Hydrogenics 60 Color Contacts - Fact or Fiction

When I saw how many people were searching for Hydrogenics 60 color contacts on the Internet, I had to do some of my own research. I am familiar with the brand of contact lenses, but I was not aware that they made color contacts.

And guess what?

I couldn't find any! At least not in the sense of color lenses as are usually available on the internet, for cosmetic wear. So don't expect any pitch black mirrored contact lenses!

For the record, what Hydrogenics DO make, are 1-2 week disposable soft contact lenses. The normal package consists of 6 lenses immersed in a buffered saline solution. For the more technically minded amongst you, they Hydrogenics 60 contact lenses are made from 40% polymer (ocufilcon F). The other 60% is of course water. The manufacturer is Ocular Sciences, Inc of San Fancisco, California, in the United States. What you CAN do with these lenses, is to provide a prescription online, so that you can obtain true prescription lenses, as opposed to color contacts which are usually obtainable with a 0.00 power, which means that they are normally only for cosmetic purposes.

What the contact lenses do provide is UV filtering against rays which can be harmful to the cornea. The lenses got approval from the US Food and Drugs Administration in 2002. Here is an extract from their report.

"Approval for the Hydrogenics 60 (ocufilcon F) UV In-monomer tint contact lens indicated for extended wear (up to 7 days / 6 nights between removals for cleaning and disinfection). The device, as modified, will be marketed under the trade name referenced above with the following indications: SPHERICAL: Hydrogenics 60 (ocufilcon F) UV Blocking Contact Lenses are indicated for the correction of visual acuity in persons with non-diseased eyes that are myopic (nearsighted) or hyperopic (farsighted) and may exhibit refractive astigmatism up to 2.00 diopters that does not interfere with visual acuity.

TORIC: Hydrogenics (ocufilcon F) UV Blocking Contact Lenses are indicated for the correction of visual acuity in persons with non-diseased eyes that are myopic (nearsighted) or hyperopic (farsighted) and may exhibit refractive astigmatism of up to -6.00 diopters.

The overall power range is +8.00D to -10.00D sphere and pl to -6.00D cylinder. The lens may be prescribed for Daily or Extended Wear in not-aphakic persons.

When prescribing for extended wear, the eye care practitioner may recommend lens wear up to 7 days / 6 nights between removals for cleaning and disinfection.

The eye care practitioner may prescribe the contact lens for either single use disposable wear or for scheduled replacement wear, with cleaning, disinfection, and schedules replacement. When prescribing for scheduled replacement wear, the contact lens may be disinfected using a chemical (not heat) disinfecting system. Hydrogenics 60 (ocufilcon F) UV Blocking Contact Lenses help protect against transmission of harmful UV radiation to the cornea and into the eye"

The article was written by Charlie Cory, who is the owner of FX Eyes, a website dedicated to providing advice about buying special effects contact lenses online.

You can visit his website about special effects contact lenses.