EPICON: A NEW GENERATION OF CONTACT LENSES

NOTICE: AS OF 07-12-02 SPECIALTY ULTRAVISION, THE COMPANY THAT MAKES THE EPICON LENS HAS GONE OUT OF BUSINESS.  I DO NOT KNOW THE FUTURE OF THIS LENS AT THIS TIME BUT WILL KEEP YOU POSTED AS MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE. 

A new material of gas permeable contact lenses has emerged onto the ophthalmic world. This material is carbosilfocon, which was originally developed for blood oxygenation in heart-lung machines. This material offers numerous advantages over existing contact lenses currently available. This is the most significant advancement in the contact lens industry since the introduction of the soft lens in 1968 and the rigid gas permeable lenses in the mid 1970’s.

This type of material combines unique lens designs and state-of-the-art manufacturing, allowing the comfortable fitting of high degrees of regular and irregular astigmatism. These lenses provide excellent oxygen transmissibility (DK 52) for healthier eyes, flexibility for increased comfort, highly resistant to bacteria penetration for cleaner comfortable contact lenses and damage resistance. Unlike soft contact lenses, these lenses will not tear or rip. They are extremely strong and difficult to break, nick or chip like gas permeable lenses.

The most significant application of this material is in the fitting of keratoconus patients, although many patients without keratoconus are being successfully fitted in this lens when other lenses would not correct their vision, or caused decreased comfort that led to failure. As the cornea begins to bulge forward, contact lenses become the only route to take for good vision. This type of irregular astigmatism is fitted with a keratoconic gas permeable contact lens until stable vision and comfort are achieved. Many times the movement of the gas permeable contact lens and the location of the bulge on the cornea cause decrease in the comfort and failure in contact lenses. With the advances in this material, the size, flexibility and high wettability, keratoconus patients are being refitted for better comfort and vision. Keratoconus patients that were not able to wear contact lenses due to discomfort lived with glasses and a horrible decrease in vision; some had felt that they were disabled. Epicon will restore good vision and comfort again, thus allowing the management of keratoconus to become a great experience for the patients and our office.