Hard to believe, but it has been since around 2007 since we actually got a new monthly contact lens. (The Purevision2 lens that launched a few years ago was a recycling of an older material). In these past seven years, the market has shifted drastically towards daily use lenses, but monthlies continue to dominate the marketplace due to their excellent price points for every day lens wearers. The big knock against monthlies? Comfort. Wouldn't it be nice if they made a monthly lens that felt a lot more like a 2 week or a daily lens? Well, maybe Bausch and Lomb has finally accomplished just that.
Another little tidbit: the new Ultra lens will be replacing Bausch and Lomb's current Purevision 2 lens, so if you are an optometrist, start moving your patients over. There is no set timetable for the transition away from Purevision 2, but the new lens has the same vision perks, but with better comfort. Purevision 2 has lost market share since its recent roll out, falling to an abysmal 2-3% market capture, and is being recycled potentially to another retailer as a "generic" type lens Not sure that this is set in stone so I won't give any firm statements.
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| My personal pair of Ultra lenses. Note they dropped "Purevision" from their packaging all together. B+L is going in a different direction this time |
Bausch and Lomb's Ultra lens is made from a new silicone hydrogel material, with excellent oxygen permeability (dk/t is 163 for a -3.00D lens!). The real draw of this lens is the edge profile design. Designed by the guy (sorry I don't have his name) who worked to bring Acuvue Oasys to the market for Vistakon, the new Ultra lens has an 8.5 base curve and an incredibly thin edge, causing very limited lens awareness as the eyelids blink.
Another bonus? The Ultra lens also has aspheric design optics, giving an extra boost to vision based on average amounts of distortions on the eye (called spherical aberrations) for individual powers. Biofinity is the only other monthly lens besides Bausch and Lomb's products to offer aspheric technology (but theirs are averaged over much broader power spectrums).
Here comes my personal review: I have to make a disclaimer though that I haven't worn monthly lenses in about 5 years. And it is allergy season in North Carolina, and while I have been persistent with my Lastacaft, I am still having irritation when I wear contact lenses (it is just a bad time of year here for allergy sufferers). With all that being said, I was overall impressed with Ultra. The initial comfort was spectacular -- very similar to Acuvue lenses in fit and feel. I can't say that I felt vision was better than any other contact lens, but I am not excessively particular to vision (I have a low Rx). I was able to wear the lens quite comfortably, except for intermittent allergy issues, for 18 hours. And the best part -- typically in monthly lenses my eyes feel like sandpaper when I remove the lenses at night. But with Ultra the lens came off comfortably and without burning or stinging.
One other plus, is anyone else sensitive to the preservative-filled storage solutions of most contact lens packages? That burning and stinging when you put a new lens in your eye means that you are. The Ultra lens it is stored in a great, low-preservative solution (their Biotrue formula), so there is no initial discomfort for solution-sensitive wearers.
Do you have older patients that need a good handling tint to see their contact lenses in the packaging? I was impressed with the strong blue handling tint of this lens because most lenses on today's market are nearly invisible. This is not an issue for most, but as an optometrist it is great to have a lens that older patients would be able to see.
Other perks of Ultra: Bausch and Lomb is rolling out this lens with a universal pricing policy, meaning that you are guaranteed to pay the same price whether you buy from your doctor or an online retailer. They will also have rebates with the initial roll out, to help save you even more money (something Ciba did not do when they started this policy with their Dailies Total 1 lens).
Another little tidbit: the new Ultra lens will be replacing Bausch and Lomb's current Purevision 2 lens, so if you are an optometrist, start moving your patients over. There is no set timetable for the transition away from Purevision 2, but the new lens has the same vision perks, but with better comfort. Purevision 2 has lost market share since its recent roll out, falling to an abysmal 2-3% market capture, and is being recycled potentially to another retailer as a "generic" type lens Not sure that this is set in stone so I won't give any firm statements.
In summary, I think Bausch and Lomb's Ultra might have the right combination of comfort and vision to become a major power player on the monthly scene. It should make for the easiest transition yet for Acuvue wearers wanting to change to a contact lens approved for monthly lens wear. Would I switch to Ultra? Absolutely not -- you can never happily go back to monthlies once you experience the amazing-ness that is daily contact lens wear. But I do think this was the best monthly lens that I have had on my eyes, and I can't wait to see what my patients think when we get the fitting set next month. Keep me updated on your personal opinions and experiences with this lens!
