Product profile

This year mark’ennovy celebrates its 25th anniversary as a different type of contact lens company: a company dedicated to a quality service and a positive experience between the eyecare professional and the patient. So, asks the company, is now the time to seriously consider the value of custom contact lenses?

HISTORY AND INNOVATION Founded in the Spanish city of Madrid in 1997, mark'ennovy is today firmly established as a 'go to' specialist in individually crafted contact lenses. Continuous innovation and advancement led the company to quickly establish a reputation as a precision contact lens brand for astigmatism and presbyopia. Since its beginnings, the company has experienced international growth and now has a direct presence in 10 European markets with a distribution network reaching more than 35 countries globally.

The acquisition of Vista Optics in 2010 created an epicentre of diverse materials innovation, and continues to complement

R&D investment has been central to business growth

All lenses are individually crafted

the company's ever-growing portfolio of individually crafted contact lenses.

Investment in R&D has been central to mark’ennovy’s growth strategy from the outset, but never so much as with the launch of Saphir Rx, the monthly silicone hydrogel contact lens. The success of Saphir Rx allowed the company to invest more heavily in new contact lens materials, designs and manufacturing technologies. It paved the way for the launch of Gentle 80 and Gentle 59, its range of bio-inspired hydrogel lenses, with Gentle 80 winning the 2015 Optician Award for Contact Lens Product of the Year.

In 2016, the company continued to strengthen its tradition of innovative materials with the launch of Blu:gen, the first contact lens with a Class 1 UV filter and blue light blocking capabailities.

Next, mark'ennovy teamed up with the Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) and in 2019, introduced MYLO contact lenses for myopia management, and EDOF contact lenses for presbyopia. Both lenses are powered by BHVI's patented extended depth of focus (EDOF) technology, with MYLO being the only on-label myopia management product in a silicone hydrogel material. It also offers the company's signature range of diameters and base curves for the most precise contact lens fit, which differentiates it from any other myopia management lens on the market.

The company's EDOF lenses are individually crafted monthly soft contact lenses specifically designed for presbyopia, providing exceptionally clear vision at all distances. mark’ennovy’s expert team has been collaborating closely with leading contact lens practitioners, and opinion leaders, to build awareness for making individually crafted lenses as a true asset to customers’ clinical toolkits and practice. At the practitioner’s service is a team of talented professionals from all over the world. From marketing, sales and professional affairs to R&D, engineering and logistics, mark’ennovy is united by its dedication to supporting eyecare professionals in enhancing their patients' vision and quality of life.

CUSTOMISATION OPPORTUNITIES We are fortunate as a profession that we now have such a wide choice of materials and modalities. Some may argue that ‘off-the-shelf’ lenses are perfectly adequate for their practice and patient needs, however, despite so many innovative developments in the market, we still have significant challenges with contact lens drop-out.

It is accepted that drop-out is multifactorial and many studies show that comfort is often the main driver; but could it be argued that if a lens is not fitting optimally then comfort could be compromised?

Many practitioners feel that the loss of patients to internet supply is another, if not more impactful, challenge and it’s easy to see why. Contact lenses are lightweight, have a reasonable expiry date and, as well as being a convenient size for letter boxes, they don’t need to be stored in specialist facilities. mark’ennovy is reassuringly positioned in that all its lenses are custom made, only available from registered practitioners, and as such are not available through online third party suppliers.

A practice, or practitioner, who solely fits lenses that are off-the-shelf is very exposed to online competition, but having a percentage of patients in custom lenses helps insulate them from the challenge of the internet and brand switching. We shouldn’t underestimate the impact on a patient’s loyalty to a practice or practitioner, who has explored all the available options to enhance this patient’s quality of life.

A study by Sulley et al 1 concluded that 26 per cent of patients dropped out of contact lenses in their first year. Even more surprising was the finding that 71 per cent of those patients were not offered an alternative lens or management strategy. Even if a patient is fitted with a standard lens that proves unsuccessful, fitting them with another off-the-shelf product may not solve the issue. This is because most standard fit lenses are designed to fit the eyes of a typical patient.

In 2020, the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) hosted a webinar titled, 'When was the last time you fitted a soft lens?' The webinar was published in the BCLA peer-reviewed journal Contact Lens & Anterior Eye2 and succinctly captured the current situation stating: "ECPs are typically looking for eyes that fit the arsenal of lenses that they have in stock, rather than measuring eyes and selecting – let alone fitting – the best lenses for those eyes".

Studies by van der Worp3 on the importance of sag height and work by Young, Hall and Wolffsohn4-6 clearly demonstrated that keratometry alone has little bearing on lens fit. van der Worp demonstrated that 68 per cent of eyes are in the sagittal range for standard off-theshelf lenses. This leaves as many as 32 per cent of eyes which, even though they may have a simple enough prescription, may be suitable for a custom-made lens.

LENS DESIGNS FOR ALL mark’ennovy produces custom made lenses to fulfil the needs and demands of all patients. Boasting more than one billion SKUs in single vision, toric, multifocal and toric multifocal lens designs ensures that every patient has a product available for them.

Ordering these lenses couldn’t be easier either. With a dedicated team of qualified practitioners waiting to receive your call, you can simply take K readings, HVID and the latest spectacle prescription from your patient – and the technical support team will happily select the most appropriate product for them. In addition, they will provide ongoing technical support and advice should you require any modifications to the initial lens.

GET IN TOUCH TODAY If you have a patient who you think could benefit from a state-of-the-art, custom made contact lens, then call the mark’ennovy technical support team today on 0800 328 0610 to find out more. Alternatively, for clinical support, account queries or to find out how mark’ennovy can support your business, email your dedicated NEG commercial manager, James Wilson, at james.wilson@markennovy.com ■

A unique myopia management contact lens option

REFERENCES

1. Sulley A, Young G et al. Factors in the success of new contact lens wearers. Contact Lens & Anterior Eye 2017;40(1):15-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. clae.2016.10.002 2. van der Worp E, Wolffsohn JS, Jones L. When was the last time you fitted a soft lens? Contact Lens & Anterior Eye 2020;43(5):415-417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2020.03.008 3. van der Worp E. The science and skill of fitting a soft lens: an inconvenient truth. Contact Lens Spectrum 2017;32:52-56. 4. Young G. Ocular sagittal height and soft contact lens fit. Contact Lens & Anterior Eye 1992;15(1):4549. https://doi.org/10.1016/0141-7037(92)80031-T 5. Young G, Schnider C, Hunt C, Efron S. Corneal topography and soft contact lens fit. Optometry and Vision Science 2010;87(5):358-366. Doi: 10.1097/ OPX.0b013e3181d9519b 6. Hall LA, Young G, Wolffsohn JS, Riley C. The influence of corneoscleral topography on soft contact lens fit. Investigative Ophthalmology & Vision Science 2011; 52(9):6801-6806. https://doi. org/10.1167/iovs.11-7177