Use of Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lens at Photorefractive Keratectomy Postoperative

Abstract

Purpose: : To evaluate the influence of two different types of contact lenses on corneal reepithelialization and the subjective comfort of patients that undergone photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) with 0.02% mitomycin C.

Methods: : Retrospective study with chart review. Forty eyes of 20 patients, with spherical equivalent between -1.00 to -5.00 undergone PRK with 0.02% micomycin C for 30 seconds. The eyes were divided in two groups. Hydrogel group: eyes that received silicone hydrogel contact lens and Gelatinous group: contralateral eyes that received gelatinous contact lens after surgery. All patients used both types of contact lenses, one in each eye. All patients answered a questionnaire with daily assessment of symptoms, from first to seventh day after surgery. Evaluation of epithelial healing (re-epithelization) was performed by slit lamp biomicroscopy. Both patient and doctor who perform questionnaire and evaluation were masked regarding the type of contact lens.

Results: : None of the eyes had re-epithelization in the first postoperative day. On the third day, three eyes of the hydrogel group and two eyes of the gelatinous group had complete re-epithelization. Half of the eyes of the hydrogel group and 12 eyes of the gelatinous group presented complete re-epithelization on the fifth postoperative day. Two eyes of the hydrogel group and one eye of the gelatinous group did not complete the re-epithelization until the seventh day. The rate of re-epithelization between the first and third days, between the third and fifth days, and between the fifth and seventh days was 35.60 ± 12.90 mm² x 34.72 ± 13.60 mm², 2.56 ± 3.75 mm² x 2.77 ± 5.17 mm², and 0.50 ± 1.09 mm² x 0.42 ± 1.45 mm² in the hydrogel and gelatinous groups, respectively.

Conclusions: : There is a tendency to faster re-epithelization in patients who used the silicone hydrogel lens. Further studies with more patients are needed to confirm these assessments.

Keywords: cornea: epithelium • laser • wound healing