ZEISS Innovation against Viruses and Bacteria on Eyeglass Lenses

Aalen, Germany | 22 April 2021 | ZEISS Vision Care

News about the COVID-19 pandemic currently surrounds everyone, everywhere, all the time. For example, we've already heard that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is capable of surviving for many hours – even days – on surfaces,²  including eyeglass lenses, and can remain viable on plastics and other materials for up to 72 hours. What does this mean for eyeglass lenses? Indeed, eyeglass lenses are thought to be contaminated with diverse microbiota due to their exposed position in the center of the human face and their close contact with human skin, nose, and mouth.³  Recent studies indicate that eyeglass lenses have significant and highly diverse bacterial contamination.⁴  ZEISS DuraVision AntiVirus Platinum UV, an anti-reflective coating with antibacterial and antiviral properties, will be available for all ZEISS plastic lenses from spring 2021.

The antimicrobial properties of silver have been known for centuries. For this reason, silverware has long served as a preventive measure against infections. ZEISS has now developed a process to incorporate antimicrobial silver invisibly but effectively into the anti-reflective coating package. The precious metal (Ag⁺ ions) effectively deactivates viruses and bacteria present on the lens. Independent, accredited external test houses conducted the antimicrobial efficacy testing according to well-established test procedures, including ISO standards.⁵  "With this coating, we reduce the presence of microbial contamination on the surface of the eyeglass lenses. As a result, the product provides some more prevention in everyday life and is a new contribution to ophthalmic lens hygiene," says Dr. Christian Lappe, Director Technical Communication at ZEISS.

"ZEISS DuraVision coatings combine anti-reflective, dirt- and dust-repellent properties, easy cleaning, and scratch resistance for long durability in a single coating package," says Volker Gahr, Senior Product Manager at ZEISS.
."DuraVision is a trademark that stands for very robust coatings for years – and this is also true for ZEISS DuraVision AntiVirus Platinum UV." In addition to the already well-known benefits and properties of the premium lens coatings, there is now the added benefit that ZEISS DuraVision AntiVirus Platinum UV reduces the risk of viruses and bacteria surviving on the lens surface.

Of course, ZEISS lenses with DuraVision AntiVirus Platinum UV offer full UV protection up to 400 nanometers. Besides, the new coating is also available for ZEISS BlueGuard Lenses. Especially for those who want to benefit from the new blue light protection properties in today's technology and media usage.

^{DuraVision is a trademark of Carl Zeiss Vision GmbH.}

_{1 Tested by ISO 21702:2019(E) for enveloped viruses and tested by ISO 22196:2011(E) for Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Efficacy proven after 24 hours as defined by ISO.
2 van Doremalen N., Bushmaker T., Morris D.H., Holbrook M.G., Gamble A., Williamson B.N., Tamin A., Harcourt J.L., Thornburg N.J., Gerber S.I., Lloyd-Smith J.O., de Wit E., Munster V.J. (2020). Aeorsol and surface stability of SARS-CoV-2 as compared with SARS-CoV-1. New England Journal of Medicine, 382:16.
3 Fritz, B., Jenner, A., Wahl, S., Lappe, C., Zehender, A., Horn, C., Blessing, F., Kohl, M., Ziemssen, F., Egert, M. (2018). A view to a kill? – Ambient bacterial load of frames and lenses of spectacles and evaluation of different cleaning methods. PLoS ONE 13(11): e0207238.
4 Fritz B., März M., Weis S., Wahl S., Ziemssen F., Egert M. (2020). Site-specific molecular analysis of the bacteriota on worn spectacles. Scientific Reports, 10:5577.
ZEISS has studied the microbial content of spectacle lenses over several years in cooperation with Furtwangen University
5 Tested by ISO 21702:2019(E) for enveloped viruses and tested by ISO 22196:2011(E) for Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Efficacy proven after 24 hours as defined by ISO.}