Johnson and Johnson publishes young persons contact lens study

Johnson & Johnson has announced the results of a trial of teenagers and pre-teens switching from spectacles to contact lenses. The data showed an improvement in quality of life at one week and one month after changing to contact lenses from glasses.

The trials also showed no significant difference in either ease of insertion and removal or wearing time between pre-teen children and teenagers.

Children aged eight to 12 and 13 to 17 used silicone hydrogel lenses as part of the contact lens in a paediatrics clinical investigation assessing function and quality of life benefits.

Jeffrey J Walline, study leader, said: “Children as young as eight years old who need refractive error correction are as capable as teenagers at wearing and caring for soft contact lenses and should be presented with the option of contact lens wear when vision correction is required.”

He added that both groups exhibited an improvement in quality of life, including increased confidence in capability of taking part in activities.

Last month, the company recommended the use of UV-blocking contact lenses in conjunction with UB-absorbing sunglasses and a protective hat to prevent against damage to the eyes from UV-rays.