Do UV-blocking Soft Contact Lenses Meet ANSI Z80.20 Criteria for UV Transmittance?

Purpose: To compare ultraviolet (UV) ray transmission in four UV-blocking soft contact lenses with Z80.20 standards set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Methods: Four soft contact lenses including Acuvue Oasys (Johnson & Johnson, Ireland), Acuvue 2 (Johnson & Johnson, Ireland), Zeiss CONTACT Day 30 (Zeiss, Germany), and Sauflon 55 UV (Sauflon, UK) were evaluated for UV transmission. One-way ANOVA testing was performed to compare mean values of UVA and UVB transmission for the contact lenses.

Results: Acuvue Oasys, Acuvue 2, Zeiss CONTACT Day 30 and Sauflon 55 UV showed UV-B transmittance values of 0.24%, 1.46%, 10.37%, and 2.52%, respectively. Corresponding values for UV-A transmittance were 20.81%, 33.49%, 44.03% and 42.53%, respectively. One-way ANOVA showed a statistically significant difference among the tested contact lenses in terms of UV-B (P < 0.001) and UV-A (P < 0.001) transmission.

Conclusion: Acuvue Oasys met the ANSI criteria for UV transmission and may thus be a good choice for eye and vision care specialists and contact lens wearers seeking UV protection.