Which Contact Lens is 79% Water?

CaptainKremen · #1 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 09:58 AM

I read that soft contact lenses can contain from 38% to 79% water. Which contact lens has 79%? That sounds like an awful lot of water.

hema1999 · #2 (**permalink**) 06-23-2009, 12:30 AM

Contact lenses often provide better visual acuity and peripheral vision than do eyeglasses and can be prescribed to correct myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, anisometropia, aniseikonia, aphakia (absence of the lens) after cataract removal, and keratoconus (a conical-shaped cornea). Either soft or rigid lenses are used to correct myopia and hyperopia. Toric soft contact lenses (which have different curvatures molded onto the front lens surface) or rigid lenses are used to correct significant astigmatism; they are satisfactory in many cases but require expert fitting.

Presbyopia can also be corrected with contact lenses. In one approach, termed monovision, the nondominant eye is corrected for reading and the dominant eye is corrected for distant vision. Rigid and soft bifocal and multifocal contact lenses can also be successful, but the fitting procedure is time-consuming because precise alignment is essential.

Enah · #3 (**permalink**) 08-28-2009, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hema1999

Contact lenses often provide better visual acuity and peripheral vision than do eyeglasses and can be prescribed to correct myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, anisometropia, aniseikonia, aphakia (absence of the lens) after cataract removal, and keratoconus (a conical-shaped cornea). Either soft or rigid lenses are used to correct myopia and hyperopia. Toric soft contact lenses (which have different curvatures molded onto the front lens surface) or rigid lenses are used to correct significant astigmatism; they are satisfactory in many cases but require expert fitting.

Presbyopia can also be corrected with contact lenses. In one approach, termed monovision, the nondominant eye is corrected for reading and the dominant eye is corrected for distant vision. Rigid and soft bifocal and multifocal contact lenses can also be successful, but the fitting procedure is time-consuming because precise alignment is essential.

That was a lovely report on contact lenses, hema. I'll give you a C for the completeness of your information, however the question was about the water content of contact lenses, which is not mentioned in your report at all. It helps to actually read the question before you attempt to answer it.

CaptainKremen · #4 (**permalink**) 08-28-2009, 10:42 AM

This is a weird thread. I asked about water content in contact lenses and all I'm getting is what look like articles about contact lenses in general copied and pasted into the posting. I didn't realize I had asked such a hard question.

kyles414 · #5 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 02:35 AM

Were you referring to the brand of contact lens that is composed of 79% water? I haven't use soft contact lens before and I would be glad to hear information about it too.

That was a very interesting post, Skumar. I don't know if this could be possible. But, what if the contact lens suddenly breaks while wearing it, would the content irritate your eyes?

BoSoxFan · #6 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hema1999

Contact lenses often provide better visual acuity and peripheral vision than do eyeglasses and can be prescribed to correct myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, anisometropia, aniseikonia, aphakia (absence of the lens) after cataract removal, and keratoconus (a conical-shaped cornea). Either soft or rigid lenses are used to correct myopia and hyperopia. Toric soft contact lenses (which have different curvatures molded onto the front lens surface) or rigid lenses are used to correct significant astigmatism; they are satisfactory in many cases but require expert fitting.

Presbyopia can also be corrected with contact lenses. In one approach, termed monovision, the nondominant eye is corrected for reading and the dominant eye is corrected for distant vision. Rigid and soft bifocal and multifocal contact lenses can also be successful, but the fitting procedure is time-consuming because precise alignment is essential.

That's some great information, hema1999. Now how about actually answering the question instead of copying and pasting random information?

CaptainKremen · #7 (**permalink**) 10-02-2009, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyles414

Were you referring to the brand of contact lens that is composed of 79% water? I haven't use soft contact lens before and I would be glad to hear information about it too.

That was a very interesting post, Skumar. I don't know if this could be possible. But, what if the contact lens suddenly breaks while wearing it, would the content irritate your eyes?

*Sigh* I guess I'm going to have to answer my own question as well as yours.

I did a Google search for the key words "contact lens 79% water." Was that so hard, people? There was no need to copy and paste a vaguely related article about the history of contact lenses. Just do a Google search. I found a lot of articles that mentioned that soft contact lenses are from 25% to 79% water, but there was no mention of which contact lens brand has the maximum of 79% water. I was hoping that someone else in the Lens 101 community could do better than that, but so far, no good.

