DULUTH, Ga.--CIBA Vision, the eyecare unit of Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS), has launched its latest silicone hydrogel--Air Optix Aqua contact lenses, which the company said delivers an advanced combination of oxygen and moisture as well as all-day comfort.

CIBA’s new Air Optix Aqua features a patented, new moisture agent for lens-wearing comfort.

The lenses feature the new Aqua Moisture System, which includes a unique moisture agent that helps lubricate the lens for initial comfort, a patented lens material that helps maintain moisture by minimizing the rate of lens dehydration for comfort all day, and an ultra-smooth surface with superior wettability and excellent deposit resistance for comfort every day, the company noted.

“Seventy percent of patients who experience eye irritation from their contact lenses never tell their eyecare professional about it,” said Rick Weisbarth, OD, FAAO and VP, CIBA Vision’s global head professional development and partnerships. “With the unique Aqua Moisture System and Dk/t of 138, Air Optix Aqua lenses provide high oxygen transmissibility and initial and all-day comfort, helping satisfy the often undiscussed patient need for improved comfort and health.”

To help encourage healthy lens wear and higher patient compliance, CIBA is recommending a monthly replacement schedule for Air Optix Aqua.

CIBA also emphasizes the monthly’s affordable cost. “Research shows that 56 percent of patients are compliant with monthly replacement contact lenses versus as few as 26 percent with 1to 2 week disposable-type lenses,” said Weisbarth. “Recommending monthly replacement aligns modality with the reality of how many eyecare professionals prescribe lenses and how patients wear lenses--and it’s easier for patients to remember.”

Air Optix Aqua lenses are recommended for daily wear or up to six nights of extended wear.

The company pointed out that the lenses also provide excellent lipid deposit resistance to contribute to healthy and comfortable lens wear and that the Air Optix Aqua also has superior wettability compared with other silicone hydrogel lenses. ■