Abstract
Since founding of the National Eye Institute in 1968, the expansion of vision research in the United States and throughout the world has vastly increased our knowledge of the eye and the visual process. Ophthalmologists also continue to make advances in understanding disease processes of the eye from front to back, contributing not only to prevention of blindness, but to improved quality of life and substantial savings in health-related costs.Disposable contact lenses were introduced commercially in the late 1980s and offered the promise of improved safety compared with nondisposable lenses for extended wear1: Epidemiologic studies completed prior to approval of disposable contact lenses documented a 10-fold increased risk of corneal ulcers associated with extended overnight wear of nondisposable contact lenses.2 However, recent case-control studies3,4 suggest that overnight wear of contact lenses, rather than whether the lenses are disposable or extended wear, is the overwhelming risk factor
