens fittings with lens shape customization for patients’ specific needs, including parameters such as:
- Spherical and toric peripheral curves
- Prolate and oblate lens shapes
- Four diameters for irregular and normal-shaped corneas
- 14.8 mm lens for horizontal visible iris diameter (HVID) measurements less than 11.7 mm
- 15.4 mm lens for HVID measurements less than 11.8 mm
- 16.0 mm lens for HVID measurements less than 11.7 mm
- 17.0 mm lens for HVID measurements less than 11.8 mm
And which patients are these lenses intended to fit?
In general, the Zenlens brand is designed for patients with any of the following ocular conditions:
- Astigmatism
- Corneal scarring
- Irregular astigmatism
- Ocular surface disease (OSD)
- Radial keratotomy
- Refractive error
Now, before we get to this new lens: Explain HOAs.
Essentially: An HOA is an optical defect that develops within the eye’s lens or cornea, resulting in the degradation of a person’s image quality.
- The cause: Such irregularity can result from factors such as corneal shape, scarring, previous ocular surgeries, pupil diameters, age, and accommodation (mainly due to lens shape and position changes, notably).
Alrighty, now give me the rundown on this CHROMA HOA lens.
The CHROMA HOA lens is a custom-designed, wavefront-guided scleral lens technology intended to correct advanced HOA.
- How it does this: By reducing symptoms like halos and glares to provide improved vision and clarity.
Per B+L President of Global Vision Care Yang Yang: The CHROMA HOA is a new solution for patients who previously had limited options for improving their vision, filling “a critical gap in scleral lens vision correction, especially for patients with complex corneal irregularities.”
How does it achieve this?
Key to this HOA correction—and a secure lens fit—are two technologies integrated into all Zenlens scleral lenses:
- SmartCurve Technology (as we mentioned)
- Bi-Elevation
About the latter: This addresses varying elevation within the limbus for an even, 360° landing on the sclera while reducing the occurrence of lens decentration and impingement; chamber fogging; and conjunctival impression rings.
And what happens when lens stability is secured?
That’s when its custom HOA correction is applied to reduce HOA, sharpen vision, and improve clarity via minimized blurring and distortion.
Nice! Any other notable features worth mentioning?
Keeping with this customization theme, all Zenlens lenses—including the CHROMA HOA—are designed with an advanced peripheral system (APS).
What this does: Provides a gradual landing zone adjustable in 30-micron (µm) increments for a lens edge’s four quadrants (thanks to Quad Sym Technology … see below for those details).
- The result: A more accurate landing on the sclera as well as a reduction in compression, impingement, air bubbles, and conjunctival impression rings
About Quad Sym Technology: This enables clinicians to flatten or steepen the edge treatment uniquely in each quadrant to match the peripheral cornea.
Alrighty, now to warnings and precautions. What should we know?
As with any gas-permeable or soft contact lens, ECPs should advise their patients to be aware of a few potential risks.
- See here for the list—which includes avoiding overnight wear of daily wear lenses and the higher risk for adverse reactions among smokers.
As for contraindications, patients with the following conditions should not wear CHROMA HOA lenses:
- Acute or subacute inflammation or infection of the anterior chamber of the eye
- Corneal hypoesthesia (reduced sensitivity), if not aphakic
- Dry eye (also a potential adverse effect)
And the potential adverse effects?
To name a few:
- Stinging, burning, itching, irritation, or other eye pain
- Foreign body or scratched area sensation in the eye
- Excessive tearing of the eye
- Eye redness
- Reduced vision sharpness (poor visual acuity)
See more here.
Let’s talk availability.
B+L announced a collaboration with two companies to assist ECPs in integrating the new lens into clinical practices.
- Advance Medica
- Its offering: The company will manufacture the CHROMA HOA design via its FocalPoints contact lens manufacturing process, enabling HOA corrections across any lens design without altering the manufacturing process.
- OVITZ
- Its offering: The company will provide B+L with its Xwave aberrometer device, which combines wavefront aberrometry measurements with lens manufacturing software
Click here to learn how these two collaborators work together on HOA correction integration.