MADE IN NORTH COUNTY: High-tech combo contact lenses made in Carlsbad

High-tech combo contact lenses made in Carlsbad

By BRADLEY J. FIKES - Staff Writer | Thursday, November 6, 2008 4:09 PM PST ∞

Recessions often usher in permanent changes in a region's economy. The recession of the early 1990s marked a decline in San Diego County's military-related industries and the emergence of what has become one the greatest concentrations of medical and biotechnical industries in the world.

We visit one of those companies.

CARLSBAD ---- Contact lens wearers learn early on that it's easy to get either crisp vision from hard lenses or a comfortable fit in the eye with soft lenses.

Getting both in the same lens, however, is much more difficult.

SynergEyes, makers of a combination lens with a rigid gas permeable center surrounded by a soft plastic "skirt," says it has mastered that tricky process. About 60,000 eyes now sport these hybrid lenses, the company said. They're all made in its headquarters on Rutherford Road just north of Palomar Airport.

The lenses were approved for sale in 2005. They are multi-focal, providing different focal points for close-up and distance viewing. In addition, they can correct for a stigmatism.

The quest for such a combo lens began about 20 years ago, said James F. Ham, the company's president and chief executive. But because the lens components so easily separated, the combo lens never achieved wide popularity. SynergEyes was founded specifically to solve this problem, combining materials research and advanced manufacturing techniques.

"There was nothing in the industry close to this and it presented daunting challenges to bond the different materials," said Joe Collins, vice president of manufacturing and a co-founder. "We had to bootstrap our way for years with all work being done by the founders. Today, we have 105 employees and sell lenses throughout most of the world."

Here's the highlights of the complicated process: The lenses are sculpted on lathes on both sides to an accuracy of greater than one micron, or one-thousandth of a millimeter. Then they are hydrated for 36 to 48 hours, inspected through microscopes for errors, sterilized for two to three days, packaged and shipped.

"This is, by far, the highest-tech contact lens out there, both in the manufacturing process and the lens itself," Ham said. High-tech manufacturing requires highly trained employees, Ham said, and Carlsbad is rich in those employees.

SynergEyes lenses can only be prescribed by eye care practitioners trained to prescribe them. Qualified practitioners can be located through the company's Web site, www.synergeyes.com.

Other companies have made combo lenses that marry soft and hard components. But SynergEyes has developed its own proprietary process ---- protected by several patents ---- to tightly bond the materials. The precision of manufacture, along with special steps to promote bonding, keep the materials from separating.

"The whole secret of SynergEyes was learning what needed to be done to keep the soft material accurately and well-bonded to the soft skirt," Collins said. "These are two pieces of very different (materials) we're bonding together. We had a lot of trouble doing that. Most of our patents are around that. We have nine patents and we're waiting for many more."

An improved "second generation" lens is being developed, and SynergEyes is expected to submit a marketing application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by the end of the year, Ham said. The main difference is the surrounding "skirt," made of silicon hydrogel, which is very popular in soft lenses.

One reason for the popularity of silicon hydrogel is that it allows more oxygen to reach the cornea, the transparent covering of the eye, Ham said. Lack of oxygen can cause neovascularization, a sight-endangering condition in which blood vessels grow into the cornea. The new lens will also include UV blocking.

"It's a totally new product, new material, new design," Ham said.

Contact staff writer Bradley J. Fikes at (760) 739-6641 or bfikes@nctimes.com.