title: Red-Tinted Contact Lenses May Improve Quality of Life in Retinal Diseases.
abstract: Supplemental digital content is available in the text.
  To determine the benefits provided by centrally red-tinted contact lenses on visual acuity, contrast sensitivity (CS), photophobia, and quality of life in patients with degenerative retinal diseases.We evaluated the impact of centrally red-tinted hydrogel contact lenses on nine patients (aged 15 to 22 years) with severe photophobia and poor visual acuity. Each patient underwent a full eye examination with and without contact lenses, including visual acuity at distance and near, CS, eye movement recording for nystagmus, refraction, and a fundus examination. All patients completed a low vision-adapted VFQ 25-Version 2000 quality-of-life questionnaire.Seven of nine patients demonstrated improvement in binocular visual acuity as well as improvement in CS with the tinted contact lenses. Subjectively, all patients described a major improvement in their photophobia both outdoors and indoors, as well as a marked improvement in quality of life.Red-tinted contact lenses may dramatically improve visual functions, outdoor performance, and quality of life of patients suffering from retinal diseases. These lenses should be a part of the regular assessment in specialty clinics treating patients with low vision, glare, and photophobia.
authors.affiliation: *MOptom, FAAO †MD ‡MOptom §PhD Department of Ophthalmology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel (BS, TFS, SD); Michaelson Institute for the Rehabilitation of Vision, Department of Ophthalmology, Hadassah- Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel (CY, VT); and Pain/Analgesia Imaging Neuroscience (P.A.I.N.) Group, Department of Anesthesia, Boston Children's Hospital, Center for Pain and the Brain, Harvard Medical School, Waltham, Massachusetts (EAM).
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Severinsky
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yahalom
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Florescu Sebok
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tzur
authors.forename: Shlomo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dotan
authors.forename: Eric Alan
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Moulton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003261:Contact Lenses; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020795:Photophobia / Q000628:therapy*; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D017755:Prosthesis Fitting; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000523:psychology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014787:Vision Tests; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult