Shanghai, August 19, 2015 – Alcon, the global leader in eye care, today formally announced the launch of its new daily disposable lens, DAILIES TOTAL1^® water gradient contact lenses, ushering in a new era of contactless eye comfort. DAILIES TOTAL1^® contact lenses are the first and only water gradient lenses developed by more than 100 researchers from all over the world who have challenged the limitations of material and technique. With excellent oxygen transmissibility, they can deliver exceptional comfort even after a full day of wear.
 

Top material for a brand-new contactless feel

Contact lenses made of hydrogel is softer, affords a higher level of wettability and oxygen transmissibility, while silicone hydrogel is easier to wear for being better shaped. “In order to combine the strengths and achieve a higher level of oxygen transmissibility and lubricity, Alcon’s researchers decided to start from material structure and develop a lens which has different water contents from its core to its surface.” Timothy Grant, Head of Marketing for Alcon’s Vision Care in Asia Pacific and Russia, openly talked about Alcon’s exclusive water gradient technology for the first time.

“The core of our water gradient contact lenses adopts silica-based material with high oxygen permeability, which keeps water content at 33% so that the lens will not absorb water from the eyes in order to maintain high water content. The outer layer which touches the eye adopts ultra-soft hydrophilic surface gel with reticular structure, with water content over 80%. The water content in the outermost layer reaches almost 100%, which brings an exceptional level of lubricity. The water gradient material has optimized the properties of both the core and the surface. The new generation of “contactless” lens made out of it can make the eye breathe as freely as possible.”
 

The secrets of exceptional comfort

According to survey data, 41% wearers of contact lenses have experienced discomfort such as dryness and redness⁵, of which 90% have chosen to endure silently instead of consulting eye care professionals and as high as 48% have stopped using contact lenses due to their poor sense of comfort. ⁶ As Professor Wang Haiying, Coordinator for the International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) in China put it, “Uncomfortable wearing experience is a shared trouble for wearers of contact lenses. Especially after a full day’s wearing, the symptoms of fatigue, dryness and redness become all the more obvious.”

Alcon’s DAILIES TOTAL1^® water gradient contact lens provides exceptional comfort even after a full day of wear, eliminating any feeling of discomfort. Professor Wang Haiying further revealed the “three comfort secrets” of our water gradient contact lens:
 

1. Water Gradient Difference The water gradient of DAILIES TOTAL1^® contact lenses has a water content that transitions from 33% at the core to over 80% at the surface, and the water content at the outer surface reaches almost 100%.They can maintain eye comfort even after a full day of wear.
2. Maximizing the flow of oxygen The cornea does not contain blood vessels to carry oxygen, so it has to take in oxygen from the air. When wearing contact lenses without enough oxygen, eyes can experience such symptoms as redness, blurred vision, and dryness. DAILIES TOTAL1^® water gradient contact lenses allow oxygen to flow freely through the lenses to reach the cornea (with oxygen transmissibility at 156 Dk/t), representing the highest oxygen transmissibility of any daily disposable contact lens on the market.
3. Lasting lubricity The human adult eye blinks about 14,000 times per day⁷, meaning the eyelid slides over the front of the cornea (and the contact lenses) roughly once every six seconds. The outer layer of Alcon’s DAILIES TOTAL1^®water gradient contact lenses simulates the water content of the cornea and can maintain 100% lubricity even after fourteen hours’ wear, providing breakthrough naked-eye comfort of the lens.

Survey shows over 90% customers satisfied with Alcon’s DAILIES TOTAL1^®water gradient contact lenses

According to trial report, over 80% trial wearers think they could hardly feel the existence of a lens there and 83% have experienced a revolutionary contactless feel and an exceptional end-of-day comfort. When interpreting the survey data, Professor Xue Feng of the Department of Optometry and Oblique Amblyopia of Affiliated Opthalmology and Otolaryngology Hospital of Fudan University commented, “Alcon’s DAILIES TOTAL1^® water gradient contact lenses had great performance during clinical experiment and was highly credited by eye care professionals as well as customers. It is the best choice for patients with myopia.”

“It has been Alcon’s consistent mission to improve people’s visual quality and life quality through providing innovative products.” Nelson Hsu, President of Alcon China and Mongolia commented, “I am very proud that Alcon has launched the DAILIES TOTAL1^® water gradient contact lens, which marks not only a big step forward in Alcon’s Vision Care business, but also a milestone in the field of contact lenses. Together with our peers and the media, we are ready to make our greatest efforts to contribute to people’s eye health and to the development of eye care in China!”