Abstract
Purpose :
To measure corneal thickness after short-term small and large diameter scleral lens wear.
Methods :
Twenty healthy participants were fit on their right eye according to manufacturers’ fitting guides with a 15.2mm OneFit 2.0 lens (Blanchard Contact Lens Inc., Manchester, NH) and a 18.0mm BostonSight lens (BostonSight, Needham , MA). Lenses were each worn on the same day for one hour with the order of wear randomized. Central corneal thickness was measured using Pentacam rotating Scheimpflug photography system (Oculus Inc, Wetzlar, Germany) both prior to lens wear and immediately after lens removal. Differences in central corneal thickness are compared before and after lens wear using a paired t-test.
Results :
The average age of participants was 29 ± 9 (SD) years old (Range: 22-57 years), with 5 males and 15 females. Corneal thickness after one hour of small diameter lens wear (554 ± 30 µm, n=10) compared to before lens wear (548 ± 28 µm, n=10), was statistically increased (P=0.02, 1.2%). Corneal thickness after one hour of large diameter lens wear (544 ± 34 µm, n=10) compared to before lens wear (531 ± 30 µm, n=30) was also increased and had statistical significance (P=0.02, 2.4%). Small lens wearers then wore the large lens for one hour and had a further, but not statistically significant increase in corneal thickness (547 ± 37 µm, P=0.5, 1.4%). Similarly, large lens wearers had a non-statistically significant increase in corneal thickness after an hour of small lens wear (545 ± 31 µm, P=0.3, 1.0%).
Conclusions :
After one hour of lens wear, both small and large diameter lens wearers experience an increase in central corneal thickness. An additional hour of lens wear in a different lens design also increased central corneal thickness, but not as much as the first hour. Differences in lens diameter and design may influence cornea physiology differently.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.