Acuvue Oasys lens are claimed to be the first contact lens to integrate an additive that automatically darkens the lens when exposed to bright light.
The soft contact lenses are designed for daily use to correct the vision of people with non-diseased eyes who are nearsighted (myopia) or farsighted (hyperopia).
Acuvue Oasys contact lens can also be used by people with certain degrees of astigmatism, an abnormal curvature of the eye.
The contact lenses include a photochromic additive, which adjusts the amount of visible light filtered to the eye based on the amount of UV light to which they are exposed.
It helps in marginal darkening of lenses in bright sunlight, which automatically return to a regular tint when exposed to normal or dark lighting conditions.
The approval was based on a clinical study of 24 patients, which assessed daytime and nighttime driving performance while wearing the contact lenses.
Results of the trial showed that there was no evidence of concerns with either driving performance or vision while wearing the lenses.
According to FDA, the contact lenses are intended for daily wear for up to 14 days, and patients should not sleep in these lenses.
FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health ophthalmic, and ear, nose division director Malvina Eydelman said: "This contact lens is the first of its kind to incorporate the same technology that is used in eyeglasses that automatically darken in the sun.”
As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 40 million Americans were contact lens wearers, as of 2014.
The National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health figured that 42% of Americans aged 12 to 54 have myopia and 5% to 10% of all Americans have hyperopia.
