Staff Article with contributions from Michael McCord
Of recent times, the eye care industry is coming onboard with sustainability awareness. A great example is the Miru lenses. The Miru brand of daily disposable contact lenses combines revolutionary levels of hygiene and sustainability. Miru lenses are made by Menicon, Inc. Menicon has a heightened concern for the environment, and takes pride in its green approach.
Beth Ashley is checking Miru lenses out at Harbor Eye Care in Portsmouth, NH. Photo courtesy of Green Alliance
What makes these daily disposable contact lenses so revolutionary? The traditional packaging and boxing has been replaced by an innovative wafer-thin and exceptionally hygienic flat-pack. Miru (which loosely translates as to see or to look in Japanese) was developed over seven years to create the flat-pack which easily shows the wearer the side the lens is facing – and reduces most of the risk of touching the inner surface of the lens, making it less likely that skin oil or microorganisms will get trapped between the lens and the wearer’s eye.
“There’s nothing like it on the market,” said Dr. Sarah Hudson of Harbor Eyecare center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who tested Miru lenses herself. Miru will have a national roll out in June at the AOA Optometry’s Meeting in Philadelphia, PA. The lenses have become popular in Japan where they launched the lens under the name Magic in November 2011. The lenses are getting rave reviews for their ease of use and convenient, spill-free packaging.
Menicon estimates the Miru brand reduces the carbon footprint by two-thirds compared with other brands in the marketplace, due to:
- gas and energy are saved when shipped due to less packaging material
- all of the packaging is recyclable
- the 30-day supply of lenses are flat-packaged and come in a small compact plastic container that is recycled from the patented molds used to make the lens
“Their storage and packing for transportation is minimal and the lenses work as promised. They are so easy to handle — you only touch the outside of the lens,” Hudson said.
The next time you are in need of contacts, ask your eye care professional if Miru lenses are a good fit for you. The earth will be happy you did!
For more information about Miru one-day lenses, visit meniconamerica.com/miru.
For more information about Harbor Eyecare Center: visionsource-hec.com.
Source: Michael McCord is a Green Alliance Correspondent. greenalliance.biz
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