Purpose:
To evaluate postoperative healing between high and low oxygen permeable bandage contact lenses in patients receiving PRK.
Methods:
Retrospective study to evaluate patients that received a high oxygen transmission lens (CIBA Night & Day, n = 92) compared to those that received a low oxygen transmission lens (Proclear, n = 114) postoperatively after photorefractive keratectomy. Patients were evaluated for visual outcome, safety, and efficacy by assessing post operative BSCVA, UCVA, MSE, target emmetropia, 5% and 25% low contrast visual acuity, haze rate, reepitheliazation, pain scores and corneal infiltration. Follow up testing was done at 4 days, 1 week, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months.
Results:
Patients receiving the Proclear lens showed a significantly different decrease in BSCVA at 1 month postoperatively, with 40.4% of Proclear patients with ≥1 line change on Snellen examination, compared to 18.6% of patients who received the N&D lens (p = 0.002). Patients that received the Proclear lens were initially more overcorrected than those that received the N&D lens, with greater refractive regression over 1 year. Overall pain score in the Proclear group was 0.25 and 0.098 in the N&D group at 4 days (p = 0.024). There was a trend to greater haze rate among eyes in the Proclear group, but this was not statistically significant (p = 0.064). Patients that received the N&D lens showed a statistically significant increase in corneal infiltrates at 4 days (p = 0.025) and 1 week (p = 0.017). There was no statistically significant difference in UCVA, goal of emmetropia, contrast sensitivity, or reepitheliazation.
Conclusions:
The high oxygen permeable lens (CIBA N&D) had decreased pain and better postoperative results in terms of haze rate and BSCVA at 1 month. However, it also has a higher incidence of corneal infiltrates. There is no difference between the lenses in end result at 12 months.
Clinical Trial:
www.clinicaltrials.gov 04-2335-99d
Keywords: refractive surgery: PRK • contact lens • wound healing