To answer your question kyles, yes, a broken contact lens will irritate your eye, although I don't know why it would "suddenly break" in your eye. Most likely it will rip while you are trying to put it in or fish it out.

BoSoxFan · #8 (**permalink**) 12-11-2009, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainKremen

*Sigh* I guess I'm going to have to answer my own question as well as yours.

I did a Google search for the key words "contact lens 79% water." Was that so hard, people? There was no need to copy and paste a vaguely related article about the history of contact lenses. Just do a Google search. I found a lot of articles that mentioned that soft contact lenses are from 25% to 79% water, but there was no mention of which contact lens brand has the maximum of 79% water. I was hoping that someone else in the Lens 101 community could do better than that, but so far, no good.

To answer your question kyles, yes, a broken contact lens will irritate your eye, although I don't know why it would "suddenly break" in your eye. Most likely it will rip while you are trying to put it in or fish it out.

Thanks for trying, Captain. That's better than copying and pasting something that doesn't really help me.

Knotlob · #9 (**permalink**) 12-11-2009, 07:52 PM

OK BoSoxFan, I will try to help or at least send you in the right direction.

Have a look at this link of different lens material properties:

http://hamerlik.com/lens/contact_lenses_permeability.html

If you look at the water content column you will see that 79% is the highest there and the lens material is Lidofilcon B. That material is reportedly used in Bausch & Lomb CW79 and also in Lombart LL79. (I guess the 79 in each name refers to 79% water).

I think the Bausch & Lomb CW79 is a specialist aphakic extended wear contact lens for medical treatment, not general day to day use.

Hope this helps.

knotlob

Enah · #10 (**permalink**) 12-30-2009, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

OK BoSoxFan, I will try to help or at least send you in the right direction.

Have a look at this link of different lens material properties:

http://hamerlik.com/lens/contact_lenses_permeability.html

If you look at the water content column you will see that 79% is the highest there and the lens material is Lidofilcon B. That material is reportedly used in Bausch & Lomb CW79 and also in Lombart LL79. (I guess the 79 in each name refers to 79% water).

I think the Bausch & Lomb CW79 is a specialist aphakic extended wear contact lens for medical treatment, not general day to day use.

Hope this helps.

knotlob

Wow. I never heard of any of those lenses. They don't even have a catchy name like O2 Optix or Acuvue Oasys.

Knotlob · #11 (**permalink**) 12-30-2009, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enah

Wow. I never heard of any of those lenses. They don't even have a catchy name like O2 Optix or Acuvue Oasys.

That list is far from complete. I started building my own list with that list as a starting point. There are a load extra ones in Europe, so it gets confusing - though a few of the lens names are just re-branded lenses - but maybe confusion is the name of the game here.

knotlob

BoSoxFan · #12 (**permalink**) 02-10-2010, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

OK BoSoxFan, I will try to help or at least send you in the right direction.

Have a look at this link of different lens material properties:

http://hamerlik.com/lens/contact_lenses_permeability.html

If you look at the water content column you will see that 79% is the highest there and the lens material is Lidofilcon B. That material is reportedly used in Bausch & Lomb CW79 and also in Lombart LL79. (I guess the 79 in each name refers to 79% water).

I think the Bausch & Lomb CW79 is a specialist aphakic extended wear contact lens for medical treatment, not general day to day use.

Hope this helps.

knotlob

Thanks for your help, knotlob. I've seen your posts around these parts and it sounds like you are very knowledgeable. How did you get so smart?

Knotlob · #13 (**permalink**) 02-10-2010, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoSoxFan

Thanks for your help, knotlob. I've seen your posts around these parts and it sounds like you are very knowledgeable. How did you get so smart?

LOL. Thanks. Just curious about anything and everything

.

knotlob

Curlupndye · #14 (**permalink**) 02-10-2010, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

LOL. Thanks. Just curious about anything and everything

.

knotlob

You must read a lot, don't you?

(Couldn't find a German Shepherd. Sorry.)

Knotlob · #15 (**permalink**) 02-10-2010, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curlupndye

You must read a lot, don't you?

(Couldn't find a German Shepherd. Sorry.)

