A recent quantitative survey conducted by Bausch & Lomb indicates that a newfound enthusiasm surrounding spherical aberrations has spread throughout the eye care profession. Interestingly, considering the relatively recent introduction of appropriate corrective technologies, the vast majority of doctors expressed remarkably well-informed opinions regarding the prevalence and nature of this condition. Spherical aberrations are the most prevalent and distortional of the higher-order visual aberrations. Traditionally it's been a condition that eye care practitioners were aware of, yet had little or no ability to control. However, with the advent of contact lenses designed with aspheric optics in mind, aberration control is now emerging as the next frontier in vision correction, giving doctors the ability to further enhance visual quality and performance. The recent survey was conducted among eye care professionals throughout the United States. From a total of 177 doctors who completed the survey, 95% (168) were classified as optometrists and 5% (9) were classified as ophthalmologists. A complete list of results is as follows: 97% of doctors agree that spherical aberrations impact the quality of their patients' vision. 92% of doctors believe that dim (indoor or outdoor) or night or low light (night driving) increase the negative effects of spherical aberrations. 97% of doctors believe that contact-lens-induced spherical aberrations should be corrected. 93% of doctors believe that naturally occurring spherical aberrations should be corrected. 90% of doctors believe that correcting both induced and inherent spherical aberrations is best. Only 9% of doctors believe that spherical aberrations are NOT prevalent among their patients. In light of these findings, it should come as no surprise that there is a great deal of interest in aspheric contact lenses — technology that has been proven to help address spherical aberrations. bausch.com/demandvision However, before doctors can effectively incorporate this technology into their practices, they must first master the latest thinking on the causes, effects, and corrective options for spherical aberrations. For instance, while spherical aberrations are present in nearly 90% of the population (including those with 20/20 vision), the visual quality of the majority of people will be most affected in low-light situations. Likewise, all aspheric lens designs are not alike in their impact on correcting spherical aberration. For example, the Bausch & Lomb PureVision® contact lens is the only silicone hydrogel lens that uses an anterior aspheric optical design to successfully reduce both inherent and induced aberration, resulting in exceptional vision quality. To help generate a better overall understanding of these and other related topics, we have prepared an electronic informational series. The next issue will feature a more in-depth introduction to this topic by Dr. Paul Karpecki, noted optometrist, educator, and author. If you miss any issues in this series you can go to our archives on www.bausch.com/enewsarchives. © 2006 Bausch & Lomb Incorporated. ®/™ denote trademarks of Bausch & Lomb Incorporated. 530-1588.