Apical Bearing and Success with the Bausch and Lomb Soflens R (Polymacon) Contact Lens

Thirty‐three patients (63 eyes) were fitted with Bausch and Lomb Softens R (polymacon) contact lenses. The initial lenses were selected with the mean posterior apical radius 0.45 mm flatter than the flat keratometer reading of the cornea (S.D. = ±0.31 mm). Forty‐eight eyes (76%) were successfully fitted and 15 eyes (25%) were unsuccessfully fitted. Among the successfully fitted eyes, 31 were fitted with the initial lens, 12 required steeper lenses, and 5 required flatter lenses. The final successfully fitted lenses were on the average 0.40 mm flatter (S.D. = ±0.32 mm) than the flat keratometer reading of the cornea. The unsuccessfully fitted lenses were not significantly different than the successfully fitted lenses, being 0.47 mm flatter (S.D. = ±0.32 mm) than the flat keratometer reading of the cornea. Although the central lens‐cornea relationship is helpful in fitting the Soflens, the number of successful results are increased significantly by changing to a lens with different parameters when lens performance and patient response are not optimal.