Discussing contact lenses brings a number of brand-names in our minds that specialize in eye care products such as the Bausch and Lomb, Johnson and Johnson contact lenses etc.. With the knowledge of the product line ups of both the companies, it becomes easier to choose the best contact lenses suited for us depending on our needs. However, the story doesn’t just end in choosing the best suited contact lenses. There is a certain eye care regimen that needs to be followed for healthy and beautiful eyes. Keep your eyes clean and do not rinse unnecessarily. If you are a daily disposable contact lenses user, discard it after every use. Extended eye contact lenses users can follow the regime provided by their doctor for their eye care. However, now let’s do a comparative study of the two leading brands of contact lenses: Acuvue and Ciba Vision
Ciba Vision Vs Acuvue Contact Lenses
Brand Positioning:
Acuvue as a Brand:
Johnson and Johnson has one such auxiliary brand, which it took over in 1981 and was renamed as Vistakon. In 1986, the Acuvue was introduced, which specializes in making disposable contact lenses. An optometrist named Seymour Marco founded this company in 1950s in Jacksonville. Etafilcon-A is a new material that Marco developed in 1970s, besides soft lens, which made Acuvue famous for it.
Ciba Vision as a Brand:
Besides Acuvue, Ciba Vision is another eminent brand noted for the long range of similarly great products. Ciba Vision is the undertaking of Novartis International, a multinational pharmaceutical company of Singapore that is a chief manufacturer and developer of the famous Ciba Vision contact lenses and lens care products. The parent company of Ciba Vision named CIBA was founded in 1859 but the brand was launched in 1980. Prior to this, the brand underwent a number of mergers and acquisitions with Geigy in 1970 and Sandoz in 1996 to form Novartis.
Types and Disposability
Acuvue Products:
The products of Acuvue were launched in the market in 1986 with a seven day extended period lens that later on became a daily use. The two ruling products that consist the category of Acuvue contact lenses are Acuvue 2, a daily disposable eye contact lens that comes with a hydrogel material and a two week lenses called the Acuvue Oasys for astigmatism and/or presbyopia. It also developed the Laceron technology which permits 98% of the entire available oxygen to the central cornea. Besides, it uses Hydra clear plus technology that features an Accelerated Stabilization Design for exceptional eye on stability. Plus, it uses the most advanced silicon hydrogel senofilcon A.
Ciba Vision Products:
Ciba vision created and launched Toric lens, the first disposable siliconein hydrogel contacts and the daily disposable progressives in 1990s. It also brought in a breakthrough contact lens manufacturing technology called Lightstream that ensures consistent high lens performance and excellent vision. Air Optix is a marketing label Ciba Vision uses for the extended wear contacts. Some other products served globally are Air optic night and day that is a label used to sell the 30 day wear contacts, Fresh look that is a label used to sell the colored contacs, Dailies that’s is a one day wear contacts, AoSept, Clear Care and Air Optix aqua by Ciba vision.
Vision Correction:
By Acuvue Lenses:
The acuvue lenses may be corrective, cosmetic or therapeutic in nature targeted for everyone that is teens, children as well as adults. UV Blocking contact lenses offering resistance to 82% of UV- A radiation and 97% of UV-B radiation are introduced by Acuvue. Acuvue also helps in treating astigmatism, multifocal range and bifocal range with their exclusive 4-zone Accelerated Stabilization Design (ASD) technology. Also, their contacts have a Pupil Intelligent design that provides optimal vision to presbyopic patients.
By Ciba Vision Lenses:
Astigmatism, Corneal Oxygen Deficiency, Dry eye, Eye allergies, Farsightedness, Nearsightedness, Presbyopia are some of the wide variety of vision needs against which Ciba Vision provides new therapeutic and preventive solutions to endeavor in improving vision.
Growth and Sales:
Acuvue Expenses and Sales:
Acuvue spent $4.4 bilion for its voracious research and development in 2010 having a sales record of $27.47 billion in 1999.
Ciba Vision Sales:
Ciba Vision has only grown over the years, selling over 1.9 billion lenses in 2009 and addressed to the eye care needs of patient with manifold optical needs.
Market Share:
Ciba Vision holds a share of 21% in disposable lens market as of 1994 whereas Acuvue has only 14.8%. Acuvue has manufacturers at United states, Limerick, Ireland but has a stake in the European market while Ciba Vision’s giant presence can be felt in Germany, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Duluth, GA and USA.
Packaging:
Acuvue lenses come in sets of 6/12 and 30 unlike Ciba vision that comes in 2/3/6 and 10 but both have the varieties of daily disposable lenses, weekly disposable lenses, monthly disposable lenses and extended period lenses that is a yearly.
Acuvue and Ciba Vision have a lot to and deliver when it comes to the range of shades and styles for different consumer tastes, needs and demands. But, it’s not just the varieties. Both these brands provide the classiest of products bearing the best features and pre-development research work. This is again followed by a regular improvement, improvisation and development of the products to make them ageless. This includes contact lenses as well as the other lens care products. Both Acuvue and Ciba vision are globally renowned competitive brands with their respective products high in demand and the technological advancements have provided easy availability of the products to global users.