J&J launches light-adaptive CL with transitions tech

Developed in partnership by optical heavyweights J&J and Transitions Optical Limited, the product was granted US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval a year ago, and has now been made available to the US market.According to J&J, the two-week reusable contact lens senses lighting conditions, and helps the eyes recover up to five seconds faster in bright light, reducing halos and starbursts at night.Its photochromic technology activates the lens in under one minute and fades back within 90 seconds. They are also said to be the only contact lenses that provide 100% protection against Ultraviolet B rays.The FDA reportedly based its approval on scientific evidence including a clinical study of 24 patients that evaluated daytime and night driving performance while wearing the contact lenses.“This product will give contact lens wearers a seamless way to manage changing light conditions in their everyday lives and activities, building on our commitment to helping people see better, connect better, and live better,” Mr Thomas Swinnen, J&J North America president, said.The company has signed American baseballer Bryce Harper, of the Philadelphia Phillies, as an ambassador of the contact lens. He will wear Acuvue Oasys with Transitions on the field during the 2019 baseball season and share his experience with the new lenses in a video series.“It’s all about recognising, as we said on day one, the impact of light and bothersome light on vision and the fact that vision correction is more than just refraction. It’s more than just focus; it’s also about managing the light intensity.” Ms Zohra Fadli, J&J’s director of sphere, light managent and lens care platform and R&D, told VMAIL.