Chemical Disinfection System Compatibility With Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lens

Abstract

Purpose: : There have been investigations on corneal staining with hydrogel contact lens wearers. The investigations described that there were differences in corneal staining depending on the type of multipurpose solutions. We have evaluated the solution compatibility with a commercially available silicone hydrogel contact lens using different chemical disinfection systems.

Methods: : Eight chemical disinfection systems, three containing hydrogen peroxide, three MPSs containing PHMB, and two MPSs containing polyquaternium, were tested with the same subject groups. Test lenses (Focus Night & Day approved for daily wear modality in Japan) were presoaked in the chemical disinfection systems for an overnight, 12 hours or longer. For the chemical disinfection systems containing hydrogen peroxide, neutralizing and rinsing steps were added according to the care regimens. Fifteen subjects participated in this study and visited at out clinic on eight different days. At each visit, the baseline for the corneal fluorescein staining was assessed before the test lenses were dispensed. After exactly two or six hours of lens wear, the lenses were removed and the corneal fluorescein staining was assessed. Two and six hour wear cases were studied on different visit respectively.

Results: : There were significant corneal staining observed at 2 hour–worn case with all MPSs. The corneal staining was disappeared at six hours with two MPSs containing PHMB and two MPSs containing polyquaternium. The corneal staining was decreased, but not disappeared with one of the MPSs containing PHMB. The level of the corneal staining was lower with the MPSs containing polyquaternium. Very minimum corneal staining was observed with the hydrogen peroxide systems for both two and six hours of lens wear.

Conclusions: : We recommend the use of the disinfection systems containing hydrogen peroxide or the MPSs containing polyquarternium for silicone hydrogel (Focus Night & Day) contact lens wearers.

Keywords: contact lens • clinical laboratory testing • cornea: epithelium