SynergEyes Duette Progressive Centre Distance with FlexOptics® technology
In 2018 SynergEyes launched an exciting new progressive lens into its unique hybrid contact lens portfolio. This new lens was introduced to the Duette range for fitting regular cornea and is a Centre-Distance design. Sitting alongside its pre-existing Centre-Near lens, Duette Progressive now offers maximum flexibility of lens selection to the contact lens practitioner in order to fully and successfully correct their astigmatic presbyopes at distance and near. SynergEyes believes that fitting astigmats, especially astigmatic presbyopes, opens up a new and currently untapped business opportunity for practices and that the high performance of this new contact lens will build patient loyalty and retention.
New Market Opportunity
Currently there are very few options for any CL wearing presbyope who has astigmatism ≥1.00D. Anecdotally most are fitted into monovision with soft toric lenses and only a few practitioners brave enough to try a soft toric multifocal design due to limited success. Duette Progressive provides an excellent opportunity to provide superior visual performance for all astigmatic presbyopes who have cylinders greater than -0.75D. Research supports that:
- 45% of pre and post-prebyopic patients have astigmatism of -0.75D or more
- 15% of pre and post-prebyopic patients have astigmatism of -1.25D or more
Tear lens optics ensures Duette Progressive lenses correct corneal cylinders with 100% accuracy and without the rotational challenges associated with soft torics, enabling patient and practitioner to simply focus on the presbyopic vision correction.
Background
SynergEyes has made hybrid contact lenses for irregular corneas since 2005. It launched its Duette family in the US was as far back as 2010 and has thousands of happy users across the world. The Duette lens has long been available in the UK in single-vision and centre-near multifocal lens designs with multiple adds and it was in January 2018 that the range was expanded with the release of the new Centre Distance Progressive design with FlexOptics® technology.
Duette uses a unique lens material developed by SynergEyes and not available from other laboratories. Additionally all lenses are unique designs manufactured in its state-of-the-art facility in California. It’s a proprietary combination of high Dk gas permeable centre and silicone hydrogel skirt, bonded by our patented HyperBond® junction technology.
Key Duette features include:
HyperBond® junction technology
- Hyperbond has been tested to 300% of original lens size1
- Guaranteed never to split at the junction
Proprietary high Dk material
- 130 Dk GP and 84 Dk SiHy skirt ensuring excellent ocular health
- UV blocker helps protect from the sun’s harmful rays
- 2-stage plasma treatment enhances comfort and reduces deposition
Uncompromised Optics
- Corrects virtually all corneal cylinder powers
- Corrects all axis directions
- Vision not affected by lens rotation
SynergEyes Duette Progressive Centre Distance
The Duette Progressive CD recognises that all eyes are different and that pupil sizes vary. By offering hybrid contact lenses that are customisable for presbyopia, even for those patients with astigmatism, all eventualities can be covered. The existing Centre Near design has offered the presbyope clear vision at all distances, however some patients would benefit from a centre distance design or a combination thereof.
Key features and benefits of Duette Progressive are:
- Intuitive fitting approach provides high performance vision for astigmatic presbyopes
- Uncompromised GP optics ensuring:
- Astigmatism is fully corrected enabling practitioner (and their patient) to focus on the progressive performance
- A seamless progression of power from distance to near or near to distance
- Centre-Distance design for early presbyopes available in a wide range of add powers
- Centre-Near design in 3 add powers for advanced presbyopes
The new addition to the Duette Progressive range has proprietary Centre Distance FlexOptics technology. The centre distance zone size is completely adjustable, ranging from 1.8 to 4.0mm in 0.1mm steps. The add powers can also be configured from +0.75 to +5.00D in 0.25D steps. The Duette Progressive range offers customisable base curves for the RGP portion in 0.1mm steps, along with a range of silicone hydrogel skirts to fit most eyes.
Easy to Fit
Whilst this lens has a vast array of parameters, it is fitted empirically. The “Wow Factor” of putting a lens onto a patient’s eye that will give them instant comfort and clarity of vision at all distances, cannot be underestimated.
With no need to worry about correcting the cyl, Duette Progressive is easy to fit using the same empirical fitting procedure as single-vision Duette with the addition of:
- Measuring the photopic pupil size
- Selecting CD or CN dependent on the ADD power
SynergEyes UK emphasises that the unique combination of customisable base curves, add powers and centre distance zone sizes, driven by photopic pupil size, provide contact lenses to meet almost all presbyopic needs.
Preventing Drop Out
It is disappointing in the 21st century that, when it comes to contact lenses, for many practitioners monovision is still seen as the most effective way to correct an astigmatic presbyope. It is understandable when you take into account the additional cost of increased chair time, with little guarantee of success, when fitting soft toric multifocal lenses.
Having a bespoke lens but that is ordered empirically means SynergEyes can cater for almost any presbyopic corneal astigmat without the chair time and drop-out often associated with fitting complex toric multifocals. It is also a great opportunity for practitioners to differentiate their practice to reach more people; thus growing their business whilst at the same time enhancing its profile in the local community.
Duette Progressive is not available on the Internet. Additionally, with the patient understanding that this is a specialist lens, their perception of the practitioner and practice is enhanced, making them the strong advocates and walking ambassadors who will happily refer friends and family.
As Dispensing Optician Darcie Richman raves, “I just love Duette Progressives. I had given up ever wearing contact lenses but my Duettes are a game changer. So comfortable and vision is amazing; so easy to get in and out too. Simply the best!”
