Contact lenses providing improved visual acuity

A method of determining a contact lens design that optimizes visual acuity, comprising:

• correlating conic section shape factors with aberration values for a specific contact lens design, said aberration values being within the range of -0.2 to -0.6 diopter;
• and determining the aberration value and associated shape factor that provides optimal visual acuity.

A method of improving visual acuity of contact lenses in a series of contact lenses, each contact lens in the series having a different power correction, said method comprising:

• correlating conic shape factors with aberration values for each contact lens in the series, the aberration values being values within the range of about -0.2 to -0.6 diopter,
• determining the aberration value and associated shape factor for each contact lens in the series that provides optimal visual acuity for the individual contact lens in the series, and
• providing contact lenses with lens surfaces having conic sections that incorporate the aberration value and associated shape factor improving visual acuity.

A contact lens comprising a posterior surface and an anterior surface and including a central optical zone, wherein the anterior surface has a conic section with a shape factor in the range of about 0.4 to 1.6 and that is selected so that spherical aberration in the central optical zone is adjusted to a value within the range of about -0.2 to -0.6 diopter and to a value that provides optimal visual acuity.

A series of contact lenses comprising contact lenses having different power corrections, wherein each contact lens in the series has an anterior surface that has a conic section with a shape factor in the range of about 0.4 to 1.6 and that is selected so that an aberration value in the central optical zone is within the range of about -0.2 diopter to -0.6 diopter and is a value that provides optimal visual acuity.