Some newspapers are suggesting that spectacles and contact lenses may be a thing of the past before long. Will they? We do not think so. Researchers have recently been able to identify the bit of biological coding on the DNA to do with the growth of the eye. And it is this particular gene that may hold the key to short-sightedness (myopia) and with that, to treatment.

What is myopia again? The myopic eye cannot focus on distant objects, it needs help from spectacles or contact lenses. Myopia affects 4 in every 10 people in Europe. Too much close work may be a factor in developing myopia, the same researchers say.

So was grandma right after all when she warned us not to read in the dark, that we would be ruining our eyes? Maybe. But, does this spell the end of spectacles and contact lenses? It is true, the bulk of contact lenses prescribed today are to correct myopia. But myopia is not the only eye defect and manufacturers have not been sitting still.

Apart from the ongoing race for the best lens material manufacturers have introduced lenses to meet all needs and continue to improve on the designs. Lenses for astigmatism and presbyopia are now almost as commonplace as the mono-vision (a)spherical lenses for myopia and they are available in various wearing modalities including extended wear.