Purpose:The aim was to determine the extent of daily disposable contact lens prescribing worldwide and to characterise the associated demographics and fitting patterns. Methods: Up to 1,000 survey forms were sent to contact lens fitters in up to 40 countries between January and March every year for five consecutive years (2007 to 2011). Practitioners were asked to record data relating to the first 10 contact lens fits or refits performed after receiving the survey form. Survey data collected since 1996 were also analysed for seven nations to assess daily disposable lens fitting trends since that time. Results: Data were collected in relation to 97,289 soft lens fits, of which 23,445 (24.1 per cent) were with daily disposable lenses and 73,170 (75.9 per cent) were with reusable lenses. Daily disposable lens prescribing ranged from 0.6 per cent of all soft lenses in Nepal to 66.2 per cent in Qatar. Compared with reusable lens fittings, daily disposable lens fittings can be characterised as follows: older age (30.0 Ϯ 12.5 versus 29.3 Ϯ 12.3 years for reusable lenses); males are over-represented; a greater proportion of new fits versus refits; 85.9 per cent hydrogel; lower proportion of toric and presbyopia designs and a higher proportion of part-time wear. There has been a continuous increase in daily disposable lens prescribing between 1996 and 2011. The proportion of daily disposable lens fits (as a function of all soft lens fits) is positively related to the gross domestic product at purchasing power parity per capita (r 2 = 0.55, F = 46.8, p < 0.0001). Conclusions:The greater convenience and other benefits of daily disposable lenses have resulted in this modality capturing significant market share. The contact lens field appears to be heading toward a true single-use-only, disposable lens market.

The thin cornea has more influence on the measurement with NCT than GAT. The relative precision of NCT compared with GAT seems to be influenced by the corneal thickness.

Zdravljenje okužb roženice s prečnim povezovanjem kolagenih vlakencorneal collagen cross-linking for infectious keratitis mirna Štabuc Šilih IzvlečekPrečno povezovanje kolagenih vlaken roženice z ultravijolično svetlobo poveča stabilnost roženice z uporabo fotosenzitivne snovi -riboflavina (vitamina B2) in ultravijoličnih žarkov A. Osnovna indikacija je napredujoči keratokonus, poseg pa se v svetu vse pogosteje uporablja. Ker gre pri tem postopku za fiziološke spremembe vsega vezivnega tkiva, so bile predlagane še dodatne indikacije. Te so ektazija po operaciji, bulozna keratopatija in predvsem, najbolj zanimiva, infekcijski keratitis.Okužbe roženice lahko brez ustreznega zdravljenja povzročijo slepoto. Vendar je tudi takojšnje in ustrezno antimikrobno zdravljenje odvisno od senzitivnosti in rezistence mikroorganizmov.Prispevek opisuje sedanje možnosti zdravljenja okužb roženice s prečnim povezovanjem kolagenih vlaken.Ta način zdravljenja bo morda postal pomemben, vendar pa ostajajo odprta še mnoga neodgovorjena vprašanja. Odgovore nanje naj bi dali rezultati večjih, prospektivnih primerjalnih raziskav. AbstractCorneal collagen cross-linking increases the stability of the cornea through the use of the photosensitive material-riboflavin (vitamin B2) and ultraviolet A radiation. Progressive keratoconus is the most common indication and the frequency of these procedures is increasing worldwide. As cross-links in the cornea are a physiological principle of all connective tissues, additional indications were proposed. These include post-refractive surgery ectasia, bullous keratopathy, and, infectious keratitis.Without proper antimicrobial therapy, infectious keratitis can lead to blindness. But even prompt initial management with appropriate antimicrobial treatment depends on microorganism sensitivity and resistance. This article presents current data regarding the use of corneal collagen cross-linking in the treatment of corneal infections. This treatment modality may become important, but unanswered questions remain. Larger, prospective comparative studies should provide the answers. UvodVnetni keratitis lahko brez ustreznega antimikrobnega zdravljenja privede do slepote. Tudi če ga odkrijemo v začetni fazi in pravilno zdravimo, lahko napreduje in privede do mehčanja roženice. Zaradi agresivne narave roženičnih patogenov in nevarnosti odpornosti na antibiotike je potrebno razviti nove načine obvladovanja tega hitro napredujočega stanja.1 O prečnem povezovanju kolagenih vlaken roženice z ultravijolično svetlo-

Contact lenses are freely available without professional examination and fitting, as well as without adequate introduction and instructions on handling, disinfection and storage. Contact lenses may have physiological, metabolic and anatomic effect on the eyes, which is manifested both on the eyelids, lacrimal film, conjunctiva and in all layers of the cornea - the epithelium, stroma and the endothelium. We can see these complications too often at our everyday work. The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the potential complications due to inappropriate use of contact lenses.Contact lenses are otherwise a safe and effective method of correcting visual acuity; they are also useful for therapeutic purposes. Complications related to contact lenses wear could be largely avoided with an appropriate professional approach and the compliance of contact lens wearers. It is important to discuss with patients their medical history, their desires and expectations, their working and living environment; followed by professional examination of patients and appropriate fitting of contact lenses. Patients should receive detailed oral and written instructions and be subscribed to regular checks. But unfortunately, all this is not enough, if patients do not comply every day with given instructions.