CONTACT LENSES

Course overview

CONTACT LENSES ARE ARTIFICIAL DEVICES APPLIED ON THE EYE'S FRONT SURFACE TO SUBSTITUTE FOR THE ANTERIOR CORNEAL SURFACE. THEY HELP CORRECT THE CORNEA'S REFRACTIVE ERROR, IRREGULARITIES, AND SURFACE ABNORMALITIES. THE IDEA OF CONTACT LENSES WAS FIRST PROPOSED IN 1508 BY LEONARDO DA VINCI, WHO GAVE BIRTH TO THE CONCEPT OF NEUTRALIZATION OF THE CORNEA BY A NEW REFRACTING SURFACE. IN 1946, CONTACT LENSES MADE OF POLYMETHYLMETHACRYLATE (PMMA) BECAME POPULAR AND CAME INTO VOGUE. CONTACT LENSES ARE CLASSIFIED BASED ON THE ANATOMICAL POSITION, THE MATERIAL USED, THE MODE OF WEAR, AND THE WATER CONTENT OF THE LENSES. CONTACT LENSES CAN BE SINGLE-CUT OR LENTICULAR CUT LENSES BASED ON THE DESIGN. CONTACT LENS'S ACTION IS BASED ON THE INHERENT PROPERTY OF LENSES LIKE WETTABILITY, REFRACTIVE INDEX, WATER CONTENT, OXYGEN PERMEABILITY, OXYGEN TRANSMISSION, LIGHT TRANSMISSION, RESISTANCE TO HEAT, AND MECHANICAL PROPERTY LIKE LENS FLEXURE. THE VARIOUS INDICATIONS OF CONTACT LENSES ARE OPTICAL, THERAPEUTIC, PREVENTIVE, DIAGNOSTIC, OPERATIVE, COSMETIC, AND OCCUPATIONAL. THERE CAN BE CONJUNCTIVAL COMPLICATIONS AND MECHANICAL TRAUMA BECAUSE OF LENSES. THE CONTACT LENS FITTING AND SOLUTIONS FOR STORAGE FORM AN ESSENTIAL ASPECT OF CONTACT LENS CARE. THIS ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ALL THESE CRUCIAL ASPECTS OF CONTACT LENSES IN DAY-TO-DAY CLINICAL PRACTICE.