Asia PR News

BOSTON, June 28 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ –

Contact Lenses Meet Highest Standard for Contact Lens UV Protection

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., today announced that its ACUVUE(R)
ADVANCE(TM) with HYDRACLEAR(TM), ACUVUE(R) ADVANCE(TM) for ASTIGMATISM, and
ACUVUE(R) OASYS(TM) with HYDRACLEAR(TM) PLUS Brand Contact Lenses are the first
contact lenses to receive the World Council of Optometry’s (WCO) Global Seal of
Acceptance for Ultraviolet Absorbing Contact Lenses. The announcement was made
at the annual meeting of the American Optometric Association in Boston.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070628/CLTH019 )

"In awarding the Global Seal of Acceptance, the World Council of Optometry
Global Commission on Ophthalmic Standards (WCO GCOS), which provides
independent evaluation of ophthalmic related products, has determined that the
ACUVUE ADVANCE and ACUVUE OASYS brands meet established, recognized and
accepted standards that are adopted by the WCO GCOS," said WCO President
Robert Chappell. "These include published standards of International Standards
Organization (ISO) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI)."

The ISO and ANSI standards classify UV-blocking contact lenses into two
groups based on the lens’ absorptive capacity at its minimum thickness. Class
2 UV-blockers must absorb at least 70 percent of UVA and more than 95 percent
of UVB radiation. Class 1 UV-blockers must absorb a minimum of 90 percent UVA
and at least 99 percent UVB radiation. Only products that meet these
standards may claim to be UV blocking. All three lenses previously received
the American Optometric Association (AOA) Seal of Acceptance for Ultraviolet
Absorbers/Blockers.

"Not all contact lens lines offer UV protection, and, of those that do,
not all provide similar absorption levels," explains Cristina Schnider, OD,
Director, Medical Affairs, VISTAKON(R), Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision
Care Inc. "All ACUVUE(R) Brand Contact Lenses offer effective UV-blocking, and
among contact lens brands, ACUVUE ADVANCE, ACUVUE ADVANCE for ASTIGMATISM, and
ACUVUE OASYS with more than 90 percent of UVA rays and 99 percent of UVB rays
blocked(i)(ii) are the only lenses to achieve Class I UV blocking status."

Experts say the effects of UV radiation are cumulative and can do
irreversible harm to all structures of the eye and surrounding tissue that are
left unprotected or under-protected. Certain conditions, such as age-related
cataract, may not manifest for years at which point the damage is already done
and it is too late to reverse the effects of the sun. "That’s why it is
important to get maximum protection beginning in childhood," advises Dr.
Schnider. "The most complete measure of UV protection can be achieved with a
combination of UV-absorbing sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, and UV-blocking
contact lenses."

Because they cover the entire cornea and limbus, UV-blocking contact
lenses offer an added level of protection when worn with UV blocking
sunglasses. While many sunglasses block UV rays that enter through the
lenses, most do not prevent unfiltered rays from reaching the eyes through the
sides, as well as the top, and/or bottom of the glasses. Due to their
inability to block these peripheral rays, some sunglasses block as little as
50 percent of all UV radiation from reaching the eyes.

"It is just as important to block these peripheral UV rays," warns Dr.
Schnider. "UV-blocking contact lenses provide added protection by effectively
blocking sunlight that may enter the cornea from the top, bottom, or sides of
the glasses." Although UV-blocking contact lenses provide important added
protection for patients, they should not be viewed as a stand-alone solution.
Contact lenses should always be worn in conjunction with high-quality UV-
blocking sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat for maximum UV protection for the
eyes.

ACUVUE(R) ADVANCE(TM) Brand Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR(TM), ACUVUE
ADVANCE(TM) for ASTIGMATISM and ACUVUE(R) OASYS(TM) Brand Contact Lenses with
HYDRACLEAR(TM) PLUS are indicated for daily wear vision correction. ACUVUE
OASYS may also be worn for up to 6 consecutive nights/7 days of extended wear
as recommended by an eye care professional.

Contact lenses should not be worn for longer periods than recommended by
an eye care professional. As with all contact lenses, eye problems, including
corneal ulcers, can develop. Some wearers may also experience mild irritation,
itching or discomfort. Lenses should not be worn if the wearer has an eye
infection or experiences eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes,
redness or other eye problems. If these conditions occur, the wearer should
contact their eye care professional. Consult the patient information guide
available from your doctor for complete information. For further information,
talk to your eye care professional or call 1-800-843-2020 or visit
www.acuvue.com.

About The World Council of Optometry
WCO is an international organization dedicated to the enhancement and
development of eye and vision care worldwide. Representing over 200,000
optometrists from 75 member organizations in 41 countries, WCO serves as a
forum for optometric organizations to respond to public health needs and
opportunities around the world. The WCO is a member of the International
Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and maintains official relations with
the World Health Organization.

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc.
The VISTAKON division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. specializes
in disposable contact lenses which it markets under such brand names as
ACUVUE(R), ACUVUE(R) ADVANCE(TM) with HYDRACLEAR(TM), ACUVUE(R) ADVANCE(TM)
for ASTIGMATISM, ACUVUE(R) OASYS(TM) with HYDRACLEAR(TM) PLUS, ACUVUE(R) and
ACUVUE(R) 2; 1-DAY ACUVUE(R); ACUVUE(R) BIFOCAL; ACUVUE(R) TORIC, and
ACUVUE(R) 2 COLOURS(TM).

ACUVUE(R), ACUVUE(R) ADVANCE(TM), HYDRACLEAR(TM), ACUVUE(R) OASYS(TM),
ACUVUE(R) 2 COLOURS(TM), and VISTAKON(R) are trademarks of Johnson & Johnson
Vision Care, Inc.

(i) Helps protect against transmission of harmful UV radiation to the
cornea and into the eye.
(ii) WARNING: UV-absorbing contact lenses are NOT substitutes for
protective UV-absorbing eyewear such as UV-absorbing goggles or sunglasses
because they do not completely cover the eye and surrounding area. You should
continue to use UV-absorbing eyewear as directed. NOTE: Long term exposure to
UV radiation is one of the risk factors associated with cataracts. Exposure is
based on a number of factors such as environmental conditions (altitude,
geography, cloud cover) and personal factors (extent and nature of outdoor
activities). UV-Blocking contact lenses help provide protection against
harmful UV radiation. However, clinical studies have not been done to
demonstrate that wearing UV-Blocking contact lenses reduces the risk of
developing cataracts or other eye disorders. Consult your eye care
practitioner for more information.

SOURCE VISTAKON, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.

CONTACT: Gary Esterow, of VISTAKON, +1-908-216-5200,
gester1@visus.jnj.com; or Katie Shapiro, of Rpr Communications,
+1-212-317-1462, katie.shapiro@rprny.com, for VISTAKON/

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070628/CLTH019
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN7
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com /

Web site: http://www.acuvue.com /
(JNJ)