Specialist Contact Lenses
The Duette Hybrid contact lens
We have a vast experience of fitting the trickiest eyes, particularly for keratoconus, post-laser grief patients, post-graft and scarred corneas. We have an arsenal of lenses to fit such conditions.
In the past most patients with difficult eyes were only offered small RGP lenses. For many patients RGP's are uncomfortable especially at first, whilst soft lenses do not provide adequate levels of acuity. This has led us to look for different options, so over the past few years our practice has been pioneering news types of lens from the States, to overcome these problems.
The first is the SynergEyes hybrid lens, which consists of a highly oxygen permeable RGP centre to give superior vision acuity, and a soft 'skirt' around the edge to make the lens more stable and more comfortable.
The main applications of this unique lens are in the fitting of keratoconus, post-laser and irregular corneas, but they are also a great option for those who require crisp, stable vision with the comfort of a soft lens, especially when there is astigmatism. We now have the latest lens called the Duette which has a rigid centre and a Silicon hydrogel skirt, offering excellent eye health. This lens also comes in a multifocal.
We are experts in fitting SynergEyes, Miss Taylor-West and Dr Caroline Burnett Hodd have had specialist SynergEyes training in California and now lecture to other practioners around the country on how to fit them. They have also written articles in the UK optometric journals.
The second type of lens is the So2Clear corneo-scleral RGP, which is essentially an RGP lens but much larger than normal- around 14mm in diameter, the same as a soft lens.
They have been specially designed to align with the cornea and the sclera, masking any corneal irregularities and providing truly superb levels of vision. Because of the size of the lens they are also extremely comfortable, often just as much as a soft lens. They are an excellent choice for high astigmatism, keratoconus, post-graft, post-laser, scarred and irregular corneas, as well as for straightforward long- or short-sightedness.
The So2Clear Multifocal lens also give the same great benefits of superior comfort and vision, in a multifocal version so you can banish those reading glasses for good. The Burnett Hodd practice was the first establishment in the UK to fit these lenses, and Miss Taylor-West and Dr Caroline Burnett Hodd are involved in the training of other practioners to fit So2Clears around the country.
We also fit larger diameter scleral lenses that can be an excellent option in the most seriously distorted eyes.
And of course we also have all of the standard keratoconic lenses such as Rose K, Quasar K, KeraSoft,
Dyna Z Kone and Dyna Intra Limbals.
A selection of our articles are available for you to read on the right hand side of this page