Internet and reference books. A bit too lazy to read many fiction books, though I should!

knotlob

Enah · #16 (**permalink**) 03-18-2010, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainKremen

I read that soft contact lenses can contain from 38% to 79% water. Which contact lens has 79%? That sounds like an awful lot of water.

You'd think that something that has three times more water than anything else would practically be a liquid. How can it be solid with that much water?

Look at what else I found: "The human body is 61.8 percent water by weight. Protein accounts for 16.6 percent; fat, 14.9 percent; and nitrogen, 3.3 percent of human body weight. Other elements constitute smaller percentages of body weight."

http://www.enotes.com/science-fact-finder/human-body/what-percent-human-body-weight-water

Curlupndye · #17 (**permalink**) 03-26-2010, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enah

You'd think that something that has three times more water than anything else would practically be a liquid. How can it be solid with that much water?

Look at what else I found: "The human body is 61.8 percent water by weight. Protein accounts for 16.6 percent; fat, 14.9 percent; and nitrogen, 3.3 percent of human body weight. Other elements constitute smaller percentages of body weight."

http://www.enotes.com/science-fact-finder/human-body/what-percent-human-body-weight-water

Wow. So there's about seventy pounds of water sitting here on front of my computer?

(If you could see me right now, you'd probably say "Yeah, right. Seventy pounds in one leg maybe!")

BoSoxFan · #18 (**permalink**) 04-12-2010, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curlupndye

Wow. So there's about seventy pounds of water sitting here on front of my computer?

(If you could see me right now, you'd probably say "Yeah, right. Seventy pounds in one leg maybe!")

Thar she blows!

Sorry Curly. That was a funny picture there that went perfectly with the comment you made. I can't see you so I won't comment about it's accuracy.

CaptainKremen · #19 (**permalink**) 04-23-2010, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

OK BoSoxFan, I will try to help or at least send you in the right direction.

Have a look at this link of different lens material properties:

http://hamerlik.com/lens/contact_lenses_permeability.html

If you look at the water content column you will see that 79% is the highest there and the lens material is Lidofilcon B. That material is reportedly used in Bausch & Lomb CW79 and also in Lombart LL79. (I guess the 79 in each name refers to 79% water).

I think the Bausch & Lomb CW79 is a specialist aphakic extended wear contact lens for medical treatment, not general day to day use.

Hope this helps.

knotlob

Wow. No wonder I couldn't find that 79% water contact lens on Lens.com.

Curlupndye · #20 (**permalink**) 04-28-2010, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainKremen

Wow. No wonder I couldn't find that 79% water contact lens on Lens.com.

I was curious to know which of the contact lenses featured on Lens.com had the highest water content. Rather than check each and every lens, I just did a search on lens.com for "water content" and the page that came up is called "Extreme H2O 59% Xtra." It's made of--you guessed it--59% water.

CaptainKremen · #21 (**permalink**) 04-29-2010, 05:42 PM

So I guess we still haven't found that elusive contact lens that's 79% water?

Knotlob · #22 (**permalink**) 04-29-2010, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainKremen

So I guess we still haven't found that elusive contact lens that's 79% water?

Yes, we have - see my post #9. But the Bausch & Lomb CW79 looks like a specialist lens, so it would probably be prescribed by a hospital, etc. Not to be found on Lens101 for 'run of the mill' use. The Lombart LL79 seems to be discontinued.

knotlob

Jurassicmark · #23 (**permalink**) 04-30-2010, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

Yes, we have - see my post #9. But the Bausch & Lomb CW79 looks like a specialist lens, so it would probably be prescribed by a hospital, etc. Not to be found on Lens101 for 'run of the mill' use. The Lombart LL79 seems to be discontinued.

knotlob

Oh, so it is. I see it now. Is the CW79 contact lens the only one with 79% water content left?

Knotlob · #24 (**permalink**) 04-30-2010, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jurassicmark

Oh, so it is. I see it now. Is the CW79 contact lens the only one with 79% water content left?

Yes, I think so.

knotlob

Iseeall · #25 (**permalink**) 04-30-2010, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

Yes, we have - see my post #9. But the Bausch & Lomb CW79 looks like a specialist lens, so it would probably be prescribed by a hospital, etc. Not to be found on Lens101 for 'run of the mill' use. The Lombart LL79 seems to be discontinued.

knotlob

Sure enough. I guess your posting got lost among all the others, knotlob.

