The EUOOT of the UPC has developed a new contact lens that will improve the quality of vision for thousands of people without the need for surgery. This innovation has been awarded the national prize from the Spanish College of Opticians and Optometrists.

Jaume Pauné, who received a masters in Optometry and Vision Sciences from the Technical University of Catalonia’s (UPC) College of Optics and Optometry of Terrassa (EUOOT) has designed the world’s first contact lens that eliminates hypermetropia without refractive surgery. The technique used, also called orthokeratology, consists of reshaping the cornea to correct low to moderate level vision defects such as myopia, astigmatisms and hypermetropia without surgery, using hard, oxygen permeable contact lenses. These lenses are tailor-made for each patient and are not transferrable.

To be more comfortable, the patient only needs to put the hard lenses on at night. The lens puts pressure on the tear fluid between itself and the first layer of the cornea. This pressure in turn modifies the shape of the cornea by about 20 microns, equal to half the width of a hair. The next day, the patient takes off the lens and will see perfectly. This technique achieves the same results as refractive surgery, but only for a limited time. The new contact lenses are the product of the master’s thesis of Jaume Pauné, and will be sold at an initial cost of €1,000, given that they have to be designed according to the structure of each patient’s cornea; annual replacements will cost €400. The lenses are distributed in Spain and Portugal by Atenas Vision, and are manufactured by the French laboratory Precilens, which produces them under the Pauné Lens brand.