The ROSE K family of lenses was invented by Paul Rose, an optometrist from Hamilton, New Zealand. Paul was concerned about what could be done for patients with keratoconus, a progressive condition in which the surface of the cornea becomes cone-shaped.
Realising that the problem with traditional contact lenses was that they did not fit unusual corneal shapes or mimic the eye shape well, he sought to develop a contact lens that would be more comfortable for patients, be easier to fit and provide better vision to those with the condition.
Paul Rose began developing the ROSE K keratoconus lens in 1987. After testing 700 lenses and 12 different designs, he produced a set of 26 lenses from which all patients could be fitted.
A further two years were spent to perfect the lens design before it was launched in the New Zealand market in 1990. In 1995, the ROSE K lens gained approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration for sale in America.
Since then, advances in technology have resulted in the introduction of the following lenses:
ROSE K2 lens with front surface aberration control providing superior vision.
ROSE K2 Irregular Cornea (IC) lens for larger areas of corneal distortion.
ROSE K2 Post Graft (PG) lens for post corneal surgical cases.
ROSE K2 NC lens specifically for nipple cones.
Most recently in 2013 the ROSE K2XL corneo-scleral lens which is ideally suited for patients who cannot tolerate smaller GP corneal lenses, for pellucid marginal degeneration, keratoglobus, corneal inserts, and patients who have significant corneal distortion after undergoing penetrating keratoplasty.
ROSE K lenses are now manufactured in 18 countries, distributed in over 88 countries and have become the most frequently prescribed brand of lens for the irregular cornea in the world.