Enah · #26 (**permalink**) 05-24-2010, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iseeall

Sure enough. I guess your posting got lost among all the others, knotlob.

I think the readers and posters lost it with the picture of the breaching whale. You don't see that every day.

Iseeall · #27 (**permalink**) 06-17-2010, 04:42 PM

So now we're up to 27 posts on this site, and we know that CW79 contact lenses are the ones that are 79% water. I guess we're done here, right?

Jurassicmark · #28 (**permalink**) 06-29-2010, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iseeall

So now we're up to 27 posts on this site, and we know that CW79 contact lenses are the ones that are 79% water. I guess we're done here, right?

So it would seem, Iseall, but that doesn't mean that nobody else can contribute if the feel the need to make a comment on water content, Lens.com or whales.

CaptainKremen · #29 (**permalink**) 10-20-2010, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoSoxFan

That's some great information, hema1999. Now how about actually answering the question instead of copying and pasting random information?

And that's the last we heard from hema1999 in this thread.

Jurassicmark · #30 (**permalink**) 11-23-2010, 03:07 PM

. . . and this may be the last we hear of this thread.

Fiddleye · #31 (**permalink**) 01-12-2011, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jurassicmark

. . . and this may be the last we hear of this thread.

Not quite

I have a question. A year ago I looked at the table over at

hamerlik.com/lens/contact_lenses_permeability.html

which is mentioned above, but it's no longer there! It's now some Polish web shop for lenses.

Does anyone know of a mirror of the table on that site, or an alternative, or maybe a saved version somewhere? It was a really nice list of all the water percentages and oxygen permeability (Dk/t). I used it to compare contacts before buying.

Deepurple · #32 (**permalink**) 01-12-2011, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiddleye

Not quite

I have a question. A year ago I looked at the table over at

hamerlik.com/lens/contact_lenses_permeability.html

which is mentioned above, but it's no longer there! It's now some Polish web shop for lenses.

Does anyone know of mirror of the table on that site, or an alternative, or maybe a saved version somewhere? It was a really nice list of all the water percentages and oxygen permeability (Dk/t). I used it to compare contacts before buying.

How about this site here: http://www.aclens.com/lens-materials.asp

Here's a sample of what's there:

Group 1 Contact Lenses (Low water content, non-ionic)

* Tefilcon (38% water) – Cibasoft, Illusions, Torisoft
* Tetrafilcon A (43% water) – CooperToric, Preference, Preference Toric, Vantage
* Crofilcon (38% water) – CSI, CSI Toric
* Ploymacon (38% water) – Biomedics 38, Edge III, Z4/Z6, Soflens 38
* Lotrafilcon A (24%) – Focus Night & Day
* Lotrafilcon B (38%) – O2Optix
* Galyfilcon A (47%) – Acuvue Advance with Hydraclear, Advance for Astigmatism
* Senofilcon A (38%) – Acuvue Oasys

Fiddleye · #33 (**permalink**) 01-12-2011, 07:04 PM

I looked a bit more and found this one too, which also lists the oxygen permeability values (Dk):
clspectrum.com/article.aspx?article=103168
It's comparable to the site that disappeared.

Also I found this:
therightcontact.com/contact/search_softlens.php
which is a huge database you can search in; it also holds the Dk values and more.

And this:
sterlingint.com/softgeneral.php
which is some general information about contact lens materials. It explains why high water percentage is not always better: it makes the lens less durable. That's why silicon hydrogel lenses only hold a moderate amount of water: the Dk value of the material itself is higher than water.

Note that these sites list the Dk values but not the Dk/t values, which is the ogygen permeability when lens thickness is taken into account. This is just as important for oxygen permeability. The 2nd site does have a field for Dk/t but it's empty everywhere.

So, I hope it's of use to anyone! (And may these links pop up higher on the search engine results.)

___________
PS Can somebody eligible make my links clickable? Thanks.

Aaroncablemom · #34 (**permalink**) 01-13-2011, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiddleye

I looked a bit more and found this one too, which also lists the oxygen permeability values (Dk):
clspectrum.com/article.aspx?article=103168
It's comparable to the site that disappeared.

Also I found this:
therightcontact.com/contact/search_softlens.php
which is a huge database you can search in; it also holds the Dk values and more.

