Contact Lenses For The Pediatric Population

It is estimated that 40.9 million people over the age of 18 in the United States (one in six adults) wear contact lenses, 93 percent wear soft lenses and the rest have gas-permeable lenses. Contact lenses can be classified by their composition material, time of use, total time of use, permeability, water content, and type of correction. With many types of new lenses available, there are alternatives to help most patients achieve the use of comfortable lenses with clear vision. New types of contact lenses are being introduced continuously with the intention of reducing the risks of infection, inflammation and trauma of the conjunctiva and maximize vision correction and comfort of use Soft lenses are made of different plastic polymers that absorb water (hydrophilic). These materials differ in terms of oxygen permeability (expressed in Dk units, where D is diffusion and k for solubility), water content (which varies between 20 and 70 percent water by weight), quality of the surface (wettability), ultraviolet absorption, and structural consistency (rigidity or modulus). The Food and Drug Administration of the United States (FDA) has developed a classification system for soft lenses. The maintenance of a smooth and transparent refraction anterior surface is fundamental for good vision. A complex interaction between the cornea and the conjunctival epithelium, the tear film, and the overlapping eyelids offers protection against infection and scarring. Noninfectious complications are minimized with a contact lens with an adjustment that is both based on the pre-corneal tear film and moves just enough to allow good fluid and gas exchange, thereby functioning as a de facto extension of the ocular surface. <a id="