Children born with cataracts in both eyes undergo surgery and their visual problems are corrected with contact lenses. However, they often experience problems with visual processing when they are adults. Fortunately, scientists have found a way of dealing with such problems.

The newest studies show that visual processing issues can be resolved with the use of video games. According to Dr Daphne Maurer, a psychologist from McMaster University, after playing an action game for approximately forty hours in the period of four weeks, the participants of the study could read small print and identify faces much better than before, which suggests that the adult brain is able to overcome certain sensory deficiencies.

In her work, Dr Maurer also deals with the phenomenon of synaesthesia, which consists in mixing different senses, resulting in, for instance, patients hearing colours. Her research improves our understanding of how perception and language develop and, for example, has proven that partial synaesthesia is a normal developmental phase exhibited by babies and toddlers.

Coloured contact lenses have helped Sarah Jessica Parker to blend into the character she plays in her latest film.

The blue-eyed actress wears dark coloured contact lenses in Lovelace, in which she plays the part of Gloria Steinem, a feminist icon and the founder of Ms Magazine, in which she published the article that constitutes the centre of the film’s story.

Apart from Sarah Jessica Parker, the Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman-directed picture stars Amanda Seyfried, James Franco and Sharon Stone. No release date has been set yet, but audiences around the world should be able to see Lovelace by the end of the year.

Sarah Jessica Parkers is usually associated with her role in the long-running television series Sex and the City. However, the 46-year-old actress has also appeared in dozens of other TV shows and films, including Mars Attacks!, Ed Wood and The First Wives Club. Her next project, after Lovelace, is Escape from Planet Earth, an animated comedy directed by Callan Brunker.

According to Dr Takashi Kojima and Dr Murat Dogru, guest writing for Contact Lenses Today, Japanese contact lens wearers usually choose two weekly or daily contact lenses. More and more of them, the experts state, wear lenses made of silicone hydrogel material.

ls instead of conventional ones and it is believed that the trend will continue.

As far as contact lens solutions are concerned, multipurpose ones seem to be preferred. However, there are still a number of cases of corneal infections related to contact lens use. In the experts’ opinion, they result from improper use of disinfectants and the situation can be improved by increased patient education regarding maintaining and handling contact lenses.

During last year’s earthquake, Japanese ophthalmologist were faced with numerous problems, helping victims wearing contact lenses, the most common of which was that many contact lens users did not know the exact power of their lenses. This, the experts believe, shows how important patient education is.

Contamac Ltd, a UK based producer of contact lenses materials, has announced that it is planning to hold a number of special events, celebrating the company’s 25th anniversary in 2012.

Recently, Contamac has finished its expansion and improvements regarding the company’s plant in north Essex. The investment cost over £2 million, more £400 thousand of which involved capital equipment.

Contamac Ltd was set up in 1987, manufacturing a wide range of materials used for the production of various types of contact lenses. Ten years later, the company started to offer its first foldable acrylic intraocular lens material, which was a significant step forward. In 2002, Contamac Ltd opened Contamac US as an affiliate company. Two years later, the full range of Optimum GP contact lens materials was successfully launched.

Contamac’s latest success is Definitive, the first lathable silicone hydrogel material, used by manufacturers of custom contact lenses and awarded a patent by the United States Patent & Trademark Office in May 2011.

Several researchers (led by C.W. McMonnies) have conducted a study to create guidelines regarding contact lenses users’ hand hygiene that would constitute an effective compromise between safety (minimisation of the risk of infection) and convenience.

The study was based on data acquired from publications found through PubMed, Advanced Medline Search, Cochrane Reviews and Google Scholar, which showed that recommendations concerning washing hands depend on the required level of hygiene. In addition, the researchers discovered – taking the levels of non-compliance among healthcare employees into account – that too demanding guidelines result in more patients failing to follow them.

The conclusions that the authors of the study reached were that non-compliance levels can be decreased if patient education related to hygiene is better. Furthermore, the guidelines need to be changed so that the perception of ‘too much bother’ is reduced, leading to more patients willing to follow them.

The guidelines that the researchers prepared included explanations, as they should help contact lens wearers to understand the importance of hand hygiene and motivate them to adopt the recommendations.