Contact Lens Regulation: Where Have We Been, Where are We Going?

The Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission influence the contact lens (CL) market, with the Food and Drug Administration regulating CLs as medical devices and the Federal Trade Commission dictating how they are prescribed and sold. Legislative oversight came to the forefront in 2004, when the Contact Lens Rule was introduced, drastically changing how CLs are prescribed and distributed. This article examines the evolution of CL regulations over the past two decades and discusses how regulation, such as allowing passive verification, has shaped the current and evolving CL market.

Proparacaine Overuse in Corneal Abrasions at the Emergency Department: A Case Series.

Corneal abrasions are among the most common ophthalmic injuries in the emergency department (ED) and primarily present as severe ocular pain. Topical anesthetics provide temporary analgesia, but overuse is associated with complications including further corneal injury, infection, and vision loss. This case series describes three patients who used a 15-mL bottle of 0.

Contact Lens Safety for the Correction of Refractive Error in Healthy Eyes.

Contact lenses are a safe and effective method for correction of refractive error and worn by an estimated 45 million Americans. Because of the widespread availability and commercial popularity of contact lenses, it is not well appreciated by the public that contact lenses are U.S.

Gone Viral: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Contact Lens-Related Videos on TikTok.

Objectives: To evaluate the content, sources, and quality of contact lens (CL)-related videos on TikTok, the fastest growing social media platform worldwide.

Methods: TikTok was queried on October 25, 2021 for the top 200 posts with the hashtag "#contactlenses." Posts meeting inclusion criteria were characterized and assessed for quality with DISCERN, a validated scoring instrument for the appraisal of consumer health information (score range 1-5 with a higher score indicating a higher quality video).

Passive Verification: A Flawed System Putting Patients' Sight at Risk.

Objective: To assess the rate of erroneous or expired (invalid) contact lens prescriptions submitted for passive verification at two practice sites in Cleveland, OH.

Methods: Passive verification facsimile (FAX) requests were collected from office staff at a county hospital (MetroHealth [MH]), and at a private ophthalmology group office (University Ophthalmology Associates [UOA]) in Cleveland, Ohio, from January 2013 to January 2018.

Results: A total of 415 verification requests were evaluated (339 MH, 75 UOA), 28.

Corneal Infections Associated with Sleeping in Contact Lenses - Six Cases, United States, 2016-2018.

Contact lenses, when worn and cared for properly, are a safe and effective form of vision correction used by an estimated 45 million Americans. However, contact lens wearers are at risk for contact lens-related eye infections, especially when wearers do not practice proper contact lens wear and care habits. These infections, affecting the cornea and known as microbial keratitis (Figure), can lead to serious adverse health outcomes.

Risk factors for ophthalmic complications in patients with burns.

A retrospective study of patients admitted to MetroHealth Medical Center was performed to identify the risk factors for short- and long-term ophthalmologic complications related to burn injury. From 2000 to 2007, the authors identified 293 patients with the inclusion criteria of facial burns, TBSA ≥20%, or smoke inhalation injury. Seventy (24%) developed ocular complications, and 16 (11%) developed long-term complications.

Suture-related keratitis following cataract surgery caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

A 54-year old-man presented with a two-day history of severe pain and decreased vision. Examination revealed a corneal ulcer associated with a loose suture from cataract surgery done approximately two years ago. The suture was removed and the patient was started on topic antibiotic treatment with cefazolin and gentamycin.

Over-the-counter decorative contact lenses: Cosmetic or Medical Devices? A Case Series.

Purpose: To illustrate the implications of the unauthorized sale and unmonitored wearing of decorative cosmetic contact lenses resulting in ocular complications and to determine the prevalence of the use of cosmetic contact lenses obtained from unlicensed providers by adolescents.

Methods: Observational case report, structured interview, and survey in a retrospective, observational, clinical practice setting. Reported sources of contact lenses were categorized as provider and nonprovider, and associations within the data were reviewed by using a Pearson correlation and chi-square test.

Ocular complications associated with the use of cosmetic contact lenses from unlicensed vendors.

Purpose: To call attention to the unauthorized sale of cosmetic contact lenses, resulting in ocular complications. DESIGN Observational case report.

Methods: Retrospective, observational, clinical practice setting.

Short-acting peribulbar anesthesia with 2-chloroprocaine.

A 64-year-old monocular man had uneventful penetrating keratoplasty in his seeing eye for aphakic bullous keratopathy and counting fingers visual acuity. One year later, standard slitlamp suture removal under topical anesthesia was not possible because of sensory nystagmus. In addition, the patient could not have general anesthesia as a consequence of severe coronary artery disease.

Severe penetrating ocular injury from ninja stars in two children.

The authors describe two cases of penetrating ocular trauma in children resulting from ninja stars. In the first case, despite a scleral laceration, loss of iris tissue, and a vitreous hemorrhage, the child had a good result with a final best corrected visual acuity of 20/20. Unfortunately, the child in the second case did not fare as well.

Chronic exposure keratopathy complicating surgical correction of ptosis in patients with chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia.

Purpose: To report chronic exposure keratopathy related to surgical ptosis correction in patients with chronic, progressive, external ophthalmoplegia.

Methods: Case reports of three patients with chronic exposure keratopathy following blepharoptosis surgery.

Results: We report three patients with chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia with chronic corneal complications after surgical ptosis repair.

Identification of a herpes simplex virus-induced dendrite in an eye-bank donor cornea.

Purpose: To demonstrate the presence of an active herpetic dendrite in an eye-bank cornea.

Case Report: One eye-bank cornea was studied. Viral cultures and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing were performed 4 days after tissue preservation.