Abstract
Purpose :
Approximately 47% of the population has ≥ 0.75 D of astigmatism in at least one eye. While most contact lens manufacturers have a wide range of parameters in frequent replacement and daily disposable soft toric options, that begins to diminish substantially when considering the needs of higher astigmats that have cylinder powers of more than 2.25 D. The purpose of this work was to understand the current soft toric prescribing habits of eye care professionals (ECP) in the United States (US) for the most prescribed monthly replacement soft toric contact lens, Biofinity® toric (comfilcon A, CooperVision, Inc.).
Methods :
CooperVision revenue data by volume for Biofinity® toric (BT) and Biofinity® XR toric (BXRT) from November 2020 to July 2021 were reviewed. BXRT includes cylinder powers from 2.75 to 5.75 D in five degree axis steps. Frequency of power parameters ordered were sorted from highest to lowest and by sphere power, cylinder power (DC), and axes for sub-analyses.
Results :
BT axes distribution was 65% with the rule (WTR), 29% against the rule (ATR), and 6% oblique. BXRT was 85% WTR, 12% ATR, and 3% oblique. When considering the sphere component of these soft toric orders, the ratio of myopia to hyperopia to plano was 24.1 to 5.5 to 1.0 respectively. For every 9.1 BT orders, there was 1 BXRT order. For spheres -6.50 D or higher, the percentage of -0.75 and -1.25 DC orders was 47.5% to 52.5%. The 56 most ordered powers were in 0.50 D sphere increments with the 57th being the first 0.25 D sphere increment (-3.75 / -0.75x180). In addition, 0.50 D sphere steps were ordered 3.4 times more than 0.25 D sphere steps. The 32 most ordered powers had axes of 180 or 090.
Conclusions :
These data for soft toric orders can be used to optimize selection of powers for diagnostic fit sets, minimize waste of expired trials, and improve the practice and patient experience. The need for extended range cylinder powers beyond 2.25 D is not infrequent as nearly 11% of orders are for Biofinity® XR toric. For the ECP, it’s important to note the potential room for more accurate prescribing in the sphere component of these soft toric lenses; 0.50 DS steps may be ordered more often reflecting the US fit set configuration.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.