03/03/2016
Existing manufacturers of contact lenses for medical and cosmetic purposes currently use the average cornea profile of Caucasian users as a standard shape. However, the corneas of African people, particularly, are shaped differently to those of Caucasian people. Contact lenses which do not have the correct shape to match that of the user can cause ulceration of the membranes of the eye and also encourage bacterial infection. Prof Khaled Abou-El-Hossein, his team of postgraduates and collaborators at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, have been able to optimise the manufacturing process for contact lenses better suited for the African cornea profile, using specialised equipment.