And this:
sterlingint.com/softgeneral.php
which is some general information about contact lens materials. It explains why high water percentage is not always better: it makes the lens less durable. That's why silicon hydrogel lenses only hold a moderate amount of water: the Dk value of the material itself is higher than water.

Note that these sites list the Dk values but not the Dk/t values, which is the ogygen permeability when lens thickness is taken into account. This is just as important for oxygen permeability. The 2nd site does have a field for Dk/t but it's empty everywhere.

So, I hope it's of use to anyone! (And may these links pop up higher on the search engine results.)

___________
PS Can somebody eligible make my links clickable? Thanks.

Thanks Fiddleye. Your information is very helpful. I've heard of clspectrum.com before. It's a good site.
As for making a link clickable, hopefully the Webmaster will see your comment and respond. Check your private messages.

luvbostonxo2's · #35 (**permalink**) 12-23-2011, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainKremen

I read that soft contact lenses can contain from 38% to 79% water. Which contact lens has 79%? That sounds like an awful lot of water.

those soft lenses with ultra high water content (anything higher than 55%) are no longer used due to lens spoilage issues with such a high h20 content. To imagine people wore them for up to a year or longer.

They were great for oxygen transmission but the high h20 content attracted deposits, lipids and whatever that was in the air etc. Also peope slept in these lenses as well.

oingoboingo · #36 (**permalink**) 12-27-2011, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvbostonxo2's

those soft lenses with ultra high water content (anything higher than 55%) are no longer used due to lens spoilage issues with such a high h20 content. To imagine people wore them for up to a year or longer.

They were great for oxygen transmission but the high h20 content attracted deposits, lipids and whatever that was in the air etc. Also peope slept in these lenses as well.

So the answer to CaptainKremmen's question is that right now there are no contact lenses with 79% water content, right?

ElaineKramer · #37 (**permalink**) 12-29-2011, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvbostonxo2's

those soft lenses with ultra high water content (anything higher than 55%) are no longer used due to lens spoilage issues with such a high h20 content. To imagine people wore them for up to a year or longer.

They were great for oxygen transmission but the high h20 content attracted deposits, lipids and whatever that was in the air etc. Also peope slept in these lenses as well.

What are "lens spoilage issues"?

luvbostonxo2's · #38 (**permalink**) 12-29-2011, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElaineKramer

What are "lens spoilage issues"?

lens spoilage occurs when protein has taken hold within the lens matrix and cannot be removed. THis is definately an issue with high water content lenses.

Because of this high water content lenses are not really used anymore because of this. We no longer need high wwater materials to have oxygen transmission.

Droopy · #39 (**permalink**) 12-30-2011, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvbostonxo2's

lens spoilage occurs when protein has taken hold within the lens matrix and cannot be removed. This is definitely an issue with high water content lenses.

Because of this high water content lenses are not really used anymore because of this. We no longer need high water materials to have oxygen transmission.

I see. Thank you luvbostonxo2's. That sounds like something that should definitely be avoided.

luvbostonxo2's · #40 (**permalink**) 12-30-2011, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Droopy

I see. Thank you luvbostonxo2's. That sounds like something that should definitely be avoided.

thats where silicone hydrogels come into play for those wearers of the old (now defunkt) high water lenses, coopervision permalens, coopervision permaflex naturals, etc.

We now know that "lens spoilage" occurs with these ultra high water content lenses and are no longer suitable.

Back in the 80"s when these lenses were popular, it was a great option for those patients that needed another option due to sensititive eyes, higher need for oxygen, and for those that wear their contacts longer than an average person.

Silicone hydrogels are great, have low water content but allows 10x more o2 through even compared to the old high water content lenses.

Spongebob · #41 (**permalink**) 12-30-2011, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvbostonxo2's

thats where silicone hydrogels come into play for those wearers of the old (now defunkt) high water lenses, coopervision permalens, coopervision permaflex naturals, etc.

We now know that "lens spoilage" occurs with these ultra high water content lenses and are no longer suitable.

Back in the 80"s when these lenses were popular, it was a great option for those patients that needed another option due to sensititive eyes, higher need for oxygen, and for those that wear their contacts longer than an average person.

Silicone hydrogels are great, have low water content but allows 10x more o2 through even compared to the old high water content lenses.

It sounds like the 79% water content in the title is too high. What would be a good percentage to shop for?