Silicone hydrogels website: resource for practitioners

Abstract

The recent US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approval of silicone hydrogel contact lenses for 30 nights continuous wear is likely to trigger significant growth in this method of vision correction. To help eye care professionals with this new area of practice, all the latest information on the continuous wear lenses can now be found on a website: www.siliconehydrogels.org. Since its launch in August 2001, the site is attracting visitors from around the world, and has collected a wide range of information on silicone hydrogel contact lens research and practice. The site has been established by the Centre for Contact Lens Research (CCLR), School of Optometry at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada; the Cornea and Contact Lens Research Unit (CCLRU), School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and the Cooperative Research Centre for Eye Research and Technology (CRCERT), also based at the University of New South Wales. For the last 10 years CCLR, CCLRU, and CRCERT have been involved in the research and development of silicone hydrogel lenses for continuous wear. This website aims to share this experience and knowledge with colleagues, practitioners, and students. The site includes a monthly editorial, a glossary of terms, conference updates, a frequently asked questions and answers section, which also allows the user to submit questions to a panel of experts, as well as current publications that have resulted from research conducted by the centers and other outside organizations. In his opening editorial on the site, Professor Brien Holden detailed the results of silicone hydrogel wear, and called on practitioners to gain first-hand experience with this new vision correction modality.